Salem Katrina Team Report from Gautier - November 29 afternoon

Now the hard part - I have to get our accounting done in time to meet with Virginia at the church on Thursday. I feel like a little boy with his pockets full of paper scraps - hope I can find most of our receipts from the past three weeks.

A word to teams heading to the Gulfport, Mississippi area between December 9 and January 31. We have a 40' motor home (which can transport about 20 folks) positioned there as well as a seven-passenger van. We offer these vehicles to pick up volunteers arriving at the Gulfport airport, and we can take you to any of the volunteer locations near Gulfport, Biloxi or over to Pascagola. Drop me an email at rustysilverwings@aol.com if we can be of service in this way.

I recently phoned PDA headquarters in Kentucky and was lucky enough to speak with Ms. Paula Burdine. She explained that the PDA Gautier camp hasn't been closed, but instead has been relocated to another Gautier facility which will be up and running again around the end of this week. Be sure, if your teams are available to serve, to coordinate through the folks at PDA by submitting your application as soon as possible to allow them to plan work flow and support requirements. Running such a large operation is a new deal for them, and like most folks from FEMA on down, I've come to appreciate their hard work, dedication - and results. Suggestion: go where they send you, bring what they suggest, give funds to support their organization as best you can!

Here at Salem's First Pres, we continue to solicit donations to cover previous expenses as well as future work in the Gulf. Please send whatever you're led to offer to Salem First Presbyterian Church, 770 Chemeketa NE, Salem OR 93701, marked "Katrina Relief" or to Gautier Presbyterian Church, 1009 Hwy 90, Gautier MS 39553, marked "Salem Katrina Team". The funds will go 100% to relief in the Gulfport, Mississippi area. I want to raise funds so as to continue addressing individual needs while we do case work in Ocean Springs, and of course, we will continue to be held fully accountable by our church's financial secretary, Virginia aka "Attila the Accountant". We're blessed with her work supporting this project!!

I learned something last week about Mississippi which I found astounding. USA Today reported in several articles about the economic situation of that state, and their difficulty meeting even the pre-Katrina funding needs of schools, transportation - everything. Well, last week USA Today gave us the really important fact. Mississippi, as poor as the state and her residents certainly are, leads our entire nation in charitable giving as a percentage of income! It must be something in the grits. Or more likely, in the grit of the people!!
---for our Team,
Wes

Salem Katrina Team Report from Gautier - November 29

This message was left as a comment on one of our team's blog entries from last week, posted by another volunteer working at Gautier Presbyterian Church under the PDA relief organization. Here's what he wrote:

Wednesday Night: we have a Welcome Dinner for the folks helping out those in need in Gautier and surrounding area. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving was no exception, with the exception that six ladies from Big Bay, Michigan entertained us. The words were original; the tune was an old familiar one, “Show me the way to go home”.

Show me the way to Gautier
I want to muck and scrape and spray
I want to work without pay for the PDA
Show me the way to Gautier
Show me the way to Gautier
Where the snakes and the alligators play
I want freeze in a tent, take cold showers- Hurray
Show me the way to Gautier
We met some great folks in Gautier
Thank the Lord for paving our way
To where the people were strong
when the storm came along
Show me the way to Gautier
We’re fixing to leave Gautier
Gotta head up north to Big Bay
But the memories we have will forever stay
As we pray for those in Gautier

I am not sure who wrote the song but the following ladies performed beautifully. Laurie, Kim, Linda F., Linda G, Dorothy. A reliable source, (my wife Barbara) tells me they are all part of the choir in their church in Big Bay. We of the GPC were indeed double blessed with willing workers and entertainers too--Dick Poole

I met these ladies with their team from Big Bay, and noted that with them gone from their home church, so was most of the choir, most of the elders, most of the whole town! But thank goodness their crew included the famous pie cook!!!! I'll always remember them as the "blood lust" Scrabble players laughing at us as we stood in the hall asking what they were doing. Nice folks!

Salem Katrina Team Report November 28

It was wonderful to be back in church Sunday. So many happy questions about the Team's work at Katrina. It sure was great to see Ed, David, Rick and Karen. Morella, Wayne and Mary are stilll traveling. As mentioned frequently, Joan and I head back to the Gulf - me on December 8 and she flies in on December 19 along with our son Ben who flies in from college in Vermont. We'll first be volunteering at Christus Victor, the Lutheran church in Ocean Springs and then returning to Gautier Presbyterian in early January.

I'd like to give a brief very preliminary detailing of where most of our funds were spent these past several weeks, both to account to our church members and to show other teams what kind of expenses we all run across, helping in Katrina. Many other teams managed their budgets by simply driving to Gautier and working, covering their own fuel in a casual manner, then returning home. This listing does not include out-of-pocket expenses of team members who refused repayment (and these special people in the RV in front of me know who they are!), the expense of vehicles being taken to Gautier (other than fuel), or team members' plane tickets which they themselves paid. Neither does it include the very significant value of gifts such as the quilts, copiers, wood working equipment, medical supplies, generators, televisions, cleanup kits, phone systems or other donations the team took to Gautier - over two tons!

U-Haul trailer rental, 1 way - $294
Fuel (gas, diesel, propane, oil) - 2650
Food (team) - 1040
Tools (respirators, equipment, etc) - 780
Professional mold inspections (10 ea) - 1000
Bus Ticket for volunteer (per PDA) - 150
Cash for casual labor (per PDA) - 45
Propane stoves, radios, lantern - 195
Cash to PDA representative - 500
Lowe's, Home Depot supplies - 650
Gift to host church for rebuilding - 1250
Camp setup for PDA - 250
Office supplies for PDA - 200
Pastor's travel - 650
Held in reserve - 1000
Kitchen equipment - 250
Eye glasses for victim - 180
Eye glasses for victim - 100
Dentures gift for victim - 600
Molding, paint for victim - 100
Major First Aid kit & supplies for PDA - 290
5-gal fuel jugs for PDA - 21
Multi-fold ladder, wallboard equipment - 125
Printing, signs - 85
Postage - 15
Airport parking - 21
Electrician's fees for PDA - $250
Air mattresses & pillows (for PDA camp) - $65
Value of donated plane ticket for one team member's travel - 500
(note: we still have one unused $500 gift card for fuel, already totaled in fuel expenses above, needed for team member's drive back to Salem in January or February as they may decide)

We averaged about $100 per day of labor of team members including transportation, tools, relief supplies and the several types of PDA organization financial support. We could have simply gotten ourselves there and worked, because it turned out there was a functional kitchen and the tents were adequate, and many expenses we faced were optional , such as the professional mold inspections for the homes before we put the wallboard up- we could have elected not to pay for such things, but the budget allowed the team to provide such vital help and the money amounted to cash bullets to shoot at problems as we discovered them! Consider: The cost of this project compared very well to other missions, such as this year's Mexico Mission, which cost over $20,000 for much less on-site labor.

With our budget we addressed many individual victim's needs such as dentures, and we improved the PDA camp as well as the host church. It turns out we could have as easily not bought the food preparation items and some of the tools, but as recently as a couple days after we'd already started driving the PDA web site was still telling teams to bring their own "chuck wagon", water, fuel and other such basic items. PDA could help all of us by keeping such team and individual checklists current, if possible, and to make them as specific as possible depending on the camp teams are supporting. The needs in a disaster are quite different the first week versus the tenth week!

As team leader the responsibility for the use of our budget was mine. The standard I used was to spend with caution, as though it was my own money, which some of it was. I wanted to spend only for things which, if challenged by a reasonable friend at church, I'd be willing to cover at my own expense because I felt they were appropriate disaster-related items. Our team established an initial budget goal of $8500 and eventually raised $13,100. Donations were received from sister churches, First Presbyterian Church of McMinnville and First Presbyterian Church of Newberg, by our own missions committee, and by anybody else not fast enough to get out of Rick Pollan's way - he is a fund-raising champ!

Our next trip back to the Gulf entails no expense now that our vehicles are there, other than food for participants @ $10/day each plus whatever relief supplies a budget might support, such as more medical supplies or individual relief such as eye glasses and dentures again. The team members returning are covering their own plane tickets and their vehicles are already there, and their return fuel to Oregon already covered. The Gautier Presbyterian Church intends to rebuild their Sanctuary, but we have limited our support to improvements in the fellowship hall kitchen because that served as the PDA's money-saving, team-comfort, service-delivery base camp - we purchased modular kitchen counters for them, and provided office equipment and wireless Internet. We will continue to support Gautier by managing their blog site (www.gautierpresby.blogspot.com) and their web site (www.gautierpresby.com) which entailed no expense. We assisted other teams in setting up their own project blogs.

From the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone who so generously supported our team in this long project, especially our volunteers who gave both money and lots of sweat bringing help to the Gulf.
...for the Team,
Wes

Salem Katrina Team Rogue's Gallery

Our Team plus Victor "You're a better man than I, Gungda Din" , but missing friends Rick and Morella who had flown home earlier. From left: Ed, Victor, David, Mary, Wayne, Wes. In front, Joan and The Reverend Karen Pollan.



Mary on left, with PDA's Julie paying homage to Dixie The Dog and to Queen Mary "The Great Swanson", aka Good Morning Sunshine.






David "asleep again during devotions" Dyer







David on left and Rick on the right of a special resident and new friend








Karen "See, I wear glasses, too!" Pollan












Joan "Sound of Music" Carter on left, Kris the nurse on right








Wayne Swanson in action!










First Sergeant Morella "YOU'LL DO WHAT I TELL YOU, WHEN I TELL YOU. DROP AND GIVE ME 20" Lawsen, on left, with Julie up on her high horse as usual









Wes "Sweet Grits" Carter








Ed "Just get the work done and talk about it later. Speak up I can't hear you" Stahl on left.

FEMA Assessment of Salem's Katrina Team

Government Assessment of Individual Team Members:

To the membership of Salem First Presbyterian Church, here is the "official" FEMA report card on your Hurricane Katrina team members

Wes - absolute worst sweet cheese grits in history, don't know sugar frum salt but the boy's learning. A real Bubba wanna-be.
Bubba-San David - best volunteer in recorded history, absolutely no improvement needed. A knight in flannel. Consider removing tobacco before sleeping.
Mary - most fun person to tease & cuts a ham into the smallest pieces possible!
Wayne - can skillfully fix anything but finds Mexican restaurants only with great difficulty and several snap no-notice u-turns. Cruises US90 for fun on way to Lowe's every morning, right at devotions time!
Rick - fastest electrical repairs in history and somehow snores even more than David. A knight with a tool belt instead of a sword.
Morella - best dang First Sergeant Gautier Pres ever saw! Being recruited by Navy's Blue Angels! Writes her name on work apron to remember who she is.
Karen - best smiles; lighted up the entire Gulf so much she could power Gautier with her smiles. We'll take two of her!
Ed - quietest & most skillful disaster repair expert on the Gulf Coast! Laughs at most jokes - providing his hearing aids are in!
Joan - world-famous organist, hangs wallboard pretty good, can park a 40,000 LB RV anywhere and best friend Wes ever had
Dixie - a good dog. The highest praise possible. The best friend a person can have in Washington. Ask FEMA's Michael Brown!

Send this or any other Salem team back. They're dang good!

Love and hugs,

FEMA

(you know our motto - "The trailer will be there in the morning. We promise!")

Salem Katrina Team Report November 23

Paddy-San (from the other Salem), I have not forgotten you. Who could??

We're all home now. I got in yesterday afternoon and slept all day, right through the arrival of our kids home for Thanksgiving. Ed wrote that he was stranded a day enroute but also finally returned to Salem. That leaves everybody back in Oregon except Mary and Wayne, but they're off in their motorhome in Georgia so we can trust that these friends are safe and sound like the rest of us. Turkey or venison for Thanksgiving, Wayne?

It was a high-stress two weeks - actually three weeks for Joan and me with our 2800 mile drive down there, plus the month of the whole church's planning and preparation. We had no team injuries, no other problems to report, and we sure spent every penny we had and more! For me, I somehow came to admire my wife even more than before, and I am in awe of the strength and faith we saw in Salem's finest (Wayne, Ed, Mary, Morella, Rick, Joan, Bubba-San David, and Karen). I still have to complete arrangements for the dentures for one gentleman, but the hangup there is the dentist who is having reduced office hours because of damage to his home. And of course, Joan and I still have to drive the RV back to Oregon in January or February, whenever we decide to wrap up down there.

We're all home, but our Katrina mission is by no means complete. We are sending a couple folks back mid-December to work though February, but the Katrina situation and the desperate needs down there will continue for years. Churches across America continue sending teams, and checks, to give what help they can, and so will First Presbyterian of Salem. Joan and I, plus our son Ben and other friends and family (plus anyone from Salem who wants to join us), have been officially invited to join the volunteers at Christus Victor Lutheran Church in Ocean Springs to work over Christmas, a period Gautier Presbyterian will be suspending their volunteer work to allow families to focus on themselves and the holiday. Christus Victor focuses on delivery of relief supplies, running a shelter and feeding three hot meals a day, plus client case work which I'm looking forward to joining. Rev. Chris Bullock asked all available Salem volunteers to then return to work at Gautier with his teams.

What does the Gulf Coast need at this time? They need a continuing stream of volunteer teams coming in to support PDA and other relief agencies, or directly sistering with churches like Gautier Presbyterian for more focused help. Mississippi and Louisiana need money. A fist full of dollars means a set of dentures, a set of replacement glasses, or some other problem solved in a very focused manner. Money means food for the volunteer workers. Money means paint and wallboard for folks who can't buy it before the volunteers show up to rehab their house. Money means help in a most perfect way. Send money. Many times our teams joined for devotions and then in the discussion of the day's work which followed, we raised money between us to cover problems. $100 here, $200 there...problems were solved by using money as a recovery tool.

Send stuff. In Gautier, for instance, about 5,000 homes suffered some damage from Katrina, almost always on the first floor, sometimes the entire structure. These folks need the kinds of items you'd find on your own family's first floor, such as washers and dryers, televisions and other entertainment items, sofas, chairs, bed frames, chest of drawers, dining room tables and chairs, area rugs, microwave ovens and the like. They do not need clothes...too often, clothes are too difficult for volunteers to get to the folks who need them and the need now for clothes has pretty much been handled...except for coats as winter sets in. Please send lots of coats, but first bag them with labels like "Men's Coats - Large" to help with storage and delivery. Please be sure things are clean enough to wear before you shipment, of course. For your reference, the largest trailer from U-Haul cost us around $280. We hauled just over a ton of quilts, tools, stuffed animals, team gear, cooking equipment, household items, televisions, food, diesel, industrial woodworking equipment, computers and printers, copiers and much more. U-Haul trailers and trucks can be returned just a few miles from Gautier Pres, but consider that they can be also used locally as we did to haul wallboard and other items to our work sites. U-Haul gives volunteers a 10% discount - be sure to request it.

Send special stuff, special gifts: For instance, we delivered three hundred or more handmade quilts made by a community group which asked us to transport. Beautiful, warm quilts which warmed the hearts of the recipients. I handed quilts to teachers who'd lost their homes and everything else they'd owned. To kids who'd lost their homes. To social workers who'd lost their homes yet were working to help others just as troubled as they. If you can make beautiful quilts or other things of such wonder, consider sending these special gifts to the Gulf Coast. To Salem Quilt-a-Thon, want to do another shipment? I had no idea of the joy those quilts would bring. Thank each of you for all that hard work!

Send money. Send lots! Please know that money equals "stuff". Money solves many problems in minutes. So if you can, a check or an envelope of cash should go along with your team leader, or sent to volunteers on the ground in the area will quickly be used to resolve problems as they are discovered. Our team used the money we were entrusted with to pay for eye glasses, bus tickets, casual labor (pocket money for Victor), stoves, paint, molding, food, office supplies, signs, printing expenses, dentures, gas, diesel, propane, highway tolls, one team dinner together, tools, modular kitchen counters, plywood, electrical cables, and much more. I will never forget that "our" money, our precious ammunition for this mission, consisted of our own church's mission funds, donations received from our individual team members, plus generous gifts from First Presbyterian Church of McMinnville and First Presbyterian Church of Newberg. That's why we changed our team name into "Presbyterian Churches of Oregon".

I have been to war, and volunteers should be ready for an emotional impact on them very much like that. No bullets flying, no such sense of danger or fear, but this certainly is an event you'll remember all your life. In speaking with other veterans we were surprised at the similar emotions. Experts have been telling us of the post-traumatic stress disorder problems that the residents are experiencing.

Send work teams. A team volunteering for Katrina means a group of people large enough to grab a project, such as a living room or maybe even an entire house, and take care of what needs to be done. A team means a self-supporting group which doesn't need help already scarce in the area. A team means organization and focus. There are individuals going to help by themselves and while they are almost always good folks, some aren't. We need general labor, plumbers, electricians, social workers, cooks, secretaries/administrative assistants, drivers, and more.

Go back. This is a disaster which will need us to return time and time again. If you send a church team, trust me - they'll want to go back. Do your planning in a manner which provides a stream of help, perhaps a couple teams a year or more. Your volunteers are needed so badly.

Send Prayers. Prayers are working, believe me. Maybe I was a church version of Tom Paine's Sunshine Patriot, but no longer. People in my church prayed for me, for my safety and for those we went to help. As a result, I know I'm a better Christian for these past weeks, and determined to look at myself and my faith even harder from now on. The people we pray for, both our teams and our friends we go to serve along the Gulf Coast, are better for our prayers. So stay on your knees, please.

Salem Katrina Team - Last Report from Gautier, November 21

Tonight was a wonderful end to a hard day which taxed our resources emotionally. We enjoyed a world-class dinner including--brace yourselves-- homemade bread and three types of homemade pies--from scratch including crust! The fellowship hall was wonderful all day long with the aroma of rising dough! Don’t think for a moment that Katrina relief has turned the Gulf Coast into some sort of Presbyterian resort, but we now have a group of neat volunteers from Big Bend, Michigan (they live north of a bridge where -if you are south of it- you’re considered some sort of “troll”... if there’s a joke here, we’ll have to ask somebody from the UP of Michigan to explain.) We are blessed by a woman who knocked our socks off with breakfast and dinner! Why did this have to happen on my last night here, and not our team’s first night? Anyway, she's a blessing for the teams here and those on their way. I really don’t want to make light of this, but we had expected to be eating MREs in a sort of primitive “field kitchen” and, instead, Gautier Presbyterian, by opening their restored fellowship hall, has given us warmth and good food. Disaster Lesson #1 - don't leave for a disaster without a great cook! Keep him/her happy!

After such terrific refreshment, we cleaned up quickly for a group using the fellowship hall this evening, so a handful of us gathered for another campfire together. I have enjoyed this fellowship so very much and wish it had been cool earlier so we could have had more such gatherings.

And now a special note: my towel became sour in the humidity, and I accepted a bag of personal hygiene items, one of many such kits shipped to the Gulf Coast. Somehow, a box ended up here at our camp. Inside was a note prepared with love by Ms. Joanne Campbell of First (Scots) Presbyterian Church of Charleston, South Carolina. And included with this heartfelt note was a gift of money, clearly meant for a Katrina victim rather than a church relief volunteer. But, Ms. Campbell, it fell to me to get your towel, soaps, toothbrush and note, and I thank you and will give the money to Christus Victor Lutheran Church which still shelters victims. I'll wash the towel and pass it along, of course.

Dear friend, thank you for caring so much, for casting your bottle on the ocean, for being so generous to strangers.

I fly home tomorrow, at least for a couple weeks until we again head back to Gautier in December. I already miss my team friends and look forward to being with them. Thank you, each of you wonderful people from many different walks of life, for the awesome gift of your time, your love, your strength, your friendship and your faith. I am coming home a better Christian for knowing you.

Salem Katrina Team Report November 21, afternoon

I have asked each team member to offer their thoughts to include in our blog, and finally, Wayne and Mary had a quiet moment to email me the following note. It concerns the same lady we discovered to be tenting five feet away from a chicken coop with birds dead since Katrina struck, and full of rats and snakes.

Dear Friends and Family,

We are traveling today east to join friends for Thanksgiving at hunting camp in Georgia. And especially at this time we have so much to be thankful for. We have just spent two memorable and eye opening weeks on Mississippi's Gulf Coast where we helped those in Pascagoula, Gautier, Moss Point, Ocean Springs and Van Cleve recover from the disastrous effects of Katrina. It has been almost 3 months since they were impacted and you can add to their woes rain, cold and mold now. But the situation is as it is and the real story is of the people, their desire to regain the life style they had and their outreach to others.

Just one story to share today. There are so many but this one is burnt on our hearts right now.

About four days ago we were told of a lady who was living in a tent (not welcome at Red Cross shelter with animals) with her six dogs. Her husband had been sent north to recover from a bad head injury received two days after Katrina. Her power had been cut off by the power company.

Wayne was sent to assess the situation and try to get power to her. He immediately called for help as this job had issues beyond his capabilities. So we called the Singing River power company and got in touch with a clerk, Angela. It turns out this young lady is aptly named as she jumped right in to help us. She contacted a local crew and dispatched them ASAP. She made a personal contact with a retired electrical contractor and he went out to meet with Wayne. As he shared his expertise with Wayne, he added that he was glad that a Methodist could add to the Presbyterian Disaster Relief effort. Well, after several hours they had the power distribution problem fixed and a plan was in place to replace all the wall receptacles and switches where there had been 5+ feet of water in the home. The power company came back, said everything was as good as new and turned the power on. When Wayne asked the contractor how much we needed to pay him he answered – There are no debts here. All our debts were paid by Jesus on the cross!

Now that blows me away everytime I think of it but it is just one of many stories we can share. As it turns out this nice lady had been promised a trailer 4 weeks ago by FEMA. It turned really cold in Gautier mid week so we all moved generator to her site, gave her room heater, meals, etc. to get her and the dogs through the cold. She even came to camp and had her first hot shower in almost 3 months. Wayne went to Rotary and talked to a county commissioner, he called and talked to the Mayor and eventually the city manager trying to light a fire under FEMA. The next morning there were 3 FEMA men out at the site preparing for the trailer which is supposed to arrive this week!

And this story is just one of hundred we all were involved in during the two weeks. The works was labor intensive but also a lot of advocate/social work for those unable to do for themselves.
I tell you all of this not to be bragging or looking for any self applause, but to show you that anyone can help these people if you can just be there. A week to 10 days is about the right amount of time and the opportunities to help will continue for months, maybe years. Think about it!

So you see why we are so thankful, we have had a life changing experience and seen the work of the Lord up front and personal. WOW

Love to all, Happy Thanksgiving
Wayne, Mary & Dixie The Dog

What a blessing to this lovely lady to have had Wayne and Mary come into her life, all because her daughter's professor (a Presbyterian who called the PDA office in Gulfport) brought this faithful Catholic to our attention. Today I took a disabled vet to the VA. We met with a patient advocate from the Paralyzed Veterans of America and he used his influence for some quick help. The VA gave our "client" new crutches, and an appointment for next month to work on his leg braces and basic medical needs. The storm took his home, his mother's home, his wheelchair, his car, his wheelchair lift, his glasses, his hearing aides, braces with special shoes, dentures and all his clothes. Until we took him he had no ride available to the VA. It was sad to note that handicapped parking for this gentleman was over a quarter of a mile from his destination, something no civilian hospital would tolerate for disabled clients.

I was disappointed that Wal-Mart refused our gift card to replace his glasses because we were a few bucks off the total. After dropping our new friend off, I went to the Ocean Springs WalMart and added the necessary extra money. There, I met Joanne Vogel, RN, who is down from South Dakota volunteering at our local free clinic. She was at WalMart's optical shop doing exactly what I was doing for a woman she met, but didn't have enough to pay the bill. So, the nice folks of First Presbyterian of Salem have bought a lady a set of glasses...I don't know who she is, but Ms. Vogel is taking care of her for us...we split the bill for the glasses between us! And I have new respect for wonderful nurses!

Salem Katrina Team Report November 21

I am still disappointed about sleeping through church services yesterday. I'd looked forward to Chris' message and visiting with the church members. Oh, well...next time.

This morning is sunny and very nice, following a light overnight rain. We had a fine, fine breakfast prepared by the Michigan folks, who, like me, learned "right quick" how to cook grits. Boy, was breakfast great!! Nice moment to tell you about: our new volunteer cook had her $400 or so of food money collections clipped to her keys. Last night it went missing and she worried the whole evening about it...but Bubba found it on top of one of the refrigerators this morning!

Following devotions, David and Victor headed across the street to help a lady they've been working with as they'd offered to help her load stuff into a friend's truck for removal. We were shocked to find out that the lady's few possessions, mostly Christmas decorations, had all been stolen overnight! She had so little left, and that was taken. How miserable does life have to be? How sad can it make us? How shameful do some of our fellow citizens become? What on earth is going on down here?

Another client we're helping has been robbed twice. Still, he lent his chainsaw to a stranger who asked to use it to remove some trees three days ago. And now it's been added to his list of losses as well.

Shown in the photo to the right below is a trash collection in a culvert next to the church. It is typical of the entire Gulf Coast, typical of the millions of cubic yards of junk that fouls the infrastructure and prevents any return to normal life.

Speaking of normal-- the city's trash truck is picking up a bit of the huge pile of waste from the corner of the church tent city...that's a real blessing. I'm tired of trash piled everywhere. I'm weary of folks tossing more trash onto trash. Littered roads seem to invite even more litter.

Wayne and Mary called. He is like a junkyard dog which won't let go of a good bone. Wayne wanted to make sure somebody was taking good care of a lady he was helping! They made it to Tallahassee in their motorhome and hit a good deal of rain. Thank God for their safe journey. UPDATE: Wayne just called again as I was typing...he had a suggestion about a lady's chicken coop. The guy just won't let go. If you're ever really, really, really in trouble, you'd better make sure to have Wayne, Mary, Morella, Rick, Joan, Ed, David, Karen and Victor on your side!!!

"Yankee Bubba-San" David Dyer leaves for home today at noon. Have a safe trip, David, and travel with the certain knowledge that you have set a new standard for being a good man and have been a blessing to those you meet. Thank you for being a blessing to me and to everyone you've helped down here. Thank you for being my new friend.

Salem Katrina Team Report November 20

Today is cool and overcast, but dry. Last night around our campfire the guys generally agreed to do some extra work at a lady's home on Sunday afternoon if I'd prepare a hot breakfast. Works for me! I got breakfast ready and then cleaned up for services, but laid down and slept right through church and woke up in the afternoon.

What a sad day, even with the satisfaction of being able to reflect on a week's accomplishments. After church our volunteers, led by Victor and David Dyer, went over to help a lady we've been assisting this week...the one living in the tent with her six cute puppies. David was shocked as he and Victor, with the rest of our crews, went to clean a shed five feet from the lady's tent...and discovered the shed was full of chickens killed in the storm ten weeks ago! Rats and snakes were there and a rat ran into the lady's tent. Thankfully, our guys got it out, but we have to get the lady herself out somehow, and then get that shed bulldozed and removed. Wayne arranged for a Gautier Pres member to care for the puppies this next week. We have a lot of people and talent here, and we cannot bring enough "guns" to bear to solve even one problem among the millions here along the Gulf Coast, but we keep trying.

We've enjoyed two nice evenings after devotions just talking and enjoying being together. We welcomed new teams today, and the folks from Michigan joined us around our campfire to help share experiences.

I was asked for a photo which is to the left, of the two RICE guys, also called the Bobbsie Twins, the boys, etc...many names for two great young men who are a blessing to all they meet. As are Rick, Karen, Joan, Wayne, Victor, Julie, Morella, Ed (I won't forget to bring your quilt home, Ed), Mary and David! The guys are posed before a fundamental part of Camp Gautier!

These cars are speeding past the airport-area sign which two months ago said "Welcome to Beautiful Gulfport". There's nothing left of the sign and very left of Gulfport. But it will be beautiful again!

Team Leaders: Other teams mentioned this evening they still need more information about Gautier and the overall situation on the Gulf Coast. Certainly, contact Rev. Bullock here at Gautier Presby, or the PDA itself for the best possible information! You can also email other teams which have been here, or call the on-site PDA manager (until November 30, that's Julie) here in Gautier. You can expect greatly improved comforts and support facilities, including warm showers, larger and winter-ready tents, cots, port-a-potties, a kitchen ready to prepare your meals to eat as a group, no clothes washing other than local laundries, cooler temperatures during the days and cold evenings...you'll enjoy your warm sleeping bag!

We have enjoyed freezers full of pre-made dinners which have helped our volunteer cooks get that meal ready. For lunch we put together sandwiches to take to the job site, and we've organized five hot breakfasts per week. Our volunteer cooks start breakfast around 5:30 to be ready by 7:00 and to have coffee ready for the folks coming in from the tents to enjoy visiting. Local supermarkets price foods very reasonably. We pass the basket for about $7-10 a day towards the food budget, but teams and individuals can do as they wish.

The bugs of summer are gone but we have small gnats bothering us sometimes. Water is needed but can be purchased locally, so there's no need to transport long distances - don't load a trailer in Omaha and waste money driving it here! Buy it here instead! You can bring "field kitchen" sets of cooking equipment but there's stuff here and yours might be useful in other Gulf Coast settings. Try to bring money, not just for your own needs, but to work on projects or individual needs which catch your attention. In our case, we found helping a few specific folks very, very rewarding in addition to our assigned work load. This area can use experienced social workers -- with an MSW or not! Take it easy on yourself - bring a pillow.

Regardless of any restructuring of PDA camps or church-specific volunteer projects, there is much work to do here. There are miracles to deliver through your prayers and labors. There is a need for your financial strength and generosity towards PDA and area churches. Come serve in Mississippi and you'll remember it all your life. So will the people you help.

Mississippi thanks you!

Salem Katrina Team Report November 19

We said goodbye to Karen and Joan this morning at 6:30 as they began their journey back to Salem. You'll see them both in church tomorrow, so thank them for their hard work. Tell the ladies that their team misses them!

Mea culpa. Our church team's blog (this one) has occasionally placed the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance logo for illustration purposes within our articles, just as we do the PC(USA) emblem. We've been asked to stop by the PDA's area supervisor, as the churches aren't to use it because it's against copyright laws. This writer and our church meant no trespass - we mistakenly thought it was our logo because the files were on the PC(USA) website for churches to download and use. We've since deleted it from our earlier postings and removed the PDA signs from our vehicles and from the contact cards we hand out. We appreciate the error being brought to our attention.

Good news. Yesterday a fine replacement organ was delivered and is ready for installation. The old unit was a victim of the storm and is now resting somewhere - in wherever landfill FEMA's trash removal contractor has trucked it. Next to be removed, the santuary organ and piano, also ruined.

Today is a beautiful Saturday, a bit warmer than yesterday and all the crews are out working. We have fewer folks here today...the Brevard crew began their long drive back to North Carolina yesterday. Tomorrow, services here at 10:30, more teams come in, more work in the afternoon. The mail arrived with Virginia's checks for Rev. Chris Bullock, part of our relief teams' fundraising. We collected a bit more than needed for the dentures we're buying for a man who lost his in the flood, so we gave Julie from the PDA money for Victor's needs. We will try to increase that amount before our last team member departs Gautier.

Friends back home will have to ask the team members about the two Rice boys. Please...do ask about Victor, Julie, the Rice boys and all the other neat people we've met...your team has got so much to share with you. Anyway, the Rice guys won their way into our hearts by their unending hard work and cheerful "We'll do it" volunteering. They have sometimes been accused of being the Presbyterian model of eager Mormon missionaries (except for being in grubby sweats!). Last night, they took us to ice cream, and we had a great time.

David took some good-humored offense at being called a "Yankee" today, for the first time in his life! A nice lady said the "Yankees are down here to help us, but we could do it ourselves". A minute later she asked where our free food pantry was. I guess everyone north of Vicksburg is a Yankee to our local friends. David said he very much wants to come back for another trip but only for a week, as two weeks was very hard on everyone.

We've been doing a blog for our host church because Rev. Chris Bullock is simply too busy. Their blog is www.gautierpresby.blogspot.com .Yesterday Chris wrote his friends a nice note about how happy is with the blog...makes us feel good to help in any possible way.

As for our team, Wayne and Mary wrap up their Katrina service and leave tomorrow, heading for Pensacola, and Ed leaves for Portland. Sunday David flies home, and Wes leaves Gautier on the 22nd. Still work to be done here, but things are winding down for the Salem team. This morning Mary spoke about how meaningful this experience has been for her...we all agree. Our challenge becomes in the next weeks one of continuing to support PDA and the local churches, and to not let America forget the millions of people along the Gulf Coast who will continue to need our prayers and support for years. Our challenge becomes supporting Katrina victims as well as responding to disasters such as the earthquakes in Pakistan. It was wonderful reading today on the PDA website that we've sent so much support!

Tonight, for the first time, we were able to gather our team and guests like Julie, Victor and the Rice guys to have dinner out (thanks, Wayne!) and then a quiet campfire together. Nice cool weather, a warm blanket and great people to talk, swap lies and joke with after a day of working.

Good night, Oregon. We sure miss everyone at First Pres!

Salem Katrina Team Report for November 17, evening

I sent a blog entry around noon and much happened after that to report. We had a good day...crews working their heads off in so many places, doing great work and with great joy! Yesterday we thought we'd raised enough money to cover a gentleman's glasses and dentures...to replace ones lost in the flooding, but we were about $300 short in our estimate of what such things cost. No problem...a couple minutes of discussion and several teams solved the issue with their gifts. Tomorrow, Karen's off to take care of things on that issue.

We worked with the lady shown on the above right when we heard about her having waited 10 weeks so far for her FEMA trailer, first promised for delivery on October 10. Last weekend her electricity was cut off because the house is unsafe to live in, and she's developed some respiratory problems. It is cold here...frost on the ground in the mornings and this lovely lady is living in a tent! She loves her five pocket-sized dogs and won't leave them. We tried calling FEMA about her trailer, only to learn that in Mississippi FEMA isn't responsible for trailers...the state government is...and the FEMA lady had no idea what their number is! Amazing. It makes one think that these agencies are mostly trying to make sure people just don't bring problems to them! More on this woman below at the conclusion.

Our crew finally got together for a group photo before everyone left for work. We're missing Morella and Rick, but really they're still here with us in spirit! This has been a week to meet some folks from Salem First Presbyterian beyond their "church faces"...and to know the true character of some fine, fine people. They are a blessing to Salem and they have brought blessings to so many people of the Gulf Coast. Our thanks for the financial support of Salem First Presbyterian and our friends in other churches which got us here and let us help so many wonderful people!

Remember those beautiful quilts? We handed out many of them to the church folks yesterday, and today Joan and Karen visited a local school badly hit by Katrina. You can see the happiness of the visit - not just the kids - look at Karen! What a beautiful part of the day to be with these youngsters. I think we'd better check Karen's luggage beforep taking her to the airport Saturday to make sure she didn't swipe any of these kids.

Wayne and Ed were out doing their usual hard work, as was Bubba San David once he'd replaced the propane tanks for our tent city showers. Very important! Wayne headed off to Lowe's to buy sheetrock for a "customer" who couldn't pay for their own so that we could get a bathroom and bedroom walled up and livable until more could be done by teams following us.

Now back to the lady who's been living in her tent. We headed off to a Lutheran "one stop shopping" disaster center and learned they have social workers. Luckily, they were all ex-military and Wes "put the arm on them" to help our lady and they'll see her tomorrow. We got a hot Lutheran meal and delivered it to her. We then returned to the church to get a generator, electrical cord, lamp and small heater. We delivered them to the lady's home tonight (boy, was it ever cold!!) and with Victor's helping in Spanish, showed her how to use and refuel the generator. Tonight, this woman has lights and heat, a hot meal, boxes of food for later and hope for tomorrow.
Do you know how very nice our Karen Pollan is? We do! She volunteered to cook breakfast tomorrow so I could sleep in!!! Yeah!!!! That will help make up for our having to be up at 4:30AM Saturday to get her to the airport. If ever you don't want her, Salem, send her here!

Final thoughts. Why the heck doesn't the person answering the FEMA hotline for Katrina victims know the number to call for Mississippi trailers? Suggestion: all the volunteer agencies between Gulfport and Pascagola ought to have a town meeting and get everyone's services, phone numbers, etc., identified and typed up, and a data base established so if one volunteer group can't solve a probem we know who else to call.

If you come to Gautier to help the storm victims, watch out for the attack geese!

Appeal: What would I do with a few extra thousand bucks? I would buy a certain gentleman a replacement set of hearing aides. I would get the lady shown above linens and dishes for when her FEMA trailer arrives...she's lost everything. I would also use a thousand bucks to replace the kid's playground equipment here at Gautier Presbyterian with clean, safe items which happen to be made locally. I would get Victor a used car and a bank card with $200 on it. I would hire a plumber for a couple jobs we can't handle. I would, with FEMA, organize a town hall meeting of all services between Pascagola and Gulfport so every manager knows where to find services for folks they can't help in their own groups. I would pay for electrical work to the tent area of our PDA camp, or at least to the shower area. Believe me, I have a list. Wayne has a list. Mary has a list. Joan has a list. David has a list. Rick has a list. Ed has a list. Morella has a list. Karen has a list. You can't come to Gautier or anyplace on the Gulf Coast and not want to use the tool of money to help suffering people. I would also send what I could to those suffering in Pakistan...before it is too late for them!

Salem Katrina Team Report from Gautier, November 17

First, we need a volunteer secretary for the camp manager and another for Rev. Chris Bullock at the Gautier Presbyterian Church. These two folks are burning out working without administrative support and we need two hardy take charge, boss-the-boss volunteers who can run small offices with vigor (picture Master Sergeant stripes in your mind's eye) to volunteer right now! Get down here now, please! The problems caused by not having good support are beginning to overwhelm the situation. Please - consider giving a couple weeks down here to be the glue holding this organization together and to let these two great people focus on delivery of the services so badly needed in Gautier. Call now. Book a couple weeks. Bring a friend to work with you or set them up to flow into the job when you leave. This is a serious need...right up there with getting more money! Remember Radar on MASH? Come be our Radar! Call now! Don't Wait A Minute! Continental Airlines flies into Gulfport...we'll pick you up. Give us a call! Great pay...nothing, just like the rest of us!

Our buddy Morella did a lot of of this during her two weeks in Gautier, but she's gone now and we have her boots to fill.

David Dyer has offered his thoughts for today's blog:

Good morning. November 17.

Time flies. On Veterans' Day about a week ago, a crew from Vienna Virginia and I went to a gentleman's home in Pascagoula to move some furniture. Flexibility is the key here. He has a full time job, his wife is ill, staying in the FEMA trailer with their daughter, and the inspectors said to save his home it must be gutted and raised or jacked up six feet (the amount of water in his home during Katrina). He wanted to move and save everything. He was robbed after the storm so he leaves his dogs in the house while at work to guard their belongings.

He apologized to us for the mess - with his problems so severe he still apologized to us! A humbling experience. We moved the entire contents to a shed, and again he apoligized for not having anything to give us as a thank-you. God Bless.
David

Thanks, David! This morning before devotions I raised yesterday's situation regarding the disabled veteran who has lost his glasses, hearing aids, dentures and leg braces. We were immediately given $100 by a team which had themselves been given the money to use. When I asked for more help, other teams immediately raised hundreds more, enough to cover the replacement dentures and glasses! Wonderful! We did have some disappointment when Karen called around to buy these things and couldn't even get a modest discount from local dentists!

Last night was the coldest yet, with frost on the ground this morning. Only days ago we were suffering in the high humidity. But last night there were people we can't exactly call "homeless" because they own homes, Gautier folks who suffered in the cold all night long. Here is one "homeowner" living in a tent among the support columns for his house which once was.

Hello, America. In case its not clear, there are still residents living in tents on their front lawns. There are still people waiting for water and electricity. There are still 62-year old widows waiting for FEMA to deliver trailers promised them to be delivered October 12. Still people waiting at home every day, as FEMA directed, in case their trailers are delivered...and they've been waiting weeks. There are still people with trailers waiting for FEMA to hook up utilities. There are still homeless folks suffering. There are still lines at the distribution centers before they open up. There are still volunteer teams coming in to help. There are still veterans who are not being served by the VA for want of professional staff. There are still military retirees not getting medical care at Keesler AFB because Keesler's doctors have been scattered. There are still people coming to this church to ask if they can camp with us. There are still volunteers living in unheated tents. You get the idea. Send help. Keep sending it.

Salem Katrina Team Report from Gautier November 16

We hope our Karen doesn’t mind that her teammates had to laugh when she, obviously a rookie, blurted out the direction to the driver to “turn left at the blue roof”…. nearly every roof has the regulation bright blue tarp provided by the Corps of Engineers, to imit water damage. After just two days, one doesn’t see them anymore, just like you stop noticing the roadside trash.
We were joined by more folks from Salem today….Salem, Ohio, that is! Welcome, y’all!
Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Morella Larsen today. What a gem! She became invaluable as the assistant camp mayor, answering questions when Mayor/Chief-of-Staff Julie Putnam couldn’t be reached or was on other tasks. Morella, an experienced pilot, is another one of those marvelous people we seem to have so many of in First Pres who can do just about everything…and with a smile on their face! Morella, we hope the storms over Houston allowed you to continue your journey homeward safely.

Another day, another breakfast. Thankfully, Mary Swanson knows what she’s doing and that meal and lunch always turn out okay. Mary is up with the chickens to get breakfast ready, then helps clean up and even goes out after dinner to get the “fixin’s” for the next day. Around here, high praise is “Mmm-mm, them’s good eatin’!”

Today Karen and I went over to Keesler AFB hospital, then to the VA Hospital to try to get help for some local veterans. One fellow is totally disabled, lives with his mother because he’s lost his house, and has lost his glasses, hearing aids, leg braces and dentures in the flood. We came across some leads for getting an Army tent for our use…find out tomorrow. I was discussing the dentures situation during dinner and later, during Vespers, another team member came and gave us $100 towards the teeth! Somebody upstairs was listening!

Our drive took us along the Biloxi coast so terribly damaged by the storm. We saw the casino barges tossed onto land and across a four lane highway. We saw a Denny's diner with only the sign on a pole left. We saw whole neighborhoods...not single houses or even blocks...whole neighborhoods being leveled. We were stopped for checks at Army roadblocks. It is a strange feeling for an American to encounter an Army blockade. They're nice guys, trying to do their best to assist in the emergency, but still, we can't but help feeling like somebody crossing into a Checkpoint Charlie or a DMZ somewhere.

Regarding breakfast tomorrow, prepared by Wes and Mary. Some variety has been requested. Okay, we exchanged peaches for pears but they want more serious variety. So, tomorrow we'll put the onions into the egg mix, rather than putting the egg mix into the onions. We do what we can, right? Actually, our "customers" from our little tent city have been wonderful to be with each and every day. Today was so much nicer than recent days, with the temperature about 30 degrees lower. Heaven sent! Tomorrow, we'll work on our houses, we'll try to find dentures and glasses, we'll try to beg/borrow/or steal (naw...not actually steal, but maybe borrow with vigor!) an Army tent for better protection in the cold weather sure to come to Gautier.

And here we have it: proof that Mary and Karen don't pay attention during Vespers. Our meeting tonight included one team reporting on a local homeowner they're helping and his problems, summed up with his statement that he could put all he owned into a small plastic box! Amazing, but the gentleman had come to services to thank the very team mentioning him...a surprise to all and what an emotional outpouring! We are doing good work. We are doing the Lord's work here.

Good night, Oregon. We miss you so much.

Salem Katrina Team Report...November 15 evening

Team Leader Responsibilities.

I haven't seen anything from PDA so until you see something more official, you might consider this list.

First, the leader will have to recruit the team, building it around their availability to be offered to PDA. This work should also lead to the creation of your own church’s Disaster Response Organization if you haven’t already formed it for the possibility someday of a local emergency. It is handy if the team leader has the hands-on skills to also serve as a foreman, but in our case...I was the cook. More power!! More fun. Air conditioned!

2. Establish, then raise your budget. Try to get some from your own church's mission committee, but also consider approaching neighbor churches who aren't sending a team. Try to keep team members' costs low. We received $1150 from other churches and their members. The budget should cover travel at the disaster site, purchase of work materials unless provided by PDA (never enough!), extra money to help the PDA representative in his/her duties, a nice gift for your host church if it has had damage, food (our guideline was to try to spend less than $15 per person per day) and significant things you will purchase for your use. In our case we bought power water washers, respirators, kitchen equipment, microwaves, we donated a car, food, paper goods, televisions, LCD projector, etc. Our budget goal was $8500 but our wonderful church family and friends raised $13,100! More money equals more work at Gautier! Our goal was higher than some churches because we had a heavy fuel bill, driving down from Oregon.

3. Report your team as available to PDA, describing their talents. Fax them also...calls and messages get lost. We had to fax them a couple times...they're really busy.

4. Gather necessary equipment per the PDA team and individual checklists.

5. If you are driving to the disaster ask your destination PDA representative and host church what else is needed locally. We brought a U-Haul trailer and stuffed it with beautiful quilts a community group prepared and we also got some stuffed animals for kids...we had the space and they were great gifts for folks in Gautier.

6. Get to the assigned destination as cheaply as possible. Consider air travel as it saves, in many cases, days and days on the road which cost your members either vacation time or time at the disaster.

7. Try to bring or rent a vehicle for the team's use at the disaster site.

8. Try to raise enough money to give some to the PDA manager at the site for his/her discretionary use...they're not getting enough from PDA.

9. Make certain your team members have their tetanus and flu shots. Make certain they're healthy enough for the rigors of work and tenting in the fall and winter.

10. Represent your team and church to the PDA representative and the local church, so they only have one contact to work with, not everyone.

11. Watch your team's health while working. If they're having a hard time with the work or the weather, don't wait for them to ask for relief! Get them a lighter work load or consider letting them rest or return.

12. Once you've returned from your mission trip, try to keep raising funds for the PDA representatives you've met.

13. Its great to come with a morning devotional planned. At our camp we took volunteers each morning and evening, but in my own case that's something I'd have to prepare for.

14. Keep the folks we've come to help in your prayers, and tell them of your affections over the years. Don't lose these new friends.

15. Set up a blog. They are free at outfits such as www.blogger.com from Google and many, many other providers. Easy to use, they let you have a journal your whole church can follow as their team works the disaster. Here at our camp, we even have wireless Internet, so bring a laptop if you wish and your digital cameras.

Salem Katrina Team Report from Gautier, Mississippi - November 15

Today’s blog entry is offered by Joan Carter, the lady with whom I share a marriage and four great kids. I’m always amazed at her day here, with kitchen chores, straightening out bathrooms, running errands for Morella, playing the piano for Sunday services, mucking out homes, doing estimates for work to be done, and then worrying about how I’m doing.

Joan’s note. Working in Gautier ~~

Volunteer teams at Gautier Presbyterian’s Tent City last week rotated out last weekend— it amazed me how quickly we became ‘family’ as we tackled job after job of getting residents’ homes back into livable condition. New teams are here from Pittsburgh and Brevard County, North Carolina. We have especially enjoyed working in the homes with air conditioning, as the muggy weather has lingered on a month later and temps 25° higher than normal.

I am in awe of the resiliency of this congregation and the residents of this region. They put into perspective the most important needs, one’s inner spirit chief among them. As a musician, I want the keyboard to be in tune and worry when its not; the organist here awaits a piano after hers sat in a flooded room for three hours…. I lose patience when I can’t find my keys; here, they’ve lost not just the keys but the car as well; At home, I enjoy an orderly room, but here, disorder and disarray are the norm because floodwaters or a storm surge tore everything apart in less than one hour. The picture is of the church's organ, useless, left for FEMA's trucks to remove. Numerous tales abound of boats that floated within reach of a stranded family, allowing them to escape certain tragedy. Residents are patiently piecing together the scattered remnants of their formerly serene lives on a formerly lovely stretch of coastline, now littered with shattered skeletons of homes.

Our volunteers fan out across a large grid each and every day. Everyone returns with a story to tell, of a homeowner who is not only deeply grateful of the assistance but also of the energy that has a momentum of its own. We know we are just a few of what will be many volunteers appearing over the next many months, and that our combined effort will help these fine people to get back on their feet. We hand out cards with the church’s contact person’s number. They are eager to pass the word along so that their neighbors can be assisted by the church teams that are heading here weekly.

We’ve been most fortunate to be part of the rebuilding of this small part of the country. So much more work is needed. So many willing hands are essential. Our perspective has changed markedly since arriving –we’re glad to be part of this process!

Thanks, Joan, for this insight to your day.

A word to other teams heading here. Don’t bring clothes to donate or heavy tools...already here. There is plenty of bottled water to purchase locally and we need it, but don't waste money hauling it all the way down here. Instead, buy it here on the Gulf Coast for your use or for donation...if you're bringing one, use your U-Haul for more vital items like furniture, your work tools, wallboard and the like. Don’t bring kitchen items…already here but if you’ve packed them they can help out elsewhere in the area. The tents we live in are being replaced next week with ones better able to handle the weather, and tall enough to stand up in. There are cots provided but the next few crews should bring and leave their pillows and pillowcases for the next guy. You can hand-wash clothes but they’ll take a long time to dry.

We need a military GP Medium or GP Large tent, and the troops to put it up. We cannot get by with the flimsy summer-weight unit we're using now. If you have such a military or large civilian tent, get it here, please.

If you’re sick don’t come…you won’t get better down here!!! There is usually room for two or three RVs and there are three on site now. The tents have no electricity in them so plan on reading by battery lamps. Too many crews are showing up to work without sturdy work boots…bring ‘em! Get your tetanus and flu shots if possible. If you can handle it on your budget, plan on slipping the camp mayor a few hundred…she needs the discretionary spending power to meet hundreds of needs. Gift cards to Lowes or Home Depot work super! Bring some cash for meals…we’ve been running a camp hot breakfast every day buy cooking in the fellowship hall and also putting out fixings for lunch, and we ask teams to toss about $2 or $3 a meal per member into the basket to cover costs. We ask the teams to take turns slapping dinner together, and you can always take the easy road by using one of the many, many casseroles which have been stored in the three freezers. There are many places to eat in the area but service is slow with the herds of relief workers seeking meals at the same time. Hospital and clinics are up and running as are the usual stores you will need. The post office is a mile or so away.

This is important. The big coffee machine takes three half-cup scoops of coffee and use bottled water, please. The tap stuff is a little brown…safe but why chance it? Another important thing…do not get the sugar and the salt mixed up when your team makes grits. Gets everybody nuts! They want to kill the cook! We've been fixing scrambed eggs, grits, frozen biscuits which take 20 minutes to bake, sliced ham, juice, coffee and cold cereals. Cooks start breakfast about 5:30AM each morning and serve at 7AM.

We are helping all comers. The church has put forward its membership needing help with their homes and we are also eager to respond to anyone seeking assistance from our teams. In fact, we love requests from outside the church.

We usually have a nurse here, somehow, and now and then a doc. There is a camp first aid kit but it is only that…first aid. Consider stress when you plan your trip. We planned two weeks given the distance we had to come, but stress does add up. Maybe a couple one-week trips every other month works better. Fuel here is down to $2.26 for regular self-serve, higher at the freeway exit stations. Plenty of diesel and propane available. Plenty of building supplies at Lowes or Home Depot, but we’ve had difficulty getting the right vehicles to pick up and deliver to our homes. If you have a large truck or trailer able to move sheetrock, bring it if you can.

Church members have lost stuff that you’d expect to be on the first floor of most homes. Kitchen items, living room and dining room, washers and dryers, radios, televisions and the like. If you have household items and can bring them, please coordinate with Rev. Chris Bullock at Gautier Pres so they can have residents here to unload your vehicle or guide your vehicle to their homes for delivery.

Salem Katrina Team Report for November 14

Breakfast was on the table today and the workers got off to a great start, with 10 teams dispatched following devotions. It was extremely muggy last night and through mid-day, but tonight we're enjoying pleasantly lower temperatures and more reasonable humidity.

Wayne figured out a way to deliver fresh water to the RV's and we have another Class A coach parked behind us by the tent canteen. Folks from Brevard County in North Carolina did a great job with a 16-bean soup thick enough to be called stew...great stew!

I mentioned to Ed that I hadn't said much about him on the blog. He says there isn't much to say. So he's no help to me writing this evening, but I can tell our readers that he is kind, a hard worker with so many skills and the world's best listener. Like me, he can't make out much conversation in groups with his hearing aids. I said goodnight to him as he and Dave watched the game...Dallas ahead by seven.

A special surprise was offered when we left from dinner and heard the pipes piping with Scotland the Brave. What a treat to hear this Brevard visitor!

Salem Katrina Team Report from Gautier November 13

It got very warm again with the humidity just weighing us down. Water drips from vehicles, and we even use our wipers while driving. Services at Gautier were special as we joined with local members and listened to Chris' continuing series on thankfulness. He has a great talent with the kids, sitting cross-legged on the floor with them and they were perfectly engaged! Joan was invited to help with the music and Chris wrote her a nice note that it was appreciated.

Mary and I got breakfast out again. It was made much easier by the discovery of pre-formed biscuits at Wal-Mart. Samo-samo tomorrow, but nobody seems bored with the menu yet. This morning around 7AM I headed to get Karen at the airport but was worried when she wasn't on the 8:20 Continental. I waited around an hour after insuring the flights were on time, and was chagrined later to learn I should have been at the airport for Karen's 8:20 PM arrival! Anyway, she's "home" with us at last after her long, long journey, determined to rest and strike out tomorrow, fully charged and ready for hard work.

Several of our team joined other volunteers working a bit today after services.

What about Wayne Swanson? I haven't written much about him. He and Mary visited Georgia and then headed here to join us on the mission trip, and plan on taking another few months traveling before coming back to Salem. Wayne is another one of those guys who can do anything. Guys like me who seem to lack practical skills look at guys like him and marvel at his skills and energy. Mary said he'd be strong all week but be tired out by Sunday...didn't happen! Wayne is another energizer bunny, like David. Like Rick. Like Mary. Like Joan. Like "Silent" Ed. Wayne's full of ideas, gentle in his suggestions and guidance, and a natural leader. Don't know if he can cook because Mary comes to do the breakfasts every day, not Wayne.

I guess I'm the only Oregonian here who's in a 12volt frame with a 6volt battery.

If other teams are reading this blog, let's go over some news. First, don't bother bringing larger items like generators unless you've confirmed with Chris or Julie, the tent city mayor, that they're needed. We don't need bottled water, soap and the like. Teams should bring their individual work tools, especially for sheetrock work. Everybody needs wallboard, so if you are coming with a large vehicle or trailer you might bring some if you can fit it in. Folks from Tampa brought the church a new rider lawnmower. We could use a couple of those fancy multi-fold ladders. Chris has asked for a good, modern LCD projector. We have many local stores up and running, such as Sears, Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and the like. Electricity is no problem and we have lines out to the tent area for our volunteers and most homes we're working on have power and water restored. We have wireless Internet throughout the volunteer tent area. There are a couple RVs here on the church lawn but I can imagine they'd like to have their lawn back as soon as we can reposition. There is a discount charity store nearby for cheap clothes if your's are ruined working. The weather has been hot, got real cold and is now hot and muggy again. We've set up a tool crib to draw work tools and materials from. The PDA representative here, Julie, could use more money. No...I should say she NEEDS more money.

Good night, Oregon.

Salem Katrina Team Report for November 12

We had a productive day, beginning with a most thoughtful devotional. Rick Pollan headed for the airport and his flight back to Portland...there goes one super-hard worker who knows how to fix anything. He even got the church's sign lighted up again, making it possible for folks on US90 to see this little place after dark. Did I say he was a hard worker and could fix anything?? Thanks so much, Rick, for your strong presence, happy countenance and the thoughtful blog articles.

Visited the Methodist camp up the road. Wow, those guys are organized! Dozens of air-conditioned tents tall enough to stand up straight inside, a huge assembly/chow hall tent, lots of support facilities and RV's all over the place. So many faiths, so much work to do.

This place is going to be a hot-spot for work if you happen to be in the commercial signs business. It reminds me of the TV game show, Wheel of Fortune. Give me a vowel, Vanna White!

We dispatched Morella's table saw and joiner today. Took a crew of four beefy guys to move things into the home of the recipient. Morella's late hubby would be very happy with his tools' new home. They'll make another man happy for years to come as he serves folks in this area with his skills...and his new equipment.

I've gotten into the habit of noticing whether drivers on the road are using seat belts. Rough average is less than 25% or so. As mentioned yesterday, drivers are also getting a tad bit aggressive, perhaps due to the accumulation of stressors especially lack of rest. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is going to be well-studied here for years to come.

To our wonderful church kids who are following the team, thanks again for thinking about us and praying for us each day, especially tomorrow at church. We have given away the last of the stuffed animals we brought, giving them to the local kids who are very nice to us. Tomorrow we give away the last of the beautiful quilts the folks in the Salem Quilt-a-Thon made for hurricane victims. Everyone we've handed a quilt to has been amazed that folks from Salem, from our beautiful Willamette valley, would do something so nice for them. We have quilts for babies, quilts for using on a chair or sofa, and quilts for regular beds. We especially enjoy giving the baby's quilts to their moms!

We live in McMinnville, and kids from Patton Middle School there emailed me that they'd played a game against their teachers to raise money. They were able to send kids in Louisiana $260 to help repair Katrina damage. Great kids at Patton!

We're out tonight for a fish dinner together, just our team. Wish Rick could have been with us. Wish the rest of the crew (meaning Karen) was here to go also, but we can do something special when she arrives tomorrow. We sure miss everyone at home. Lucky ol' Rick: he'll be at services tomorrow in our very own, warm, safe, clean church. Down here in Gautier, y'all, we're fixin' to look forward to Rev. Chris Bullock's services in this newly-reborn sanctuary, make so special with the labors of friends from all over the nation. And if there's any problem, well it don't make no never mind!

Tomorrow Mary and I will slap breakfast together again, but will add hot oatmeal, fried potatoes, biscuits and sausage patties to the plate for some variety. Somehow, I think we might be drifting closer and closer to cold cereals as we get closer to our return to Salem...0515 is a pretty early time to report for work to start the grits! To the right you'll see something we discovered that will go over great in Oregon. Can you read the label okay? Pickled pig lips...always sure to please!

Boy, its been cold. We were shivering yesterday afternoon and last night. Today was warmer but it is wonderful not to have that heat we faced earlier this week.

Everyone is healthy, everyone looks happy, and everyone certainly is working hard and effectively in helping Gautier rebuild. We all know that if Mount Hood were to blow or some other disaster hit the Northwest, these same suffering people would be at our doorstep, hammers in hand, ready to shoulder our burden with us. Thank God we are spared and can instead aid them.

Some things, like this sign above, we just don't understand yet. But we are working on it! At least Rick had a head start on the accent, being from Texas, but some of the others are starting to understand a few words here and there, if the locals speak slowly.

Good night, Oregon. Bless your heart!

Veterans Day Report from Gautier Mississippi

Today is Veterans Day. I took most of the day off. As I walked to breakfast folks in our tent city were erecting a flag pole and we had our own kind of Iwo Jima flag raising.

The veterans I'm thinking about today. The homeless man, so terribly confused, that I called 911 on last night when Rick and I took him to Gulfport and the Red Cross couldn't shelter him. General Jimmy Doolittle. Major Jack Carne. Brigadier General Jimmy Stewart, Lieutenant Colonel Jessie Britt. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Henry Carter. Brigadier General John Carter, Sr. Master Sergeant Bob "Grandpa" Boyd, who died in his easy chair reading his Bible. Also, Captain Roy Gordon. Sergeant Paul Ford. Specialist 4 Warren Ford. Lieutenant Colonel Ed Kosakoski. All the guys I flew with. Those great guys I went to the Gulf with. God bless you all.

We got word from church that our budget is looking pretty good and we'll be able to help a bit more than we'd hoped. That's great news! Thanks, everybody back in Salem.

Mary did a super potato bake dinner. Easy on our budget and it went over great! Went to the FEMA information center and the guard just about jumped down my throat...he'd been told to prevent photographing. Gee...is the Constitution suspended in this part of Mississippi? While there we came up with a Medicare strategy to help a Navy widow get by as our volunteers worked on her house.

Salem Katrina Report from Gautier November 10

It cooled a bit today and it feels just a bit more comfortable even with the humidity. We're doing about the same work as before but feeling some satisfaction as the jobs near some kind of completion. Dave again provided us great laughs when he asked the locals who'd called him "Bubba" if that was a good or a bad nickname, They reassured him...at least its better than "Pimento!" Say, didn't we see Dave (Bubba) and his two brothers on the Bob Newhart show a few years back? Dave was working with an Air Force vet who's Thai wife kept calling him "Bubba-san." Worth the trip just to hear that one! Somebody back at Salem First Pres needs to make a name tag for him reading "Bubba-san", okay?

Had strange thoughts today as we took a break and watched victims accepting the church's invitation to take from the food pantry. Bag after bag filling fairly new cars? Did they actually need the gift? Why were they taking so much? Why did they take church food but still have money for their cigarettes? This is wrong-thinking and who are we to judge? We cannot understand their needs...we haven't been through this as they have.

Observation: Too much aggression on the highway. Especially the contractors. Tons of vehicles whizzing past with the roofing, plumbing, landscaping and other signs on the doors. Just about nobody wearing seat belts. Kids not safely in car seats. Our camp's port-a-potties, so necessary but such a mundane item, cost PDA $8000 so far.

Over the past few days we'd delivered stuffed animals for kids at a local primary school. Today the school's principal came over to ask for another box of them, and we noticed her husband waiting for her in their truck. He's disabled with a bad back, plus he'd cut his hand so we took care of that minor injury. Then they happened to mention that this coming weekend they were hoping to start working on their house which had lost the first floor. Perfect timing...we marched them down to our eager volunteer estimating crew and now these nice folks are on our schedule to get their house fixed on Saturday....and this tired principal who cares for hundreds of storm-affected youngsters can give herself a day off for the first time in two months.

The day before yesterday we were thrilled to have the FEMA contractors pick up the tremendous pile of rubbish behind the church. However, we were less than thrilled yesterday to discover some contractor had illegally dumped another pile about a quarter the size of the first right by our motor homes. That mess has saved somebody a trip to the dump, I guess, but now the mold stink is back.

We helped other volunteers set up blogs today, so they too can have their friends and family read an Internet journal. One to visit is http://gautierpdacamp.blogspot.com/ At our evening devotion, nearly everyone raised their hand when asked if they intended to come back to help for Katrina in some way. This place is miserable and there is simly no other place else we'd rather be!

Dave and I helped our camp mayor work with a homeless couple but found ourselves outmatched by circumstances and their needs. This was a homeless street couple, rather than a Hurricane Katrina family, but they came to the church for help and we fed them. Couldn't understand the man who talked in such a confusing manner. We reached the only shelter in the area and then drove them there, only to have the Red Cross refuse them entry because they, too, couldn't deal with street people. These poor folks...we ended up calling 911 and put them in the EMT's care to see if they could be convinced to accept care in a local hospital. We wanted to get the old fellow some help with the VA but he refused.

Tomorrow is Veterans' Day. Remember the veterans in your life. Thank them, won't you? As the sign reads in front of the Johnson City Veterans Hospital, "All gave some. Some gave all!"

Here in Mississippi, nearby Vicksburg was the scene of horrible fighting during the Civil War. Later, Vicksburg's World War II soldiers returning home in 1945 placed a bronze tablet before their old town hall, famous in so many Civil War photos, which reads as follows:

We answered the call others wouldn't hear.
We went where others feared to go, and did what

others failed to do.
Our families wept while others slept.

We stood at the wall and kept you safe.
We were American Soldiers

We are all so very, very tired. Good night, Oregon.