An Invitation to Humility

At the beginning of our week in “Nawlins,” six days before Passion/Palm Sunday, our hosts at Parkway Presbyterian Church in Metairie, Louisiana announced, much to our surprise and relief, that they would daily wash our dirty clothes. So, after my first day of laboring in hot, muggy Gulf Coast weather shoveling off old roof shingles and blanketing plywood with grimy tar paper, I was eager to cast my simple laborer’s vestments into the Parkway laundry basket along with that of all the other men. Later, after learning the church wanted everyone’s garments labeled and sorted in separate bags, I got down on my knees and fished through everyone’s soiled, damp clothing in order to find mine. I started thinking about the Presbyterians who would do my filthy laundry. I shuddered as I thought about them handling my sweaty, mucky stuff.

I wonder if Jesus’ disciples experienced a similar feeling when their Lord girded himself with a towel and started cleaning their hot, dusty feet. Maybe when they got past their own shuddering, they understood the necessity of adopting Jesus’ extraordinarily effective humility.

Like Jesus, the good people of Parkway Presbyterian helped me, through their own humble service, to receive the gift of realizing my need for infusing my service to the residents of New Orleans with genuine humility. I knew I had to enter a home, however broken and cluttered with refuse, with my head bowed in reverence. I had to accept my role as a mere stranger sent to enter the ruins of someone’s sacred personal life. Perhaps I would snatch up their washed-out wedding albums or their children’s beloved stuffed animals, now heavy-laden with mold and mud. I knew I had to sadly cast these once precious keepsakes outside onto a horrid pile of indiscriminant rubbish. The only possible way I could do it was with the awareness that I was a humble servant of Jesus Christ.

Pastor David Manner

Herndon United Methodist Church

April 10, 2006

26 Preschoolers & 12 Chairs

Can you imagine trying to teach 26 little children in a room (shared with another teacher and her class) and the only, ONLY things you have in your room for your entire class, are 12 little chairs? And then, can you imagine being moved from classroom to classroom (in different locations), 3 previous times and this is now your final resting place? And then, can you imagine on top of that, that all 26 of these little children were rescued by helicopter from the roofs or balconies from their homes during the hurricane? And finally, every time when it now rains, thunders, storms, etc. these 26 little ones start crying and become upset due to the fear that it might be another Katrina? I have great difficulty re-telling this story, even though I’ve told it several times in the past few days. My eyes well up with tears and I get this lump in my throat that just won’t go away. Sadly, this story is very, very true. We CANNOT forget the people in New Orleans. Their stories must be told many, many times until life is somewhat normal again for them. I urge you all to get involved with prayers, time, donations and money. They will continue to need us and our support for many years to come.

-Barb Black

The VIM trip to New Orleans was a time for compassion and caring that extended beyond those directly affected by the hurricanes,   I found my mission statement on a plaque in the French Quarter which I brought back as a thank you to the staff where I work. 

   "You must be the change you wish to see in the World".   

We had the opportunity to bring Christian friendship to a small number of people, but they will remember the acts of kindness in the days of the future.  That same kindness seemed natural to express on a mission trip: extending it to our workplaces and community may require a deeper commitment.

My horoscope  in the United Airlines magazine stated    "Resist the temptation to blurt out what's on your mind".  ( It has been known to get me in trouble).

And finally.   A card from was waiting at home  for me from my School of Nursing - Nebraska Methodist Hospital. 

Titled:   CELEBRATE      LIfe is a great big canvas and you should throw all the paint on it you can.

(Jeff :   I think that means you need to find a mission trip where I can do some painting  !!  My backpack is ready.)

-Cathy McCranie

The need is so great - it's heartening to feel that you've been able to do something directly for those impacted. It's also a great opportunity for fellowship with members of the church you don't typically get a chance to interact with. This is my fourth VIM trip and none has had quite this sense of energy and commitment. It's great to be a part of!

-Chip Burt

Being part of the NO VIM group was an amazing experience for me in so many ways. 

You really get to know and trust a team mate as they are handing you a loaded nail gun or you are lining up shingles for them to place a nail right next to your fingers!  Or figuring out how to get a huge piece of heavy soaked carpet around an obstacle course and out the front door that is blocked by a tree.

I think the way our team functioned together is exactly the way Christ envisions his church working together.  Each person with their own special gifts and graces has the ability to make a significant contribution when there is the mutual respect and trust to use the gifts together in the best way possible.  He is with us when there are two or more of us gathered and what awesome power we have working together when we bring the best out in each other. 

Look what our team was able to accomplish! Rudy and Michelle's home was an overwhelming mess that paralyzed them from getting going on the clean out. When we all worked together and broke the tasks into managable pieces, Rudy and Michelle became emotionally able to help us, too. The clean up progressed quickly.  Not only did we transform the physical home, but, more importantly, they began to have hope for their future. We received so much more from them than we gave them and were also blessed.  Simply amazing how God's love works!

-Janice Rieley

“When we leave, we hope that you are glad that we came…” – when I had the opportunity to speak in front of the congregation of Parkway Presbyterian Church (our host church for our mission trip to New Orleans) this was the quote that I left them with.  For the entire week this thought rattled around in my head.

 When one first sees the devastation that the levee breaks brought upon New Orleans it is hard to take it all in.  When one also realizes that it has been about seven months since it all happened and the amount of damage that is still there – it is even harder to comprehend or understand.  How could all of this happen?  It does make you appreciate what we all take for granted on a daily basis.

 During our opening UMCOR “in briefing” we were told that it is not always the work that we are doing there that is important – it is often the fact that we are simply there and that we care.  They told us that if we do nothing more than sit down and simply talk to the owners of the houses we were working on – then we would have accomplished our mission.  For an action-oriented person such as myself this is a valuable lesson. 

 It was also important for us to remember that we really served as catalysts for these families.  In many cases these family’s lives have been completely devastated.  The task of rebuilding is so tremendous that it is hard for these people to know where to start.  We would go in, clean out the house and strip it to the bare studs.  From there it is much easier to see what the next step is… and for the family it is the first step towards putting their lives back together. 

 So, with that said… a few important lessons from the week:

a) Sometimes a simply dinner invitation can mean more than anything else – at least to Rudy and his family.

b) Sometimes a simple gas grill can mean more than anything else – at least to Parkview Presbyterian.  Quote of the week:  “We never pictured ourselves as a big grill church – now look at us”

c) Sometimes we can find friends in strange places – reference Dave and Elmo!

d) Sometimes just showing up is, indeed more than half the battle.

 In the New Testament there is a verse that goes something like this:  “To those who much is given, much is expected”.

 To those of us at HUMC much has been given…. And much is expected.  Through our missions and service we continue to impact people in ways that we can probably never understand.

 So, yes, at the end of the week, I think that they were glad we came.  I know that I was glad I went.

 - Jay Lightfoot

I do not know what it means to loose everything I have, since, I have never experienced that, but I do know that it is comforting to me when I have received help from friends and strangers during challenging times in my life.

When hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana last September, a sad feeling surrounded me while watching on television the big devastation caused by the floods.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to go and help those in need.

It was comforting and rewarding to me to be close to people that had lost all material possessions but are keeping their hope alive that things will get better.

Cleaning the houses my team was assigned to was physically demanding and emotionally exhausting. You see, you need to develop a sense of respect for the things you have to discard because they no longer are good, for example family photos, birthday cards, furniture, electrical appliances, etc. I felt overwhelmed by seeing and being in contact with so much destruction seven months after the hurricane, but felt good knowing that we were bringing some hope into the lives of those we were helping. I know that God was taking me out of my comfort zone, but I felt His Presence and energy around me all the time.

I am so thankful for HUMC and its commitment to help those in need.

Your financial help as well as your prayers were so instrumental in the job that the New Orleans VIM Team performed. Please continue praying and helping in any capacity the people of Louisiana and Mississippi; the hurricane season is quickly approaching and there are a lot of families with out a home.

-Everludis López

Reflections on New Orleans

As I look back on the previous week, my thoughts are still jumbled. It was best of times, it was the worst of times. Those thoughts come into my mind first.

The enormity of the situation was overwhelming as were .the needs of those affected by the hurricane and subsequent floods.

Walking into one of the houses that had been partially gutted but still full of debris and smelly contents (and I do mean smelly in the truest sense of the word!) was completely depressing. Seeing the damage, the amount of work to do and knowing that peoples lives were going to be shoveled out and put on the curb to be hauled away to a dump somewhere was very disturbing to me. I am aware that much of what we own are just “things” but also knowing that some of these “things” were precious to that person was very upsetting and I wondered how I would continue with my life if it was me this happened to.

It wasn’t until Wed. when we worked on a house for Rudy and Michele that I got a glimmer of hope and the realization that we, I, could help make a difference no matter how small. Being able to help someone start the healing process was a gift that I will never forget and will hold close to my heart forever.

It was an HONOR to work with my fellow VIMMERS and to help in some small way the people devastated by this disaster. Remember the starfish.

-Marcia Henderson

The Courage to Celebrate!

I’ve been praying for the past several weeks with friends about missions. I also shared dinner with a couple to discuss an international trip during the upcoming summer. The weekend before the HUMC VIM trip, however, I felt a strong calling to pray for certain members of the team, and while I was making cards for them I really felt called to go myself. It was a whirlwind week of packing and getting shots, yet I really was trying to determine why God would choose to send me on this particular week on this particular trip out of the several I’d considered.

Beginning the first day, I was listening to stories of devastation and despair sprinkled with bits of hope from the church in which we were staying. The many shared experiences over the past several months from this congregation conveyed to me that the problem I thought we’d been sent to ‘fix’ was much larger than I could even fully comprehend.

Yet just as Jesus asks us to “cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7), it became clearer to me that what was really needed from me was a listening ear and a caring heart. By allowing others to share their burdens and their joys, I was provided the strength to smile to help the people of Metairie, Louisiana find the courage to celebrate.

The people we served are much like those in Virginia: a grandmother who finds joy in the picture of her grandson on her fridge; a dad who is sharing the joy of baseball with his precious four year old daughter and father-in-law; and the couple whose smile grew when they discussed spoiling their daughter by extending her “new room” in the back of the house.

While it’s easy to be disheartened at the devastation, the true joy comes from the courage expressed by those seeking to stand back up and celebrate what lies ahead. Personally, I learned that we are not asked to solve every problem through action, and perhaps not every problem is solvable. But through Christ who strengthens us, we are able to express love to those in need.

-Amie House

Pushing to the Limits

-Amanda Lee

Reflections on a House in New Orleans

It has been over two weeks since I returned from a Volunteers In Mission (VIM) trip to New Orleans. A group of 25 men and women from Herndon United Methodist Church (UMC) travel south in plane and trucks to serve the people of New Orleans devastated by hurricane Katrina. This note is my reflection on that trip which will forever be etched in my mind.

It was there in Lakeside Louisiana a suburb of New Orleans that I came to know what it meant to provide a reason for the hope that is within us with gentleness and peace. It is here we met a husband and wife (Rudy and Michelle) who had lost all of their household treasures and had despaired at the mess that filled their view as we entered their once beautiful home for the first time.

Words cannot describe adequately what we witnessed. Mud and muck covered everything and the entire ceiling lay on top of the furniture and floors. When we entered this house, it was almost impossible to walk from the front of the house to the rear because of all of the debris. Rudy and his wife had been back a month, but they had left their house nearly six months prior. The devastation was too much and I overheard Michelle say, “we have been coming here each day for over a month and we have not made even a dent in making this house our home again.” They were without hope.

A few Christian men and women from Herndon came to be the hands and feet of Christ to a couple we had never met, to provide hope to the hopeless, to be an encouragement to a family that lost a home. As our team began to clear out the debris and with compassion bring to life the hope of a future we witnessed Rudy and Michelle’s countenance be lifted.

You can image all of the personal items that were ruined, piled high at their front curb. Pictures, scrapbooks, clothes, games, records from the 60s and 70s all now trash. I fought back the tears as I thought of my own home with all of its pictures and earthly treasures. I was reminded in working for this couple the brevity of life and the fact that earthly treasures surely do not last.

I came back from New Orleans changed, more introspective, more in tuned with the fact that we called to do what St Francis of Assisi taught, “preach the gospel always using words only when necessary.” The team gave of themselves, using our hands to bring Christ’s love nearly 1200 miles from Herndon Virginia to New Orleans, Louisiana. What we discovered was oh but by the grace of God it could be my wife and I standing in the middle of what use to be our home.

Rudy and Michelle have a long way to go before their house can once again be their home. They have been given a beautiful gift of hope from Christ’s people and this hope has ignited 25 people who want to continue to reach out to the people of New Orleans. God knows where He will take us and with His help amazing things are possible, because we all know that it only takes a spark to get a fire going. One has been lit at Herndon UMC and I am sure that the Spirit of the Living God will fan it into a flame. Pray for the people of New Orleans and do what you can to be the hands and feet of Christ with your time, talent and treasures.

-Bob Harbick