Texas City Work/Mission Trip

Patty Brady says:

All of our mission trips have been joyful meaningful experiences. Each one has had its special memories of the people we have met: BarbarfaParker whose house we worked on feverously in order to get as much accomplished as possible; Harry, who called us his angels after we sided his house in three days; our neighbors in the Presbytery who became special friends during our trip to Iowa; and our newest friends Belinda and Sixto, two of the hardest working people we have met on our trips. They ask for nothing and are so appreciative of any  blessing.

This trip has been my favorite, however, because Anne has been with me (second only to the one my sister cam along with me). I have been so proud of the way she has embraced this experience--working hard and getting to know the people from the churches in Minnesota and Illinois. But best of all is the relationship she has built with members of Cross Roads--Gary Cockroft, who took Anne to meet Mrs. Salinas so she could speak Spanish with her; Tammy Dunnivan who drives the fun van; Jim Potter who needs a sippy cup for his coffee; Jammin Jamie Rimmel who with Sally plays good radio statios on the way to and from the work site; and Carrie Start, aka ONSOB.

These mission trips continue to bring us closer as a church family. I look forward to the next sign of the peace in church. Instead of just smiling politely at the people mentioned above as well as all the other Cross Roads members who came on this trip, I know Anne will be joining us in our Human Unity Gestures.

Gary and Lisa say:

It was great to have our nephew, Grant Lyon, join us at the Primera Iglesia Bautista today to help us put up drywall. He came with his own tool belt & tools. He also met us and the entire group for dinner this evening at Fishtales restaurant. Grant is a student at Texas A&M Galveston, and just finished a week of tests. It was great to catch up on his news and news of his immediate family.

We leave at 9:15 tomorrow morning but won't be in Pittsburgh until about 7:45 in the evening - a very long travel day. Come to church on Sunday to hear more about our adventures.

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I thank God for the opportunity to join Cross Roads Community in this AWESOME mission trip experience. I have been blessed to have made what I would say are life-long friends! My heart will forever have a special place for my Galveston Texas friends Belinda and Sixto. They thank us over and over for helping them. But I cannot thank them enough for blessing me! Belinda s faith and obedience to God is what I so love to hear. Sixto has a strong growing faith that is refreshing, and his total respect, love and admiration for Belinda put a smile on all faces. I have had a lot of laughs and some tears, but most of all…Blessed!

God has poured out his love into our hearts! Romans 5:5.

Blessings, Jill Bish

Today the 2 Garys, Antoinette and Lisa framed 2 walls in the Primera Iglesia Bautista, or First Baptist Church, in Galveston. The women learned to use a power saw to cut the lumber. The walls at the back of the sanctuary will provide space for 2 offices. The church, founded in 1944, was flooded by Ike, after which the pastor and most of the members left. A core group of 11 women has been keeping it going and rebuilding, slowly. They have opened their doors to volunteers to give them an indoor place to eat lunch, use bathrooms, and they provide storage space for tools and supplies.

Yesterday the 2 couples finished up at the Joe Enriquez home. In the afternoon, they did penance for the entire group by sanding the ceilings in another house entirely by hand, no power tools, and pulled hundreds of staples out of the studs. A previous group had installed insulation incorrectly, and it all had to be pulled out. We sure hope we do not leave any work that has to be redone!

We have heard that the work crew back in Leechburg has completed the repairs to the pastor office and carpet will be laid on Friday. Thanks, all!

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From Bri Bish and Anne Brady

To tell the truth, neither one of us had any idea what to expect coming to Texas. We havve never been on a mission trip before, so we were a bit frightened. Showering and sleeping arrangements were a major concern. We like our sleep. Food was also a big issue. However, when we arrived at the camp site, we were pleasantly surprised! The showers were extremely nice, and there is hot water! The trailers are quite cozy, and a little tight on space. But, we have managed. The food is pretty good. We do not want to see another red bean for a good year. You know what they say about too many beans… Other than that, no complaints here.

It is now day three on our trip, and we have been working in Galveston on Belinda and Sixtos house all week. Yes, his real name is Sixto. It is Indian. They are currently residing in a FEMA trailer ,and have been for the last year and a half. The house was flooded with about six feet of water. EVERYWHERE! They were not even allowed in their house for two weeks after Hurricane Ike! They lost almost all they had and had to find places to stay over the next few months until they received the FEMA trailer. Anyway, we have been doing a lot of painting. We have primed and painted the entire house. We specialized in the bathroom & hallway. It looks amazing,not that we are conceited or anything

Yesterday, we went with Gary Cockroft and met a Spanish woman by the name of Mrs. Selena. She spoke fluent Spanish and little English. Her cleaning lady also spoke fluent Spanish but was able to speak better English, making it easier for us to understand Mrs. Selena. Anne got to practice her Spanish skills, which made Ms. Shank very happy, Anne’s Spanish teacher Mrs. Selenas home was completely flooded as well due to Ike. She had to remodel her whole house, and Gary had to fix her leaky roof. She was very nice and fed us Mexican cookies!

We have been able to tour Galveston due to the adventures of the Fun Van and saw the ocean on Tuesday!!! We also went to Big Lots and got our Team Leader, Jim, a beautiful Big Bird sippy cup because he is a bit clumsy at times. But, he is a keeper J

So far, we have really gained a lot from this experience. We have realized to appreciate what we have a lot more than before. It has been so much fun to build new relationships and strengthen the ones that we all ready had. We have met so many awesome people that will forever impact us. God has definitely delivered the ultimate package for us this week.

So, to say the least, we have been working hard and are very tired at the end of day three. Yet, we are still excited to get to work for two more days!

Love and God bless,

Anne and Bri  

Smiley,  

The Smilettes are making you proud in Texas.  We miss our fearless leader.  No one will pay us to rent our tools so we will return home pennyless and dimeless.  Can not wait to see you and we miss having you with us.

Patty and Patty (the original Smilettes)

Miss Carol needs help from Mrs OShells Class.   Hey guys.  Help us build our closet!  (Believe it or not we use math.)

The wall is 148 inches long.  We are putting in the two doors.  Each door is 32 inches wide. How much space do we need to leave on each side of and between the doors to make it even?  Do you see a pattern?

Thanks for the help – I will see you soon.

Thank you to all the people who have supported all of our fund raising endeavors leading up to this Mission Trip.  A very special thank you to the following organizations and individuals who have made extra contributions to our trip:

Lower Kiski Ambulance - first aid bags

Bubba Hileman  

Paul Kolenchak

Lorraine Iseman  

Steve Banco  

Genevieve Yohe

Sprankles Market

Tony & Elaine Rainelli

Dave Cockroft  

Don & Karen McNutt  

Cenk Chiropractic

Deacons of Cross Roads 

Keith Cockroft  

Ralph Garman    

Hillandale    

Eileen Watt  

Susan Fairtrace

SPC Danielle Hall

The Synod of the Trinity of the PCUSA

Kiskiminetas Presbytery

Donita Hartman

Sandi Lechner

Gail Varine

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Four of us have been working at the home of Joe & Gloria Enriquez. They have 6 grown sons, 11 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild.  They have lived in Galveston for over 30 years.  Joe is a mason and put in his own ceramic tile floor all over the house. He had about 5 feet of water in the house and was not permitted to return to his home for 10 days following the hurricane.  His sons and he had to gut the entire house.  Imagine returning to your home after it has sat with water in it and 100° temperatures.  They moved in with a son in Texas City and then into a motel for 8 months.  They are required to be out of the trailer in the next few weeks.

Joe shared with us his frustration with county, state, and federal officials regarding permits & licensing.  He is very close to moving in and is waiting for final occupancy inspection, permits and one mysterious electrical problem.  We have heard his story from other folk first in Mississippi, then in Iowa, and now in Texas.  Perhaps the church really does know a better way.

The team working there has been doing finishing work for the first two days including:  Caulking & painting of all window trim & floor, quarter round installation, air vent installation, painting of doors, and numerous small finishing projects.

Anne Brady and Bri Bish presented Jim Potter with a Big Bird Sippy Cup today because he can not seem to walk around without spilling the coffee cup that is never empty.  Sally Florsek has been energizing some of our crew with power walks and yoga.  Tonight we are praying that tomorrow will find warmer temperatures.  The homes we are working in have no heat and so we look forward to lunch time when we can gather in a warm church.

Hurricane Ike was only a Category 2, what the local folks would call “a pretty big storm” that does not do much damage. However, the storm surge was a Category 4, bringing the flood waters that ruined many homes. It has been nearly 18 months since Ike, and many homes are still boarded up. This is not a wealthy area, and many residents couldn’t afford regular homeowner’s insurance, never mind flood or hurricane insurance. There’s lots to be done here; much prayer is needed.

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Carol Start says:

It is only my first day of mission and I have already discovered why I was called to Texas: to fight for womens rights. Not the obvious right to operate power tools, but something much more primal: a woman's right to a closet! Allow me to explain.

Today I was assigned with 9 other women (and Jim Potter) to paint the interior of a home. I began painting in the front room and made my way back to the room that is destined to be the master bedroom. I noticed how spacious the room was and continued on my task. However, when I then moved to the guest room, my female DNA noticed the roomy closet. It was then it dawned on me that the master bedroom (the bedroom where a woman would soon reside) had NO closet! Zip nada. I found this deeply disturbing and shared my concern with the other closet-sensitive members of my work crew. It was quickly decided that something should be done. (Meaning that I would have to open my big mouth, but that they had my back.) I then asked the owner if it was her design choice to have no closet (perhaps she had an antique chiffarobe), but she said it was not. Before the 6 feet of water flooded her home, there was a long closet along the back wall, but the framing was so rotted that they had to tear it out. Also, she was too timid to ask the crew that came to drywall to build her another one. Then I asked her, "Before I start rocking the boat, how bad do you want a closet?" She responded quickly, "Sink it." That's all the encouragement I needed.

As it turned out, I truthfully did not have to do any fighting. As soon as I asked about the possibility of building a closet, the local job supervisor went directly to the owner and said, "Show me where you want your closet." Immediately 11 women crowded into the room and passionately discussed the pros and cons of closet placement. In surprisingly little time a decision was reached and hugs and tears were shared by all (except for the men, who although unable to share in the excitement, leared a valuable lesson on just how easy it really is to make a woman happy). God definitely works in mysterious ways.

From Lisa Lyon:

As Carol has said, the majority of our crew worked at Belinda's home today, where they finished two coats of primer throughout the house. Tomorrow they plan to paint the colors in each room. We are getting them space heaters because the home is not heated yet, and fingers get a bit stiff as the day goes on.

As we found on our previous trips to Mississippi, after some months, FEMA wants their trailers back. Belinda has to give hers up by March 7 or start paying more than $800 a month in rent for it. Trust me, that is  a lot of money for a rectangular box, and a lot of money when you're trying to rebuild your home.

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15 members of our 16 member team arrived in Texas City.  Jamie Rimmel says thanks for your prayers.  The sleeping accomodations and the showers are wonderful!

Miss Carol says hi to Ms. OShells class and will send more later. 

Bri & Anne spent the trip down doing their chemistry homework for Mrs. Youngs class when they weren't posing for pictures with the Southwest Airlines pilot.

This evening the volunteer village director gave us and orientation to the site.  We were introduced to two other smaller groups staying with us from Willmar, MN and Illinois.

Tomorrow we will be heading into Galveston to meet with our worksite coodinators and begin painting, trim work, and drywalling. 

By the way it is 65 at 10:15 PM and quite humid.

A very special thank you to our Mission Team that stayed home and are working on site at Cross Roads all week long.  They spent Saturday dismantling the pastors office and will take the rest of the week to repair and paint walls and put it all back together.

Thanks to all who made this trip possible and we'll try to list as many of you as we can remember in the blog later this week.  We thank our friends in DIberbille, MS who spoke with Gary & Lisa last evening before we left to encourage us on our way.  Hi Ed and Irene!

Please check the photo page for two pictures from our adventure today.

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