Evergreen SGV Habitat Projects: April 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Reflection from Kaj

Kaj is part of the team for the first time, but probably has the most practical knowledge of all the team. He's been really encouraging to everyone, teaching them techniques with the equipment, and being a strong encourager.

From Katrina 2009 Team

I can't believe we only have 2 and 1/2 more days here. It's going by so fast. I am so thankful for being part of this team. Getting to know the men beyond just hellos at church is something I will cherish as I leave this place. Their love for the Lord and how they always keep him first in all that they do is just awesome to see. So far we have been doing all kind of fun stuff that gets us dirty. One joyful moment was when I was with my small group and we were gladly interrupted by a man who just wanted to talk. Before he left, James So, Jeff Leung, Eric Jue and I got to pray for healing to his back and for him in general. We were all blessed to have prayed for him.

So far the funniest moment is something you could watch on the blog and youtube. Watch Steve Ogata on "Hows it going Steve". Before I forget I would also like to thank my msg team for all their prayers and support.

Reflection by Eric - There Are No Accidents

Eric joins the team for the first time this year, and during one of our devotional times, he had an interesting encounter.

From Katrina 2009 Team

There Are No Accidents

On Wednesday, 4/29, Kaji, Jeff, James and I had the opportunity to meet D. He shared that he was looking for Craig, our team leader. He heard about us after Craig responded to D.'s broadcast email request for Katrina carpool support. D. shared that he had not been able to work on his construction site (which is across the street from where we are working) due to lower back pain. We had a chance to talk about wanting to make a difference and our respective relationships with God.

We got to pray for D., including how much God's loves us and how nothing can separate us from His love. We also prayed that God would alleviate or heal his back pain if it was His will.

We saw D. at breakfast and at his construction site this morning. God healed his back pain enough so that he could work and accomplish what he came to do in Biloxi.

We thank God for answering our prayers for healing and to be an encouragement to others. We know that there are no accidents, including this chance to meet D. and share a little from our lives.

The Lord helps the fallen and lifts up those bent beneath their loads (Psalm 145:14).

2009 04 30-The Shed with new and old friends

We made our annual trip to The Shed in Gautier, MS

Joining us were
Supervisors and Americorps leaders Brad, Victor and Kurt from Chris and Keith's group
From Craig and Tommy's group, our co-volunteers and roommates Jim and Greg joined us.
Also, Dave, our site manager from 2007 stopped by and joined us for dinner as well.

Click below for pictures from dinner

Katrina 2009 04 30-The Shed

2009 04 30-Third day of work

3rd day of work at the site.

Katrina 2009 04 30-3rd day of Work

Your video for the day:

Steve's notes on Chris and Keith's Group

The day started cloudy,cool and abit breezy, a perfect day in my book to do manual labor. After our site manager, Brad opened our time with a quote from Martin Luther King, which was quite good for a young white guy doing an impression of a deceased black guy. He shared that you don't have to be an Einstein and understand Relativity. or the second law of thermodynamics in order to to be great. And you don't have to be rich or famous in order to be great. To be great, all you need is to be able to serve...

Most of the guys from Chris and Keith's group (also affectionately called Go With the Mo) went to our site which basically consists of a foundation and floor joists. We were intending to finish nailing on the OSB sub-floor, but we soon found out that the foundation on one side of the house was not straight. Kev and Donna, a part timer from the nearby air force base were nailing the blocking between the joists and were the ones that discovered the misaligned foundation. So...Ward, Roy, and Donna used these baby crowbars called cat's paws to remove the nails that attached the joists to the sills. Meanwhile, I was touching up the three painted doors from our completed home.

Afterwards, Mo, Roy and I did piecework nailing a special vertical support consisting of a king stud and a jack stud. Very boring work but it was nice to make fun of Mo because he is so precise even when it really doesn't matter.

Vic, one of the Americorp assistant supervisors that works with Brad had the unenviable task of crawling under our finished home (which we found out wasn't really done) to staple fiberglass insulation under the crawl space. He asked for volunteers and three servants that took to heart MLK's speech...Gary (who pretty much had to because he spilled a can of paint on the porch that took an hour to clean up), Keith and Rich. Chris said that these three were not "smart enough to say no." They spent a couple of hours under the house nailing R17 on their back and when they came out they were filthy from crawling in the dirt and itchy from the fiberglass particles. I say that no good deed goes unpunished.

Let's see, Ward was today's jack of all trades which included cutting a bunch of lumber to length. So after we solved the alignment problem, we all pitched in and finished sheeting the sub-floor. Chris, Roy, and Duane assembled the cut lumber into one wall frame. We didn't get to raise it...maybe tomorrow.

We ended early today to get back, shower and get to the Shed before it got crowded. Obviously, priorities are priorities.

Randy's notes on Craig and Tommy's Group

We were blessed with overcast skies and mostly comfortable weather on Thursday. Work moved forward on several fronts, culminating in completing installation of the roof sheeting, placing underlayment on half of the roof, sheeting the gables, finishing the rear deck, and installing nine windows. Because of an HFH meeting, work was halted slightly early, although some continued to press onward.
Later that evening, we ventured out from SUMA for dinner. The Shed is an award-winning BBQ joint – a loose assembly of corrugated tin roofed structures. We sat on picnic benches and wiped our ‘cue-covered hands with paper towels. No vegetables were served (unless you count the potato salad) - just tasty slabs of ribs, piles of pulled pork and hot links. Since The Shed is further inland, the temperatures increased as did the cholesterol counts.

We invited Jim, Greg and HFH friends from past trips to dinner and were plesaed they were able to join us. We were able to pray with Jim and Greg before they left to fly home through New Orleans. Since we slept, ate, and worked alongside them all week, we were grateful that everyone enjoyed each other’s company. We wished Jim and Greg a fond farewell along with good wishes for Greg’s upcoming SAT’s.

No day in Mississippi could be called complete without a visit to the local Walmart store, where we once again stocked up on supplies.

the shed the food arrives

the shed before

late shift: tommy art kaj craig and peter stayed behind to tar paper the roof

kaj

leaders

james craig randy

kaj tommy art on roof

From Katrina 2009 Team

Jeff is our team videographer. Once thought of as a nice smiling quiet guy, we've found his wit and humor to be sharp yet disarming.

His shooting videos combined with Craig's editing late at night have given us great stuff, although I think even better stuff will be seen when we're at home and have time to work on the videos more. (To be honest, we've not had as much time to work on the blog because we've been having some really great small group time of sharing and worship.)

Praise God for another beautiful day in Biloxi. It started out with clear blue skies and warmed up very quickly.

A traditional breakfast of bacon and eggs was spiced up with a splash of southern hospitality - that's right grits; I made there was plenty for others to enjoy so i passed on this part of the meal.

Team Craig continued with the completion of the roof. Some of the height challenged individuals had the opportunity to help move heavy bags of shingles off the lift while standing on a steep incline 15 feet above the ground. The installation of the roof boards is almost complete and most likely the shingles will be installed beginning tomorrow. The entire house is now wrapped with Tyvek (or something similar) so we were able to start window installations. Jerry Mar would be proud of our ability to hang windows with such speed and percision.

Team Mo moved onto a new site; although they left Gary behind to finish caulking and touch up painting (that's what happens when you do something very well). By the way, their team is led by a strict foreman who requires them to be at the site every morning at a specific time. Team Craig is led by Irving Spikes, a former Miami Dolphins running back who a bit more lenient.

Team Mo definitely had a tougher time today, as they installed the floor joints, trusses and floor boards all in the warmer sunlight with no shade. They must have pounded about 700 nails. These homes now face more stringent huiricane requirements and thus more sturdier reinforcement.

Fortunately, for these hard working guys, Peter and Randy made a McDoanlds run after lunch and picked up 40 double cheeseburgers to snack on.

The highlight of the evening was our worship time after dinner. While in our small groups, Dan a young guy from Michigan who came on his own, came over to talk with Brent, James, Eric and Jeff. We got a chance to share with him about our ministry and the reason for our trip to Mississippi. Dan shared with us that he doesn't regularly attend church but that he has Jesus in his heart. We were able to spend time with him in prayer asking for the healing of his back, that he be able to catch up on his sleep, and for any other burdens that may have been troubling him. We were thankful that Dan came over to share about his desire to serve others in Mississippi. Although we share this common goal, we also continue in our effort to share God's love and the opportunities to plant seeds, cultivate or harvest as these opportunities come before us.

Just in case you wanted to know what we do in our free time - 3 full days in Biloxi, 3 (or more) trips to Walmart - all for the fellowship and drinks and snacks of course.

2009 04 28-End of second day of work

Morning Devotional
Chris led us in a morning devotional before breakfast, focusing on how with the concerns we have at home and other parts of our lives, that we can reflect on Matthew 11, to come to God "all who are weak, weary and heavy laden." The encouragement was that God wanted our burdens more than He wanted us to bear them alone.

With that, we started the day with breakfast and then going to the work site.

Work Day

Yes, we know that most of the posts on here during the day are us taking breaks. It's because we're working the rest of the time

In the meantime, here's some pictures.. we'll keep uploading as the night goes on, so this photo album will change..

Our work site can be seen here. It's an old satellite picture, so no, you won't see us working, but you can see the area that we're working in.

View SGVHabitat.blogspot.com Gautier in a larger map

Videos

Chris and Keith's group was split between two jobs.
Doing finishing work on the house they were painting and doing interior work yesterday, and the daunting task of starting with some cinder block foundation, and a big pile of lumber they had spent hours cutting yesterday.

The amount of chiseling, nailing, strapping and heavy duty work may be reflected in some of the photos, but to be honest, we were working so hard today, not as many pictures were taken as the labor deserved. All this was done in a cloudless sky. It was hot.

Craig and Tommy's group had a shadier day, but partially because they finished the roof on the house they had picked up. Baldwin and two of our new friends and roommates Greg (17 yo) and his father Jim were the primary workers on finishing a deck in the back of the house, while the others finished aspects of the roof and trusses and installed windows.

One other aspect of this day was working with Craig and "T," two future homeowners working their sweat equity, and were familiar with a lot of aspects of Habitat Construction. We'll be working with them tomorrow too, and it was enjoyable and encouraging to work side by side them.

Evening Devotional
After our dinner, we met for an evening devotional.
Chris and his team led us in songs of worship, and then we had a small teaching about being honest before God and each other.

We met in small groups discussing someone that we might personally have to forgive.
Some small groups went almost all the way to Lights Out time of 1030p. That was 3.5 hours...

It's been a growing and encouraging time.

Once again, the photos from today:

Katrina 2009 04 29-Second day of work

jeff and his plain cheeseBurger

roy rich chris kelly steve building from the ground up

break from the sun

craig and 't' homeowners to be and hard workers

art showing a hammer. spikes jeff tommy on roof

randy and peter getting 35 cheeseBurgers

day two start of work

breakfast work day 2

2009 04 28-First work day

Our team was split into two groups.

One, we called "Go with the Mo" consisted of:
Mo, Duane, Ward, Roy, Kevin, Chris, Steve, Kelly, Gary, Rich, Keith (who no one could remember who the eleventh guy was Keith, our church moderator)

The other, unnamed group consisted of:
Craig, Tommy, Kaj (Brent), James, Jeff, Baldwin, Randy, Peter, Eric, Art

Keith's group worked on
Interior work (insulation, painting, detail work, finish work)
Their work practically finished up the house before sheet rock

Part of their team began cutting lumber for the new house they'll begin work on tomorrow. That house will begin working from the ground up, literally starting from a foundation.

Craig's group worked on putting on rafters and roof supports, then the plywood sheets on the roof of a house in process. There was also a deck that was built from scratch.

The begin of the day
We started this morning with our team assignments, then breakfast, followed by a short devotional by Peter about our DC Hammer, and trying to make the most of every moment.

We hit the work site with extra gatorade, water and fresh legs.

For those wondering, we've suffered no major injuries, and everyone worked today.

There was decent cloud cover, and we worked hard in pretty comfortable conditions, but hard work for most of the desk jockeys we have was a good experience.

We worked alongside new friends, and learned a lot about each other, praying for the potential homeowners as we worked.

Pictures of the day available here

randy eric and peter going to walmart for more drinks. guys are working hard

2009 04 27 Evening worship

This year, two of our team members, Chris and Rich, brought their guitars.

It was for the purpose of leading us in songs of worship, like we do at church.

It was really encouraging and inspiring to be singing "Resting Place" about building a home where we wish God to dwell, while standing on the remains of what was once a building.

Art and Baldwin helped in leading our time.

Afterwards, Keith did a devotional teaching challenging us as men to face our fears of failure... As men, as husbands. We broke up into smaller groups to share with one another and to pray and encourage one another.

We hope that this process of making us better men will enable us to be able to serve God better both while we're building the homes for those in need, meeting the people along the way, and being able to be more authentic when we return home.

From Katrina 2009 Team

Hi all,

After an inspiring and encouraging send off at LAX, we arrived in Biloxi safely and without incident. After a driving tour of Gulfport and Biloxi, including our probable work site, we enjoyed fellowship over a nice cajun/creole lunch at New Orleans Cafe in the nearby town of D'Iberville.

We're now settling in at SUMA, our home for the next 5 nights and awaiting our 5:00 p.m. orientation meeting with the HFHMGC Volunteer Staff. Of course, most of the guys made a WalMart run this afternoon for the little homely touches like pillows, sleeping bags, hand soap pump dispensers and paper towels and essentials like bug spray and sunscreen. The team seem to be upbeat, adjusting to the new surroundings and hoping for continued good weather. Tommy hooked up the wireless router to his cell phone and we now have wi-fi. I'm glad we have a bunch of competent IT guys on our team.

So far, everyone has been playing nicely and despite the lack of sleep, no one is grouchy. I'm glad we have God on our side.

Thanks for your support, all.

Craig

Photos from our sendoff

2009 04 26 Flight from LAX

Photos from our arrival

2009 04 27 - Arrival at Bilxoi and SUMA

Kids Commissioning

About half of the guys were able to attend the Kids Church school to explain about our trip, and also to receive a blessing from the kids.

(Unfortunately, there was also a baptism service going on at the same time, and some of our guys had friends and relatives in there)

But during the time with the kids, they showed some sample tools, and talked about how serving to build homes for those in need was another way to show people that God loved them

Kids Church Commissioning 04.26.09

lunch at new orleans country cajun kitchen

God's perfect plan steve with a kid on plane

the only four that found free seats

last service before we depart

At our last service before we depart, Chris and Craig are seen here with Don S.

Our last service at church was a well attended baptism service.

We'll miss our home church and family for the short time we're away

Departure Day!

We'll be flying out of LAX today!

Flight info can be found here

But before we leave, we have one final presentation with the kids at church.

We'll be telling them what we'll be doing, as well, as possibly receiving a blessing from the kids. It's been a very sweet tradition from the kids ministries at church, and quite humbling.

We'll try and post pictures when we can.

If you're hoping to say goodbye to the team in person, we'll be at the Continental terminal at about 10p tonight.

Thanks for all your support, and here we go!

Photos from previous HfH volunteer

Found these photos from a previous HfH volunteer

Pics were taken much closer to time of Katrina, and show some damage.

As we've said before, the devastation is a little hard to visualize as the clean up has continued.

When you move around Biloxi, you often just see what seem to be empty lots, not realizing you're looking where neighborhoods once stood

by TheBigbuhrd

Interesting story on Habitat Homeowner

While browsing through local Biloxi news stations, found this story about a habitat owner (in South Carolina) that gave back the deed to his house..

Video available here

2009 04 22-Update-things often change

We often get asked what will we be doing when we get out to Mississippi?

This question is often asked even from our own team members.

Will we be building homes? The answer is yes.

But the stage of the homes we will be building is often determined by whatever group has come before us.

The first year, 2007, we were fortunate enough to be able to pick up the work immediately after they had poured the slab, so we were able to erect the framing of the home. That's fun and exciting, but with Habitat, you could be picking up the work at any point.

Last year, we worked to cut and assemble sections for a once-in-a-lifetime visit from President Jimmy Carter, who would be visiting for the Jimmy Carter Work Project the week following our visit.

So we'll let you know exactly what we'll be doing once we know, which will be most likely when we're standing on the work site.

But as far as housing, the first two years, we were staying at Yankie Stadium, in Biloxi Mississippi.
This year, we've been planning on staying at Camp Victor

But due to a temporary problem at the Camp Victor site, we will be staying at Seashore United Methodist Assembly (SUMA)

Doesn't look quite as "rugged" :)

So yes, if there's anything that we know, it's that we have to be flexible, and we are always sincerely appreciative of whatever God provides for us. These are great accommodations!

Flashback...

As Art returns to Biloxi this year, I'm sure he'll be looking forward to serving, helping the cause, meeting new people, and working alongside his Evergreen buddies

But.. in checking our videos, I found one from 2007 that apparently was never posted

I think Art is also looking to return to The Shed. This was our first visit to Biloxi and our first visit to the Shed.

Note: Just found out that indeed this was posted in 2007, but still, enjoy :)

2009 04 19-Team Commissioning

We gathered at the same time at the same place.

That in itself was a feat!

Craig gave some opening words for us about our focus on the mission. Hopefully we'll be posting video and pics in the next few days.

But did want to thank the Kiras (Kelly and Jared) for their contribution of 20+ Tshirts for the team members to wear.

It's a really nice looking t-shirt, plus it helps us stay focused that we're a team.

From Katrina 090419-Commissioning

With all the Team members, and all the associated MSG (Missionary Support Group) members behind us, there were over 100 people near the front of the church to lay hands and pray for us.

Their support is spiritual and practical as well.

Our MSG's are our main support while we prepare for, during, and after our return from our mission trip. Many of the team members have their spouses acting as MSG Leaders.

Thanks for the blessings guys

Thanks to Marcus for these pics available via facebook

From Katrina 090419-Commissioning

2009 04 18-Work Day at SGV

We had a work day.

It was at church, partially as a practical way to help our church, partially as a way to get used to each other and working with each other.

Evergreen SGV is setting up a garden on our church property. There are hopes if all goes well, to turn it into a community garden.

Our Team was asked to build a few things. A couple Compost Bins and a few Raised Bed Planters

Team Commissioning this Sunday

If you're in the area and want to see the entire team at one place at one time.. :) We will be commissioned by the church at the 11am service this Sunday, April 19th. Pictures from last year are available

Local work project

This coming weekend, we'll be doing a little team bonding, a little training and a little work.

In our church's continuing effort to explore ecological options, this habitat team will be working on making compost containers for the small garden on our church property.

If the garden works well, there are some thoughts of opening it up as a community garden.

This will also be good because with a team this large, when we get to Biloxi, we'll be splitting up, and we won't have that many times to work together as a full team.

Flight Info

For those of you wondering..

We will be gathering at the Continental Terminal on Sunday April 26th at 10pm for prayer and goodbyes :)

Our flight info is as follows

FLIGHT INFORMATION

Mon, 27APR09 CO1094 U LOS ANGELES
(LAX) 12:45AM HOUSTON BUSH INTL
(IAH) 5:56AM 757-300

Mon, 27APR09 CO25251 U HOUSTON BUSH INTL
(IAH) 7:20AM GULFPORT MISS.
(GPT) 8:34AM ERJ-145

Sun, 03MAY09 CO25552 K GULFPORT MISS.
(GPT) 12:00PM HOUSTON BUSH INTL
(IAH) 1:22PM ERJ-145

Sun, 03MAY09 CO137 K HOUSTON BUSH INTL
(IAH) 2:40PM LOS ANGELES
(LAX) 4:20PM 737-800

2009 Prayer Letter

We're a couple weeks out, and here we go.

Our team has been finalized, prayer groups have been formed and plane tickets have been booked.

Our journey picks up some steam now.

For those of you who are interested in supporting our project, here's our prayer letter, giving you more details about this trip, and the people that will be participating.

Support Letter

Response form

Thanks for your support!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Monday, April 27, 2009

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Monday, April 20, 2009

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Friday, April 17, 2009

Monday, April 13, 2009

Friday, April 10, 2009

Evergreen SGV Habitat Projects

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