Update#11

We were surprised when Chris said he wanted to take a day off and take us around Okinawa. We told hime he really didn't need to do that but he insisted saying he was a workaholic & we were a good excuse to enjoy a day off. So he picked us up and off we went. First to the Naminoue Shrine, a most sacred Shinto site. Chris carefully instructed us on what we needed to do to enter. At a water stand, we washed our hands, first the left,then right and then took a drink from our cupped hands & spit it out…to rinse our mouth of any thing bad. Next at a sort of altar, we tossed a coin with a hole in it into a bin, bowed twice, then clapped twice, then bowed twice again finally with praying hands, stand silently for a short time. Then we entered the main room where the altar was loaded with golden statues & decorative items. Chris's filled us with many details about the history of the Shinto religion. Next he took us to meet the local Monk, who was his friend. The shrine is being renovated and plagues were going to be displayed with donated names on it. Chris made a donation on our behalf and we were asked to write down our names. Chris told us now a piece of us would always remain in Okinawa. That pulled my heartstrings! Next we bought a taiyaki-a fish shape waffle filled with a sweet bean filling. Actually pretty good! Next we went to the former WWII Japanese Navy Underground headquarters—a massive underground tunnel system. It was eerie walking through the dirt tunnel where thousands of of boulders had been & so many had died. One room was where after realizing they were defeated, many had committed suicide by smashing loaded grenade to their heads. The walls were all pitted leaving the evidence. Losing the battle was a disgrace to their Emperor. Better to die. Our next stop was the Okinawa Peace Memorial & Museum. A massive greens lined with stones where the names of those who died in the Battle of Okinawa were etched. Japanese, American, UK & Irish. Total 200,000+ —15,500 of them American. Okinawa was the only Japanese island to experience a land battle. It was the largest Pacific battle of WW!!. The Japanese had staged the war there to delay the Americans from attacking the mainland. The island was sacrificed for this stall plan. It was left totally burned & destroyed. US fired almost 3 million shells…almost 5 per Okinawa. It was called the Typhoon of Steel. Starvation & malaria took another heavy toll. Looking out the window, you could see the cliffs where many women threw their babies & then jumped themselves. They had been told if they became prisoners, Americans would rape them and eat their babies. This unfortunate island was caught in the middle. And it was here my dad was also caught in the middle. As we walked through the museum & looked at the many pictures and watched the films, I felt the need to see if my dad was in them. What an internal wound this must of left in him. He never ever wanted to tell us anything. I can now see why. The last display was a poem:
Whenever we look at the truth of the Battle of Okinawa, we think there is nothing as brutal, nothing as dishonorable as war. In the face of this traumatic experience, no one will be able to speak out for or idealize war. To be sure it is human beings who start wars. But more than that, isn't it we human beings who must also prevent wars? Since the end of the war, we have anchored all wars, long yearning to create a peaceful island. In our unwavering devotion to this principle, we have paid a heavy price.
There was one more museums Chris wanted us to see…too often overlooked he said. Himeyuri Peace Museum…also called the Nurse Museum. It told the story of the school girls (ages 13-18) who were given a short course in nursing and then sent into the caves to serve the soilders. Many pictures of the girls dressed in nice uniforms in classrooms or playing on campus were in the first sections…then the same girls covered with blood, filthy and stressed inside the caves. The survivors testimony videos told stories of how difficult it was to dig maggots out ears, how heavy the amputated legs were and how hard to watch hysterical wounded men get eliminated. From just this one school, 240 girls went in but only 136 survived. Most were killed when they were forced to leave after defeat was imminent. In the 1980's the survivors of this one school gathered and decided to tell their stories. Gruesome as they were but important for the world to know the horrors of war. They were but one of the many island schools forced to send their students to war.
Japan's constitution now states: "Japan forever renounces war…and the threat of use of force as a means of settling international disputes." Why doesn't every nation renounce war?? Why??

Update#10

The last couple days we spent mostly at HelpOki. Chris needed to make a detailed inventory of all the items in the personal care section and the pampers. I can tell you they definitely have enough toothbrushes but need combs! We also put lots of clothes on hangers, vacuumed, washed mirrors & did some dusting. Rog sprayed weed-killer along the fence. As we worked, we chatted with the other volunteers several who spoke some English. A group of 2nd graders came through on a tour bringing donations with them and many questions. Most spoke English so that was fun. At 1:30, Chris picked us up & we met his wife, Yuku and her friend at a shopping mall. We'd told Chris a few days ago that friends of ours had donated $410 & asked him to decide the best way to spend it. He contacted one of the orphanages he helps with and found out they were setting up a practice kitchen for kids graduating who would soon be needing to fend for themselves. Each graduate would get 2 weeks to practice living on his own. The kitchen needed to be stocked so that's how the $$ could be spent. Also, the orphanage housed 80 kids so laundry soap was a huge expense. It was comical watching Yuku & her friend discuss what to buy. They filled the basket with pots, pans, bowls, strainer, cutting boards, knives, etc. etc. Then they filled another basket with laundry soap. Everyone was pretty excited when we got to the orphanage to drop off the donations. The director posed for pictures with us and profusely thanked us. I thanked him for caring for these kids all the time. He said he was touched that I realized and appreciated what he did. It was an honor to accept a framed thank you note on behalf of the donations we received from those attending our CFUMC presentation & Shan. Sure wish they could have felt the love and appreciation! We were then given a tour of the "practice apartment" where the grads will spend 2 weeks. Kids crowded around us as we got in our car waving and smiling…obviously well cared for.
Back story: There are 8 orphanages in Okinawa. When I asked why so many, I was told 3 reasons-military base, island mentality of doing whatever, and talking about sex was taboo so kids got no sex ed. HelpOki has been a big donator to all the orphanages but Chris wanted to do more than just give them stuff. He made it his mission to get involved directly. His offer to have holiday parties, sporting events, etc. were denied time after time. Finally one of them said HelpOki could mow the grass and cut down the weeds. They did this for 2 years before finally they were told they could have a BBQ for the kids. Finally they trusted HelpOki. Since then they've have lots of events like trunk or treat, graduation parties, summer fun events, etc. at most of the orphanages. Building trust took 2 years but now love flows freely back & forth. We left there feeling pretty happy…but also hungry so we went to a Steak House which served the meat on a sizzling black stone. Delicious! Yuku said she was so glad that Chris was getting to spend time with midwesterners cause he missed being home and for him, we felt like family. Of course, we invited them to come to stay with us anytime and I think they just might!

Update #9

We left Naha and headed to Uruma where HelpOki is located. Since it's not a tourist area, it was tricky to find a place to stay. When the older lady showed us the room, we were happy to see a frig, microwave, rice maker and totally blue bathroom. But when she showed us the bedroom, it was perfectly empty with just the traditional rice mat flooring (tatami). No bed. After some confusing hand gestures, we used the Google translator and she smiled and opened a cupboard where 2 thin mats, pillows & blankets were stored. Not what we call beds but when in Japan, sleep like the Japanese. Our Airbnb is near town so we walked around but didn't find much for us to see or do. We took an Uber to locate HelpOki & talked to a few volunteers. Luckily, one had an American parent so spoke English welcomed us. We had arranged to meet Chris the next day. I have been communicating with Chris via Messenger and following them on facebook for about 4 months. It was great to finally meet him in person. Chris is an ex-marine married to a local girl. He started HelpOki in 2011 and has been the director since then. It was the first place in the area to serve the poor, homeless, shelters, orphanages…who ever needs help. It has a food bank, clothing, household items, washer, shower, computer, WiFi, printer, showers, emergency shelter room and even offers classes in self care and confidence. Little doubt that Chris loves what he does and who he does it for. After a quick tour, Chris gave us a list of things we could work on so we lost no time and got busy organizing clothing, toys, books …most of which were really nice as had been donated by US service families when they packed to return to US. Rog did some general cleaning while I checked expiration dates of newly donated food. My FIA experience really came in handy! Chris was working the whole time too. As I watched him work, I was in awe to see his diligence & energy level. It's meeting people like him that make volunteering such an incredible experience!!
At 4, it was time to quit and Chris insisted on taking us to our room but we suggested stopping at A&W so we could buy him & his wife burgers to go…and we could grab dinner too.
Evening found us hunting for our next stay…closer to beach in spite of the fact that it's the coldest week they have had in 20 years!! It's in the 60's! What's up with that!!

A food update: we've had several bowls of the traditional Ramon soup bowl full of sprouts, leafy greens, noodles and a few bites of beef. It comes with rice and once we got a grilled chicken with it. One night we went to place where you cook your own food over a hibachi…can't really say you cook your own supper as the meal included 4 bites of beef, 4 slices of egg plants and about 1/4 ear of corn for $20. Luckily, we passed by a 7/11 so we could get Rog some sweet bread and me a Coke Zero & since I had a microwave popcorn with me…we didn't have to go to bed hungry! Here in Uruma where we are now staying, can you believe there is an A & W right down the road! Yup! Guess who's been there twice??




Pics #8









Update #8



We slept well & were ready to take off about 10 the next morning.  Our Airbnb host, suggested we go to the Shurijo Castle & the Udon Palace gardens.  We always like to get recommendations from the locals.  The castle had been the home to the reigning kings from the early 1400's until almost 1900's.  It had been almost completely destroyed during WWII.  It is currently being rebuilt…again.  It had been almost done several years ago when it was destroyed by a fire.  It was very similar to the castles we've seen in China & VietNam.  The gardens that surrounded the very simple & sparse Udon palace were lush. A pond with stone bridges was the centerpiece.  I could just picture elegant ladies in bright kimonos crossing the bridges.  We still had some sunlight & so we hopped on the monorail to see a bit more of the city of Nana.  It is full of tall apartment & office buildings as far as you can see.  I'm struck by the simplicity of buildings.  Usually cement & boxy with little to no decorative detail.  The cars too are simple & boxy and small.  Traffic was steady but hardly heavy.  Streets were clean but did see some storefronts that were not well kept.  It's hard to imagine what this island looked like just 75 years ago.  Virtually flattened.  We've only seen a small pockets of prewar buildings.  A big part of our draw to Okinawa was that my Dad was here during WWII.  I thought of him a lot today.  Especially when we saw the remains of a dug out tunnel used by the Japs (as he called them).  The tunnels were almost impossible to see dug into the roots & plants.  It's hard to wrap my head around what my Dad probably experienced here.  History books say it was the largest & most deadly in the Pacific front.  The castle we visited as tourist was actually the main fortress used by the Japanese in WWII.  My dad was also on Iwo Jima…where they famous picture showing the US flag being hoisted happened.  So imagine how strange it was to see the US flag flying next to the Japanese flag?  It's so difficult to see anything but politeness, kindness & peacefulness in the eyes of the Japanese people that surround us now.  How is it possible?

 

Update#7

We took a pause in our travels to visit with Jake's family near Pittsburg for a few days. We'd rented a room in a hotel with a pool & hot tub waiting to be used…which the kids sure did. For afternoon fun, we strolled around Cosco munching on the samples & then ate lunch there. Who knew that's what they'd want to do?? Sun night we took the kids home so they could get ready for Mon. Addie had to go to the hospital for her monthly infusion (to treat MOGAD) so Rog dropped us off around 7:30 & then took off to do some errands. He meet us back at the hospital around 1. Addie was finished an hour later & we all went back to Jake's so she could rest. We spent the next several days doing odd jobs & evenings enjoying Jake's family. It has seemed really weird to still be in USA this time of year! We are ready to dive into a new country!
On Valentine's' day, we were up at 3:00 to catch our 6:30 flight to Chicago. From there we climbed aboard our 13 hr flight to Tokyo. It was long…but fairly easy. That's when the craziness started. First our tickets to Okinawa did not show a gate number so we waited for the Departure board to tell us. An hour before our flight, we finally headed toward security. They said we needed to go to another terminal via a shuttle bus. Got there and up to security and found out our luggage, (which was clearly marked Okinawa) had been sent to customs in the first terminal. (Somebody should have mentioned to us that the bags would need to go through customers in Tokyo when they put the tags on our bags!). So back on the bus where we were went to info counter to help us. Luckily, two clerks walked us the back way to customs so we could get our luggage. By then of course, we'd missed our flight so we had to go to the airline counter to get new tickets. It happened but took another hour. Off to our gate we headed. Whew. Finally. Nope. Gate was changed so off we went again. We were exhausted by the time we loaded for the final less than 2 hour flight. Our Airbnb host picked us up promptly and soon we were in our room in his home. Two mats, low table, lower chairs & two kimonos. We definitely were dropped into real Japan…exhausted!
It was a Valentine's Day to remember cause it lasted over 30 hours!




Update #6

Charleston…once the richest port in US, birth place of the Civil War and now getting polished up to be a beautiful tourist town. It's full of old, stately, 3 story homes with huge porches in multiple pastels or brick with rod iron fences surrounding their well manicured gardens. We toured one stilled filled with the original furniture and learned about the families that lived there…and the one still living on the 3rd floor. There are several magnificent plantation tours here but the McLeod Plantation seemed to be the most authentic so that's where we went. Our guide, Harriet indeed said the other plantations glorified the rich white masters and their wealth. McLoad's tour told the story of the enslaved. Harriet was black and actually related to some who had lived & worked on this plantation. She told us many stories about the slaves who worked here. With tears in her eyes, she showed us pictures of a man who had visited this plantation in 2015 and then went to her church & killed 9…6 of them were her friends. She was a guide as a way to honor the enslaved & her murdered friends. Her final words were "Make no mistake, there is still hatred in this soil we stand on." That sunk in deep. Another place we checked out was the old city of Dorchester which thrived for about 100 years and then was abandoned during the Revolutionary War. Only the church bell tower, a few gravestones and some crumbling walls of the fort remain. Lesson: no guarantees your footprint will last. The sun was shining as we boarded a ferry that took us all around the harbor giving us a great vantage point to see Ft Sumpter and the WWII aircraft carrier, Yorktown. Finally, the Charleston Museum did an excellent job giving us a thorough history of this area.
And one can't come to Charleston and not feast on she-clam soup & hush puppies served with bacon jam! It's been an interesting & enjoyable visit!

Update #5

After more than 1000 phone calls, almost 100 home visits and upteen logs sawed, we took off our Inspiritus volunteer Tshirts and headed to Charleston. There we found a big soft bed, real shower and a slower pace.
We left knowing many people's yards were cleared up…but many more were not. A couple large groups of volunteers are coming mid Feb and we truly hope that they will be able to clean up lots more of the storm damage so the large pile of assessments will dwindle rapidly. I can only hope!
It has been a unique experience to spend so much time with locals. To sit on their couches, get shown family pictures, hear about their health issues & how hard it is for them to do anything and their hurricane stories. One of the questions on the assessment is "Are you over 65?" So many of them who can barely walk to the door or get up out of the chair, said "No.". I looked around at their home which often was in huge disarray and in need of so much TLC. We've always felt blessed to be as healthy & active as we are BUT meeting so many 9 or more years younger who struggle to do anything and have the minimum, just made our lives feel even more amazing. I will never understand the why us/why them question but without a doubt, I will appreciate our lives more. I can't imagine being as miserable as Mr. Thorne who is so angry at the world and wanted to tell us all about it, often crying & quoting the Bible. He asked us for a hug saying it had been months since he was touched. We spent an hour there and still had to back ourselves to our car in order to finally leave.
We are also leaving behind the Garden City Methodist Church who generously gave us a nice room to sleep in and use of their huge kitchen…even got some left over funeral food! We did attend their Sunday church services which was a total throw-back to the 60-70's. Sang only from the hymnals and the kids danced in the aisles & one even joined the 7 member choir. Babies were being passed around and made to laugh. Matt called on people by name to hear prayer requests. Then the kids were called up for a children's time before taken out. Pastor Matt's sermon seemed to be personal for the 50+ in the pews. The kids then came back to be part of the communion as we knelt at the railing and were given a small piece of bread (which actually was from a loaf of bread Kenny, a day volunteer had made for us.) Matt's wife followed him and held out a gold carrier filled with tiny cups of grape juice. Remember that?
Speaking of church, there's one on most every block around here. Many huge with gorgeous stain-glass windows, large awnings & tall steeples…others very simple. I must confess, it actually makes me mad. Also in town on many busy sidewalks, there are stands filled with bibles & other religious books manned by people who ask if you want to hear about Jesus. I was so tempted so say, "Wouldn't it make Jesus so much happier if you were helping the many people who need help??" I know that's a bias of mine—not walking the talk. I know…I know…I don't know if they do reach out & help others?? Still I wonder if the $$ that goes into building & maintaining all these churches that are only used a couple hours a week could be used instead to make people's lives better?? Isn't that what Jesus wanted??
I also wonder what some of these people who wanted to teach us more about the Bible would have said to Shannon (another volunteer) who feels like the Bible story that blames the first sin on Eve was the authors way of making sure women were the lesser of the two. Without a doubt, our time in Savannah (and earlier in Valdosta) broadened my perspective and understanding of people who live in Georgia and those who Helene impacted. It will not be forgotten.


Update #4

The stories are endless and the last 4 days, Chan, my niece got to hear them too. She lives just 5 hours from here so she drove up and within an hour was on the phone calling people to arrange assessments…and listen to their stories. Next 3 days, Chan and I headed to homes to check out their damage. You never know what you'll find. There was the lady who wanted help picking up pine cones & the man who wondered if we mowed lawns vs the extremely handicapped lady who needed help adjusting the seat on her electric chair. She insisted on helping and ended up falling on the floor so getting her up was a feat in itself! The whole time she was telling us all about all her family members who had been in the army and about how her mom (who was in the bed just around the corner) was dying. We backed out the door as she shouted how thrilled she was to have her freedom again and couldn't wait to drive her new scooter to Walmart! The many trees down in her yard seemed like the least of her problems. That assessment stop took a while! Next stop we got a belly laugh out of the lady who told us that she had to rush out of her house when the hurricane was knocking down trees all around her and all she had time to grab was her medicines, purse, puppy and wig! At another home, Chan noticed a Billly Graham book displayed on the coffee table & when she asked about it—the lady beamed & told us how she had met BG and he had saved her then they had exchanged letters for years.
Usually we appreciate GPS but did it really need to take us down a slushy, muddy Georgia clay road with huge ruts and deep ditches!? I could feel our little car bogging down so I did what my Dancer Rd experience taught me…gunned it!!! As we slipped & slid back & forth for about 2 miles, mud was flying everywhere. Chan was roaring with laughter. The final stretch was the most challenging as our back tires sunk in and the front tires were weaving back & forth. I floored it and we finally hit pavement. Relief. Our guts were hurting from laughing & the car was covered with orange mud. At our next stop, the homeowner asked, "Are you guys alright?" That got us laughing again.
Early am and later pm is the best times to make phone calls. People are so excited to hear from us? Helene was in early October & many of the people we call have not heard from anyone since they requested help. They live more than an hour from the major cities where volunteers & relief organizations have been based. Our calls are a beacon of hope and you can hear the joy in their voices! Of course, we have to tell them we can't assure them they'll get help as that depends on the funding and number of volunteers…but they smile and thank us profusely anyways. Their names make us smile: Willie Mae, Johnny Fye, Gracie, Lillie, Thelma Lou.
A local man has been coming to chainsaw with Rog a few days which means a little less chainsawing for Rog. He got a chuckle out of the lady who asked him not to cut up a down tree because she wanted to create a Babylon setting under it. He continues to sleep soundly.
I have to tell on Chan…she is a strong believer in eating healthy…but was drinking McD Diet Coke with me several times. She even ate a McD hamburger to celebrate my birthday. Chan left after 5 days with a big smile and a happy heart. Our days are full and rewarding.

Update #3

Well, I didn't expect this! About 3-4" of snow & freezing cold for 3 days! Really???!! Rog and Zach had been on a roll getting trees cut up & moving piles and I had been making phone calls, assessing damages & lining up jobs for the guys. Then bang, we woke up to snow that put the skids on everything…except phone calling…which are actually fun because people are so excited to hear from us and eager to talk. Most are snowed in. Almost everything around here is closed.
When I'm out doing the assessments, I'm often invited to sit in the living room or at the kitchen table to fill out the required paperwork. That's where I also listen to their stories. This week I visited a lady who had been caring for her mom until last week…when she died. I met a young mom of three girls whose husband died in November. She asked, "How do you do all this without a man? My husband would have had this mess cleaned up. I just can't." Another lady was so relieved to hear we could help because she'd been at the hospital supporting her son who had been in a bad car accident Christmas Eve. Now she needs to try to get a ramp built & house ready for him to come home. Just too much.
Their stories make me feel guilty that my biggest complaint is that I'm not wearing shorts & flip flops!
Driving around doing assessments is the best job. Bekah helped us figure out how to hook our phones to car play which clearly tells us where to go so I can just enjoy the ride. The last two days before the storm, I actually went by myself and didn't make a wrong turn!
Rog is still feeling good and actually says he's enjoying the chainsawing…and the appreciation & praise from the homeowners. Zach is quite a story teller & preacher and encourages Rog to tell him about our trips so they don't lack for conversation. Shannon, the other volunteer, has had a severe migraine so we haven't seen much of her.
Today is my birthday and I've been getting lots of bd wishes all day. Love it! I asked to go to Red Lobster so Rog called and they said they'd be open for lunch but probably not dinner. We were the only ones there at noon. We got really good serviceTheir rolls, coconut fried shrimp & chocolate brownie sundae was just what I had hoped for! Headed back to base to make more phone calls and line up more assessments. We now have almost 20 ready to go as soon as the snow melts!

Update #2

This morning Rog fixed his famous frittata and he & Zach gobbled that up then took off to cut up a huge tree that took all morning. I started calling trying to scratch up volunteers. Mostly I only left messages or emailed. The few I actually talked to didn't leave me feeling too hopeful. Twenty-six churches/groups and nothing for sure. As I mentioned, we're staying in a church has. It has 3 kids' rooms that needed cleaning. So as a thank you for letting us bunk here & use their kitchen, I cleaned the rooms. Guys got back around 6:30 for soup supper. Chainsaw needed sharpening so Rog did that while I put together a work list for tomorrow. Next day, I rode to the sites with the guys & made lots more phone calls as they guys worked on more trees. If yard stuff or small debris needed to get moved, that was my job. Rog is doing lots of chainsawing but luckily, he doesn't seem to have stirred up his back/hip pain. Zach runs the skid load with ease & accuracy. When the saw blades got dull, we headed back to base. We'd put a roast in a slow cooker so dinner was ready for us & we were ready for it! Next day, off to another site where a huge double tree had split right down the middle and fell in opposite directions! After several hours, the saw quit so off we went to find a repair shop. They said it would probably be a couple months before we got it back. Inspiritus has several more so it won't stop us…but somebody ought to open another chainsaw repair shop cause there's lots of chainsawing needing down around here!! After we stopped at base to pick up another saw, we were back at it. We come "home" tired but satisfied. Rog sent a picture of our bedroom to our kids…Jake responded saying it looked like we'd been to Good Will and made it a CRC (Chelsea Retirement Community) room. Kinda does remind of that except we sleep on air mattresses & not in hospital beds! Whatever, we feel like it's home and both sleep well.
Our next several days filled up with more chainsawing, moving debris, making phone calls & lining up assessments, and meeting homeowners. Rog seems to be enjoying cutting up the trees—some humongous ones. Zach grabs them with the claws on the skid loader & piles them up by the roadside for the city to pick up. He probably can easily pick up a toy in one of those claw game machines! And me, I'm good at filling out assessments, making phone calls & chatting with the homeowners.
Good news, one more Inspiritus volunteer, Shannon is here and I've got lots of "fishing poles" out there hoping for more!

Update 1

 Intro: So we're off again…too cold to stay home and adventure calls. As always, I will NOT be editing. I write these updates mostly so I can record our daily happenings so they don't get lost in my fading memory. I send them to you so you can trash them, skim them or maybe they'll make you smile. Please let me know if you'd prefer not to get the updates and I'll remove your name and it will not hurt my feelings!! Really!

Jan 8
We took off around 9 heading for Gibsonia to see Jake's family. David had a wrestling meet so we made it in plenty of time to see him work out with his team and then congratulate him on his wrestling. Elin, Tim, (her boyfriend )and the rest of the family waited for us to get home to celebrate Elin's 18th birthday. Can't imagine she's that old already. Next night, Elin & I cooked a Thai dinner and Addie made a scrumptious coffee cake. Mmm. Next morning, Sarah took us to the airport where we caught a flight to Savannah, GA. Since Hurricane Helene had caused so much destruction last October, we decided to do most our volunteer work here in the States. Back in November, we tried to sign up to help with All Hands & Hearts working in N. Caroline. They had too many volunteers already. We tried Red Cross. Same story. We tried Samaritan Purse. Same story. I remembered a friend we'd met while working with All H & H had started a disaster relief group, Inspiritus & sent a message to her. She immediately called me up & said, we need you in Georgia! They are not getting much help. She even offered to fly us there (using a non-profit that collects donated miles). So off we went. For 10 days stayed at an United Methodist church camp in a bunk house. We were asked to do assessments which meant we drove all over, meeting homeowners & assessing their damage. Then we wrote up a report which was turned over to the people doing the work. We met about 60 people who were very glad to see us! We were thanked & blessed over and over. Humbling. So we agreed to join Inspiritus again after the holidays. So here we are again in Georgia…Savannah. We are staying in an United Methodist church's community hall. We have our air mattresses set up in the room where brides dress. Not bad! Zach is the project manager and Bill (a pilot) is the only other volunteer!! They have chain saws & a skid loader. While they work, Rog & I use an app that list all the people who have applied for help. Total for the entire area hit by Helene is over 50,000. Rog zeros in on an area close to us, we call them to set up a meeting and after we get about 8, off we go to assess the damage & write a report. If it's small job, we do it. It feels so good to change a red dot to a green dot!
Sunday morning is not a good time for reaching people…but a good time to go to church. This UM church service is very much like our home church in the 1960's. They also had to vote about disaffiliation…and stayed UM by 1 vote. About 40% left so there were only about 50 people at the service. Sad. They have great facilities here but $$ is tight. After church, I made soup and then we made more phone calls & off to do more assessments. Monday we woke to rain. We already have lots of jobs lined up so it was a good day to do some grocery shopping, cleaning (I think the janitor isn't working) and made lasagna. Bill left so Zach is catching up on paper work and trying to line up more volunteers. I'll be calling around tomorrow to see if I can find some local volunteers.