So that my new friends from my mission trip to Gulfport can read the account of the mission in one post, I have compiled all four entries from this this week that relate here. For regular readers, there is no new material.
On Monday, I traveled to Gulfport, Mississippi, as part of a mission trip providing aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Some people perform their Katrina relief in the Big Easy, but I chose to do mine in Mississippi. This is actually the second time this year I have ventured into Mississippi. I must be living right...
I traveled as part of an eclectic conglomerate of volunteers from my church. My friend and minister MLM drove the church’s Sprinter (or Missions) van and I followed in Chanana II. MLM was transporting Jim Heizer (JLH), Jim Ingram (JCI), and Henry McCarter (HEM). I am the only rookie on the team. MLM has visited no less than ten times. JLH is a missionary to Russia who once headed the church’s trips to Gulfport. He has been eight times. HEM has been three. The only thing I think we all have in common is excessively pale skin. Naturally, we have volunteered as part of an outdoor work crew in the heat of the deep south.
I spent the better part of Monday on the road directly following MLM’s lead for about ten hours and 550+ miles. We actually may have set a lane change record. MLM set his cruise control at 75-76 and coasted in the slow lane until someone bogged him down. Each time this happened he passed and returned to the slow lane. He also changed lanes at virtually every ramp to nobly allow oncoming traffic to merge. I honestly think I changed lanes more on this trip than in the rest of my fourteen years of driving combined. I was a little worried my turn signal would burn out.
We made several stops, including dining at an Arby’s in Bessemer, Alabama. We also stopped at the “Dizzy Dean Rest Area” on U.S. Highway 49 in Wiggins, Mississippi. Dean (1910-1974) was a Hall of Fame pitcher who resided in Bond, MS, fives miles north of Wiggins. The site was just named in his honored on October 22.
We arrived in Gulfport at Robinson Road Baptist Church (20035 Robinson Road; Gulfport, MS 39503) just in time for 6 o’clock supper. I had no doubts that MLM would arrive in time for a free meal. Hearty breakfasts and dinners are served daily to volunteers made primarily from Sysco products. Sack lunches are distributed in the mornings so that workers are not forced to drive the 4-6 miles back from the sites.
Gulfport is less than an hour from New Orleans and actually registered higher tidal surges than in New Orleans during Katrina. It just lacked the media attention. We are close enough that I listened to a New Orleans radio station on the way in.
The mission is a joint venture of both the disaster relief branches of the Tennessee Baptist Convention (TBC) and the Gulf Coast Baptist Association . The TBC is one of just many denominational organizations (including its North Carolina counterpart) that has disaster relief offices in the area. The TBC has a contract with Robinson Road for three years in exchange for supporting the facility. The congregation was in shambles after Katrina as many of the member’s employers no longer existed. I never grasped the ramifications of the disaster until seeing the area - more than two years after the event itself!
Though they have had volunteers ranging from age 18-83, most of the volunteers are older. Few people have schedules flexible enough for an entire week off in the gulf. Though teenagers have helped in the past, they are now being discouraged from doing so as the environment does not lend itself to high school students.
One young worker named Jocelyn moved to Gulfport after assisting on mission trip. The Albany, New York, native had never even seen this region of the country before the mission trip. She had served 3½ years in public relations prior to heading south.
The facility is well equipped. The TBC actually owns portable showers that are always ensured to have hot water. The facility has countless volunteers staying in it.
The four other church members are sharing a room on the second floor. I had the option of residing with them or in an unfurnished room on the first floor near the noisy kitchen. Is there any doubt which option this only child chose?
Before closing I must acknowledge that the password for the church’s wireless connection is composed of 26 unrelated characters. Welcome to the inherent legalism of the Southern Baptist Convention!
On Tuesday, my mission rip continued and marked our first day of work. I have tried to included quotations from some of the characters I have met. Consider them representative of the speaker's personality.
The day started exceedingly early. Breakfast was served at 6 am in conjunction with a message from a local preacher who speaks every morning. Fortunately, I had been forewarned about him. The man may very well possess every negative Souther Baptist stereotype. In his message he actually speculated that God initiated Katrina because we volunteers had been wavering in our faith and needed to be put into service. I will not begin to comment on the theological framework that could produce that insight. Amazingly, I kept my mouth shut in real time as well.
Our van left promptly at 6:45 am. I was so covered with sunscreen and bug spray that I seriously questioned if an insect bite could reach my skin. As I type this, it appears the excessive precaution worked.
Our van was loaded with the five volunteers from the day before (myself included) plus James Williams (JW, not professional wrestler Jimmy Garvin though that is his real name.) Of our six workers, three were namd James. This Jamdes was raised in Jacksonville, FL, and lives in Smyrna, TN. He was a huge blessing. Though he is a white collar worker by day, his father was a carpenter and he often assisted his father as a child. He was also tall which added at least one row to every wall we sided, Plus he was just great company.
On route to our work site, we could see the area had been ravaged by the hurricane. We were in the heart of the tidal surge where waves ranged from four to twenty-six feet high. We saw where boats (some salvageable) had floated into trees and people had cut themselves out of their roofs to evacuate. A new addition to the restoration is the “Katrina Cottage”. They have emerged relatively recently and ae being marketed as "a dignified alternative to the FEMA trailer."
We arrived at our site in nearby Pass Christian, Mississippi, and joined a crew of eighteen. Our site is part of a “blitz.” This means that the entire structure has been erected in the past two weeks. As you can see from the picture, it is elevated ten feet off of the ground in the event of another natural disaster. Most of the houses volunteers work on look similar to this one. Presently, there are seven homes being worked on by my group alone.
We became the first crew from Central Baptist Church of Bearden to merge with volunteers from other churches. This was due in part to our crew missing Monday’s shift on account of the Franklin Graham Festival in Knoxville.
The night before, a man named Kevin from White Pine, Tennessee (wearing a black “Christian redneck” (and proud of it) shirt) approached us and informed us that he had signed on for a month. He lamented that this week marked his lowest number of volunteers and that our five-man skeleton crew would fit nicely into his team. We were sold (he had me at "White Pine") and we received approval from Jocelyn to work on his team.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kevin. He ridiculed everyone’s work just like a real construction crew chief, but without profanity and in a knowingly "loving" manner. His personality and voice greatly resemble Larry the Cable Guy. For instance, he came down a ladder and after loudly breaking wind asked, “Chan, what did you say? I know you said something.” He lived up (down?) to his t-shirt from the previous evening. We engaged in banter throughout the day, each ridiculing the other's work. I was obviously being facetious as he was a great leader. He kept the crew on track and made the day far more enjoyable. (Note: The real Kevin is in the next photo with the residents of the house. He is the one who is not Vietnamese.)
The owner of the home at 334 Hunter was named Trong Van Phan. He is a father of seven and has one grandchild. He had lived in Mississippi for ninteen years working as a fisherman until evacuating to Birmingham when Katrina hit. Members of his family came by and served us egg rolls and rice pasta for lunch. The food was amazingly good. The trip is known for adding weight to volunteers. One man said that it made him “fat as a handsaw.” That expression was new to me.
I was also impressed by the woman’s woven Asian sun hat. I do not know if I have ever seen one live. If Americans were concerned with practicality, they would be popular here.
The group
subdivided shortly after we arrived. I was in a group of eight responsible for siding the house. Due to a mild case of acrophobia, I joined the ground crew with JCI, HEM, and a Dandridge resident named Jerry. Jerry had the most crucial job of the entire operation. He was the “cut man.” He operated a variety of saws and cut them to the specifications we gave him. Without the correct sized wood, there would be nothing for anyone else to do. This is a photo of my cohorts on the ground crew hard at work.
I got to know HEM a little. He is retired from the local social security office and now travels with his wife as his health and finances allow. My favorite line of his on the dayconcerned his decision to partake of the dewberries (very similar to blackberries) on the lot. He opted to eat them even though he was sure they would give him “the trots.”
JCI also had several good lines. In correcting one of Jerry’s cuts, he explained straight-faced, “We want a trapezoid, not a parallelogram.” Later in the day, when MLM was seeking his yellow hammer, he responded, “A yellow hammer is a bird..the state bird of Alabama.” As usual, he is correct.
Our scaffold crew was comprised of MLM, JW, occasionally Kevin, and a grizzly looking man named Don. They took measurements and when we created the lumber they needed, they nailed it to the side of the house. This is a picture of Don (left) and JW shortly after we began. You can tell by a photo at the end of the day how much progress was made.
Don was awesome. He has worked at Camp Ba-Yo-Ca since 1987 and full-time since 1992. He drives the bus and makes balloon animals for the children. He did that at the local church we are staying at on Sunday. My favorite Don moment came at the end of the day. Determined to get one more row of siding on, he mounted a ladder atop an unsteady scaffolding. He turned to me and asked, “Daring, ain’t it?” It certainly blurred the line between bravery and stupidity but Don came out of it unscathed.
We were better equipped than any group MLM has led. Not because of our talent, but the resources at our disposal. We had access to our own tool unit and a lift. This made our efforts far easier. Due to my relatively young age, I did much of the lifting, so the machine to the right saved me a great deal of trouble.
What did I do you ask? JW elected me point man. I learned a lot of construction jargon and I think point man means the untalented guy who runs errands for his more talented group. Actually, I set up the scaffolding, helped Jerry cut all day, and yes, ran errands. A lot of errands. It was nice to work on a project where I could visibly see the progress as we worked. Though I love preaching and teaching, the results are seldom visible immediately.
We worked until five o’clock. The weather was very cooperative (ironic, considering the cause of our trip). Gulfport weather is quite chilly in the morning and warm in the evening. It was sunny yet breezy all day. The fact that the home is being built on ten foot beams benefitted us as it provided a shady place to work. We got as much siding done as can be done at this point. An inspector also came by and approved the wiring which opened the door to drywall tomorrow. Don’t get to excited for me.
After work, I ate at Applebees. On the way, I past the World’s Largest Rocking Chair at 11451 Canal Road, in Gulfport. It stands 35 feet tall and is constructed from southern pine. Evidently it is a Gulport landmark.
The meal was great as usual. The potato skins were better than in Knoxville and I received a half-priced appetizer before 10 pm. Were I to rate Applebees by state, Mississippi leads Tennessee and Georgia in that order.
While there, I witnessed a strange confrontation. There were two sets of friends sitting at the bar. Both groups were more than a little tipsy when the subject of standup comedians came up. One man noted that he had once been one while someone from the other group doubted his claim. So, the drunken man performed his standup act. Thus, I received free “entertainment.” The act was well polished. It was just not overly funny.
The mission trip continued on Wednesday but our work moved indoors as we worked with drywall.
The morning started again at 6 am. When the local preacher bellowed his morning greeting, I took it as my cue to work on my hygiene in the bathroom. I returned in time to hear much of his sermon. The combination of shouting and a theological debacle functions like a train wreck of the ears. It is unpleasant, but I just have to listen. The man was consistent as his message mirrored his previous effort, including sayinging “Amen?” as punctuation to end every other sentence. I will say that, before coming to Gulfport, I never knew that Jesus approached his crucifixion with a “bring it on” attitude.
At 6:45 our crew (the same crew as the day before) journeyed to the same house. On the way, we could not help but notice the resiliency of the trees. Some of the trees have withstood not only Katrina but 1969's Camille as well. I believe there is a sermon in there on good roots...
We arrived to the site before the foreman. All this meant was that we had the opportuntiy to park the van in the shade. Actually, weather has not been a problem at all. On this day the heat was not too bad and a cool breeze circulated throughout the day.
I have learned much about construction. Yesterday I l discovered that construction is not an exact science. I also have experienced why many people are standing around aimlessly on construction sites. It is not due to sloth but because some tasks cannot be begun until others have been completed. Today I learned far more.
Kevin, our foreman, took me under his wing. He made it his aim to make me into a preaching carpenter. I used all sorts of tools such as hammers, saws (electric and hand), screw guns, etc. I even was given an opportunity to be the “cut man,” Though I am much better now than when the day began, I am not considering quitting my day job (of being unemployed) just yet.
Though I experimented with many jobs, I spent most of the day hanging drywall. The most difficult part of this chore is cutting the pieces. Kevin did this so the team was left only to hang it. MLM and JW handled much of the placing while the rest of the crew, myself included, stablized their efforts with countless screwing. We dubbed ourselves the screw crew. KLTW, you would be so proud.
I was substantially helped by a nipple Kevin applied to our guns. This meant that we could drill as hard and fast as we wished without having to worry about the screw going to far. I have always said that nipples were a great invention...
One of the more unique aspects of this job is the attire. I wear a tool apron, a surgical mask, and protective goggles. It is uncomfortable but I take solace in the fact that I slightly resemble a ninja. It is also nice that the garb has halped me avoid injury thus far.
Kevin told me a bit of his testimony which I will relay as it bears repeating. April 30th marked his two-year anniversary as a Christian and his second week in Gulfport. He will be serving 4½ weeks total and his goal is to complete the house we are working on in that time. Our arrival meant he was equipped with a full crew for his entire tour. In the past sixteen months, he has made nine mission trips to Gulfport and one to Jamaica. He can do so because he is self-employed and the Lord has provided. For instance, just before he left, a woman whom he had never met donated $1500 to his cause. He wept as he relayed his love of God.
In less dramatic news, his use of “Git-R-Done” on the job validates my comparison to Larry the Cable Guy.
The highlight of the day came when we went to Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church (located at 322 Davis Avenue in Pass Christian) for lunch. They are a predominantly African-American church that suffered flood damage from Katrina. The church was founded in 1893 and has survived both Katrina and Camille.
They had significant damage to their facility as water rose uo to eight feet off the floor. Their church was one of the first places rebuilt by relief teams. In response, they offer a free meal each Wednesday from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. The meal is open to anyone who might want to come though they recently stopped filling takeout orders as some abused the hospitality. We were served chicken with a vegetable plate, rice smothered in gravy, a salad, and banana pudding. The meal was great though I abstained from banana pudding due to dietary concerns and the salad because...well, I did not want it.
I perused their sanctuary and is beautiful. It is furnished with stained glass windows. One thing that amused me was that the church offers fans to its parishioners. This is not uncommon nor are the sponsorships from local funeral homes. What struck me was whose pictures graced the fans - Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama!
While at lunch we met two Canadians named Bruce and Harold. They were the last remnant of a once large relief crew from Ontario. I was able to make conversation not only due to my collegiate church appeal to sing “O, Canada” but also through my professional wrestling knowledge. Not only were they aware of the vast talent pool of Canadian wrestlers but I learned that JCI, the retired nuclear engineer, was once a fan as well. It is amazing how often my wrestling fandom comes in handy.
We worked past 5 pm for the second day in a row. Late in the day, MLM left with his parents. They made the trip from their home in Hammond, Lousiana (less than an hour away). This forced JLH into driving duty as he is the only other driver licensed for the van. His snail’s pace made me miss MLM’s excessive lane changes!
I am holding up alright. I have incurred several bug bites, ingested a trendous amount of dust (despite my mask) and my heels are sore. I have checked with reliable internet sources and it seems the probability of my feet falling off is slim, so I am feeling good about things.
Tomorrow we plan on completing the ceiling, continuing to plaster walls, and beginning insulating. We have no set goals as no one crew can complete a house. We simply work as long and hard as we can. Please keep the mission in your prayers.
Our trip to Gulfport, Mississippi, concluded on Thursday (May Day) as the crew made great progress on covering the walls and ceilings with drywall and insulating the home.
The day started as each day in Gulfport had - with breakfast and a sermon at 6 am. On this day the sermon was very practical (regarding John 13) and had no obvious theological flaws though the preacher did say “You know how I know he said it? 'Cause the words are written in red in my Bible.) I did not even get a step by step account of Jesus’ walk to the cross. Is it sinful that this disappointed me?
The morning sermons have inspired me to create a short film of the speaker’s interpretation of Jesus on the way to the cross with words written in red spewing from his mouth like in a children's instructional video. If and when it is done, I will post it on the blog and YouTube.
Before the work day began, we took several group photos. Kevin told Don to fix his hair. Get it? (Note: This anecdote was primarily an excuse to use the photo of Don and his extraordinary beard.)
I was given the responsibility of cutting several times on the day. This is amazing after I butchered my first attempt. Kevin asked me to cut an intricate piece so delicate that we had nine men raise it to prevent it from breaking. That is the only time of the trip that this many men were needed. Though I had limited experience, he left me unsupervised. I should have said what Owen Wilson said to Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights - “what in our history makes you think that I'm capable of something like that?"
As Bob Uecker might say, my cut was "just a bit outside." Naturally, my big mistake came on a piece of sheetrock everyone worked on and as such witnessed by all. As the think tank was discussing how to remedy the situation - Kevin’s response was priceless - “Lord have mercy! You can’t doctor that sucker!”) For the record, the piece was reusable and my other cuts on the day were less dramatic. I appreciated the opportunity after the mistake. I suppose the rationale was that I was only going to get better...
Mine wasn’t the funniest gaffe all day. While installing insulation, a senior citizen named Bill stomped on the floor and knocked out a piece of the ceiling. His error was far easier to correct than mine and seen by far fewer people.
The homeowners again provided lunch. The owner’s young looking 64-year old wife, affectionately known as “Mama San”, cooked the crew shrimp fried rice. Though I ate little on this trip as the dirt I ingested filled my stomach, this dish was so good I ate three full bowls.
We also met the owner Trang for the first time. As he inspected the house, he seemed pleased. Presently, his family still lives in a FEMA trailer. He made plans to took Kevin out on his forty-foot boat to fish over the weekend.
Jerry and his wife (who were completing a two-week volunteer stint) noted that the day marked their 32nd anniversary. An unfortunate, way too descriptive conversation of Viagra ensued. Fortunately, I had little to add.
JW asked our group (himself, JCI, HEM, MLM, and myself) to work overtime as one room needed a ceiling and without our team's presence the next day, the process would have taken far longer. We had grown to love JW so quickly that had he asked to stay all night, we probably would have done so. He was quite the answer to prayer as he provided Kevin with the skilled worked he was looking for and the friend I had asked several to pray for en route to Gulport.
After working all day under Kevin's direction, it seemed fitting to end the work week with the same crew we began with. A lot was done in three days work. The pictures you are seeing are from the house's interior. None of the walls or ceilings were in place when we arrived. It was amazing to watch. Clearly (at least to us), God was involved in the process.
It had been a long day. JCI was so exhausted he did not make it back to the church without sleeping! JCI entertained me throughout the trip. He incorporates more puns than anyine I have ever met. (“If anybody walks on the celing, take your shoes off because it is holy Ground.”) There were also a lot of Biblical references. A Biblical punny man is my kind of man. (As I left, I told him how much I loved his puns to which he responded, “Thanks...some people don’t.”) When he erred, he would exclaim “Christian expletive!” which was especially humorous considering one of his co-workers who shall remain nameless (other than to say he was not named “Chan”) was cussing lie a sailor. On Thursday, JCI encountered another North Carolina State University alum. They did this greeting whcih called for JCI to howl like a wolf (the school mascot is the “Wolfpack.”) I might have gone on the trip just to see that.
As we returned to the church, I got the bright idea to return Knoxville right then and there as there was no intention of working a shift the following day. I had my reasons, not the least of which was not wanting to waste a perfectly good Friday on the road. I thought of my family on the way home as I passed Keesler Air Force Base (where my grandfather had been stationed in WW2) and cranked a Simon and Garfunkel CD in homage to my uncle ECD. I finally pulled in my driveway at 3:32 am.
The trip was a good experience. I liked everyone I met there and almost all of the crew we sent. I loved my foreman (Kevin, pictured on left with barn builder Terry) as not only was he understanding of my obvious ignorance, he took the time to teach me carpenter skills. I can now say that I ahve "Average carpentry skills." (Note: Pro wrestling reference - see 9/1/1997 edition of "Monday Nitro.") The weather could not have been more obliging. The week before Gulfport had consistently had temperatures in the 90s. On this week, it was almost always in the 70s with a breeze to temper the heat.
I’d like to think I helped. I gave my best effort. Being younger than most volunteers, I could at least carry a lot of supplies. If nothing else, my excessively pale, almost leprous skin attracted bugs away from my co-workers. So, at the very least I was good bug bait. I am almost positive that I was better than the empty seat that would have been in my place otherwise. Almost...
There are two aspects of construction I especially enjoyed. The noise inherent in the endeavor often necessitates yelling on the part of workers. Yelling random numbers and words is always fun. I also really loved throwing the remains of sheet rock out the window towards the dumpster. If you ever are asked to do this, throw them like a frisbee to greatly increase your trajectory. Perhaps people who litter get the same thrill I got...
While there MLM scheduled the church’s next stops in Gulfport. He will be taking college students and anyone else willing to brave the summer heat during the last week of July (the week after youth camp). Thus far, we are the only church signed up for that week. Other trips planned are leaving the Sunday after Labor Day, in mid-October and in mid-November (two weeks before Thanksgiving). The Tennessee Baptist Convention’s contract with Robinson Road Baptist Church expires in January of 2009 after three years of cooperation. Our crew on this mission was our smallest to date at five. If you would like to attend, please contact MLM here. If you feel inadequate, I assure you that you will not be more ignorant than I. This is where the old adage that God wants your availability, not ability, applies.
Whether you volunteer or not, please keep the mission teams and the families affected by the disaster in your thoughts and prayers. Especially pray that Kevin and company are able to complete Trang’s house on time. I will keep you abreast of the situation as I get details.
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