cleaning up the trash

i had some fun cleaning up trash and wood. I also had a lot of fun taking some inspirational and interesting pictures that i hope everyone will enjoy. I was a pro at using a chain saw. I also helped make a song. 

By Bennett Setzer

Four days in Alabama

For three days we cut up and removed downed trees from people's yard.  Those were the lucky ones who still had a home in which to live.  On day four we cleaned up dibree from a field, many houses in that area were completely destroyed.  But in the middle of all this destruction there were sighs for new life.  Houses were being rebuilt and people's lives were starting to be put back together.  In the middle of death there is new life.  This is a living example of the Christian message of resurrection.  God did not cause the tornadoes but God is active in rebuilding.  Church groups and other people from many other places have come to help people rebuild their lives.  Everyone we met is so grateful that we are here helping them.  By going on this mission trip we are bringing hope and love to people who have lost so much.  This is Christian life in action.

Thank you all for your support and prayers!  If you are able, consider joining the next trip in September.  It is an amazing experience and a way to live out our faith.

Fr. Alan Leonard

St. Margaret's Church

Boiling Springs, SC

Sometimes It Takes Muddy Sunglasses In Order To See Clearly

Finally--at last I found my $10 pair of sunglasses that I misplaced a few weeks ago.  I found them just in time to head off to Ft. Payne Alabama for the Piedmont Convocation’s mission trip (Number II).  Our team of 16 drove through some horrendously devastated areas to arrive at our first work site Monday morning.  And when we arrived, I must admit that I was a little disappointed.  Most of the trees were still up.  All the houses were in tact and we were clearing out a corner of someone’s grazing pasture.  

Very quickly I noticed that these trees that we were cutting up and moving to the road for the FEMA trucks to haul off were sitting in the middle of whole bunch of poison ivy.  This worried me as I am highly allergic.  Undaunted I soon found a spot that seemed to be ivy free.  As the day went on we cut and cleared and cut and cleared.  All the while I used my cheap sunglasses more for eye protection while running the chainsaw as we enjoyed a fairly cloudy first day.  With all the dust and grime from cutting and moving the logs, cleaning my sunglass with my shirt became a frequent chore. 

As the day went on the someone whose pasture we were clearing came out and worked with us.  His name was Buddy Mullins.  Buddy brought with him a jerry-rigged ridding lawnmower which allowed him to lift large logs and take them out to the road.  It wasn’t long before Ginny Georgion sweet talked him out of his ride and was doing all the tractor work herself.  It was awesome!  We learned a lot about Buddy this past Monday.  We learned that he had broken his back a while ago.  We learned how appreciative he was of all our help.  We learned that if we hadn’t come along to help him, those massive tree’s probably would have stayed there for years.

By the End of our work-day, my glasses were coved in mud.  I was so drenched in sweat that when I used my t-shirt to clean off the dust and grime, all it did was smear mud around those plastic lenses.  But a funny thing happened as the day went on…the mud built up and I began to see more clearly.  It took muck and mud and a little fatigue to do its work on me for the “scales to fall off my eyes.”  I was able to see that that someone whose home we were at had a name and a story.  And part of Buddy’s story was his thankfulness.  He was thankful to be alive.  He was thankful that the tornado just skimmed the treetops at his place.  And he was thankful because he knew the folks just 10 miles up the road who weren’t so lucky.

So yes, I can see clearly now.  All of the area that we are working in is influenced in one way or another by that tragic April 27^th day.  It seems that there were 7 or 8 tornados that bounced around this DeKalb County Alabama.  Some were F-1’s and some were f-5’s.  Some were on the ground for a while and some did their damage by not quite being on the ground.  Anyone driving by today could see some signs of the amazing power of Mother Nature in this region, but if you didn’t bother to stop and ask, you would never know the amazing stories that go along with the people who live here.  I’m able to see this clearly now after sweating away some of my judgment and preconceived notions.  It seems that the muddier my sunglasses get, the more clearly I’m able to see. 

By ~ Joseph Smith 

Buddy watching Ginny drive his "Tractor"

The things we have seen so far

So far we have cut down 3 trees in 1 place. The owner had 5 dogs, 2 donkeys, 1 cat, 1 turkey. The dogs were rescue and also the cat. The next day we cut down 2 trees. 1 of the trees was smart to use its limes as new roots. We also saw 3 praying mantes. Then the next place we went to we cut down 2 more trees. Some people say they saw a snake. I did see a lot of tornado damage.

By ~ Christen Harley

Team II, July 24-30

Team II finally learns to blog!  More to Come.

"Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord", by Rick Gilliam

The version of the dismissal used by my parish at the end of Eucharist charges us to “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” To me, this dismissal is a paraphrase of the first great commandment to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind”. Last week a group of us from four churches in our convocation followed that charge in the dismissal. We traveled to Ft. Payne, Alabama to sleep on the floor at St Philip’s Episcopal Church and to assist the surrounding community recover from the physical damage inflicted by the tornadoes of April 28th. We did not know the others from the other parishes well if at all, and some did not know their fellow parishioners well.

We did not know exactly what our duties would be except generally to assist in the clean up from the tornadoes. That storm and its impact on the Alabama countryside, especially the city of Tuscaloosa, had made the national news. I did not remember Ft. Payne being mentioned.

Our assignments came through the DeKalb County’s Roads Supervisor and were varied. We cut downed trees and brush and moved the remains of homes to the side of the road so the FEMA contractors could pick up the debris and take it to a landfill.

On the first day, most of us started out helping clear downed trees from an area behind a destroyed home. The home was pushed off of its foundation, the roof partially destroyed and siding had been ripped off of the home. We placed the limbs in a large pile and the logs from the tree trunks into another pile. When we left in the early afternoon we generally felt that we had assisted another person.

Our main party met up with the few that had been sent to help two sisters clean up around their family’s home place that had been destroyed. Debris had covered the yard, and the sisters and members of our group had moved a significant amount to the road. When an additional twenty plus descended on the site to assist in the clean up, the sisters were amazed. Our large and recombined group cleared the yard of debris including boards, glass, and metal roofing. I felt rewarded as the FEMA contractor working on the road moved his equipment to pick up the debris that we had moved to the roadside. Prior to leaving that site, the sisters had us join them in a circle on the road and join them in prayer and said thanks.

On the second day, we went to a small subdivision in which all homes had been destroyed. Our task was to move the remains of the home, which were in a pile, to the street so they could be picked up later by a FEMA contractor for disposal. We were there as the homeowner did not have insurance coverage to pay for debris removal. We moved; by hand, in a wheelbarrow, on sleds improvised from a carpet and a trampoline and on the tailgate of a pick up; a large pile of debris from the center of the lot to the roadside about 70 feet away. Early in our task, many commented that it would be easier if we had heavy equipment. However, during the deconstruction of the pile to move it, we found a baby spoon, a high school letter jacket and other personal mementos. We passed those mementoes onto Woody, the Roads Supervisor, hopefully to be reunited with the family. On the way out of the subdivision we noted a beautiful house, only a hundred yards from the edge of the subdivision. That home appeared not to be touched by the storm.

Our third day assignment presented us with a very different situation. A home that was intact; with the homeowner living in it. However, there were pines down all over the home site and the homeowner was a 70+ year old who was recovering from a broken back. Our chain saw operators cut the downed pines, and logs and brush were carried to the road. Our work was cut short by a hailstorm. (I cannot imagine how the residents of the area felt as a strong thunderstorm approached.) We came back on Thursday and finished our task there. The situation at this location appeared to be a low priority when we first arrived. Actually, it was very different if not for a large group with individuals who could operate chainsaws; the work would not be done. The tasks were being balanced with the available resources. God was sending us were we could be used.

We asked for a light assignment on Friday, and our request was honored. We went to a home whose yard needed “picking up”. When we arrived all looked in order. In the course of picking up, I noted a barbed wire fence with small limbs entangled in the wire and whose metal fence posts were tilted at a 45° angle. I surmised that the fence caught the branches blown by the wind and then caught the wind which pushed over the barbed wire fence. This is another example of the power of the storm that had hit.  The son-in-law to the homeowner stopped by. I found out that the house looked in order as the family and volunteers had previously logged 300 hours at the home. They had removed downed trees, removed the remnants of outbuildings, stabilized the home and performed other clean-up tasks. The home which was off of the foundation was missing a back porch, and most of the roof. The home was not repairable. That situations are not always what they first appear to be was re-emphasized by this location.  

Hopefully, we as a group strengthened the Body of Christ. I came away feeling that I had helped a few people. In helping others, we exhibited elements of the second great commandment to love thy neighbor as thyself. As we did that we are on the way to fulfill the first great commandment. We also developed a stronger relationship with others, some of whom we will see regularly, some not so regularly, and some possibly not again. But, at least for that week, we were one with one another, and hopefully were one with Christ.

God Provides, by Cathy Whitworth

As I prepared to go on my first mission trip, I worried about leaving behind my “four legged” children especially my dog who would have to go away to doggie day camp while the cats got to remain at home. Not only was it a disruption to their routine, but I would miss their companionship. However, God truly does know our needs and provides for us. 


At the work sites, we were greeted by a cat, dogs, and even an attack duck. In interacting with Snakes (a cat) and the dogs, we were able to take a needed break from the destruction all around us. Just spending a few minutes with one of the animals allowed me to go back to work with renewed energy and faith.

Philippians 4:19
But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Home Sweet Home and So Thankful by Lathrop Mosley

This time last week we were sorting through and moving the entire contents of a house destroyed by a tornado. I know it sounds expected and pat (as I shared with the group during our “Debrief Time” one night towards the end of the week), but I am so thankful.

·         I am thankful that I have a beautiful home that is still standing and all of its contents are still there.

·         I am thankful that I have not lost any relatives, friends or neighbors to a natural disaster.

·         I am thankful that my beautiful yard and garden are still intact.

·         I am thankful that I have not experienced the sheer terror and fright as I watch a tornado headed directly for my neighborhood or house.

·         I am thankful that my wonderful dogs are still in their yard, protected by a fence that is still standing.

·         I am thankful that I do not have to try and explain to children (and calm them down) that just because there is another bad storm, does not mean that there will be another tornado.

And the list could go on…

The hail damage to our garden; the hail damage to our cars from the storm last Wednesday afternoon; and the trees, limbs and leaves that were down on Wofford College’s campus Monday morning all pale in comparison.

God's Love, by Brigette Canny

Because of love, 26 people set out for Alabama last Sunday to be God's hands and feet
Because of love, St. Philip's Episcopal Church allowed us to use their grounds as our home away from home for a week
Because of love, the Ft. Payne Community Center offered their warm showers to use (which I know I looked forward to every day)
Because of love, people fulfilled their daily duties of taking out the trash, preparing the meals, and leading worship
Because of love, everyone contributed something to the team whether it was the ability to use a chainsaw or make amazing desserts
Because of love, a 70 year old worked along side a 17 year old doing the same tasks
Because of love, dogs and cats and ducks kept us company throughout the week as we worked
Because of love, my diabetic best friend came to work with us and do as much as she could to help
Because of love, my cousin and I weren't at each others throats all week :)
Because of love, a 16 year old came alone and represented his parish even though he knew very few people on the trip
Because of love, the youth bonded with the adults in a small amount of time through hard labor and card games
Because of love, no one was seriously injured (Thank God!!)
Because of love, the victims we met were still strong in faith despite losing all of their worldly possessions
Because of love, our team literally moved an entire house with our bare hands
Because of love, we were able to see the light of the situation through the sweat and dirt clouding our eyes
Because of love, we were able to impact someone's life last week
Because of love, our lives were impacted as well
Because of love, God's love, a small dent was made in the years of work yet to come in Alabama

Physically Involved = Emotionally Involved, by Dr. Jim Jakubchak

Frequently natural disasters make the front page of the newspaper.  In a day or two they are forgotten and become yesterday's news.  A group from the Piedmont Convocation on a mission trip to Alabama found that the memories of the natural disaster live on.

On April 28, 2011, several tornadoes touched down in northeast Alabama.  Thirty-three people died and more than 200 were injured.  Several hundred homes were destroyed.  This natural disaster touched the hearts of all those attending the Episcopal Mission trip.

Last Tuesday was a particularly hard day emotionally.  We worked in a community which was composed of relatively new houses.  Most had been destroyed.  One home was 16 years old.  It held 16 years of memories, pictures, furnishings, clothing and love.  We sorted this heap of rubble and debris and hauled it to the street for pick-up.  What took 16 years to develop we hauled away to the street in 6 hours.  What was once a home was converted to a stack of debris by a tornado lasting 40 minutes.  This debris would be picked up by a front loader, put in a dump truck and hauled off to the land fill.  What we experienced was emotional but cannot compare to the pain that this family will have forever.

I hope our efforts allow other residents of northeast Alabama to return to a home one day.

It was a pleasure and an honor to work side by side with all of those on our mission team helping the unfortunate families in Alabama.  I am glad I participated..............J

I am Thankful! by Paula Jakubchak

I was so impressed with the awesome teenagers from our convocation that went with us to Fort Payne.  We could not have done all we did without their help.  At a time when teens are looked at as non productive – they all gave way more than 100% to the jobs set before us each day.  Thank you, each one of you for giving your time,

Strength and caring hearts to make our mission such a hugh success.  The entire group was impressive with how hard we all worked to get the job done each day.  It truly was an honor to work side by side with each one of you.  In the scheme of things what we did was so little but what we did, we did well.   We can be proud of ourselves for a job well done.

I’m so glad I went on this trip, because if I helped just make one family's life better -  then I  have helped them move forward to a new and better life than they had yesterday.

Thank you for the opportunity to go to Fort Payne.

The Ministry of Presence, by Raiford Collins

There are things that you expect when signing on for a mission trip: bugs, sweat, being tired, and sleeping on the floor all come to mind. These things are natural and part of the experience. But if it is a good mission trip there are things that surprise you. This trip to Alabama was a good mission trip.


Each day we worked I found myself faced with new emotions, new frustrations, and new concepts about why we were there. Our purpose is to serve those in need and bring God's love to them. This I have heard at least a dozen times in one fashion or another. But what I struggled with personally on this trip was how to decide who is in need? There were so many homes destroyed, families torn apart and lives affected, how do we know who needs help and more importantly who needs us to provide them with that help? 


Some houses we went to were nothing more than a pile of rubble, while others were still standing with trees and rubble down in the yard. There was such a stark difference in each of the houses. And it was hard not to judge. We live in a society that wants to help those who appear to need it the most. Where we are expected to help only those who really need it. And there were times when I questioned who really needed it. But who was I to judge where God needed me to be? If he sent me to a house, I assume it was for a reason. So I tried to take time to find those reasons. 


There was one house we worked where I was frustrated. All we did was move trees to the road. This was absurd. There were houses and churches still in piles that we could be working on, that we could be helping. This man just had a few trees down. The comparisons seemed unbalanced. I said a prayer going home that day asking God if that was really where we needed to be. I got my answer the next morning when we returned to the same house. Okay God, clearly you know what you are doing. 


Why am I here? I had a chance to chat with the homeowner a little and found out how much he really did need our help. Not just in moving the trees in his yard and clearing it to make it safer. But he also needed someone to listen to his story. While in Alabama I heard tornado story after tornado story. Each just has heartbreaking as the next. Everyone wanted to share their story. But this man's story wasn't about the tornado. It was about his life. And as I sat there listening, I could tell that just us being there meant more to him than anything. We could have not done a single thing to his property and I still got the feeling he would have enjoyed just having us there. 


It was then that I realized that our going to Alabama was not about how much work we could do in a week or how many homes we could clean up. It was about the lives we touched while we were down there. It was about showing the people of Fort Payne and Rainsville that they were not alone in this. It was about reminding people that God still cared, and that he always had.

Just My Thoughts, by Vickie Witteveen

It was a blessing to me that I could be a part of this team. A team that became family by day two, each watching out for the others well being. The work was hard both physically and emotionally, but by the grace of God I found myself smiling as I picked up tree branches and racked. I could see the spirit moving in everything around me. For us the tornados happened eight weeks ago, but for those who live in the area, it's like yesterday. They need to tell the story and know they have not been forgotten.  Everyone we spoke with were pleased to know that people still care. On Saturday, tears of release came to me as I told friends of what I had seen and heard, this to was a blessing. It is good that were plans to return in July and September, there is much work to do. 

Where is God in the yard work?

Sometimes on a mission trip, we do things for others that we also do for ourselves at home - like major yard work.  In fact, that was much of what we did this past week in Alabama.  In order to get down to the rubble, sometimes the rubble must be uncovered from the trees, limbs, branches, debris, which have fallen and settled on top.  Raking, dragging branches, using chain saws, were regular occurrences each day.  It's interesting how we willingly enter into this kind of work away from home, but when it's our own back yard, the work gets put off with disdain.  It's just yard work after all.  


During debrief one evening, the group had a discussion about this.  Perhaps we thought we'd be doing much 'greater' work than this.... (and we did do 'other' work one day, where we found personal items on a home site, broke up a concrete slab thanx to the young backs in the group, moved mountains practically).  But the discussion turned to, how does your faith connect you with simply removing debris?  Where is God in the yard work?


I was humbled by the responses given by the group.  "For me", one person said, "it's about obedience.  I had an idea of what I thought we'd be doing, and God showed me this week that it's really not about me.  It's about doing what needs to be done, whatever that is.  It's about being completely present in that moment.  I have to be obedient to that."  Another mission tripper said, "It's about service that we do in the name of Christ."  My reaction to both of those answers is, absolutely.


Because whether we're called to use chain saws, rake, drag, or just be present with a home owner and listen to his story, that he needs to tell someone over and over again, whatever it is that day, at that moment, that is what we are called to do and be.  And that is where we will find God.  For me, God was in the yard work. 


1 Peter 4 says....."...maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.....whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ."......Yes, God....is even glorified......in the yard work.
fergie+

The 3 D's, by Mignon White

"Destruction, devastation, despair........yet with faith.....help and most assuredly, hope, come. Our mission team made a difference not only in the lives of some of those affected by this natural disaster, but in the lives of each other."

Enlightenment, by Bill Canny

There was lightening Thursday.  As our work day heated up in the afternoon storm clouds and the rumble of distant thunder perked up our ears. Woody the county official who gave us our daily assignments came by to warn us that storms would be moving through the area and we would need to shut down our cleanup operations early. I was relieved that we would be out of the storm and relieved that the days fatigue would be shortened.  We cleaned up the site and headed back to the church.

Then there was lightening, and hail, and torrential rain.  Several days of seeing demolished homes made a regular summer thunderstorm seem a bit more unsettling. Lightening has a way of giving sudden flashing glimpses of sights that arenít immediately apparent.  Here are some things I found enlightening this week;
- There is an enormous potential for destructive power in the events of nature.
- Youth has a marvelous exuberance for compassionate work for others.
- Critical judgments of people fade rapidly when you're focused on a worthwhile task.
- A cold air mattress isn't uncomfortable if you've seen people living in tents by their destroyed homes.
- People of faith maintain humor even in adversity.
- Catastrophic events have their own grief cycle.
- Doing good works feels good; seeing good works done feels even better.
- Loss of property unveils an increased appreciation for life.
      And

      A mind may think it resides in a youthful body, but a 70-year-old body is quickly enlightened to its own frailty.

Teamwork by Charlie Kendrick

It has really been a great experience seeing how well we have all of us have worked together.  Kids, parents, grandparents: all of us have really been a team.  Whether it is working to get breakfast, lunch, or dinner ready or to totally move the remnants of a house 100 feet to a road where FEMA trucks could pick up the debris, we have functioned as a team.  One example was where Hal Carter and I began hauling debris with a rug.  This was really tough to do while holding onto the edge of the rug.  So Hal, noticing a section of yard hose, rigged us a couple of tow straps.  Result...much quicker and easier towing.  And the kids helped too.