Welcome back at HPC Nov 26

Yesterday was another emotional day for me. I thought Sunday would be okay but when people at church started giving me hugs and saying how much they missed me, I felt overwhelmed. I got to share about Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and some events or things that happened in Gautier, MS, or about people I intereacted with. I have spent exactly half of the last year in MS since Dec 2005 until Dec 2006. But I was blessed by our Lord and enjoyed serving Him there.
A special person was in attendance that morning who had been a volunteer in my village in Sept from Ohio. It was so neat to see her as she was visiting her daughter and family and they came to HPC. For her to be there on my first Sunday back was a God thing!!!

There was a reception after the service by my small group. The cake was great with a big sun on it with some flowers. Sunshine will be the one thing I will miss here in OR.
I displayed pictures from all the stages of building my kitchen, scenes from within the village, more pictures of devastation from Long Beach and Waveland areas. It is still so desolate there and the only thing present are the weeds that have grown up. We did see some new construction with homes being built on stilts or pillers. Different communities have certain height requirements.

It was a pleasure to have my daughter on the organ during the service as I don't get to hear her often. My son Brian and his family came also which made the day special for me. He even treated us to lunch afterwards.

This may be my last entry for a while as I don't know when I may be returning to MS. I realize most everyone expects me to go again.

Phyllis

Back home in OR Nov 25

I arrived in Portland OR close to midnight last night. It was an emotional trip for me as I traveled home. Brenda and Sophia met me at the plane. By the time I got my luggage and home it was another hour as I live about 40 min from the airport. Brenda (my daughter) and my 2 granddaughters (her neices) had been staying at my place since Tues. The girls were out of school so Brenda was babysitting while their mom and dad worked.

It was cold here - lower 30's but we had partial sunshine which was nice. I need the sunshine. Temps this weekend are to be cold and possible snow Mon so the cold is following me whereever I go.

I got my pictures developed and put on poster board to display in church on Sun. They are having a reception for me as I guess they missed me while I was gone those 3 months. I will have more details to follow tomorrow.

Phyllis

Happy Thanksgiving Nov 23

Today is my last full day as manager at Gautier and it is rather bittersweet. This has been my life for 3 months and was a joy that I can't explain. It was a beautiful day with warmer temps in the 70's finally and sunshine. We had several groups working at homes today as they wanted to complete some of the projects they were working on. Some people did some touring of the Gulf coast. So my last offical duty was visiting the 4 job sites and bringing back a load of large tools as they had completed a roof this morning. They holler ahead of me when I enter the property "The boss is here" or today "The inspector is here". But they are pleased to see me visit them so they can show me what they have done.

Then we had several people who prepared the special dinner late this afternoon. We had turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, corn casserole, green bean casserole, fruit salad, cranberry sauce, relish tray, and 5 kinds of pie for dessert. Then I had invited 2 special guests to make an appearance this afternoon. They started 20 questions starting with President Bush, governor, etc. I had invited Mayor Pete Pope of Gautier to meet with the volunteers just before dinner as he always looks for opportunities to thank people for coming to MS to help with recovery. He had just been elected 1 month before Katrina hit so his parttime job became a lot more. I told him he didn't need to do any political speeches as none of us could vote for him but he thought I could claim residency with the length of time I've spent there. We had so much food left over that it was donated to "House of Grace" at VanCleve which is a shelter. The mayor had given us the name of 2 places where food would be accepted so it was a good day.


Then I also invited Mike and Claire Martin (landowner of the village) over so we could thank them for the use of the land. It was just exactly 1 year ago that they chose this spot to build the PDA village # 1 at Gautier. I gave them a card signed by someone from each group here in the village this week. Then I also gave them each a PDA t-shirt.

The Presbyterians Today Dec 2006 magazine had a poem in it from a Katrina survivor called "The Magi". 2 of the volunteers read it just before dinner as a tribute to me and tribute to the mayor of Gautier. It was very special. Then all the volunteers signed their names to the page which was then presented to me. These are life-long memories.


I will miss the interactions with the volunteers and the homeowners and hearing the stories they have to tell of their day. Someone asked me tonite "What will I do when I go home?" and I don't know somedays. There will be days of nothing and days with no reason to get up. After my full days here, it will be an adjustment and I will need sunshine to keep the depression away. I know I will need to plan for these days and getting ready for the holidays will help. But my mind will often still be in MS, wondering how things are going in the village, with some of the homeowners. It will be hard to let go as I have spent a couple of the best months of my life here this fall. I have new friends down here both in the church and the PDA staff who became like part of my family.

I need to finish packing my suitcases as I leave Fri late afternoon and arrive in Portland OR about midnight. Blessings to each of you as you read my story.

Phyllis

Wednesday Nov 22

I now have 4 groups totaling 32 in my village this week. The last group came yesterday afternoon from GA. As I finished my orientation with them I realized that this was the last orientation I would give to groups. It was like a "thud" when reality hit. I enjoy talking to the groups and letting them know what to expect in the village and in the community, rules, about PDA and Presbytery of MS and the differences, getting people signed up for meals, clean up after meals, and clean up in the village. These groups all leave Sat after I'm gone so that will seem strange.

I have another story about a homeowner we've been helping the last couple weeks. Today much progress was done as they finally got some kitchen cabinets for her and a sink and bathroom door. She lives in a mobile home and couldn't get a FEMA trailer. She had water so the inside had to gutted. They have lived in it for a year with no heat, no air conditioning, doing dishes in a plastic tub in the bathtub, cooking in the microwave or a hot plate, no doors to any rooms. Volunteers at her house were humbled by her existance and not complaining. There is still a lot to do, however.

I'm still freezing that I have felt that may be something wrong with me so will have some doctor appts next week. I don't feel like I'm functioning as I should which bothers me. Even the trailer seems cold as they must not be insulated. The only warm place today was in the truck with the sun shining in and the heater on. The temp did go above 60 today and is to be 70 by the weekend, when I leave.

Mon night Mical and I went over to Orange Grove village for their Thanksgiving dinner for PDA staff, etc. Everyone is to be gone the rest of the week as they have no volunteers this week. I have invited people from other villages to mine for Thanksgiving dinner Thur plus some special guests. (You will have to read this late Thur or Fri for details.)

Happy Thanksgiving to y'all.
Phyllis

COLD!!! COLD!!! Nov 20

I thought I was in the sunny warm deep south instead of in a deep freeze. I need to go back to OR to warm up. There I have an electric blanket to get my bed warmed up a little. Temp was 30 degrees this morning and frost. we're to have a freeze again tonite, too but it's not quite cold enough to freeze my water pipes yet. The kerosene heater takes a while to heat much of the dining tent so we can eat breakfast but the kitchen is nice and warm. People stayed warm in the POD's last night anyway. I can't believe these temps - about 15 degrees below normal. In the wind it was really cold this morning as the groups were collecting their tools to go to the job sites. I have one crew replacing a roof so won't be hot up there for them. Gloves don't work very well typing on my keyboard so my hands are freezing.

A group of 5 came in Sat pm and have really ministered to me all weekend - doing whatever I wanted even though I didn't ask for anything. They keep saluting me when I say something so I guess I'm back to being the "Kommadant".
They took me to dinner Sat night at my choice but I couldn't decide where. They really gave me a bad time - here I am the manager but couldn't make a decision about dinner. One kid (mid 20's) was here over Labor Day and remembered me but I didn't remember him so he hasn't let me forget that. They TOOK ME to Waveland on Sun as I had wanted to go there even if I had to go alone. I guess I needed the attention over the weekend since there was a void so it was neat. I am having fun with this group and bonded with them.

This group brought medical supplies to donate to the free clinic at D'lberville. So we visited it on Sun afternoon. It operates strictly on donations and has for about 15 months now by an older couple who are both retired nurses. They depend on doctors to come and staff it each week. What dedication and faith on their part as they wait for supplies, etc. I've seen numerous couples working together on long-term projects with recovery here.

I want to tell you about 1 family and change in their lives. They lost part of their roof so ceilings were damaged in some rooms. The wife left him and 2 girls and he has been very depressed. This house was the worst I have ever seen with stuff, food, clothes, etc littered 1-2 feet deep thruout the house, full of bugs and roaches and they lived in one room. A group went in 2 weeks ago to replace the roof and tried cleaning up some of the rooms. Thank God for those volunteers. Last week another group went back to replace ceilings and he started to smile. On arriving the 2nd day the father had cleaned, mopped the kitchen, counter tops, etc. These volunteers were so shocked to see it clean (still has bugs though) and such a change in a week. This man now had hope so miracles keep happening every day in MS.

This will seem like a short week with the holiday and then Fri I leave for OR.
Phyllis

My last Saturday in MS Nov 18

Saturdays are hard days sometimes. My 3 groups left this morning at different times. I missed 2 guys who left at 4 am but I was up for the 6 am people. 3 from NC went back to a house, however, to finish up some work as they had run into plumbing problems yesterday. They called me about noon and they had finished and were leaving for home. What dedication on their part. Some of them had worked on this lady's house in March so they wanted to go back there. She now has an operational bathroom.

Every group is interesting. One group this week brought a flat screen tv and a satelitte dish so they could watch football this week. It was nice to have the tv when the storms went thru our area again this week as we watched the weather channel. There is a plan to get cable tv for the village sometime soon.

I have missed my last 2 Sundays off but will take tomorrow off. A new group came tonite and they want to go to Waveland which is where I wanted to go and it's not much fun doing it alone. They have room for me so will go with them. In fact they are taking me out to dinner tonite which is also a special treat. But last weekend I was down emotionally and when the group came in Sat evening I lost it. They had been here before so just came in and started taking charge of things. I tried to tell them things were different since Mar. I took to my trailer as I couldn't face people. At 6 am Sun I called a PDA staff person to come take over my village as I couldn't function or face anyone. I left for the day and went somewhere that I felt safe and could be alone and returned home very early Mon. That is rare for me as I usually stay calm and collected.

We are having sunny days with temps in the 60's which is a little cool and some nights have been in the 30's which is cold. this is unusual weather so I continue to freeze. This morning it was 35 when I went down to the dining tent at 6. We have an indoor and outdoor thermometer in there which is nice.

Here we go again Nov 15

Well, another morning with tornado warnings in our area. They started about 5:30 am in St Martin area on Jackson county line. I didn't know about them until 6:30 when a funnel was spotted over Ocean Springs again moving northeast which is right over us but the warning was for Escatawpa (took me awhile to learn correct pronounciation). By then people are cooking breakfast but we didn't go anywhere. But we had severe thunderstorms for several hours, lightning hit the tower twice. Rain quit for a couple hours, then really dumped for a couple hours. We got 2.7 inches by 3 pm today. All of MS and part of AL are under a watch all day. So of course, I am wearing my big boots today. But the great news is that the driveway area with the new gravel is great and no standing water there, just everywhere else in the village and in the pods. All the groups are out on the job sites, doing drywall and some plumbing where they were all indoors.

It was cold last night but temps really rose overnight and it was 70 degrees when I got up this morning. Everyone was shedding the covers. Tues morning was cold and my tank ran out of propane about 3 am. I got up and switched it over but forgot to open the other tank so I stayed cold. In the morning I checked it out better. Not used to doing those kinds of things.

These past few weeks I have been freezing most of the mornings or evenings with the cooler temps. My blood must have really thinned out in the heat in Sept. I wear a sweatshirt and my jacket. I'm also wondering if I've been losing weight. We eat well in the village although my servings are normal but my clothes seem to be much looser. I even put them in the dryer - must be stretching them instead of shrinking them.

Tomorrow (Thur) is our managers event or meeting. We're going bowling (even though I can't bowl) as a group as a farewell to David and me, 2 long-term volunteers. He came a few days after me and leaves this weekend so I'm here about 2 weeks longer than he is. He built my kitchen in Sept which is great. Sue and Steve also helped work on it with David.

I have 2 cooks in the village this week which is great. Tom alternates with another couple who cook every other night. We're having some fancier meals which is a treat as they even make a dessert. They work all day and then come back to cook. Marvelous.
Tis all for today. Blessings to each of you.

Phyllis

End of another week Nov 11

Today is Veterans' Day which is a special day in my mind. I'm not able to participate in any of the activities but there are parades or special programs in all the surrounding communities.

Weather has been nice the rest of the week with the nights being warmer in the upper 50's or 60 degrees so the heaters weren't needed. Tonite will be cold again however. Daytime temps have been in the mid to upper 70's which is normal for this time of year.

Friday night is always a special night in the village. We had some special guests - a homeowner and his 2 young daughters ate with us. A large group had been working on their house several days this week - replaced the roof, cleaned up inside, will need to replace some ceilings. This week saw a turn-around in the man's attitude and disposition, out of some depression. It is neat to let the homeowners see our village as that family touched the volunteers the most. there were about 6 other places that received assistance though this week.

What makes Friday nights special is the sharing done by the volunteers. The comments from several was the community that was built at the village this week - Canada and NC all mixed and working together. We also shared in a communion service which is special anytime. We also had a couple men who played the guitar as the music adds so much. To sing the praise songs during our devotion time. In fact we even sang our grace before meals a couple times this week. I have missed the music since I've come back in Sept.

I have visited a couple other Presbyterian churches on this trip which is nice and I may go elsewhere tomorrow again. Attend the one of your choice and worship our Lord who gave His life for us that we may live.

Phyllis

Nov 9

My day has not started out well but there was one big highlight for the day. We got a load of crushed concrete delivered to our driveway about 7:40 am. Mike Martin, the landowner, arranged for it yesterday and then he spread it out. All the volunteers were excited to see something cover the mud and ruts from our rain this week as they watched the whole process.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit a couple of worksites. It is always good to see the crews working and they are happy to see me. I want to see what type of work is being done as well as interact with them as they show me what they are doing. At one place I got to meet the homeowners who were working along side the volunteers. This couple have a large house and need lots of help. But she was glad to meet me as we have talked a lot on the phone since April and they remember me. (Is that good? Yes or I think so anyway.) We have a large group on a roof for the rest of week as we need to keep doing roofing every week, if possible.

It is a special feeling as the groups get their tools or equipment that is needed on the job and get loaded in their cars. Mical is in the red truck with large items as ladders, wheelbarrow, etc and leads the way with other cars following him to the new work site. As the "troops" all leave, it becomes very quiet in the village with only me. I go back to check the kitchen and dining areas to be sure everything is cleaned up and put away. Then I start checking food inventory for the meals that day and the next day. there are always phone calls, email, paperwork to keep up, so the day goes.

It is so neat to have clear skies and sunshine. I'm sorry to hear about all the rain and flooding in Oregon and Washington this week. The Red Cross in Portland even called me (down here)to help with a shelter but I am a little far away. Take care.

Phyllis

A very wet day Nov 7

Yesterday was one of those days we see sometimes. We got a lot of rain in the morning but thought it had quit by mid afternoon. So I mopped (or vaccumed) up the water in the office and tool tent. Then took my shower and it starts to dump big time. We had an inch in the morning but got another 1.6 inches in the afternoon. But we were also under a tornado warning about 5 pm with a sighting at Ocean Springs heading to Van Cleave which is 2 miles west of us. People were just coming back from the worksites so as I informed them of the warning, many left for our evacuation spot. One group had already started dinner and a couple of them weren't leaving. I can't force people to leave but I feel responsible for everyone in my village. I was staying with them to watch the skies but couldn't monitor the radio as it is inside where I couldn't see what's happening outside. Mical, my assistant, wasn't here at the time so I paced the dining area, kitchen. I felt the kitchen would be the safest area if anything did develop as it is a sturdy wood structure compared to our pods or tents. We just had some wind and rain. After about 40 min we called the others back and we had dinner. It changed all my plans for Mon night but this is a new day. The water has receded this morning but is muddy.

Our crews were doing inside jobs yesterday and today and have a roof job but didn't start yet today as it is still sprinkling sometimes. I have 11 people from Jamestown, NC and a group of 14 from Ontario, Canada. And we have a musician (one who plays the guitar) so we sang our grace at breakfast today. It was neat to sing some praise songs this morning as we were waiting. Hopefully at devotions tonite he will play as it adds so much to the worship time. I have missed some of the praise songs as they don't sing them at church here.

Sun afternoon the Gautier Presby Church and a neighboring church put on an appreciation or thanksgiving barbecue. They had some wonderful food and way too much so some of it was given to us so we have food for a couple days. We fixed the fresh catfish last night plus leftover potato salad and green beans. Tonite we will serve the roasted chicken plus other leftovers. They had invited the homeowners who got assistance, all volunteers in my village and those staying at the church, mayor of Gautier and I chatted with him a little (us mayors have to stick together), both church families.

Time to reorganize a little in my kitchen as I receive a food order soon today. Take care all of you. God loves each of you and so do I

Phyllis

Saturday Nov 4

Another very chilly day down on the Gulf Coast. It was 42 degrees this morning. We are really glad the kerosene heaters were working and full of fuel for last night. We even put a heater to blow into the dining tent as it was cold in there. It has the same temps as the outdoors. But the sun comes up and totally clear blue skies so it is a beautiful day and temp got up to mid sixties yesterday and today. But next week it will be back to 80 so the weather is messed up. These temps are about 10 degrees cooler than normal. The people working on the job site really like the cooler temps.

I have a group coming in tonite from Jamestown, NC as they drive it in one day. I also get another group Sun evening coming from Canada so will have 27 people here this next week. That is a nice size to have in the village. We will be able to send crews to about 4 homes which feels like making more progress. This has been a relaxing day for me as I didn't have to clean many pods for incoming volunteers which is so nice. But there are always other tasks in the village like sorting out tools to their proper place, picking up trash on the grounds, paperwork, etc plus time to do my laundry and go shopping for the village.

This is short today but I've been behind in some of my entries. The group leaving today left a little void but now I start over again. Attend the church of your choice tomorrow, give someone a hug or touch, take time to love the Lord our God.

Phyllis

November already and cold Nov 3

This past week went by very fast it seems. Since I had extended my stay here in MS I was able to take 2 days off. Just to go somewhere else, be away from the village, leave my blackberry with my assistant was all great. That was on Tues and Wed but then on Thur we had a managers' meeting at the Orange Grove village so another half day of being gone. I enjoy getting together with the other managers plus the PDA staff and hearing what is happening in their villages, the fellowship as we are all in this together. Then we had group pictures taken for Christmas cards and promoting PDA recovery. We all wore our blue shirts which say PRESBYTERIAN DISASTER ASSISTANCE.

Last night got cold, our coldest night so far. It was 39 degrees this morning at 6:30. It is be only in the mid 60's today and tomorrow plus upper 30's again tonite. But the sun is shining with no clouds in the sky so it will feel warmer in my office. We have to be sure there is enough kerosene in the heaters tonite for the pods. They get cold, especially with the northeast winds. I checked out the heaters in the shower units and they all work. Needed my gloves this morning which I have.

There was only a small group of 6 here for most of the week from Bluffton, SC. On 2 days there were 8 as a couple joined them for 2 days. One gets to know people better in smaller groups but they have to do all the cooking, cleaning as well as work at a job site.

Tis all for today.
Phyllis