Vacation

Note to self: don't check work e-mail when you are on vacation...it gives you a heart attack because you only skim it not read it.

At least my 90 person week is slowly dwindling from cancelations...

Anyway, I'm having a good time here in Seattle. I'm cold, but I'm glad to be home for a week. I'm already ready to go back and jump in and be the best hostess I can be at Olive Tree.

Fake Smile...

I think I've found the serpent's tounge. I have a volunteer here, who for the last 20min has not said one positive thing. It started with complaining that the video didn't work, moved on to the "lack of prayer" for send off, which on Mondays they got at the beginning of orientation. This guy is just a bully. The best part of it all is, people stand right outside my office door having these conversations thinking that either I'm not in here when the door is slightly a jar, or that I can't hear through the walls. He shadows his wife like she isn't allowed to leave his side, and flat out he just gives me the creeps. I'll probably bring up the video stuff and let people watch it on the office computer, but I really feel like if I was to challenge this guy at all that he would haul off and hit me. I don't scare easily, mostly because I can hold my own, but this guy's personality is kinda scary. I don't know...the only thing I do know is that I certainly won't be alone with him in the same room. I will definitely be surrounding myself with people when I have to talk with him.

Wrong Foot

This week has already started off on the wrong foot with my volunteers and there is only one group here so far!

The group here right now have been contacting me on an every other day basis for a while now! Okay, I totally understand that the logistics of this trip are difficult when you deal with plane rides, car rentals, and all that stuff. Now I don't get a whole lot of time to myself here as it is, but the one time I'm in my trailer on the phone with a good friend from home, my work cell rings and it is the group who is here. They need to see me. I told them that it would be a little while. When I got back to the main building to find them. Well, the freak'n phone call was just to give me the check and release forms. Seriously, you had to pull me from my own little quiet time for that?! Okay fine. So I'm writing the receipt for the check (which didn't need my immediate attention) and the group leader walks in and starts complaining and wondering why their group is split up at two different sites. Keep in mind that this group leader has been calling me for 3 weeks telling me they don't want to be split up and each time my answer is the same..."I don't have any control over that. PSL are the ones who break up the numbers they need at each place based on the need of each site." Really that is the best answer I could possibly give. So now they are asking me who they need to talk to so that they aren't separated. I already tried, and I'm going to give the construction managers a heads up! And I really hope that they stay separated.

I just want a group who is flexible!!! Really if you want to make God laugh, then make plans. The number one rule of mission work is to be flexible. I don't understand how a group who comes down roughly every 6 months doesn't get that they are not in control that God is in control, and the best part is these groups are from churches! Is it really that hard to figure out. you don't get to pick what sites you work at, what type of work you do. You are down here to do God's work and to help a community in need. I miss the SC group who was down here and reminded me what it means to be flexible, they were not only flexible for the sites and where they were serving, but for one another. Taking all the time needed, and still praising God for all that they got to experience, and enjoy, and do no matter how tired it made them.

Wow, all this and it is only Sunday, and I've only met one of my three groups...I hope that all these first impressions are wrong, but I'm not holding a whole lot of hope.

Last day with friends..

I miss having people my age around! We had a lot of fun on Bourbon St. And around. We got to see the same street performers as we had last year and that was fun. Katie took video of them last year this year I got the video.

Heart breaking

My heart got torn out and thrown across the street yesterday. I got a call from a friend who is a construction assistant who has been working on the most amazing house! It is small, but each room is a different color and Christina has done an amazing job on the tile. This home owner has been ripped off twice by contractors and Project Homecoming is picking up the rest, with the rest of her money. Turns out that this house is 10,000 dollars short to finishing. The previous two contractors didn't even acquire permits to rebuild this house and put up the walls before even checking with an electrician and plumber if all was good. So not only do we need to come up with ten grand, but we have to tare apart the walls to get to the electrical, and plumbing, and repaint and all this crap.

Personally I'm just as disappointed in Project Homecoming for not checking on the permits first. Assuming that someone who ran off with the money doing a crappy partial job went through proper channels seems a little reckless to me too! And now we have another woman who can't get into her home. And except for electrical and plumbing, she was getting so close. Christina thought we could finish the house in the month, but now we have a huge set back. I know and understand Christina's frustration, but I can't help be frustrated in the system that I work for. It doesn't seem right to have spent the money done all this work to tare it down and practically start over. It just doesn't seem like we are being good stewards of the resources that our clients have.

We have another home owner who is moving into her house at the end of this week, and now is having problems with the bank. The bank is claiming that she had a balloon mortgage, when she knows she had a 30 year fixed. On top of that she Paid off the house already! So now she is having issues there, and there is potential for her to lose her home. This woman spent 3 days with kids/grand kids on her roof after the storm, and the 2nd contractor she hired took her last bit of savings and ran. Leaving her with no money at all! It is hart breaking to hear these stories in the first place, but to know these people, and not be able to look them in the eye and say it is going to be okay...That is the hardest for me. These people have tremendous faith, even through all the bullshit they have been through, but it really feels like this government/banks/wealthy people are trying to brow beat down their spirit and it hurts like hell!

Flying Termites Are Worse Than Flying Monkeys

Okay, I know it has been about a week since I last blogged. Let me start off by apologizing, but my friends have been here and it has been an amazing week. The other two groups have been amazing too! Along with my UPC group, we had a group of "rag tags" from Marion, South Carolina, and a group from Virgina.


The group from SC has been amazing this week. They have taught me a whole lot about what my strengths are, and they have really affirmed for me that this is where I'm supposed to be and do. They had one man, who is special needs and he is my new best friend! Just such a blessing to see that all the experience I've had working in mom's classroom and growing up in such a great school district that blends regular and special education together. Knowing that everyone has a function in society and can work through anything. This man is an assistant scout master, a deacon at his church, just an amazing person, and I can only hope that I can be half the person he is in my life time! This group also planned out my life for me, having me stay with them while I go back to school to get my teaching cert. It is great! I'm definitely going to go visit them the next chance that I get.







Having open invites to people's homes and church communities is such a great reward for this job. To know that I am welcome where ever I go is amazing. And I'll get a chance to see the country. The people God has put in my life this week are exactly who I needed to be around!









The VA group jumped in with open arms to be flexible, and took care of their own, even through illnesses and termites.

Yes, I said termites. Monday night we had a lovely experience of the whole city/region being swarmed by small flying termites, and one of the men's rooms was completely infested. So much so, that I had to get every one's stuff out, put them in another room for the night, and Anna my AmeriCorps NCCC leader and I sprayed the whole room until we were coughing though the protective gear. It was an adventure to say the least. They were also crawling all over me for hours! It was gross. I'm bummed I didn't get a picture of it to show all y'all, but I went into leader mode and took care of the issue at hand first and foremost. At least my priorities are in the right place.

I'm looking forward to a smaller week next week. It will give me a chance to catch up on some of the computer work I need to get done. It has been a little on the chaotic side this week, but only one major incident I have one volunteer who is so dehydrated that his team took him to the hospital this morning. I hope he is alright. He has been such a blessing to me this week. He connected me with a woman by the name of Barbra Major, and she has a lot of connections in this city and is willing to hook me up with a group of people my age, and she said, if I want it she could find me a job in community advocacy. And that would be a cool experience to gain. She is also a very godly woman and knows the importance of prayer, and all that is important in deciding if we are to go anywhere else. I'm excited that some connections are being made. It is what New Orleans is all about. And I really do love it down here, even if there are poisonous snakes and spiders, and flying swarming termites!

Mom, your mother's day card is in the mail today! Sorry it is late. But I'll call you too!

Jazz Fest 09: Sugarland