Calvary Chapel St. Bernard Parish Mission Trip
Blog Entry: 8/26/2007 8:00PM EST
Our trip homeward continued to progress well, with some of the team members able to get more and/or better sleep than what they’d gotten while we’d traveled down on Tuesday and Wednesday. At 8:15am CST we stopped for breakfast at the Mt. Vernon Cracker Barrel restaurant in southeastern Illinois. After returning to the motor home, Pastor Tom taught us from Nehemiah 4, and we were reminded of the predictability of the efforts by the enemy to discourage, disrupt, and thwart the work of God’s people, particularly in times when progress is being made to restore something which will bring glory to God. With that in mind this is a crucial time to be praying for the ministry taking place at Calvary Chapel St. Bernard Parish.
After the study, the motor home was fueled, and we all watched a DVD which Pastor Randy had provided with recorded footage of Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath during the following few days. We got back on the freeway around 11:15am CST.
The team had been apprised that significant rainfall in the Chicago area had resulted in the closure of a portion of a freeway we’d intended to use upon our return. The hope though was that the matter would have been resolved prior to the point we made it to the area. Around 4:45pm CST, upon reaching the “parking lot” that is typically the leg of the freeway leading to the junction that had earlier been brought into question, the team was very thankful for the trucking experience that enabled the present driver of the motor home to perform the evasive maneuvers necessary to bypass a traffic jam we might still be stuck in! By 5:15pm CST we had skated around the congestion and were crossing into northeastern Indiana.
Nearing 6:30pm EST we pulled off to gas up one last time, as we came to St. Joseph, MI. Being so extremely spoiled with treats throughout this whole trip, we found the urge to top it off with a stop up the road to Dairy Queen, simply irresistible ...after all we knew they’d “treat us right!” Now, being so close to home that we could almost taste it, we were beginning to grow very excited about being reunited with our families!
At the trip’s conclusion, reflecting on what the Lord has enabled us to accomplish over the last five days, it was truly amazing to recall the alternator replacement experience on the way down and how the uncertainty spawned contemplation of the potential need to extend the trip an extra day (even as it was just getting started). We found the Lord used the experience to show His faithfulness, graciousness, sovereignty, and desire to bring glory to Himself. Not only did we end up having enough time to be toured by the Williamson's around St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans for several hours before the return trip, but we were also able to stop to study the Bible and watch a DVD after breakfast and still get back to West Michigan around 8:00pm EST, two hours earlier than originally planned and absent from the feelings of exhaustion that characterized much of the trip! The Lord knows best how to bring Himself glory ...a perhaps self-apparent statement which probably summarizes the trip as well as anything. It’s good though to be reminded that He really is “all about that!”
Blog Entry: 8/26/2007 5:00AM EST
Pastor Randy was indeed able to pick up the ordered electrical materials around 9:30am CST Saturday morning. The team utilized that material to energize the condensers and the 2nd gable fan and also completed a handful of other odds and ends heading up to and following lunch:
pressure checked the gas line
notched the soffit for the piping running to the condensers
cleaned the work site
packed the motor home and trailer
What a blessing that all of the equipment that the team had installed worked the very first time that it was fired up!
Lunch was again provided on site around 1:30pm CST. Kathy had heated up a wonderful dish prepared by a family from our church back home to accompany some good Cajun cooking provided by a family from the church here.
With the work concluded as early as it was, everyone had the chance to have taken one last “motor home shower” by 3:45pm CST and be ready to head out with Pastor Randy and Kathy for a few hours prior to embarking on the open road. We had been hoping throughout our stay that it would be feasible for them to take us over to New Orleans and around the St. Bernard Parish. (As a point of reference, a parish in Louisiana is a jurisdictional area comparable to a county in Michigan. The term has Catholic origins.)
The tour of the area began with a stop at a probable location to find an alligator, but unfortunately (or fortunately depending how you’re looking at it) none was to be found. We did find our way to the Snowball Stand for a tasty frozen treat the Williamson's didn't’t want us to miss. Next they took us through some of the area neighborhoods and trailer parks. Several of the individuals now apart of the church fellowship live on the roads we drove down, and almost as if it had been prearranged, we encountered one of these individuals right after another, either out in their yard or coming down the street. We also stopped in on one household. What a pleasure to see Pastor Randy and Kathy ministering within their community, through means of listening to, praying for, and asking probing spiritual questions of those with whom they met. Witnessing these encounters first hand has certainly left an indelible mark.
In competition for space in our memory banks are the images we observed of the countless properties and homes that were in part or in whole destroyed by the waters that flooded the area, once the area levy broke during Hurricane Katrina, now approximately two years removed. They also toured us around some parts of the City of New Orleans on our way to a regional chain barbecue restaurant. The tourist activity concluded with a look across the Mississippi River and a stop at an outdoor area coffee shop.
Once we’d returned to the motor home, now positioned and poised to exit the narrow parking lot it had called home for the previous three days, we took time to gather in a circle, lock arms, and offer up prayers of thanksgiving for the wonderful work He had done in and through us and the glorious plans He has for the Calvary Chapel St. Bernard Parish fellowship in the days ahead! Pastor Randy indicated they are hoping to begin holding services in a portion of this new facility within the next four weeks and are presently anticipating one or two future groups coming down in the future to perform additional types of construction work on the building.
We set the wheels in motion for our return trip home at 8:45pm CST, sharing our impressions of the trip with each other as we headed out of Louisiana. We made great time as we trekked northward, especially with the trailer carrying a minuscule amount of items in comparison to the load we were pulling behind us on the way down.
Blog Entry: 8/25/2007 10:30AM EST
After another partial night of sleep for most of the team, we were back at it again around 10:30am CST, but it became evident relatively quickly that we were experiencing the warmest weather during our stay so far and would need to be increasingly careful to pace ourselves and take frequent breaks. By about noon it was already 98 degrees inside the church...at ground level.
Some of the work for the day included enabling ventilation access through the roof, which required some team members to head up on top of the roof in order to saw several holes. With storm clouds visible in the distance for the first time since our arrival, the importance of enclosing those holes as quickly as possible became evident to other team members as well, so they also climbed onto the scorching roof. Someone noticed that the gutters which hung over the three air conditioning condensers on the back side of the building were caked with old shingles and debris. This caused some concern that rain rushing down the roof could possibly flow in and out of the gutters and then down into the condensers in a detrimental manner.
A couple team members began to clear out the gutters and were thankful with the storm blowing in that the shingles which they were sitting on were cooling down. In the process several hundred ants (small ones with a big bite) were disturbed from their abode in the gutters, causing the “race against the storm” to momentarily take a back seat! Accompanied by thunder and lighting, rain began to poor down, as several team members continued to work feverishly on the gutters and the ventilation. We headed off of the now-not-scorching roof having been cooled down by a refreshing both literally and figuratively sent from “Above”.
Shortly thereafter the team convened again for a lunch on site, as Pastor Randy brought over a wonderful meal that Kathy had prepared for us. The team returned back to work, again moving at a slower pace and taking regular breaks.
Around 7:30pm CST Pastor Randy transported us back to the studio, where Kathy had prepared a dinner with a local flair for us. (Frankly we've been quite spoiled, and we know it!) A lady named Aretha, who is part of the fellowship at Calvary Chapel St. Bernard Parish, joined us for the meal. She had moved down to the area from Sterling Heights, MI within the last couple weeks and immediately assumed the role of teacher at a local school. Aretha had been brought to the area, as had Pastor Randy, in part due to involvement as a chaplain with Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. All present shared in another inspiring time of worship, reflecting on our immense need for dependency upon God and His vast worthiness of our trust. Pastor Tom taught us from Nehemiah 3, and we were encouraged in taking part in our portion of the work God has planned for each of us.
We returned to the church and resumed work again around 10:00pm CST. Our final late night surge concluded around 1:15am CST, and again team members reflected on all that the Lord had enabled us to accomplish throughout the day:
-gas line run to water heater
-last 3 of 18 supply branch ducts installed; all now suspended
-6 return branch ducts installed
-2 gable fans installed
-3 furnaces vented through roof
-6 attic ventilation caps installed
-gutters cleared of old shingles and other debris
-3 condenser units connected and charged
With virtually all of the work now complete, the team headed to bed aware that things were “well ahead of schedule.” Since our arrival, electrical materials that would be needed in order to operate the air conditioning units and the gable fans had been ordered. Pastor Randy was planning to pick them up shortly after their delivery via UPS to a local retailer at 9:30am CST on Saturday morning. The team was anticipating the timing of the electrical materials arrival as another wonderful provision of the Lord.
Blog Entry: 8/24/2007 10:30AM EST
The team got some good sleep with the air conditioning in the motor home functioning well. Some work had resumed by 8:00am CST, and everyone was back at by 10:00am. Significantly more tasks lay ahead of us in the work sessions that would follow before we would again “call it a day,” and we found the Lord faithful to collectively provide us strength and endurance well beyond our individual capacities. Praise music was being listened to and sang along with at various points throughout the day, as we worked in the sanctuary where soon many new believers and seekers will be lifting up their voices. This was one of the humbling contemplations the day would yield.
One of the dynamics which enabled us to work throughout the morning and afternoon was the presence of a slight breeze, which we were informed was atypical and a cause for thanksgiving. The temperature has been somewhat lower during our time here than in recent weeks as well. That all being acknowledged, in the church building itself the heat has been somewhat stifling at points, particularly when team members have needed to be working above the rafters, where the temperature has been exceeding 100 degrees at times (with the dew point driving the heat index up further yet). It has been essential to this point for us to remain focused on pacing ourselves and staying hydrated with bottled water and Gatorade.
That many have been praying for our safety, health, and stamina has been evident, as the trip to this point has been virtually without incident in this regard. Be assured this critical prayer support has been, is, and will continue to be appreciated! Our laboring has not “been under the illusion” that we are doing this alone. One team member did experience what may have been a mild case of heat exhaustion today, and another has been dealing with a mild rash, likely a result of handling a lot of insulation throughout the day, but these have been minor inconveniences during a stay which to this point has been virtually absent of setbacks or distractions
After working throughout the morning, the team convened around 12:30pm for a “traditional lunch break” in a corner of the future sanctuary. Subs that were provided by another family from the church here were complimented by the array of treats sent down with us from those back home. We then put in a few more hours of work before breaking again around 5:00pm and heading back over to our favorite local “dining studio” to enjoy yet another meal prepared by families from the church here.
At the conclusion of dinner, the Williamson's and the team shared in a time of worship. Pastor Randy played a guitar and lead in what was a humbling, tear-inducing time of reflecting on the wonder of being granted the privilege to be a part of this trip and on the reward received when we dependently ask God to empty us of ourselves and to fill us with Himself. Our hearts had been duly prepared for the Spirit to speak to us through His Word, as Pastor Tom subsequently taught us from the 2nd chapter of Nehemiah, resuming the study that had commenced when the team met last Friday for its pre-trip planning session. By the conclusion of this time we indeed felt as though we were full to overflowing.
After being shown the interior of the current church building, we returned back to the future church building and sought the Lord’s strength to carry on once again. Around 9:00pm CST most of the team members were able to return to work, pausing to share in a bona fide “midnight snack” three hours later. Once again praise music filled the early morning air and, as we “called it a night” sometime around 2:00am CST, our hearts were filled with awe and gratitude in light of what the Lord had accomplished through us in the mere 33 hours since we’d arrive on site. Surely six men, at least these six men, could not have accomplished in their own strength what had been performed here, particularly what had been completed since we’d returned to work Thursday morning:
-3 air conditioning condensers (outdoor units) installed
-air conditioning lines connected
-refrigerant lines ran to the exterior
-3 drain pans placed and condensate drain lines run to them
-hot water heater installed
-gas piping completed
-15 of 18 branch ducts virtually completed
-3 thermostats installed
With team members pausing to call upon the Lord to ask to be renewed amidst our efforts and with prayers being silently lifted up when we've lacked the strength to perform even the most basic of operations, the relevance of a verse that has characterized the Calvary Chapel movement from its inception has seemed starkly apparent:
“Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit,” says the Lord. (Zechariah 4:6)
Blog Entry: 8/23/2007 8PM EST
During the final leg on the trip on Wednesday, some trouble was experienced keeping the air conditioning in the motor home running, so we stopped periodically in order to try to troubleshoot the situation. In one sense we were becoming orientated to being together in an enclosed, non-air-conditioned structure, but it made us grow more anxious to get there so our sweating could be done while we were working, not just sitting. By the time the team had arrived in St. Bernard, it was closer to 6:30pm EST. We were met by Pastor Randy Williamson, his wife Kathy, and our sixth team member, Bob Hough, Pastor Tom’s dad, who had flown in from Pittsburgh, PA, earlier in the afternoon. Upon reaching the future Calvary Chapel St. Bernard Parish church site and scoping the situation out, the team began by unloading the donated items from the trailer. These were all moved to a lockable room in the church building. Next the tools, equipment and materials for the job were unloaded, and the team was ready for some dinner before the real work began.
The Williamson's drove the team to the property where the current church facility and their current residence is located, and we relaxed while dining in the air-conditioned studio adjacent to their residence. The dishes we enjoyed had been provided by families from the church. We were sure to head back to the work site before we’d been sedentary for too long. After returning to the motor home, seeking the Lord’s blessing on our efforts, and establishing a game plan for the evening/early morning, we got underway around 10:00pm EST, with the understanding that we would more than likely work for a handful of hours and then turn in for our first real sleep since we’d departed.
The team was able to accomplish the primary objective for the first work session, which was to finish assembling and then hoist the six evaporator coils and six adjoining heaters into the rafters. Wire was also run for the three thermostats that will eventually regulate the temperature in the sanctuary. From around 1:00-3:00am, one by one each of the team members “hit the shower” in the motor home and retired for the night. The plan for the work sessions had been altered, and the intention was to be back up after most of a night of sleep, resume work first thing Thursday morning, and go from there.
Blog Entry: 8/22/2007 3PM EST(entered 10:03PM EST):
The trip to St. Bernard, Louisiana, got off to a great start around 6:00pm Tuesday night, as many of the adults and children from the Calvary Chapel Riverside fellowship met at the church’s west parking lot to send the team off. In addition to being excited about the numerous dishes and treats that had been prepared for them, the team members were greatly encouraged to be prayed over, as they prepared to head out to represent the fellowship in the Lord’s work. About 6:40pm the 34 foot motor home pulled out towing a 20 foot trailer loaded with three air conditioning systems, tools to be used by the five team members, and various donated items.
As they passed through southwestern Michigan, the team members settled into the spacious motor home, conversing about ways the Lord has been stretching them through recent ministry opportunities. Shortly after crossing into northern Indiana, the Lord’s intent to stretch them through different means became evident, as around 8:15pm local time, it became apparent that the motor home’s alternator was not producing the voltage necessary to enable the machine to make it many more miles down the road.
The team paused to ask the Lord to provide wisdom and direction. After exiting the freeway and determining the alternator had to be immediately replaced, phone numbers of the local auto parts stores were obtained and the team was informed that the exact replacement part needed was likely not available in the area. One retailer had a seemingly similar foreign-made part. Over the next few hours the likelihood of getting back on the road seemed to be diminishing, while it began to seem increasingly likely we would have no choice but to spend the night in that spot in order to take the vehicle into a dealership in the morning. The Lord had other plans in mind though. It was ultimately after 11:00pm local time before the motor home pulled back out of that retailer’s parking lot and back onto the freeway, but in the process, the team had found the Lord showing Himself faithful in the following ways:
-When we had wondered if we might brake down on the side of the road, we had been able to make it to a truck stop to obtain the needed phone numbers.
-When there was only one local retailer with a potentially usable replacement part in stock, that auto parts store was the one closest to where we were (off the very next exit), and it was not out of the way for us to go there.
-When we turned off some of the vehicle’s lights in order to conserve energy and therefore increase the likelihood of making it to the retailer and an Indiana Police Officer spotted us, he choose to escort us rather than ticket us.
-When the only possible replacement part appeared not to be the exact part needed, not only was it indeed exactly what the vehicle needed, it also was an improbable item for the retailer to have had in stock.
-When the repair process began to drag on with resolution becoming seemingly more evasive by the minute, the retailer’s employees stayed one hour past closing time in order to allow us to purchase and exchange items as necessary.
-When we needed extensive lighting in order to perform the repairs, we were able to utilize the retailer’s parking lot lights (verses being on the side of the freeway).
-When we needed to cool the engine down in the process of replacing and installing the auto parts multiple times, we were able to utilize a donated fan we were transporting in the trailer.
-When we needed distractions to be at a minimum in order to perform the repairs, we were in an isolated place and did not have to deal with vehicles rushing by us.
-When the alternator gave out early in the trip, the climate was bearable and free from mosquitoes and other bugs, unlike it may have been if the alternator went out later on, when we were in a more southern location.
Throughout the process of replacing the alternator and some wiring and a related belt, which entailed installing and removing each part multiple times to trouble shoot the situation, the Lord had enabled the team members to be a blessing to each other by serving in whatever ways necessary. At points one was working on the alternator from above, while another was under the vehicle adjusting the belt, another was manning the fan, with another shining the flashlight, and the other obtaining tools as requested. The team work was great, and no one became agitated with others or frustrated with the Lord that doing His work was not free from such obstacles.
Once back on the road, great time was made heading through the remainder of northern Indiana, traversing Illinois and Missouri. As dawn broke we were crossing the Mississippi River, and by 9:00am the motor home had crossed into Arkansas. Tennessee was reached around 10:00am, and by 3:00pm we were ready to head out of Mississippi and into Louisiana for the final stretch run, anticipating arrival in St. Bernard to be around 5:00pm EST.
(ADDENDUM: Actual arrival approx 6pm EST)
Blog Entry: 8/20/2007 7PM EST: Packing.
Tonight we loaded the trailer. The back half of the trailer is filled with all of our HVAC equipment and front half of the trailer is filled with our donations and our tools. Thanks to all of those who donated and who helped load.
Blog Entry: 8/19/2007: CC Riverside is answering God’s leading to take a missions team to CC St Bernard this August.
CC St. Bernard was established 6 months ago in response to the leading of the Lord and the evidence of the large numbers of people coming to saving faith in Christ. Recently, a building was given to the church for their use, and a number of CC’s have traveled to Louisiana to do construction work on that building to prepare it for use as a church facility.
Over the last few months the church has been receiving gifts that would allow them to purchase heating and cooling systems (HVAC) for the church building. As the money came in equipment and personnel were the next things that were needed. God opened doors here in GR for the HVAC equipment to be obtained at ‘cost’ and the Lord had laid it on the hearts of 6 men to undertake the installation of these systems.
This mission team will also be taking with them items that have been donated by Believers at CC Riverside and other Calvary Chapels across the state. The team will be traveling to St Bernard in a 34’ motor home and will be pulling a 20’ tandem axle trailer that will carry the mechanical equipment and the donations.
Once on site, the mission team will be working nights, to avoid the heat, and living out of the motor home at the church site. Please join us in our journey through prayer and through checking in with us, our updates and pictures, as we undertake this task.
Also, we as a team will be ‘devotionally’ studying the book of Nehemiah – one chapter per day of our trip. We used Nehemiah chapter 1 as our devotion for our first mission team meeting on Friday evening, August 17 so we will continue with Chapter 2 on Wed August 22.