Fantastic Thursday and Super Friday

NOTE from DBJ:

I'm "backdating" some of these blog entries so that you can keep up with what happened in the lives of the Cedarbrook Team. Thanks so much to my "ghost-writer," Michele, for keeping the journal so we could share what God was doing in and through our lives. Last week was incredible, and I know that its going to take some time for everyone to process it all. So, we hope you are (and were) blessed by the information we've been sending out. We truly saw the Kingdom of God being built in New Orleans with "Living Stones!!"


It's Thursday, February 22 around 4:30 pm …the temps close to 80 degrees!!

We're convoying home from the site after another incredibly full day. Chris and Justin stepped up today to take the reins of "nucklehead construction crew."

Dave and Steve spent most of the day visiting other people and sites from previous trips ... Big Joe and Rita & Don. We're reminded that its not about the work, its about the people!!

Conversation of the moment…

"Is this level?" -Chris

"Is this temporary?"-John

"no."-chris

"Yeah, it's still good."-John

The rest of us worked at the site….well actually I sat with my foot in a cooler…

Jeremy C wandered off and was gone for a couple hrs…we got worried and started to pray….mid prayer Jeremy shows up…..God is faithful and in this case FAST!!!! A few of us visited the Reconcile Café again.

THURSDAY NITE

Steve found out The Camilla Café was the place to go…so we convoyed there for some good N.O. food. The host thought we were joking when we said ' table for 17'…he did admit he was up for our entertainment. We all wore our I love N.O. shirts…

As we waited on the front porch..we realized there was Christian music playing…

so, during the 45 minute wait for a table for 17, we became the "unofficial greeters." People stopped and asked who we were and what we were doing ... so we told them ... another opportunity to build the Kingdom!!

Much of the team partook in some raw oysters…..Nate almost made it…"I don't think I can swallow it."

We got back to Trinity Church around 9 PM and had our 'debrief' with one of the staff. We were all pretty jazzed up ... and maybe a little bit punchy. I (Michele) had to physically remove myself I was laughing so hard. Hopefully we will be invited back again.

FRIDAY

Dave lead the devotional this morning for all 130 of us at Trinity. Who knew Dave could transform into a local on queue…slang, accent and all. Down to the fire and brimstone yellin' of a true southern preacher!!!

Then we sang the song Pastor Pierre taught us. We profusely apologize Pastor Pierre for how badly we massacred your song!!! But as Deacon Cooper said…"Let everything that has "breaf" praise the Lord…not everything that can sing good."

Fridays are called Super Friday because all the people who are working with Trinity Church and Castle Rock Church go into Cental City (where we worked all week) to help with neighborhood clean-up. We hit the streets with shovels, brooms and wheelbarrows to help spruce up the neighborhoods. Our presence had a significant impact and again, we were able to build bridges for Jesus into peoples' lives.

We gave a photo album to the Guys and the Lord directed to us to buy flowers to plant in their yard. The day ended with one last song and prayer with Bishop Pierre and "the Guys." We're all leaving a good chunk of our hearts at Living Witness!!

Some of us are anxious to come home and some never want to leave. Pray that we will not leave anything here that God intends for us to take with us….that we all come home changed people. That we can carry on this mission that brought us to NO will continue at home and wherever else God directs us.

Reconcilers

**Wednesday, February 21, 2007** (Written by Michele)

It's mid afternoon and the sun is out and 75ish? Got my feet up and ice on my foot. I unfortunately (conveniently?) pulled a tendon in my foot the first day….Wink Wink. God has given me a blessed excuse to mingle with "The Guys"…..

I spent the morning cooking in the kitchen with Lenny for "the Guys" in the treatment facility, us and whoever else showed up. We as a team were soooo blessed to be invited to eat with "the Guys" everyday around noon. Now I know it may scare some of you who know me well that I was allowed to cook. But the Creole smothered okra turned out pretty good. Ask the members on our team….I payed them all well. I was soo awed to find Jesus in a small, airless, never pass the health department in normal situation kitchen; with the true south gospel on the radio, sweating and cooking with an ex-drug user and who knows what else. I truly left a large part of my heart in that kitchen. I pray each member of our team left part of there heart with the people we encountered and I am pretty confident they did.

Despite the loss of such a vital team member on the project…the team persevered and made great progress on the demo and construction!!

We apologize to all of you that there wasn't/ isn't time for every team member to blog…so you are stuck with only my (Michele's) narrow view. There doesn't seem to be words I can find to accurately describe all that we have witnessed, shared and been blessed with…life long relationships that seem to form in moments. People who have given us more of the love of Christ than we could give them no matter how hard we tried. And we saw Jesus working through us everywhere ... From hanging out with "The Guys" at the treatment center…to the intoxicated man at the bar in the restaurant we ate in.

During a short lull in the construction, Brandee, John, Tony, and I went to the Reconcile Café…

Café Reconcile is a non-profit collaborative project. The St. Regis Hospitality Program was founded by Fr. Harry tompson, SJ, and Immaculate Conception Jesuit Church. The hospitality program not only provides on the job training in a working restaurant, but also teaches critical life skills and lands students social service agencies and helps with job placement.

After Katrina, they launched a construction training program, utilizing the same "hands-on" mentoring model and life skills training, which teaches the students building and construction skills on an actual job site. This exciting new program was developed with a number of partners; Crossroads Missions and Jericho Road, and will help provide low cost housing in local neighborhoods.

Quote of the Moment:

"The levee broke. And that was bad. But the levees between the churches broke too..and that is good." -a pastor we met at the Reconcile Café.

Please…talk to any or all of us from the team that came down….we are so anxious to share all that God has blessed us with on this trip.

We miss you all!!!! and wish we could bring back every moment in full sound, color, smell(ok maybe not every smell), and feeling.

Gotta go move my chair back into the sun and the masseuse is here for my massage. J

Same day…Later.

We are stuck in unbelievably aAwful traffic…bumper to bumper… standstill….

Nate, Brandee, Keith, and Michele rode together in Keith's van …they opened the side doors and talked to people and shared the pocket crosses. This team redefined 'street evangelism!!! Some of the other team members were a few cars behind the van…all of a sudden a truck pulled up next to the van and the guy had a pocket cross from our brothers a few cars back…great minds think alike!!!! Nate tried to trade some trail mix for a chicken leg….go Nate!!

3Hrs later we were thankfully back at Trinity.

The day ended with a phenomonal sharing time with people from the community who had come to the weekly "community dinner." Teams who had been working on various projects had invited the homeowners to join us for dinner. Afterward we sat stunned by the stories from people who had lost everything as a result of Katrina, including hope ... but, they are seeing the true Church, which Jesus said He would build, in action ... reconciling people to one another and to God. What a joy to be called reconcilers!

What a Day!

2/21 6:35 am , not sure what day of the week it is…

I do know it's raining.

Yesterday was FAT TUESDAY!!! What an amazing God Day!!!!

We got to work demoing another part of the building. And some of the guys worked on framing the inside.

We took a devotional break late in the morning and invited Father Pierre and Peter (a guy at the Niemiah treatment facility) to join us. Father Pierre taught us a gospel song they would sing as a church out on the streets to bring in God and remove all the prostitutes and drug dealers. They can 'gospel' way better than us. The enthusiasim!!!!

We had lunch shortly after that…and invited 'the guys' to join us. They slowly filtered in. I was so (I don't have a word)..??? working along side them.

This may explain it best….

As we were about to knock down a big wall Chris said...

"We put up walls and God tears them down!"…… AMEN!!!

Michelle injured her heel…and God took her around the neighborhood striking up conversation about her lame limp. So she met the neighbors….they were on the sidewalk in front of their house with large pots and gas burners…..then he showed the truck bed full of blue crab and crawfish on ice. She hijacked one of the crabs and awed the rest of the team from Wisconsin. The neighbors invited us over when it was done…..be sure and check out the pics of the fun…..we are invited back next year!! We could almost feel the heart of Jesus rejoicing….looking at us together like we did it everyday….what a welcoming open family…

Then….at about 3 'the guys' invited us into their dining hall for NO style hot dogs and hamburgers…..after lunch at 12, crawfish and crab at 1:30, we were starving at 3. Ha Ha….it was awesome. We thanked them by singing( and I use that word loosly)…the song Father Pierre had taught us. Earlier in the day I had gotten wind that the Niemiah gang also had a choir….I put the word out and before we knew it we were in the 'Living Word' Sanctuary with our own private concert with drums, mikes and a whole lot of NO worship!!! The smiles and pride on their faces was priceless….I think we all agreed it was a definite top highlight of the trip. We all can't wait to get back today and see what surprises God has planned today!!!!

The traffic was nuts, but we made it back in time to shower and go to dinner. Yes, we all ate. The pastor from Trinity spoke…talk about in a lesson of 'God will always provide!'….It was miracle after miracle…

When we get back ask one of us about…

"the $5 lady"

"God needs your truck."

Ect….

Quote of the Day ...

"I hate so much I think I' m gonna bust!" -Tony

God Bless! ... Jesus Rocks!

Off to Work We Go!

2/19 Monday 9:40am

We have divided into the showered and non-showered. We are on the road again….headed for the big 26mi bridge … with trucks full of tools and hearts full of God!

Today is our first workd day and we are headed to Central City to the "Yellow House"…where we will be demolishing an addition to a house used for men's dorms that are here for ACOA treatment. We will also be reconstructing an existing part of the house that will be used for offices and sleeping rooms. Eventually an addition will be added to house even more people whom the church in that needy part of the city can minister to. We will stay at the yellow house for tonite.

Oh, by the way, our very special brother Steve (and I mean 'special' in the most sincere way) has graciously volunteered to stay behind at Trinity Church and be on the kitchen staff there while the rest of the crew goes into the city to work. We may need to add a special section titled, "Steve's thought for the day' ... here's a starter! ...

BRING IT ON>>>Your Warriors are ready.

2/19 6:30pm…

Done with our 1^st day of hard labor…..Sore bodies and strong hearts for God.. The addition is down…be sure and check out the awesome pictures.

What amazed me is amongst all the rubble there was hope. In the addition someone had painted Jesus on the wall (see photo). The beauty was found in the most unusual places…

We did encounter some new creatures of God's kingdom…cockroaches the size of your big toe … and some cute little lizards.

We met some of the neighbors and the men staying at the treatment center. They express such gratefulness to us…..but I feel so blessed they have invited us into their lives and homes.

The sun is warm and the temp close to 70.

A special thanks to Tweety Bird and Charles, two of the cutest kids ever…..for playing tag with me and giving great hugs.

Yesterday Jeremy C played , or should I say tried…to play b-ball with some of the local kids. They kinda took him to school. But bridges and relationships were built, big time!

2/20 Tuesday…..

God Bless Steve and the other kitchen staff for a deliscious meal last nite. They brought it to us from Trinity Church and stayed overnight with us! Despite all the aches and pains we decided to go an check out the Mardi Gras parade. I admit, I really debated…but they persuaded me…how often will you be in NO and 3 blks from the parade. It was AWESOME!!! We all got beads thrown from the floats and met lots of way fun locals. Jeremy B got all the history from a family we were standing near….so ask him all about it. Jeremy C won for most beads caught.

Who would of thunk….Cedarbrookers evangelizing at Mardi Gras …

We hobbled home around 9 and fell into our warm beds…graciously provided by the Castle Rock Community Church….Brandee met Emily on a previous trip down…so cool the long lasting relationships that have been formed!!! Small world, Big God.

Time to walk across the street and start at it again….."What surprises does God have planned for us today?"…reiterated by Steve, … heard originally from Tony.

Thanks for all the prayers…we miss all of you!!!

More updates to come!

Jeremy C
Nate
Justin
Dave
Jeremy B
Michele
Brandee
John
Bill
Andy
Tony
Keith
Steve
Chris

And the Northwooders

Brent
Ken
Chuck

Oh, and here are a few of our nicknames…see if you can match them with the person they go to…

Buttercup
Daisy
Stretch
Bubba Uno
Blondie

(tune in again for the answers)

Cedarbrook Team On the Road!

Saturday 2/17 8:30am….somewhere close to the Dells.

I know, your thinking, 'I thought they left at 6?' We did! I am just officially awake. By the way this is Michele, your official guide to the 2/07 Katrina Trip.

Chris is as of now our faithful leader and we haven't lost anyone yet. I am just amazed at what a diverse group God has brought together for this trip. Let the adventures begin!

Quote of the moment: "Nanos rock!" -Brandy

Still Satuday 9:55am….honestly I don't know where we are.

But I do know God is amazing. Dave has been filling Brandy and I in on his new non-profit venture. I have dreamt of starting a 'make you house a home' non-profit…and it may fit well with Daves !! Cool!!

12:24 still driving. The roads aren't great. Brandy called Jayne to start up prayer chain. The good news is if we get stranded, we have enough non perishable food to last a long time. Learning lots about fishing and hunting. Oh goody…we are now onto cars.

1:43 Saturday and guesss what?? Yes we are still driving. A great big thanks to Sandy B. for the snack bags!!!!!!!

Quote of the moment: "Do you want some lotion? It’s Mary Kay."-michele

Still Saturday…still driving.

Saw the arch in St. Louis…after 4 tries, finally got a photo.

Quote of the moment: "Did you know flip flops are back in."- Jeremy B.

Still Satuday…8pm.. Farmington, MO!! ... finally NOT driving!!!

God bless Bill Younker for the Homey accommodations and wonderful company.

Ate our weight in food at Rays Buffet.

A time of devotion. A good protion of our team has been to NO on Katrina relief before….they are excited to see some of the work they have done come full circle. How cool for them.

Jeremy C. shared his gift of music with us…on his guitar and we sang. Not quite the Cedarbrook band….but still awesome.

Some "Quotes of the Moment" from other vehicles:

"We're in the lead?" - Steve

"Are we following the right van?" -Dave

"If we are, I don't know who on our team has a walker." -Michele

Sunday, February 18 - 7:56 am…leaving Bill's.

God thanks for our good rest and getting to know your wonderful friend Bill. God bless him and his family.

"on the road again…"

10am Sunday 2/18

Stopping at 'Loves' travel stop…fuel up and stretch. This place is awesome!!! You can buy an oven to plug into your car!!! And it's 38 degrees.

All cars now have radios to communicate….good idea?? I'll let you know.

Tony broke out the shorts.

10:36am…first cotton field.

Quote of the moment:

"Can we speed up? A guy walking just passed us." - Jeremy C

"Put the hammer down rubber ducky." - Steve

12:30 Sunday 2/18

We invaded and took over Quiznos somewhere in Mississippi. Got it to go….picnic at The Mississippi Information center….44 degrees….."it’s just like coming home."

Quote of the moment: "oh man, I left my pants at Quiznos." - Jeremy C

So he and Andy back track to get the pants….and catch us at the next fuel up stop.

Thanks you God…for the safety thus far, the laughs that make the miles fly by and the awesome bonding that is taking place.

2:30pm..Sunday…Oh we all sure missed you guys at church.

Somewhere in Mississippi…just passed the 1000 mi mark!!! And it 50 degrees!!!!!!

6:09pm Sunday 2/18

LOUISIANNA!!!!!!!!!

7:13 pm….

Well we made it …..thank you God for a great trip!

And we are all anxious to meet the rest of the people….get our work detail…and find our sleeping space.

Thanks to all of you back home who are praying and supporting us!!! We miss all of you….and promise to share Cedarbrook' s love of Christ with our brothers and sisters in New Orleans.

Tune in later for further up dates!!!God Rocks!!!!!!!!!!!

Michele
Brandy
Dave
Jeremy C
Jeremy B
Tony
Justin
Andy
Nate
Keith
Chris
Bill
John
Steve

And Now...

The guys from the "Northwoods!"

Animal
Big Mack
Brent

Stay tuned for the team nicknames to come in our next episode of

"As Cedarbrook Katrina 2/07 Turns"

God Bless!!!!!!!!