Mobile Spring Break Update

Check in here for updates on our Spring Break Service Trip to Mobile, AL where we will be building a Habitat for Humanity house!

This is the one and only blog to find the coolest info on what these crazy kids are up to while traveling hours to perform a mission in the name of fun.  I am Jared your guest blogger for the week.  An unfortunate ”shark attack” (aka a slip on the ice) has rendered my leg temporarily out of commission thus this engineer is now a writer.  Underlined words are vocabulary to be learned.  Quizzes are coming. Bold letters are the days. Italicized words are secret missions should you choose to accept them.  Names have been changed to protect the guilty.

DAY 1 – 3/11/11

The official rendevous.  Members from Ames, Des Moines and Lamoni gather at a super secret location (the Graceland Library) to pack cars and head out.  A long drive to Pleasanton, IA and and we stay the night at the famous “round- church” seen in the major motion picture Star Wars Episode IV on Luke Skywalker’s home planet of Tattoine.  Kay gives us a wonderful welcome full of cookies and smiles.

Then Mixers . . . . dun dun dunnnn.  The most dreaded fun you will ever have.  It wasn’t a trainwreck by any means . . . well actually it was.   Trainwreck, game. An inside out version of musical chairs lacking music but based in chaos theory.  Game 2. “Honey if you love me… will you please please smile.?” Exact details can not be explianed.  Giggles ensued.

DAY 2 – 3/12/11 : Destination Memphis, TN

We wake to a wonderful breakfast of muffins, fruit, and hard boiled eggs prepared by the hospitable members of the  Pleasanton Church.  Loading the vehicles was a challenge but a system is starting to work itself out. A quick stop at the filling station and we are On the Raod Again. Lunch is randomly selected to be either China Buffet or Qdoba.  Guess which group got to eat sushi.  The next gas and bathroom break proved to be the most interesting so far.  Larry’s Pit stop and “Giant Mart” which happened to be one of the smallest grocery stores around. Ironic humor is not lost.

In Memphis we were greeted by Angela at the beautiful Peace Chapel.  Dinner was once again randomly selected to be either Steak & Shake, Wal-Mart, or a small but nice mexican restaurant with a forgetable name (delicious beans though).

Night 2 devotions. A reflective question. “What am I going on this trip to see?”

After devotions it is bed time. pause. NOT!!!!  Games were played and some how we all transported an hour into the future.

DAY 3 – 3/13/11 : Destination Mobile, AL

Mobile

“Mob” as in Moby Dick. “ile” as in electric eel. Mobe-eel. NOT moe-bee-lay. NOT moe-bile. NOT moe-bill. Mobe-eel.

Mobile

A lazy morning witha few cold showers and a few warm showers. The scenery is getting greener with every mile; more colors are showing up on the branches of trees that pass by. The weather is nicer. Windows are down. Music is up. Life is good.

Now a lunch break is the only thing that seperates us from Moblie. That and seven hours of driving.  We are greeted at the ROC Restoration Outreach Center.  An older but homey building that will become our fort for the next week.  It can be identified most easily by the beautful front doors and the small tree shadowing the playset on the side.  Pizza for dinner it’s obvious that we are a bunch of college aged kids.

Night 3 devotions. “In what ways do YOU find strength in God?”

Day 4 – 3/14/11 : Destination Construction site

This is a hammer. This is a nail. You now have two new best friends.

The real purpose of our mission is realized today as we wake far too early to eat breakfast and pack lunches. “Oh, Right we will be at that one place building a house, ALL day – SWEET!”  Dreary-eyed we pile into the now easily recognizable caravan of a red car and three gray van/suv things and shove off to the construction site.

At first we felt like a bunch of (YA)fish out of water, but after the first hour we had all found a job we could call our own and most likely accomplish with enough proficiency required to pass an inspection.

The Habitat for Humanity Team!

Justin, Mike, Marci, and Gary boldly led and taught us the simple things we could do to be the biggest possible help.  When we arrived on site the only indication that a house was being built was a cold and lonely concrete slab. At the end of the day nearly all of the walls had been framed and placed in their proper spots.  As we drove away I could seen the full impact of our combined effort.  A skeleton of a house had appeared in one day.

Near the end of the day a Mobilian told us that where we were building this house had the reputation of being the “bad side” of town.  The city’s numerous attempts to “fix” the problem ha failed.  It was only after Habitat for Humanity began building that any noticeable change had occurred.  Crime had dropped, property values had risen, and the general impression of the neighborhood had improved.  All because of the contagiousness of the Habitat mission.

The community does not need fixing. It does not need a city ordinance for improvement.  It needs love, attention, and hope.

Night 4 Devotions. Matthew 5: 6-7

Day 5 – 3/15/11 : Destination rooftop

Another day in paradise.  Real people.  Real connections.  Real laughs.  While work is tough, the physical strife is enjoyable in the long run.  Being worn out at the end of the day can feel good.  The humble life of living with 20 other people in a relatively open space and cooking most of our own meals is not the burdened life that most see it as.  Many people envision paradise as an island where the weather is always perfect and someone is always there to do things for you.  My paradise is different.  Living simple and doing good for others, through hard work, is a paradise.  The people you are around are always friendly.  There are no fights.  There are no petty differences. There is only the shared goal.  This sort of accomplishment, as I see it, is a self-rewarding paradise.

Today was an incredible day.  We diligently and quickly picked up where we left off.  Almost immediately everything was back to normal except one thing.  We had nearly 160 people on the site today including us.  While many of them went to work on the other four houses on the street; the house that we were working on saw a significant increase in workers.  In no time at all the framing was completed and trusses we sorted and assembled.  The plywood sides began appearing and it was suddenly more difficult to walk through walls.  A short lunch break and some time spent mingling with the other groups split the day’s work.  Right after lunch the trusses were hoisted on to the house and our skeleton from the yesterday had a hat.

This house is looking less like a construction site and more like and artist’s half finished drawing. Each room is visible.  The bathrooms and the closets are appearing.  A breakfast bar now separates the living room and kitchen. As the tools are organized we feel that same warm fuzzy feeling from the end of yesterday. WE were making a difference.

Night 5 Devotions. Hebrews 10: 23-25 “Where do you need encouragement?”

Day 6 – 3/16/11 : Destination back porch

Southern home cooked breakfast. A few very kind members of the Mobile, Alabama congregation came in extra early to make us breakfast. There were delicious egg casseroles, biscuits and gravy, and the famous cheesy grits. It was by far the best breakfast that we have eaten all week.

The trusses are now completely up and properly secured to the frame. The outside of the house is nearly covered in the plywood sheeting that makes a wall harder to see through than a window. Even though the progress isn’t as obvious as the past two days it really has been a great transformation.

Because there are four houses under construction in a row we are not the only people volunteering. As a result of this we get to work side by side with people from Texas, St. Louis, and Connecticut. Rindsey, Alison, Heide, Ciara, Bonnie, Jordan, Paulia, and Jamal are just a few of our new friends who hammered and cut with us.

Night 6 Devotions. John 4: 7-12 “How have you felt God’s love?” “How can you share God’s love with someone around you?”

Day 7 – 3/17/11 : Destination front porch

Today was an average day with the waking up before light and making lunches. We arrive on the site work first and get going quickly. All projects pick up where they left off. The trusses are getting hurricane proof additions and the shed it starting to take shape much like the house did on Tuesday. The roof over the front porch gets plywood and we finally have a shady place to sit.

The house, as we can guess, is a three bedroom one and a half bath with a kitchen and a living room. There is a breakfast bar separating the two, which gives it a very open and welcoming feel.  It also has a front and back porch as well as central heating and air conditioning. It is a pretty cool pad.

All in all today is a bittersweet final day of working on the house. We all are excited to wrap up work and go to the beach tomorrow, but leaving also means it is our last day with our new friends. Working for Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful experience. If nothing else it is a free education on basic house building. Many of us have agreed that we would really like to do it again sometime. I hope you get a change to do something as cool as this.

Night 7 Final Thoughts. Unfortunately, Bob, one of the contractors with Habitat had a fall today. Please pray for him. We hope he will get well soon so he can be back to building Houses again.

Tonight we all head to bed unusually early because tomorrow marks the most exciting day of the week.

Day 8 – 3/18/11 : Destination The Beach

Beach Day! Reveille at 445. In civilian words, wake up call is at 4:45 A.M. In Iowan words, O’dark thirty. By 5:30 we were at the beach freezing out toes off. Then the sun came up and we quickly forgot our woes. If you have ever seen The Lion King you will get an idea. Of what we saw. When the horizon is as low and as flat as it can get the sun visible rises almost as fast as that. At least once in your life get to the east coast to watch the sunrise across the ocean. Lucky before the sun rose we were graced by the presence of a few dolphins only twenty or so yards from the shore. They were quite a sight and Casey assured us that they were completely safe.

We then moved to the larger public beach and settled in for a morning of “sun and sand” as they say. Some of us found pets to have for an hour or so then moved on to working on our tans and beach furniture. The best all natural couch ever is what we ended up with after an hour of hand shoveling.

After the beach we went to lunch at a local seafood place called Pelican Reef. It had a delicious buffet of shrimp, catfish, and pudding. We also had crab claws and great fries! Anna didn’t particularly enjoy the crab but Jake, who usually eats only chicken strips, tried some of the fried catfish. Near the end of lunch the waitress told us of a rumor that the famous Black Pearl was being constructed in a nearby bay. After a short drive and a closer look we discovered the three ships to be named the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. The “Black Pearl” turned out to be a floating museum for Christopher Columbus.

After a trip back to the church we went out to eat at TGI Firday’s for a fantastic meal and to celebrate Dan’s “birthday.” Then back to the church for one last night in Mobile.

Night 8 Devotions. James 2: 19-18 “How have you felt your faith growing?” “What are ways that you have seen others putting their faith into action?”

Day 9 – 3/19/11 : Destination St. Louis

We are almost used to getting up early in the mornings. Almost. On the road by 7:00 … -ish. The ride home began like all of the rides down. However not every day of this trip could be smooth. Due to a slight navigational/reading error on my part my car fell drastically behind but with some quick thinking we were back on track with out too much delay. After that there was some confusion about which exit was the proper exit to take for dinner. There is an exit 67 in Missouri that is about an hour away from exit 67 in Arkansas on Interstate 55. After hours and hours of driving the States and miles begin to blur together. Who knew? The worst of the tension and frustration of being crammed in vehicles for too long was laughed and slept off shortly after arriving at the church in St. Louis.

Night 9 thoughts. “How can air travel be cheap enough for a church trip to afford?”

Day 10 – 3/20/11 : Destination Home

Extra early rise to get back in time for our various needs; most of them being simply to get out of the car. We had one last lunch together at a Chinese Sunday buffet and to go with the delicious food the main waitress had the sense to put the group of 20 in the party room unlike the two restaurants of yesterday. Another few hours on the road and it was time for goodbyes. Different that the “hello’s” of strangers at the beginning of the week, these were the “goodbye’s” of friends.

Thank you for staying around till the end. I hope you had as much fun as we did.  Being able to work and play in the name of helping others has really been quite and experience.  If you like this concept I leave you with the words of Colin Beaven.  Just doing one thing won’t make a difference. Get involved with your community. That is the only way to really make a difference.

In the famous words of Porky the Pig, Th-th-th-th-th-th-th-That’s All Folks!!

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“Guest” Reflections from Dan

It is now nearly a week since we have returned home from our time in Mobile, and sadly today has brought snow and slush with it.  My sunburn has all peeled and the pictures are all tagged, and the memory of the trip is already beginning to slip.  Our lives are a series of vignettes, woven together, constantly ending, constantly beginning, never standing still.  It is in this dance that we try to make sense of each story, the myriad experiences finding their place within the broader context, shaping and changing the flavor and the pattern.  As it says in Ecclesiastes, “for everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” 

As I reflect back on our trip to Mobile, the word that keeps coming to my mind is “purpose.”  We began the week by asking “What is it you are looking for on this trip?  What have you come to see or find?”  As we engaged in our final devotions, we talked about the choice each person made to come on the trip, and the choices facing us in the future.  In every moment in between, the overarching storyline centered in what was our purpose for being together on this adventure.  Were we making the most of each moment, soaking-up the beauty surrounding us in the project and the people?  How were we contributing to the bigger picture of building a house and, in doing so, helping to build a community?  Was our drive to find fulfillment in our own hearts or to speak ‘blessing’ into the life of another?  How were we treating one another as we shared in the tasks of cooking, cleaning, and having fun?  What was it that bound us together in a common dream, a shared vision, a uniting hope?

Everyone seeks purpose in their lives.  We all approach it in different ways, and take many paths toward expressing it, but deep down we all share a desire to have meaning centered in something greater.  I find much of my purpose in hints we tasted on this trip… 

The greatest calling I feel in life is to serve others in the name of Christ.  From the humble chores of getting the food ready for breakfast and lunch to helping lift a 16′ 2×4 to opening vulnerable places in my heart during devotions to silent prayer to playing volleyball with high school students, each task and opportunity was the chance to serve someone else as Christ would have.  Service through Christ is love in action, faith that has meaning, realization that God’s peace and welcome and hope and love can be made tangible in my life.  Extending yourself for the sake of another is what gives my life purpose. 

We formed genuine community.  We find shallow communities all over the place, but to be a part of something deep, real, and uplifting is a unique experience indeed.  Several people commented that there were no cliques in this week, that all were included and loved, that they felt comfortable plopping down next to someone they wouldn’t normally talk with and discovered that they held so much in common.  When you sweat beside one another, something happens that draws you closer together.  When you spend time praying with an accountability partner (or ‘accountabilibuddy’ as some affectionately called it!) you unmask a deep part of yourself in such a way that both are blessed and strengthened.  When you reach out to those who are not part of our group and extend friendship and presence, true community finds expression.  When everyone chips in to see that the work is done and that things are looked after, that is something real which no one can take away from you.  Living and loving and learning and laughing in true community offers purpose to my life.

 Finally, authentic relationships give my life purpose.  Whether it’s offering a shoulder to cry on in a difficult moment or hypothesizing ten-million “Would you rather’s,” we realize that we need others to make life meaningful.  We are social creatures by our very nature, and it is by spending time wrestling with one another, working side-by-side, praying and talking and playing that we understand just how dependent we are on one another.  Getting real with our relationship with God and simply spending time getting to know the story of another person helps us grow as human beings.  I find purpose in the moments when I get to see another person fully as God sees them: loved, important, welcome.

Our challenge after these kind of experiences is how to weave them and their lessons into the broader story of our lives.  What do we do from here?  How will be let ourselves be changed?  What difference has it made in my life and, consequently, in the lives of those near and dear to me?  In our last devotions, I challenged the group to think of themselves as a hammer.  Hammers have two sides: one end used to destroy or undo, and one end that can be used to build.  The question before them — and all of us — is which side will we choose to use?  My prayer is that we will be able to find purpose in a community of faith — the church — that allows us to dedicate ourselves to service to others.  Faith is not just some private practice, but is something we share and which compels us to action.  

And so, as I reflect back on my time in Mobile, the inCREdible group of friends I got to share it with, and the choices before me, I pray that we all may be found reaching out in the name of Christ through genuine communities, centered in relationships of love and vulnerability.  May God continue to guide us in this journey of adventure.