25 March 2007
We have arrived safely after two days of travel covering nearly 1000
miles. We received our orientation and will receive work
assignments in the morning. Camp Biloxi's spiritual director
joined our team for compline this evening.
Special thanks go out to the good people of Messiah Lutheran Church,
Knoxville, for graciously letting us crash in their building and using
their sanctuary for compline and morning suffrages.
Team members eager to get moving!
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Mountaineers play b'ball in Messiah (Knoxville) Lutheran's fellowship hall.
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Relaxing with some tunes.
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26 March 2007
 Seth Hall, 23
Biology (Senior)
Bluefield, WV
"One day I
hope to serve on a mercy ship as a physician or pharmacist to help foreign
countries in need."
Today my group was assigned to work on a home that had uneven floors. We laid floor tiles after leveling the floors
with baseboard. I came into this trip knowing no one yet I already feel like part of a team on a religious journey to
do God's work. In order to prepare
myself each day I like to read Ephesians 2:8-10 to remind myself of the true
reason for why I am here which is not by merit but because of God's grace. |
 Stephanie Zinn, 24
Broadcast News
Millersville, MD
"I hope to find a way to use my skills in youth ministry."
I
am amazed at how much damage still remains along the coast of Biloxi.
There is still a great need along the gulf. Even
after a hard days work we are excited for tomorrow. Each night we close
in a prayer service and it reminds us of the reason we are here. The
fact that this
is a Christian organization makes all the difference. Of course, I am
making many new friends and memories I hope I never forget. |
Flooring Crew at the job site.
Before
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After
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Today the team divided into two crews. One of the jobs required that
new tile be laid along with necessary underlayment. Fortunately, four
of out team members had prior experience in flooring. With additional
help assigned, the flooring crew headed off to its job site.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the team was assigned to a property requiring
major yard work. Armed with shovels, rakes, weed wackers, a mower,
gloves, and strong backs, the crew transformed a jungle into well
ordered yards, sidewalk, and curbing. Only the stumps of two uprooted
trees remain awaiting workers with greater expertise.
After the work of the day was completed, the team reassembled for
dinner at Camp Biloxi and an impromtpu, yet highly competitive wiffle
ball game. Over an evening snack of ice cream sandwhiches, the team
divided up kitchen chores for the next day. Adam Veit, assisted by two
other team members, then led compline. Some spent the rest of the
evening in conversation. Some turned in, tired from a days labor, and,
while they snored, three young men received a vocabulary lesson from
Chaplain Riegel at the Scrabble board. |
27 March 2007
While the flooring crew continued their assignment, the bulk of the
team worked to correct ceiling problems in a modest house.
Working in shifts, the team scraped, sanded, and repainted the
ceiling. Since not everyone was needed for the painting aspect, a
portion of the team headed for a debris pile that needed to be loaded
into a dumpster. Here are some photos: "Just beginning" on the
left; "Just finished" on the right.
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 Justin Wood
Political Science (Junior)
Charleston, WV
"One day I hope to win an oversized check and grow a bread as manly as Riegel's."
Over the last few days I've spent 16 hours in a beat up van, turned a
jungle into a yard, painstakingly scraped paint from a ceiling, filled
the largest dumpster I've ever seen with the most disgusting trash I've
ever handled, woke up before the sun came up for breakfast, and had the
best time ever doing it all. Despite the lack of sleep, lack of food,
and lack of being clean I am constantly filled with laughter,
happiness, and love. It really is beautiful seeing this group of
strangers come together to turn our individual compassion into an
amazing collective action. |
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 Jon Zettlemoyer
Public Relations
Little Egg Harbor, NJ
“When life hands you lemons, make a cheese steak.”
It is a little more than half way through our trip and it is beautiful down here. While
being down here I have realized how much people value little things,
such as holding a door open, or offering to throw away trash at the
lunch table. It is the greatest feeling to have strangers thank you for
what you have done and for people to be so kind and offer a helping
hand. It is now time to go back out in the work field and have some
more fun. See ya, people.
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28-29 March 2007
The
Lutheran Disaster Response Collegiate
Corps has returned from its Spring Break deployment in Biloxi,
MS. This was LDRCC's third time
in Biloxi, assisting with continuing H.Katrina recovery work. We took
lots of pictures and collected plenty of stories. While we
haven't had the opportunity to get everything posted yet, some stuff is
already on-line. Visit agani in a few days to get a fuller idea
of LDRCC's work over the week in Biloxi. For more information
about LDRCC and the "Posts from the Field" for this deployment posted
thus far, click here. Meanwhile, here is the "After Action Report for March 28-29."
Yesterday, the team got into the field early and pressed to get as much
as possible accomplished before 1:00 PM. The flooring crew
completed its first assignment. Most f the the women formed their
own crew and returned to work on the ceiling the day before. The
remaining men were assigned to grounds keeping duties in the
camp. Some might think that grounds keeping is not what disaster
response volunteers should be doing. Indeed, raking leaves and
cleaning camp road ways hardly compares with images of rebuilding
homes, but a moment's thought leads to different conclusions.
Camp can be a dusty place and accumulating leaves add to the
clutter. Volunteers need a camp environment which affords
refreshment in anticipation of another day's labor. If the camp
is an unpleasant place, volunteers are weakened in the field.
Neighbors must also be considered. Camp Biloxi's neighbors are,
in essence, living next to a strange blend of construction site and
college dormitory (at least for these Spring break weeks), not to
mention the constant hum of HVAC and refrigeration systems.
Lastly, dead, dry leaves (and there are plenty of them) pose a fire
hazard and an appealing habitat for unwelcome furry guests.
Taking care of the camp is a necessary support function for taking care
of the community. Later that morning, some of the grounds keepers
were reassigned to a dumpster, which they filled to the brim in a
flurry of activity.
By mid-afternoon, the team had showered and changed for an evening in
New Orleans. Many remarked at the remaining devastation which can
be readily seen as one rides into the city. Many also remarked on
how the French Quarter appeared undamaged, and, since the goal of the
expedition was a little R & R, more than one reveled in the
pleasures of the local cuisine.
Morning, however, comes early. At 6:10 a.m., before the sun had
even arisen, Director of Operations Zach Kochy and Field Commander Nick
Hornbeck rousted the somnolent from their bunks, and all were in the
dining tent for the 6:30 a.m. breakfast. The flooring crew went
to the house where the women had been working on the ceiling to begin
installation of a new floor. The bulk of the team headed for a
new assignment, which began as a small demolition job but, as is often
the case, turned into a major demolition job when rotted flooring and
poorly installed joists were discovered. After a couple of hours,
a small crew split off and tackled a second dumpster and a little
drywall sanding at the previous day's site.
This evening, one of the team members lead the meal time prayer,
including a petition for a Mountaineer victory over Clemson in the
NIT. Apparently, the Lord does answer prayer. Tomorrow will
be another day, one starting at 5:00 a.m. for two members assigned to
KP.
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 Glenn Propst, 19
Engineering (Freshman)
Clarksburg WV
"I hope to one day design structures that effect lives and change the world."
I lived on Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi for 5 years from ’92 to ’96
and its been ten years since I have been here. It has been heart
wrenching to see the destruction and downright obliteration of a place
I call home. However it is absolutely uplifting to see the togetherness
and downright determination of this city to get back on its feet. It
has been an honor to help a place I call home to become so for people
now and in the future. (This picture of Glenn was taken at his
elementary school).
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30 March 2007
Our last day of work! Split up into three crews, LDRCC pushed
hard to complete assigned tasks. The flooring crew, having
suffered a major set back the previous day, completed an entire room
with ceramic tiling in one sustained push. the demolition crew,
under FC Hornbeck's leadership, repaired ceiling and floor joists, laid
new subflooring, and installed new ceiling tiles. The painting
crew, lead by Laura Pfeifer took on a new assignment, completing the
painting of a hallway, trim, bedrooms, and other miscellaneous tasks.
 Work
completed, the team ate dinner at Camp Biloxi, completed paperwork, and
began prepping for departure. Just after sunset, the team went to
the beach. Chaplain Riegel, donning his fire fighter and park
ranger hats, talked team members Veit and Alex out of building a fire,
citing near gale force winds as a safety hazard. Spirits only
slightly dampened, team members romped at the water's edge, held foot
races--Steinmiller redeemed his earlier wiffle ball humiliation by
defeating a forty-one year old man in the sprint [not really sure if
this is something he should be proud of--or strolled about
contemplatively. The team then adjourned to Sonic for ice cream
before returning to Camp Biloxi and one last night in the dormitory
containers. |
 Cari Ball, 18
Human Foods and Nutrition
Winchester, VA
"My goal is to educate the underprivileged countries and make the world a healthier place."
I was more than amazed to see how much damage and destruction was still
in Biloxi. At the beginning of the trip I had no idea what kind of work
I would be doing or how much of a big difference I would really make.
That all changed when it occurred to me that it was the Friday and we
were done with our work week. From the 6 a.m. wake up calls that lead
to the sleep deprived and exhausted work week to the showers that were
much anticipated once the day was done, I realized what it really meant
to make a difference. The smiles on the faces of the home owners
and their family after seeing a part of their life becoming closer to
normal was all it took.
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 Sarah Lewis, 18
Exercise Physiology
Winchester, VA
"Live and let live."
Spending a week in Biloxi has been an awesome experience. It amazes me
how spending 5 days with families affected by the hurricane can change
my aspect on life. I loved helping out in any way possible this week
and that will definitely not be the last time I do.
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31 March 2007
Homeward bound! The team ate breakfast this morning, packed up
the vehicles, and were on the road by 8:30 a.m.. Stopping first
at the US-90 bridge east of Biloxi, team members checked out the
progress on the new bridge. When last the team was in Biloxi, the
ruined remains of the bridge still lay toppled like dominoes in the
mouth of the bay. The team then backtracked to the H.Katrina
Memorial to pay respects and take a few photos.
The long drive to Knoxville, though marked by a few minor difficulties,
ended happily enough at Messiah Lutheran Church. A dinner of
pizza was followed by conversations, basketball, and videos.
1 April 2007
Palm Sunday! The team rolled out before the morning twilight had
graced the sky. A refueling stop near Bristol and a quick
breakfast in Bluefield were the only interruptions in the remaining
trip home. Arriving in Morgantown, the team quickly unloaded
equipment into the container at St. Paul. Each member was given
their vehicle assignments to return them to their residences, and,
grabbing their personal gear, dispersed in record time. Drivers
returned the rental vehicles to Enterprise, and another deployment was
declared concluded. Surprisingly, more than a few team members
attended Palm Sunday mass this evening despite signs of exhaustion.
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LDRCC has an on-line presence beyond this page. Probably of most use to the WVU collegian is our LDRCC-WVU FaceBook Group. Feel to visit and/or join. If you are not on the WVU facebook network, you can visit and join our global LDRCC FaceBook Group. 
