CUMC RV team keeps on keeping on

During our second week at Dulac, we worked at Karen's house with the Hills and the Blaikies (our cousins). The Hills did an extrodinary job completing the bathroom.  We and the Blaikes completed the kitchen.  The work done by the the previous two teams (not CUMC) was very poor.  We had to rip out the previous work and start it all over again. It took the whole week to finish it. When we went back to gather all our tools it was very satisfying to see that Karen had all ready filled her new cupboards.

The weather was quite nice, with only one buggy day.

We appreciate the opportunity CUMC gave us to work at Dulac.  Having completed two projects and having the host families reoccupy their rooms was very sastifying.  We feel we made a difference in their lives, and they made a difference in ours.

We are now in Austin, TX, and we are having a good time touring.  We expect to be home March 20th.

Blessings,
Marv and Ina  

The Cousins Final Report for Friday Work

We arrived at Lena’s with only the finishing touches to do. Bruce and Marv completed the baseboard in the bedroom, rounded the corners of the railings on the porch and attached the cabinet doors. The kitchen looks great finished, and Lena is really happy and ready to move in. Her daughter will come for a few days and help her get back into the rooms. Even without moving in, Lena cooked a fabulous six-dish lunch for us, including homemade bread and not one, but two deserts. She’s been wanting to cook for us all week, and she really did it up!

Mike worked on a platform at the base of the front steps to make it easier for Lena to reach her car when it is wet. He also made some very sturdy engineered brackets to support the window air conditioners.

Ina Marie and Pat spent the morning cleaning up the messes we’ve made in construction and talking with Lena. She’s enjoyed having us here. We will see her on Sunday and will visit again with Carmen, her daughter, who is bringing video of before and after the hurricanes. They have lots of stories to tell.

We have all had a wonderful week and have made some new friends. We have met several people who are friends if Lena’s and all love her and say nothing but great things about her. She us truly a character and she is someone special. We will miss her (and she, us) but know she will always gave a warm smile and an open door for us.

Pat Blaikie, The Cousins Journalist,

Submitted Saturday morning, February 23, 2008

A Home is A Home

I came with the intent of learning, working and helping others. I have learned so much about the community of Dulac. I have learned how to mud sheet rock, sand it , cut sheet rock to frame in windows and put on the metal stripping and so much more. I have learned what a wonderful group of youth and adults that we have on this trip. We worked as a community to help another community.

I recall a children's book A House Is A House. It talks of a shell is a house for a crab, a cup is a house for tea, etc. This trip made clear to me to be thankful for my home. The people of Dulac have homes that we may feel are not in good enough condition to be a living place to call home. But over the week I realized that Dulac is their community, a place many have lived for generations, a place in their hearts that they call home. So when we see the devastation that this area has seen from hurricanes and the havoc that it has played on their homes in the realizing that :a house is a home", no matter it's state of condition, we must help them work toward bettering their living quarters the best we can.

As I worked on OUR home, as we call it, I sand the walls with careful work as if it was my home, because I care about this family and their home. They deserve the best work that I can offer. I feel as if I have left my fingerprint in this house that is to become once again a Home for Toni.

Patty

Team photo

Well, the week is winding down, although most teams are finishing with a sprint.

We got a lot of great work done this week and met a lot of great people as well.

Here 's the best of the team photos taken this morning.

Short flight, hard landing

So yesterday started well, I was finally feeling better after my fight with the flu. After our workday was over Leann and I headed into Houma to pick up my rental car. Eddie and I wanted to get to the airport today without taking anyone away from their work. As I exited her car and jogged to the Avis office, they were about to close for the day, I slipped on some trash and fell on my face. I had a nice ride in an ambulance to the Terrabonne Parrish Medical Center where they diagnosed me with a broken nose. We returned back to the community center about 11:00pm. I am very glad to be going home today!

Janine

Rex is dog tired

Happily exhausted. I think that might be the best way to describe how I feel now. We’ve done quite a bit of work on our assigned home. We’ve demolished and rebuilt a bathroom while the other team members finished the front living room. Such a great experience this has been. To come so far across this country to meet, not strangers, but friends we hadn’t met yet. Martin and Toza, the couple who own the home we’re working on, joined us for dinner and our gathering after. We shared stories of our lives and histories, we shared music (Martin played guitar with us and sang us a beautiful song in French) and we shared a sense of being a part of this place. To be welcomed as visitors is nice, but to be welcomed as friends and made to feel as though you belong in a place far from home is fantastic. As they were leaving us for the evening, I told Toza if they ever wanted to visit in California they had a place to stay. Instead of the usual “Oh, thank you, that’s nice of you to offer, she grinned at me and said, ”I know”.

That’s just how it is here, it’s like you’re family from the moment you arrive.

I just want to say hello to my son Royce, too. I’ve missed you and your sister so much. But when I get back Monday, I’ll have some terrific stories for you.

Tomorrow is our last work day and I have mixed feelings, to say the least. There is so much to do, a week doesn’t seem like enough. I’ll be glad to be back in California Monday, but I can’t help but think that I’ll be feeling a different kind longing for a place where I have friends I just hadn’t met yet.

Rex,

BCK does the town

The BCK (which stands for Best Christian Kids, aka Bodie-Christian-Kaitlyn) delivered ice cream to all the work teams today. We had a chance to take a look at all the great work that everyone was doing, and we even videoed our visits! Pastor Linda and Miss Cheryl tag along with the group, and are greatly entertained and inspired by all the 10 and 12 year old opinions and insights. The team has been learning a lot about the bayou and marsh region, and looking out for Great Blue Heron, which Pastor Linda really wants to see, and seems to miss. We’ve gone shopping lots of times for food for the group for lunches and breakfasts—how do you figure out how many bananas for 2 days for 42 people? It’s a real art and it’s taken all 5 of us to figure it out. We had a great closing devotion tonight, with Carl leading the prayer songs, and our guitar ‘orchestra’ of Dave, Patty and Rex leading other songs. It’s a big work day tomorrow, with everyone trying to get their jobs done in time. Today there was lots of rain, and lightening with thunder all last night, so there were little lakes all around us when we got up today. Gene and Elaine Hill had to move their trailer because it was in the middle of little lake by morning, with floating fire ant hills. We’re having a great time as a church family! Pastor Linda