Family, Friends, and Resumes

This week, I have been up in McHenry, IL. What a blessing it has been to be able to spend the past seven days with family and friends. The week off was definitely not planned; actually, I was only supposed to be home from Holy Thursday till Easter. However, I needed to attend a funeral last Sunday, so my boss said that I could take the entire week off. Thanks, Robyn!!

So last Friday, I drove up to Chicago and met up with my friend, Sr. Julie. We had dinner together (she made a killer vegetarian pizza) and chatted for a bit. I then drove home to McHenry to meet up with the family.

On Sunday, we attended the funeral of my dear friend, Yvonne Maassel. Yvonne passed away on March 30 after a 4 year battle with cancer. Yvonne, was the owner of Fish Lake Beach Campground and had known my family for over 30 years. We have laughed together, cried together, spent holidays, birthdays, and graduations together. She had been a friend, counselor, and teacher tot me. She helped me buy my first car and she helped me out with college. In some ways, she was our family angel. Yvonne touched so many people and was an inspiration to us all. She will be missed!!

The rest of the week involved visits with friends, getting my car fixed, and applying for jobs. It was great to meet up with people in Libertyville and Chicago. I was even able to stop by Loyola Press and grab lunch with my friends Carol, Lauren, and Karin. I also got to hang out with my good friend Denise and her children. She has 4 kids, ages 6, 5, 3, and 2. We colored Easter eggs and played on the swings – it totally reminded me of my childhood.

I also brought my car in for its 3,000 mile oil change and discovered that I needed new brake pads…grrrr! So, what I thought was going to be a $30 repair turned out to be a few hundred. Oye vay! But at least now, my brakes will work. Thank God for tax refunds which allowed me to pay for this repair.

I have also begun the long and tedious task of applying for jobs. It hit me hard this week that I only have a few months left at CAP and need to figure out what I am going to do after I am done. I have applied to several different jobs so far…hopefully I will get an interview with one or two of them. I am a little nervous that I won’t be able to find a job, by the time my service is up, but I am trying to remain faithful that something will come my way. Please keep me and all of the volunteers that are making decisions about the future in your prayers.

And as promised a post about the Hatton family from WorkFest will be coming soon!!

Happy Easter to all.

Can I get a WorkFest?

“Can I get a WorkFest?” has been a phrase that I have been hearing for the past two weeks and will for the next week. The correct response to that is a resounding…WORKFEST! It is true, WorkFest is here at CAP and we are now heading into our final week of it. Many of you have heard me mention WorkFest and Camp AJ multiple times this month, but probably have no idea what WorkFest is exactly. So I will try my best to sum up what WorkFest is and how amazing it is .

WorkFest is a “spring break alternative” for college students. It goes beyond a week long gathering of college students enjoying time away from classes. WorkFest allows students to devote their time and energy to improve the homes of Appalachian residents while learning about the injustices and realities of poverty. The first WorkFest was held in 1992 and over 20 homes were repaired in that one week. Since then, WorkFest has served over 290 families. WorkFest takes place in a number of different counties in KY, including Jackson, Clay, Owsley, Johnson, and Floyd. I had the privilege of repairing a home in Jackson County last week.

When the college students arrive at Camp, they are broken into eight different crews and given their housing assignment. The CAP Housing Volunteers are the crew leaders and in charge of handling this lively bunch. The crews work at the site during the day Monday thru Thursday. In the evenings, CAP provides entertainment for everyone. This past week on Tuesday, we had a Bluegrass band come in. On Thursday nights, we have an Appreciation Dinner, where we invite the families of the homes we have been working on to share a meal with us. The Appreciation Dinner is my favorite part of the week because it is here that the families and the college students share what the week has meant to them. It is incredibly moving! On Friday, we show a slideshow of the week and have a closing devotion and then the students head home. Below is a quick overview of what a typical day looks like:

• 6:45 – Rise and shine!
• 7:00 –Eat a hearty breakfast
• 7:30 – Morning prayer
• 7:45 – Off to the day’s work
• 12:00 – Lunch at work site
• 4:30 – Go home for the day
• 6:00 – Dinner
• 7:00 –Evening devotion, program and school reflection time

So, there you have it…my best attempt at describing WorkFest. It truly is an amazing week for all. Each week, I have been reminded just what it means to be a Christian and to serve Christ. These college students have touched me in so many ways and I have been extremely blessed to be a part of WorkFest. In a few days, I will be posting more about the crew I worked on last week and the family that we assisted.

Peace.

Disaster Relief – Day #2 – 4

I am finally back from Disaster Relief! What a week CAP had over 100 houses/trailers to fix up and in that one week, we ended up fixing about 35 of them – AMAZING!! I saw all sorts of damage caused by the storm while I was there. Some of it was minor – only a few trees down; some of it was definitely a disaster – whole houses destroyed, roofs caved in, walls down. The jobs that CAP didn’t get to will be picked up by a Long-Term Disaster Relief Organization. Here is a quick recap and a few pics of my 3 days at Disaster Relief.

Day #2: Today, I got to assess a trailer that had its entire roof blown off. Myself and another CAP volunteer went to this man’s home only to find it almost completely destroyed by the storm. He told us that his entire family was sitting in the living room, when they heard a huge bang and looked up and saw their metal roof sitting on the hill behind them. Very Scary!! After assessing the damage, it was determined that the job was too big for our Disaster Relief team. Luckily, our WorkFest Crew will be able to fix this man’s home and within a few weeks, the family will be able to move back home. After our assessment, we went to another home, were a tree had crashed into a bedroom. The roof and the wall had been destroyed in the home. Our task was to rebuild the wall and the portion of the roof that was destroyed. I helped put up some siding and drywall – it wasn’t too bad!

Day #3: I spent the better portion of the day clearing trees! My crew and I had to move branches, small logs, etc. from the back of a home to the front of the home, so the clean-up crew could haul the stuff away. It was a tough day, but a productive one. We were able to clear all of the debri from the home!! Here is the crew in the truck with the tree pieces.

Our crew and the trees

A close-up of the trees we moved

Day 4: Of all the days, this day was the most rewarding for me. It was on Thursday that I helped put on an entire new roof on an elderly gentleman’s home. At first, we were just going to patch a few holes that the trees had left in the roof. But when we got to the home, the damage was so extensive that our crew leader decided to replace the whole roof. It was an extremely exhausting day, but seeing the look on the man’s face when we showed him the new roof, made any pain that I felt in my arms or legs completely disappear. He was smiling from ear to ear and was so grateful for all that we had done. Once again, this man reminded me why I decided to take a step away from my career for a year and volunteer with CAP!

Here’s a picture of part of the roof:

Roof Repair

Well, there it is..a very brief recap of my week at Disaster Relief! And what a week it was

Peace!

Disaster Relief – Day 1

Well, I am headed to Disaster Relief for the second time since being here at CAP. This time, I will be headed to Eastern Kentucky, more specifically Johnson County. I will be helping to clean up the damage that the ice storm and the tornadoes caused in that area. Basically, I will be repairing homes and cleaning up a lot of debris.

While it is going to be a ton of work, I am really looking forward to it. It will be nice to get out of the office for awhile and visit a part of Kentucky that I have not experienced.

I will be headed there later this afternoon and will be there for three days. I plan to take numerous pictures, so make sure to visit my blog in the next few days.

Peace!

Ice Storm in Kentucky

If any of you have been following the news lately, you have probably heard about the major ice storms that have hit Kentucky. These storms have caused incredible damage to many of the counties surrounding mine, but thankfully the county I live in did not get hit by the ice storm. We had a little accumulation of ice and snow on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, but now all of that is completely gone. And today we are enjoying sunshine and 60 degree weather. We did loose our cell phone and internet service for a bit, but that too has all been restored.

Unfortunately, our neighboring counties were not so lucky. Thousands of people are still without electricity, water, etc.  and it seems like it will be days before there is any relief for these people. The bulk of the problem lies for those who live out in the country, especially in the Appalachia region. With trees down and the treacherous roads, it can be difficult to reach these people and get them help. The National Guard has been called in to help the people of Kentucky and CAP’s Disaster Relief Team has been called in to help out in shelters where many people are staying. So hopefully, every one will be seeing some relief soon.

For more news on the damage in KY, check out these stories:

KY deploys full Army Nat’l Guard for storm cleanup

In Western KY., still stuck in ice storm’s grip

KY struggles with outages in ice storm aftermath

Please keep all those affected by this storm in your prayers.

Peace.

It’s back to McCreary

After a fantastic Christmas and New Year up in Chicago (and of course Florida), I am once again back in Parkers Lake, KY serving with the Christian Appalachian Project. I came back last Sunday and have spent the week catching up with my roommates and co-workers. I have also taken some time this week, to organize my office and storage room, they both were kind of destroyed during our Christmas Basket Distribution.

Speaking of that, my Christmas Basket Distribution was a HUGE success! We gave gifts to over 100 families and 60 elderly people. My program went really well and everyone seemed to have enjoyed it. The best part was having the preschool children singing Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. They were so precious! Below I have posted a few pics from the distribution. Also, a big thank you to all my family and friends who sent in money, sponsored a family, or prayed for me and my participants during the Christmas season. I really, really appreciate it!!

The next big projects coming up for me here at CAP are Workfest, School Readiness, and the Women’s Retreat. As they get closer, I will make sure to fill you all in as to what these projects are.

Peace.

My Helpers - Barb, Me, Debra, Jenny, Robyn

The boxes for the families!

My little choir (CDC Children)

The end to my Florida Road Trip

I am finally back home in IL after 6 fabulous days on the road. My last day in Florida couldn’t have been any better – the skies were clear, the temperature hovered around 80 degrees, and the ocean was extremely calm. I spent the entire morning and afternoon laying on the beach and reading the book, Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. I also managed to take a two hour walk along the shores of Daytona. It was such a peaceful and relaxing day

On Tuesday, my friend and I made our way back to IL. We ended up spending the night at my volunteer house. Oh, how I miss Parkers Lake! Wednesday was more driving – I officially made it back to McHenry around 6 pm – just in time to ring in the New Year with my family.

All in all, I could not have asked for a better way to end 2008!

Road Trip 2008 – Day 3

Finally after 2 full days of traveling, I was able to jump into the Atlantic Ocean! Yesterday was great – church, breakfast at an Indian restuarant, swimming in the ocean, then a nice long walk at dusk. Just magical!!

Today, my friend is headed off to the NASA museum, while I am plan to stay at the beach once again. I am going to grab a chair, get a book, and just sit under the sun and relax. This is the life.

Peace.

Road Trip 2008 – Day 2

Yesterday, my friend and I continued our trip from Atlanta, GA down to Daytona Beach, FL. Our first stop of the day was to check out the World of Coca-Cola Museum. I had actually never heard of this museum until my friend told me about it and to be honest I was a little skeptical. But as we made our way to downtown Atlanta and I first spotted the museum, I could tell I was in for a real treat.

The musuem was definitely worth the $15 dollar admission price. There are short little movies about the history of Coke and the secrets behind its success. There are also several rooms where you can see Coke artwork and Coke memoraphilia. My favorite room of all was the Tasting Room. Here you can tast Coke products from all over the world – Africa, Italy, France, Netherlands!! In total, I belive they have over 100 different products that you can try. I think I had about 20 of them.The best drink was a ginger ale from Germany – in my opinion

After the museum, my friend and I took to the roads once again. The drive was uneventful, except for the heavy traffic through most of GA. I think was headed south for the winter break. We did eventually make it to Daytona late last night.

Today, we are off to church and then the beach!!

Pictures will be coming soon. Peace.

Road Trip 2008

Since I received two weeks off from my volunteer time at CAP, I decided to take a small road trip with my friend from Bloomington, IL. I really wanted to go some place warm, so we decided to go to Daytona Beach! I have been to Florida several times before, but never to Daytona Beach, so I was pretty psyched about this trip.

Yesterday, I left Chicago at 10:00 in the morning. It was supposed to be at 6:00, but due to the lovely ice storm we had the night before, I had to postpone the trip by a few hours. I made it to Bloomington by 1:30, hopped in my friends car and we took off for Florida. The drive was quite uneventful, which is always a good thing. We only encountered some minor fog in IL, but once we hit KY and TN everything was cleared up.

Around 2:00 am (Eastern) we finally arrived in Atlanta. Once we checked into the hotel, I went straight to bed – I was exhausted.

After a few hours of sleep, my friend and I are wide awake and ready to hit the road again and finish the drive down to Daytona. First, though, we are stopping at the Coca-Cola Plant here in Atlanta. Free Coke samples – YUM!!

I’ll be posting later from Daytona Beach, FL!

Peace.