ReCap of 8th Mission Trip to New Orleans

Thirteen hearty souls embarked on the 8^th Mission Work Trip to New Orleans on April 24^th. We stayed at the Good Shepherd UCC church, which provided us with two dormitories with bunk beds, a meeting room with a well-equipped kitchen and plenty of space, and most importantly, with wonderful moral and spiritual support. We attended church services on Sunday, with some of the team joining the choir. Some members also joined the bell choir, along with many youngsters from the congregation.

The week offered the team two opportunities for sharing our gifts. Some members went to the St. Bernard Parish to do rebuilding of a gentleman’s house. He had lost his home in Hurricane Katrina, so had purchased another one that needed much work done it. He had started to do the work himself, but got injured. He had been living with friends or in hotels since the hurricane, so he was filled with gratitude for the many teams that had come to help him. Our team did some painting and then laid the entire flooring in the house! When we met him on the last day, he told us that he was hoping to move back in on Memorial Day weekend. We received his gift of welcome, gratitude and grace with tears and joy!

Others from the team worked in downtown New Orleans at a Catholic Relief Center for the homeless. Men and women came every day and were welcomed with a shower, the ability to use the phone to call anywhere in the country for 10 minutes, and to receive lunch. Our members had one-on-one conversations with dozens of people, assisting them to receive some basic amenities of daily life. It was a rich experience of giving, learning, and sharing.

One of the most enriching experiences of all the trips to New Orleans is getting to know each other in so many ways. We plan and prepare dinners together, we commute to the work site, we work side by side, and we share our experiences. Every evening, as we gather after dinner for quiet reflection on the day’s events, our pastor Jason leads the discussion, encouraging us to express what the day’s events have meant for each of us personally, and how we are changed by the work we do and the people we meet. We all come away having a much fuller understanding of the word “community”.

We also had the opportunity to visit the Beecher Memorial UCC Church. Beecher is the only African-American UCC congregation left in New Orleans. Their church suffered a lot of damage to the interior of the church, and still has not been repaired to the point of being able to worship in their sanctuary. We were moved by the lack of progress within this “sister” UCC church. We met with the new dynamic pastor who shared his vision of bringing the church back to life as a vibrant center for the community. We have initiated some conversation with him regarding how we might help them---with our prayers, our friendship, member exchanges and, hopefully, some financial and/or hands-on assistance. As those conversations continue, The Board of Missions and Social Action will inform us of any outcomes.

Think about joining Team # 9 next spring! The gifts we give and receive are extraordinary!

Peter Oakes

5/15/10 Dennis Evans Weekend

Saturday, May 15, 7-9 pm, Plymouth Hall, First Congregational Church, Boulder, CO

Come meet DENNIS EVANS, founder of the non-profit San Lucas Toliman Scholars. Hear his inspiring presentation about the Mayan children of Guatemala. You will hear how in only 5 years, one man has changed the lives of 1,200 children in rural villages of Guatemala - and how easily you can be a part of changing the lives of the next 1,200 children. The Congregational Action Committee (CAC) of our church is sponsoring Dennis on his visit to Boulder because of the deep impression he made on those who participated in the three First Cong work teams to Guatemala. Dennis will also be giving the Adult Education program on Sunday, May 16, 9-10 am in the Standish Room.

2010 New Orleans

Our church's 8th trip to New Orleans was great. With the St. Bernard Project we worked in a house, finished painting, laid a hardwood floor, cut and painted base boards, and put in door framing. We also worked at the Rebuild Center (serving persons who are homeless), participated in a literacy program, did special projects in two homes of members of the church where we stayed, and made connection with the only African American UCC church in New Orleans. Thanks to our coordinator, Kathryn Oakes, we stayed at the Good Shepherd UCC and with Jason Hays' leadership we reflected on our personal transformation and changes while in New Orleans. We intend to have a program to share more from the 13 of us who participated and welcome you to join our church's 9th Trip in 2011.

Laura McCutchen in Guatemala, Feb 2010

GUATEMALA , February 2010

So far, nothing has happened quite the way we´d planned. I´d arrived late Monday planning to ride to San Lucas with Candace´s group (Transformational Journeys) on Tuesday, but their arrival was delayed another 24 hours. The mountainous northern ride to Panajachel took my breath away, and the driver – characteristically understated – had driven the route more than 40,000 times. Wednesday´s lunch plans with Friendship Bridge in Panajachel became Tuesday´s dinner and overnight guest, much to my delight. Wednesday´s dinner plans with friends in Santiago Atitlan expanded into a Friendship Bridge shopping spree for fund-raising items followed by an afternoon of connections between the women´s micro-loan program and Pueblo a Pueblo, which finds sponsors for Santiago children´s education. By the time my tuk-tuk pulled up to Posada Los Volcanes in San Lucas, I had spent a stimulating time with wonderful friends, new and old.

While I lingered in heaven, Candace went through hell. They cancelled her group´s flight from Kansas City so she missed Delta´s only plane to Guatemala that day. When she finally arrived at the airport with the water pump and purification system, customs wanted to charge exhorbitant taxes on the equipment. After she managed to reduce the multi-thousand bill down to two hundred quetzales, their shuttle driver was pulled over by policia who noticed that he didn´t have the proper license to run a public conveyance. Candace finally intervened, saying the driver was a personal friend who´d come to help her deliver the donated equipment to its destination. By the time they arrived at Posada Los Volcanes, they were tired of spinning their wheels and ready to dig in.

We immediately raced out to Pachitulul so the engineers could look at the set-up and talk with the town leaders about the best way to install the bomba which will finally deliver running water to the colonia. Sunset on the pier turned to darkness, and they were still talking while lights twinkled on the other side. Will it be finished by the time one engineer leaves on Sunday? They´re working hard to make that happen. The pileta is full of lake wáter, complete with minnows. Our fiesta takes place on Saturday, and we will join the celebration.

This time at my church´s dedication, I was no longer part of a larger group. I am not making decisions, evaluating the options, or even providing critical labor. But I do witness the process by which the community discerns its next step, and I can pick up dirty dishes. If my presence can be God´s work, that´s what I am called to be. Thanks be to God.

Laura