Pastor Clements' Story
Note: Pastor Bill
Clements is the facilitator for Mark's Network. The following is an
article published in Mark's Network Newsletter.
For this newsletter, Mark suggested I tell the network about my
recent mission trip to New Orleans where my wife Susan and I
volunteered with the reconstruction of that depressed city. Maybe
you will be inspired to consider being part of the volunteer effort?
My wife Susan and I recently returned from a volunteer mission
trip to New Orleans and the gulf coast. We lived at a place called
Camp Restore which can house and feed up to 300 volunteers. Camp
Restore is a part of the Ministry of Lutheran World Relief. Once
again God is reversing our lives to serve Him and we give thanks for
the opportunity to serve Jesus by helping those He loves in New
Orleans. We truly worked hard and followed the camp motto "Be
flexible." We met many wonderful volunteers who ranged from 8th
graders through senior citizens.
Volunteers still are needed to help Hurricane Katrina victims
rebuild their homes -- perhaps more than ever. Volunteers there like
us have gutted and rebuilt 300-plus homes to date. But case files
list 3,000 more "unlivable" hurricane-damaged homes. We could work
at this pace for many more years and still not be done.
Many agencies have organized housing for cleanup volunteers at
dozens of sites in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. In
the past year, 15,000 volunteers have spent 600,000 hours cleaning
and rebuilding hurricane-damaged structures. Even if homeowners
receive enough insurance money to purchase rebuilding materials,
it's often hard -- or impossible -- to find enough hands to do the
work. Many were under insured to begin with, but even those with
flood insurance "probably didn't get enough money to rebuild," so
the situation is a real catch-22. I can't believe how many FEMA
trailers we saw sitting in front of houses.
Volunteers have come from all over the country and from many
different denominations to help, but representatives from the
Northwest are slim. The volunteers -- who come mostly in groups, are
"critical" to the area's renewal. Over and over again I heard, "If
it weren't for the volunteers, we would not have a home again."
Volunteers should be at least 18 years old. Especially needed are
those with skills in carpentry, electrical work, drywall
installation, plumbing, concrete, and floors. COULD YOU HELP OR DO
YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO COULD?
Susan and I worked for two home owners, one in her 70's and one
in her 80's. Susan painted, laid tile and sanded drywall. I was in
charge of a table saw and miter saw to cut and install trim and
molding. I also sanded drywall and laid tile and cove molding. "How
do you thank them? There's no way," Mrs. Brown said. "All you can do
is grab them and hug them -- and that's what she did." I was
impressed by the volunteers, who aren't discouraged by the
overwhelming task at hand but approach their work "one house, one
family, at a time."
The accommodations are adequate, and we were moved by the
responses of the families we were helping. We gave "hope" because
the love of Christ was in us. If you would like to know more call
Pastor Bill Clements at Redeemer Lutheran Church Mercer Island
Washington 206-232-1711
Pastor@RedeemerLutheranChurch.us.
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