Our trip is coming to a close...

Most of us woke up this morning in a timely and orderly fashion. Yet some of us struggled to get out of bed, get into the car and sleep some more; Samantha being the prime subject.

Annunciation church has a tradition of each mission group personalizing a T-Shirt with lessons learned during their time with the mission or a simple comment on their stay at the facility. We were no different. We got our T-shirt, got creative and made a crossword puzzle, that included our team players as well as St. Steven's. We also added comments of our experience with Annuciation. Later we rode in the car for hours with little speaking and some conversation about chocolate skittles (apparently Asher doesn't think they are very good).

We arrived safely in Columbus, GA. Checked into our hotel and spent some time relaxing in the jacuzzi and swimming pool. After a light dinner we walked through a nearby strip mall where we found ourselves flipping through books at the local Barnes & Noble.

We will attend St. Stephen's Sunday service tomorrow morning followed by a picnic after which we will continue home. We are eager to get home to our families and own beds. Thank you for your continued prayers for the rest of our journey.

TGIF

Well, our work was finished up today. Don and Elsa headed back to Georgia/Alabama this morning. It was sad to see the end of this journey so close. Jeff and Tammy completed the two handrails they had started the day before with Asher. It was really neat to see the completed project considering their limited carpentry skills. Jeff and Tammy later joined Ken, Samantha and Asher and moved offices for the Broadmore Association. The Broadmoor group had just completed a new youth building and needed to move in for a youth event they will be having next week. Later in the day we presented the $2500.00 check for Annunciation Mission to Duane Nettles who assured us that it would go to providing much needed materials for the area families. We only worked for half a day because we wanted to take an afternoon to see the sights. We went to the Riverwalk and indoor mall then later walked to the French Market. We stopped on our way back for some authentic New Orleans cuisine. It was quite a day that ended with a few games of 'Murder in the Dark'. Isn't that incredible? This fond game of suspense and mystery has made its debut in New Orleans. Asher finally got the opportunity to be the "Murderer" and was vastly disappointed when the rules got confused and he quickly lost the game. He was quite sad to have a 0-1 record since he had never in the past had the opportunity to be the "Murderer". Tomorrow we will head to Alabama and Georgia to attend an Instructional Eucharist at St. Stephens where Don and Elsa attend and where Ken was once the rector.

Twisted

"Pack your patience," they told us, and thankfully we did. Today started with a little extra time on our hands, which we used for fellowship and taking some pictures of the wonderful people here at the Annunciation Mission. Van is our talented chef, previously a cook in the Navy where he was used to cooking for 5000 sailors at sea. So, he told us, cooking here isn't so hard. :) Jean does a bit of everything around here. She had her home destroyed in the hurricane and had come here for help. Eventually she ended up volunteering, and she is now a valued employee. She is very nice and always helpful. Mark does maintenance here ... and let us use his ladder 2 days in a row "as long as we bring it back". Ari is the one who plans our day along with Chris. They are very dedicated and we appreciate their devotion to helping people. Our assignment was to paint Mrs. Hunter's porch, which we gladly accepted; however, after the first coat, it began to rain making that task difficult to finish. After a bit of confusion, Asher, Jeff and Tammy ended up installing two handicap handrails: one in the shower and one on a ramp for an elderly woman. It was a good day to remember that even though things don't always go as planned we are here to do the Lord's work regardless of what may seem less than organized. We made a difference in two families' lives. What may seem like small tasks to us give other families a feeling of God's caring through us and encouragement that things will get back to normal. This experience has been humbling to us and we hope you all know this opportunity is appreciated by each and every one of us. We ended our day by doing some laundry (yes, Ken does laundry) and Asher and Samantha played an exciting/cut-throat game of Twister.

The work continues and the scars appear

Asher with a sledge hammer doing a great job! Jeff and Ken enjoying some well deserved rest The end of the day snowballs were quite a treat

Hello All, Today we completed the demolition of the Phillips walls. It was quite a fun experience to complete the task set before us. When we started we were excited and enthused, and we ended with a great sense of accomplishment. We learned a lot about this family and hope to maintain a relationship with them all in the future. We are not only going to miss them, but also the end of the workday snowballs. :) We have included pictures to share with all of you of this wonderful family. We all feel we were blessed to serve them, and their faith was inspiring to us. We are eager to begin a new opportunity to serve tomorrow wherever God sends us. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers for continued strength, guidance and endurance for the tasks set before us.

The Work Begins and the Bruises Appear

Our work began today! Our job was to gut half of a duplex that was severely damaged by the hurricane. The family, the Phillips, are a terrific group of people, and we were happy to serve them today, and are glad that we can help them again tomorrow. Pam is a childcare provider, and jumped in with amazing enthusiasm. In the afternoon her brothers Donald and Daryl were there to lend helping hands, as well as her father, James. We tore down walls, took out the toilet and tub, and picked up the debris caused by the demolition. We toiled long and hard today and feel like we have really impacted their lives. We were treated to 'Snowballs,' a mix of snowcones and slushies. A very nice way to end the 93° work day, if we do say so ourselves.

Arrival

This is where a home once stood Hello from New Orleans! WE MADE IT! After a long and fruitful day we are finally down for the evening. After driving for about 6 hours we arrived and we were warmly greeted at the Annunciation Mission. We were given a tour of the facilities and were left to unload the van and acclimate to our new environment. We have met up with friends of Ken's, Elsa and Don, from Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in Alabama, where Ken was rector prior to coming to Saint Timothy's. We are blessed to have their work mission coincide with ours. Don is originally from New Orleans and has family that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Don was gracious enough to give us a tour of the most devastated areas. We went through the upper and lower ninth ward, where houses were literally ripped off the foundation in which they stood. It brought to life the images we all saw on TV during the months following Hurricane Katrina. While there is still a lot of emptiness and damage we also witnessed a few new homes and brightly colored buildings that are bringing the area to life. There are definite signs of a city full of perseverance not unlike the renewal of Spring. On a lighter note, we ended our tour with a trip to the French Quarter where we walked and enjoyed the life of the city on its highest ground (making it one the least affected areas).

Beginnings

Ken, Asher, Jeff, Tammy and Samantha 6/15/2008 Hello! I would like to start by thanking all of Saint Timothy's parish for this opportunity. We are aware that without our church family's support and encouragement this mission trip would not be possible. We are sincerely grateful. Our journey began well with a beautiful commencement ceremony and a blessing at the 10am church service. After finally getting the rental van, we went about 600 miles and learned a lot about each other. We shared laughter through Yahtzee and discussing music. We shared frustration by trying to figure out whose directions to follow. And we shared joy through our arrival at our hotel. We hope that through this mission trip we can be patient, hard working and understanding while making a difference in other peoples lives as well as our own. I personally hope God's light and love shines through us as brightly as I feel it shines at Saint Timothy's. Tammy Best