Just got back from a short trip with our church. We took about 100 people to Moss Point, MS for 2 days (it was supposed to be 3 days but Rita changed the weather and we couldn't find a bus company that would give us transportation on Saturday evening, Sep. 24). The organizers of the trip coordinated with local pastors and the Chief of Police. Wound up helping people in the neighborhood called Kreole, who mostly don't have the resources needed right now. The coordination was valuable; the people were expecting us and we knew right where to go. Cleaned 2 church buildings and 20 homes. Here's the packing list we were given:
1. Work clothes for 3 days and relaxation clothing for travel home
2. Toiletries (including a towel)
3. 3-4 pair rubber gloves (kitchen/dishwashing brands) and some leather work gloves
4. Heavy boots/shoes
5. Hat for working in sun or rain
6. 2 cans WD-40
7. Alcohol hand wash (sanitizer)
8. Compact air mattress or sleep mat, and sleeping bag or blanket
9. Vaccination: Tetanus required, Hepatitis A would be good
10. 1/2 case of bottled water
11. Sunscreen
12. Insect repellant
13. One or more of these tools: flat shovel, rake, wheel barrow
14. Lawn type garbage bags
15. First aid items (small bandages, antibiotic ointment, tape)
Provided for us were dual cartridge respirators and splash goggles. The respirators were valuable when cleaning out some of the rotting and molding belongings in some of the homes. There were several chainsaws that were brought and came in handy. Several lawn mowers were brought and used. One person hauled a tractor with a front end loader, which was heavily used. The WD-40 wasn't for us to use; it was because during coordination of the trip we found that it was needed and hard to get down there. I would suggest bringing some snack food and power bars. Bring your Bible because you will want to read it if nothing else. There were numerous opportunities to pray with people; they were very thankful for that. And there were some opportunities to tell people why we came. Mostly there was grunt work hauling damaged, wet, moldy appliances and furniture, ripping up carpet, moving tree limbs and such. We are tentatively planning follow up trips in the same area.
Slashdot Mirror
Just got back from a short trip with our church. We took about 100 people to Moss Point, MS for 2 days (it was supposed to be 3 days but Rita changed the weather and we couldn't find a bus company that would give us transportation on Saturday evening, Sep. 24). The organizers of the trip coordinated with local pastors and the Chief of Police. Wound up helping people in the neighborhood called Kreole, who mostly don't have the resources needed right now. The coordination was valuable; the people were expecting us and we knew right where to go. Cleaned 2 church buildings and 20 homes. Here's the packing list we were given:
1. Work clothes for 3 days and relaxation clothing for travel home
2. Toiletries (including a towel)
3. 3-4 pair rubber gloves (kitchen/dishwashing brands) and some leather work gloves
4. Heavy boots/shoes
5. Hat for working in sun or rain
6. 2 cans WD-40
7. Alcohol hand wash (sanitizer)
8. Compact air mattress or sleep mat, and sleeping bag or blanket
9. Vaccination: Tetanus required, Hepatitis A would be good
10. 1/2 case of bottled water
11. Sunscreen
12. Insect repellant
13. One or more of these tools: flat shovel, rake, wheel barrow
14. Lawn type garbage bags
15. First aid items (small bandages, antibiotic ointment, tape)
Provided for us were dual cartridge respirators and splash goggles. The respirators were valuable when cleaning out some of the rotting and molding belongings in some of the homes. There were several chainsaws that were brought and came in handy. Several lawn mowers were brought and used. One person hauled a tractor with a front end loader, which was heavily used. The WD-40 wasn't for us to use; it was because during coordination of the trip we found that it was needed and hard to get down there. I would suggest bringing some snack food and power bars. Bring your Bible because you will want to read it if nothing else. There were numerous opportunities to pray with people; they were very thankful for that. And there were some opportunities to tell people why we came. Mostly there was grunt work hauling damaged, wet, moldy appliances and furniture, ripping up carpet, moving tree limbs and such. We are tentatively planning follow up trips in the same area.