Christmas Joy!

We wish you...safe travels, joyful reunions, a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with good health, much happiness and peace throughout the world!







WT Bear as O Tannenbaum

Kelsey Stone Memorial CROP Walk a Great Success!

Eli is happy to continue the

family tradition of caring!

Barry was proud to walk (okay, ride)

in memory of his brother, Kelsey!

Thanks to many generous donors, the Kelsey Stone Memorial CROP Walk, held as part of the annual Ann Arbor CROP Walk on Sunday, October 8th, netted $3,200 in funds to support local and international ministries!

Barry and Eli Sprowls walked in memory of their brother, Kelsey.

Thanks to all who helped to ensure that this wonderful tradition of caring continues!

Reformation Roundup!

The Luthers: Reformation Royalty!

The Papal Bull was eventually...decapitated!

Katie Luther struggles to down just one more (gummy) worm!

Andrew rocked at the Baptismal Apple Bobbing Contest!

Wow!

Our Reformation Homecoming Extravaganza was a blast!

After catching the Wolverines trounce the Northwestern Wildcats, alumni gathered in the cozy lounge for a wonderful time of food, fellowship and reconnecting with old friends. Ruth Kallio and Zoe Behnke hosted this first-ever event, welcoming Jim & Louise Low, John & Karen Warsop, Marilyn & Frode Maaseidvaag, Herb Mueller, & Bryan & Layale Weinert. A highlight of the afternoon was the chance to view a DVD put together by John Eibler which featured scenes from Lutheran Student Association gatherings circa 1942. A great time was had by all!

On Sunday, the chapel was packed (84 souls) for worship. In keeping with the "Reformation Homecoming" theme, the newly formed LoL Bottle Choir delighted the crowd with "A Mighty Fortress" as the prelude and "Hail to the Victors" as the postlude. Ten newcomers were received into membership at LoL.

Following worship, folks gathered in the fellowship hall, lounge and out on the lawn for a German-style lunch. Lutheran staples like tater tot hotdish and red Jell-O were joined by recent innovations including a diet of (gummy) worms cake and simul justus et peccator (simultaneously saint and sinner) cake, comprised of angel food and devil's food

Reformation-themed fun followed with the battering of a papal bull and games of pin the thesis on the Reformation elf, fishing for people and baptismal apple bobbing. Three hearty souls participated in the Diet of (Gummy) Worms eating contest and all enjoyed the Reformation Trivia contest.

An appearance by Martin and Katie Luther topped off the day. It was no surprise that they were crowned king and queen of Reformation Homecoming!

Festifall 2006

Puppy Evangelism!

Max does "the robot" with slap bracelets!

Kyle Hofmann joins in the fun!

Wow! Time flies! July and August have passed and we are now into the new academic year, which is off to a great start!

For the first time, we participated in the EMU “Fajita Fest” for new students on Labor Day. Good conversations took place between currently active and prospective students.

Rush LOL (lambda omega lambda) was our theme for this year's FestiFall, UM's annual all-campus student activities fair, was a splashing success. We gave away 250 slap bracelets emblazoned with "Lutheran Campus Ministry" and our website address (www.lol-a2.org) as well as about 150 similarly designed maize and blue carabineers.

Board member Kyle Hofmann came out to lend a hand!

Sunday, September 10th found many new students at worship for our "Rush LOL" kickoff event. Once again, Tim Krohn is busy engaging everyone with musical inclinations in leadership of worship. At LoL/LCM, worship truly is "the work of the people."

The students have discovered a great use for the portable projector: They hook it up to the TV and project UM away games on the lounge wall! There is no end to their creativity! Today's event brought out about a dozen folks to watch Michigan trounce Notre Dame in South Bend. 3-0. Ann Arbor is a happy town tonight!

Sue

Call for Campus Ministry Stories

The Lutheran takes a look at higher education in its November issue each year to give readers a glimpse of ministry on campus at ELCA schools and other colleges and universities.

This fall, our denominational magazine wants to help lay the foundation for the 2007 Centennial of Lutheran Campus Ministry by reporting stories from LCM alums. Please let us know if you have stories to share. Your reflections may focus on responses to one or more of the following questions (or any topic you wish to address):

How did you get involved with ELCA ministry on your campus?

How did your participation relate to your academic or social life as well as your faith and commitment to church? Career decisions?

How do those campus ministry experiences continue to shape you?

Your stories of 250 words or fewer are invited for consideration as a selection will be printed in the November issue of The Lutheran.

Please send your email responses (by August 31st) to: pastorsprowls@comcast.net and I'll forward them to The Lutheran. (And please be sure to remind us of the years that you were active!)

We look forward to hearing your stories!

Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Pastor Sue

We Will Go Fishing

Philip Melancthon, the great Reformation theologian, once said to his friend Martin Luther, "This day you and I will discuss the governance of theuniverse."

What Luther said in response was unexpected: "This day you and I will go fishing and leave the governance of the universe to God."

Source: Our Daily Bread, March-May, 1996

Campus Pastors Gathering

Well, I have finally achieved yet another milestone in faith: my very first trip to Minnesota! While I had been planning to wait until the 10th anniversary of my ordination to make the pilgrimmage to the Lutheran Holy Land of the Upper Midwest, duty called and I went to Minneapolis for the Episcopal - Lutheran Campus Pastors' National Gathering.

The event was held at Augsburg College, which is a lovely little campus. The dorms were comfortable and the weather was quite pleasant for late June.

As is typical of these events, the most enriching aspect of the gathering was the opportunity to interact with colleagues from around the country. Events like this remind me what a blessing it is to have had an ecumenical theological education, as the ability to "speak Episcopal" and to know people from divinity school makes it a rich time.

I did glean some good ideas - particularly regarding the use of Facebook to promote campus ministry. We'll see how they go forward from here!

Planning for the fall is underway even as we continue to work on administrative matters like insurance, constitutions, etc.

Sue

I can't leave it there...

For the past week, I've been trying to break into this program to add a post-script to last Wednesday's entry. I simply couldn't fathom leaving that entry as the last one detailing our trip to the Holy Land! And so, let me try to add some additional light to the story...

Picking up where we left off...

While I had planned a trip to Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Memorial, on Wednesday afternoon, one of my pastoral colleagues suggested that would not be the most helpful choice. Instead, she encouraged me to take the afternoon to process and rest, which I did. It was very good advice. (Sometimes, it makes a world of difference to have such a caring friend.)

By Wednesday evening, I was in a much brighter place, ready to enjoy dinner with the group and friends at the Armenian Tavern just off of Jaffa Gate. (n.b.: BEST hummous around!) It was great to have the life and energy of children in our midst. Silliness reigned.

Later that night, Marty, Lori and I went for coffee and then to sit on the grass just outside the wall of the Old City. Shortly after we settled in, a Muslim family arrived for an evening picnic. Within a few minutes, the father was over offering us snacks - not once but twice - and we enjoyed watching him play with his little daughter, who was about 2 years old. As we got ready to leave, we went over to thank them for their hospitality and they invited us to stay a while. More food was offered (learning to say, "no, thank you" has proved to be indispensable) and stories were shared. They are the only Arab family living in the Jewish Quarter and have been for hundreds of years. I know that we Americans often long for the family homestead or the house in which we grew up but our attachment to bricks and mortar pales in comparison to that of a family that's lived in a house for so many generations.

On Thursday, ten of our group joined with two women who were visiting former global mission staff for a trip to Masada, the Dead Sea (Ein Gedi) and Jericho. The women were from the San Gabriel Valley of California, where I spent a decade of my life. As I talked with one of the women, I inquired where she'd lived before So Cal. Chicago (I'd recognized the accent). What did you do there? I was a teacher. Where did you teach? Austin High School. Whoa. My grandmother taught there for many years but she retired in the late 50s...you probably didn't know her... She was my supervisor when I was student teaching! Talk about a small world! I went all the way to the Dead Sea and there discovered a woman who knew my grandmother. Now, I must admit (tongue in cheek) that I was a bit circumspect because she kept referring to Marion as "sweet." But then she shared a telling story. 'Seems that when Kathleen finished her student teaching, Marion was to rate her preformance in ten categories. She gave Kathleen top marks in 9 of the 10 categories but left the 10th one blank. Kathleen said, "When I asked her about it, she said, 'Nobody's perfect.'" Now, THAT was my grandmother! Imagine...

Masada.
I overcame my fear of heights and took the cable car up to the top. I had carefully put on sunscreen and my trusty YDS baseball cap. But I had forgotten to take care of the tops of my ears. OUCH! I burned them but good! Masada is an interesting place. Hard to imagine how the construction took place or understand how the Romans managed to overrun such a high fortress. Especially long before the days of heavy construction equipment!

We had lunch at Ein Gedi and had a chance to put our fingers or toes in the Dead Sea. Current salt content? 32%. Hailed for its healing properties, I found it burned! (Tender skin, you know!) But the salt formations on the rocks were really fascinating. ..just encrusted with salt!

In Jericho, we visited the tree that Zaccheus climbed in order to see Jesus. That was pretty fun. Then, we stopped at a rest-stop (aka tourist trap) of some size. Anne lamented that we were the only tourists there. At this time of year, she explained, the place should be crawling with tourists. After a rest, a snack and a little bit of browsing, I walked outside to find Bob taking a camel ride around the parking lot. C'mon, Sue! Try it! It's fun! So I did! And it was! Sami the camel did yeoman's work that day. He carried Bob, then me, then Kathleen, then our bishop, who wrote a new synod theme song as a result: Bishop rode the camel in Jericho, Jericho, Jericho...Bishop rode the camel in Jericho and the beast came tumblin' down... It really was a lot of fun!

Thursday evening, we received instructions on our Friday schedule through to the point of going through security at the airport. It was quite a process but I was treated more kindly than others in our group...At least a couple of folks had to repack (though we all agreed, "Pity the poor folks who open our suitcases filled with dirty clothes after 10 days in the desert"!)

On Friday, we visited the Martin Luther Senior Center next to Redeemer Church in the Old City. Then, our guide, Karin, took us around the Old City, including St. Anne's Church, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter. We couldn't go up onto the Haram because it was Friday and that was a disappointment but the Western Wall was a remarkable surprise! It had energy! It vibrated! It's comprised of living stones! It was quite an experience. Since it was Friday and Shavuot to boot, no photos were allowed in the area of the Western Wall. That was a bit of a disappointment but I was reminded that some experiences cannot be captured - even by my trusty Nikon.

I did a little shopping on Friday afternoon. I should not have gone alone because I'm more likely to spend too much on items when I don't have a consultant. Not only that but in one shop across from Redeemer, I had a most interesting exchange with the shopkeeper...I had my eye on a little package of mezuzot and I knew what I would pay for them - and not a shekel more. The man in the shop was a tough barterer but I stood my ground. And then, he started flirting. Very funny. It came down to this: Are you single or married? Single. Why? I haven't found the right person yet. I am ready! So, the mezuzot cost me 100 shekels and my phone number.

We had a wonderful presentation on Islam 101 that evening but I felt sorry for our speaker as we were all glazing over. After the presentation and dinner at a restaurant near Jaffa Gate, we went to the Silers' flat to rest and freshen up. Before we knew it, it was 1AM and the van was there to take us to the airport.

We went through the checkpoint near the airport, through security (how many times? three?) and then waited to board our flight for a 5:30AM departure to Frankfurt. This time, we were frisked only once in Frankfurt as we made our way to our connecting flight.

It's good to be home but a few of us have noted that a part of ourselves was left back in the Holy Land...especially in Bethlehem and at the Lutheran schools...We have a new appreciation - and perhaps a bit of guilt - about how easy life is for us here.

I know that I'll be unpacking the images and emotions of the trip for some time to come.

Peace, Shalom, Salaam,
Sue

The Hardest Day - May 31

Friends,

Today was the hardest day. Those of you who have been here will understand what that means. It was the day when the emotional impact of the situation hit with full force.

The day began simply enough - with a visit to the Lutheran World Federation's Vocational Training Center - which has been in existence since 1951. They teach metal working, auto-technology, woodworking, plumbing/electrical and telecommunications. Their students have done quite well. However, in recent months, fewer and fewer students and teachers have been granted permits to go to the school. The school cannot obtain reasonably priced materials from their usual suppliers and so have to purchase more expensive materials from other vendors. In addition, the market for their work has grown smaller. It is increasingly difficult for all involved.

After the VTC, we moved on to Augusta Victoria Hospital. Some of you know that the Israeli government has been trying to extract taxes from this institution which has to date been tax exempt (like other similar institutions). That case has been in the courts for 7 years and has caused the hospital to live precariously for some time. However, the greatest threat to the life of the hospital is due to the responses of other nations to the Palestinian elections. As the hospital administrator explained: They ousted a corrupt government (Fatah). Out of frustration that nothing had been done - and as a result of the fact that Fatah ran multiple candidates in districts in which Hamas ran only one (in some cases, two Fatah candidates combined received more votes than the one Hamas candidate), Hamas was elected to power. These democratic elections were held peacefully and without incident. But still, the US and others have chosen to withhold funds from the Palestinian Authority. This is not hurting Hamas. It's hurting the Palestinian people.

Augusta Victoria's largest insurer has been the Palestinian Authority. Since the PA has not funds (and has not paid salaries in 3 months), the hospital has been informed that the insurance program cannot pay for patient care. For Augusta Victoria, that's like an American hospital receiving notice from Medicare that it cannot pay for healthcare. And yet, the hospital must keep its doors open. Health care is its mission. If it were to close, chances of reopening would be small. Further, if they were to close and then reopen, the hospital would be subject to new regulations (building codes, etc.) from which it has been exempt as it's been grandfathered into the current system.

Augusta Victoria is the only hospital that provides pediatric oncology and pediatric dialysis for Palestinian children. It is a struggle for patients even to get to the hospital for treatment. Although all had the proper permits to get to the hospital, the soldier at a checkpoint once told the cancer patients in a group that they could continue on but refused passage to the diabetic patients. Of course, diabetes can become life threatening very quickly. The hospital administrator has had to negotiate passage for these patients as well as one person each to accompany patients to hospital. (It's tradition in the Palestinian culture that family members care for a patient while hospitalized.) With the checkpoint restrictions, it is almost always difficult and sometimes impossible for family members to be with their loved ones who are ill.

Since the Palestinian economy is so depressed and people are fearful of healthcare, they are seeing third-world type maladies, especially cancers that have gone undiagnosed for extended periods. The hospital provides first world cancer care but much of their work is palliative as diseases have often progressed to stage iv by the time patients are seen at Augusta Victoria.

We were in the dialysis center when it was switching over from adult to pediatric dialysis sessions. I don't think any of us will forget the sight of a little five year old boy coming in for dialysis...

Augusta Victoria is atop the Mount of Olives. There are 800+ olive trees on the land. As I stood atop the Mount of Olives, overlooking the valley and the wall surrounding Bethlehem, I broke down and wept.

Bishop Schreiber pointed out the irony that today, we stood in the same place as the disciples did after the ascension wondering, "What do we do now?" and we are wondering the same thing.

My heart is heavy today.

Sue

Hello from Hebron! May 30, 2006

Hello from (or rather following) Hebron!

I forgot to mention that yesterday afternoon we spent a couple of hours talking with Bishop Younan. It was a good dialogue and he is pleased with our growing partnership. It was a lively conversation!

Okay. Today. We went to the little village of Tuwani, a tiny village mostly of shepherds, where we met with members of the Christian Peacemaker Team currently serving there (including a young Lutheran woman who had been a member of our bishop's wife's first parish - got that?). They have neither electricity nor running water. They must carry their water from a single well. On the hill above Tuwani is a settler outpost. Twice, the settlers have scattered poison on the fields where the sheep graze. Sheep died before the poison was discovered and cleaned up. No people seem to have been effected except for a woman in the village who was pregnant at the time (about 14 months ago) was delayed in giving birth. (The same was true for one of the mother sheep.) At one point, the settlers put chickens into the village well in an attempt to poison them. That has since been cleaned up.

Tuwani's biggest challenge has been that the settlers have harassed (stoned) the village children (and those of a nearby village) as they make their way to school. CPT folks have been busy accompanying children to school for some time. A couple of CPT folks were severely injured, prompting the authorities to assign to the police and military the task of accompanying and protecting the children from harassment and danger. Unfortunately, the children now have to take a much longer route to school (10 vs 2 km) and can go only when the police or soldiers show up. Well, the police were harassed by the settlers, so they refused to accompany the children in the future so now it's up to the military to look after the kids. Unfortunately, the soldiers don't always show up on time or at all in order to fulfill this order. (Julianne was right; Tuwani is INCREDIBLY dusty.)

The villagers are so appreciative of the work done by CPT and an Italian group called Doves of Peace, that they built a simple home for the volunteers.

Women in the village - over the objections of their husbands - established a handicraft co-op to help raise funds for their families which are in direeconomic straights these days. Then men have come around as they have seen the women's work help to support their families!

After Tuwani we went into Hebron. We had been standing in the market for only a few minutes when a few settler kids (who occupy a house ABOVE the market) came running out and throwing things down toward the market. Since that area of the city is overseen by the Palestinian Authority, the city installed either chain link fencing or a more sturgy heavy wire mesh above the marketplace to limit injuries. However, one of the boys threw something like a thin pipe through the screen into the market where people were working and shopping.

The city has suffered under 72-hour curfews in the past, causing many shopkeepers to leave. Businesses are seriously depressed. People are seriously depressed but they continue on. It's a Palestinian tradition called "samood" = steadfastness, patience, forebearance.

We had a wonderful (cozy) falafel lunch in the market ($100 shekels for 12 people; 4.4 shekels per $1 US) and that included drinks! Then, we went on to the Ibrahimi Mosque, where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rachel, Jacob and Leah are said to be buried. We had to go through a check point to get there. Easy for us but not so for the Palestinian men who were detained as we went in and still being detained as we departed an hour later! Our tour guide has been doing this for 57 years. He speaks in a low voice, very quickly, and tells jokes that amuse him. (What was Adam and Eve's phone number? Hint: It consists of three numbers and a word. Give up? 2 8 1 Apple)

This is the mosque at which there was a massacre in 1994. 29 people were killed on site. Many others were killed outside the local hospital while waiting for word of their loved ones. A curfew was called in the midst of the chaos and the soldiers fired on the waiting family members, bringing the death toll into the 90s. Abu Hani witnessed these events firsthand. He showed us the marks of the bullets in the marble columns around the nook in which the Imam sits. (But you should see the Imam's pulpit! Holy Homiletics Batman! It goes up for days!)

We did a little shopping in the market, toured a local center and then dragged our weary bodies back to the van. Fortunately, it was parked next to a little store so we could purchase popsicles and cold drinks. We needed them!

Following this, we went to the Palestine Child Art Center (www.pcac.net), an amazing place committed to helping children discover their talent, express their feelings and cultivate a culture of peace through art. It was a great visit with some wonderfully talented and committed people. Ask me about the 100 doves project. Amazing!

One more stop: At the Hebron Glass Factory. Beautiful stuff! Oh, my...I restrained myself. Pretty well. You'll just have to see!

Tonight, we are off. We were to have a speaker from Rabbis for Human Rights but they were having trouble finding someone and we are pooped, so we have a chance to sleep longer than usual (which is a blessing!).

I'll put in my ear plugs, set the alarm and...zonk...until 6:30 tomorrow morning when we get going again: Augusta Victoria Hospital in the AM and Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Memorial) in the afternoon, then Armenian dinner. Whew!

I thought I knew what it meant to be exhausted...have I learned!

Shalom, Salaam, Peace from Jerusalem,
Sue

Jammin' in Jerusalem May 29, 2006

Greetings from Jerusalem!

(YAY! The hard returns work on this computer!)

I'm writing to you from an internet cafe by Jaffa Gate, the Old City. On Sunday morning, Marty and I went to worship with the Arabic speaking congregation at Redeemer in Jerusalem. What a wonderful group of folks!The pastor trained at Tubingen. Though he preaches in Arabic, his style is clearly German. Naturally, everyone in the congregation is multi-lingual (couldn't say that in the States) so there was no need to translate my greeting or Marty's. Very hospitable folks. They worship at the same time as the English speaking congregation at Redeemer (there are also German and Danish congregations) so they share coffee hour together in the beautiful courtyard. Funny Lutherans. They provide only HOT beverages: tea and (argh!) Nescafe! (Nescafe is all over the place! Even the Swedes serve it!)

As we waited to be picked up near Jaffa Gate, the Armenian priests and seminarians came through. (They have marshalls at the head of the pack who bang something like maces on the ground as if to say, "Make way for the Armenians.") Well, there Marty and I stood in our black clerical shirts! Did *I* ever get looks! It was pretty funny!

We spent the afternoon with the pastor and his family (three daughters; what was JEd Bartlet told when the man found out he was the father of daughters? I've lost that line. Carey?) as well as Bp. Younan's brother, who is a riot. They fed us until I thought that we would burst! I did learn how to say "Thank you" and "Yes" (politely) and learned the word for lamb. Important stuff, eh?

Sunday night (was that just last night?) we moved into the Lutheran Guest House. As I said to one of my cohorts, "We're not in Bethlehem anymore." The difference between the hospitality we were offered by our Palestinian hosts and the German innkeepers is marked!

After dinner last night, we heard a presentation by two men, one Israeli and the other Palestinian, both of whom have lost loved ones in the conflict and have translated their grief and anger into energy and action in service of the cause of peace through an organization called The Parents Circle. Their stories were powerful and deeply moving to all of us who were in attendance. You can read more at: www.theparentscircle.org.

Today, we went on a tour of settlements with Jimmy from ICAHD (Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions). Jimmy shares his time between Chicago and Jerusalem, doing peace work of various kinds in both locations. He was wearing a Jerusalem Garden t-shirt (from Ann Arbor); we liked that. VERY nice guy and very dedicated to peace & justice issues.

Our first stop was an illegal Israeli settlement in West Jerusalem and our second was at the portion of the wall at Abu Dis. Rather than dividing Israelis from Palestinians, it cuts right through a Palestinian neighborhood. They put razor wire atop the concrete barrier because the Palestinian youth, being thin, strong and nimble (oh, to be those things) would find 2 inch cracks between panels of the wall and "Free Climb" up and over. No longer.

Jimmy took us to Ma'ale Adummim, a huge settlement (it's likely to top 80k residents when complete). It was like going into a gated community in Orange County, CA. Lush, green, with all of the amenities one might ever need or want. It has an industrial section outside the residential zone.

Then, Jimmy took us to a Palestinian town (the name escapes me at the moment) where all 33 houses in the town are under demolition orders. Once such an order is issued, it can be put into effect after 3 days (the military can come on the 4th day and take the house) or anytime after that. One family lived in this precarious situation for 7 years. When the forces show up to demolish a house, the family has 15 minutes to vacate.

While in this little village, we saw camels grazing near a Bedouin encampment and met a few little kids in the town. (Having gum and finger puppets to hand out proved popular.)

I almost forgot. We were stopped at TWO checkpoints today. Both times, we had to pass forward our passports for examination by the Israeli soldiers. It's a bit unnerving to have someone with an AK-47 standing in the front of a mini bus, looking at the photos on our passports and then searching out our faces. Since these were not national borders, the action was illegal (internationals are allowed to move freely throughout Israel and the West Bank) but they do what they choose.

We had a little free time for shopping in the afternoon and then walked (oh, how we walked!) mostly uphill to the Swedish Theological Institute in West Jerusalem. What a GORGEOUS place! Swedish hospitality was wonderful.

We began with an hour long presentation by an Orthodox Woman from Machsom Watch, a group of Israeli women (now numbering 400-500) who work in 4 hour shifts observing the goings on at the checkpoints. Her parents emigrated to Israel in 1933 but her grandparents, aunts and uncles perished in the Holocaust. Her perspective was a very helpful one for us to have.

We concluded the evening with dinner in the garden at STI. What a lovely setting! The bouganvilla was blooming abundantly and the air had cooled down significantly. It was an enjoyable way to end the evening. (Well, it was almost the end. We walked back (mostly downhill, thanks be to God) and then dropped into the internet cafe.

Tomorrow will be a tough one.

Stay tuned!

Sue

Breathless in Bethlehem -- May 27, 2006

Whew! I'm finally online! God willing, this will actually go through!

We're here! It's our second night in Bethlehem and we've been running flat-out since we arrived. Or so it seems. Our flights were tiring but without incident. Our first night, at the 7 Arches in Jerusalem (Jeff, there were a lot of guys wearing potholders on their heads; what's that all about?), found us all collapsed in our individual heaps following dinner with Bishop Younan, Russ and Anne Siler.

Friday, we spent much of the day in the village of Jayyous in the northern part of the West Bank. Jayyous is a village of farmers. The fence surrounds Jayyous and farmers must go through the gates only during specified times in order to tend to their farms. Sound simple? It's not. But you'll have to wait to hear more (Sorry! I'm hoping that this internet connection lasts long enough for me to get a little bit of info to you! I'll make it up to you, really!) We visited with three people from the Ecumenical Accompaniment Program, who serve as observers at the gates. They serve in 3 month cycles (this was the 17th such group) and the folks with whom we met just arrived in early May. (BTW, I apologize for this runon paragraph; the program isn't allowing me to insert hard returns!) One from Sweden, one from Switzerland, one from the U.S. (Detroit born), a Maryknoll. Very interesting for a largely Muslim village, like Jayyous, to have two single men and one single woman living together!

We had a wonderful guide who shared his family's story with us and then welcomed us to his family home for a marvelous lunch of local fare (Fresh veggies and OLIVES from his family's farm, fresh chicken from the village; only the rice was imported).

Last night, we had dinner with Bishop Munib and Su'ad Younan and the pastors of the area. Su'ad is charming! Principal of the Helen Keller school in North Jerusalem! (Jeff and Cheryl, you would LOVE her!) (Julianne, Hani sends his warmest greetings to you!) I've decided that Hani, the Lay Evangelist at Beit Sahour, will henceforth be known as "Lay Evangelist and Stand-Up Comedian." We had jokes after dinner and Hani and Russ were the funniest ever! (Sorry, Marty, but you've GOT to work on your timing!) Even Bishop Younan joined in the joke telling! (He has the cutest giggle but don't tell him because the word "cute" might offend him! He is truly a warm and wonderful man!)

Today, we went to visit the Lutheran school at Beit Sahour (two of the first grade girls sang "the Bear went over the mountain") to us and we joined in! The kids start learning English in first grade and German in third grade! Their boys AND girls basketball teams both won the championships in the area - and THREE girls on their football (e.g., soccer) team are stars on the national football team. Their principal is VERY proud of them! We also visited Dar Al-Kalim (House of the Word) School, an AMAZING school (again, Cheryl and Jeff, you would have been fascinated!). We had a LOT of interaction with the kids, which made clear to me that WT REALLY missed out! The kids were at recess (they don't have bells to mark periods the way we did; they have chimes that play songs: Happy Birthday, etc.) when we were getting ready to leave and they absolutely MUGGED for the camera!

Digital cameras are a must here as the kids LOVE to see their photos. BTW, making "bunny ears" over the heads of friends is a universal kid thing! (Roland, Environmental education is one of the main elements of their educational program.) Whew!

At noon, we came back to the International Center here in Bethlehem (a beautiful facility!) to shop at the gift shop (Julia, I got your purses but they were a little on the pricey side - authentic red and black and a real contribution to the economy, however!), then went to lunch (schwarma) at a lovely place in Bethlehem and then went to the RC version of Shepherd's Fields and the Church of the Nativity. (We were thrown out of the Orthodox Church; "yes, leave, quickly" and then the RC church of St. Catherine (Virgin and Martyr, who would not renounce her faith despite the admonitions of her pagan father and was imprisoned, cut into three pieces and buried in three places) because there was to be a funeral.

We went down to the chapel of St. Joseph and saw where St. Jerome translated the Bible into Latin (Vulgate), which was kinda fun (I found a doorway that fit my height just right!) We then walked back up hill (ala Oxy big time) to the Center. Rose Kormann, one of our folks, fell last night and broke her ankle! We're talking about making her a t-shirt that reads, "I went all the way to Bethlehem and all I got was a lousy broken ankle.") She was having a tough time this afternoon. It's been unseasonably warm (so we're told). The humidity has been a tad on the high side, so folks are wilting a bit. (Okay, okay, even I am wilting a little bit!) We're in for a couple of cooler days on Sunday and Monday and then it's supposed to exceed 100F on Tuesday and Wednesday, when we go to Hebron. (That means it will be intense both emotionally/intellectually and meteorologically.)

A note about entering Bethlehem...The wall is pronounded, replete with guard towers. And yet, just to the side of the entrance - on the wall itself - is a huge greeting from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism: PEACE BE WITH YOU. This evening, we are to have dinner with the elementary school principals and the superintendent, (once again, Cheryl and Jeff: wish you were here!).

A couple of fun cultural notes...So far, I haven't embarrassed myself (which is to say I've kept my feet on the ground)...we're adjusting to putting toilet paper into a trash can rather than flushing it (but suspending a 40 year habit is tough!). Light switches may go up OR down...depending...I've learned to say "Thank you" and "Let's go" (learned that from the school principal at Dar Al-Kalima when she was trying to get a few boys to straighten up and fly right. Funny thing? "He did it" and "No, HE did it" sound the same in ANY language! (I really loved the kids. They were delightful! It's a great school!)

Hospitality is AMAZING! EVERYWHERE we go, we're offered something to drink (at least!). We went to an olive wood workshop this afternoon and even there we were offered lemonade... Our tour guide today is an official multi-lingual tour guide (Arabic, English, German) and he teaches at Dar Al-Kalima (German); he's also a deacon, so he leads chapel once each week. (The kids have chapel every other day; when not in chapel, they are in reading time.)

Well, I'll close this first entry. I'm sorry it's so long in coming and a bit disjointed. More to come!

Peace, Shalom, Salaam from Bethlehem....Sue

Weather Report for Jerusalem

Here's the latest weather report for Jerusalem:

Thursday, May 25th: High: 82; Low: 62; Chance of precipitation: 0%
Friday, May 26th: High: 85; Low: 65 ; Chance of precipitation: 0%

We've been told to be prepared to fry in the desert. Gosh, to me this sounds like pretty much perfect weather! Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh...back to the DRY warmth! I expect to be quite content!

: )

Sue

8 Days to the Holy Land

In 8 days, a dozen folks from the Southeast Michigan Synod will begin our journey to the Holy Land. Preparations are well underway. Packing has begun. Tasks are being checked off of the lists.

For those who are interested in learning about some of the organizations with which we will be meeting, here is the list given us by the synod:

holyland-lutherans.org
The web site of our companion synod, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL), serving in Palestine, Jordan and Israel.

elca.org/peacenotwalls
The ELCA's direct connection to information on the Middle East.

peacenow.org
Americans for Peace Now is a Jewish Zionist organization dedicated to enhancing Israel's security through peace and supporting the Israeli Peace Now movement.

cpt.org
Christian Peacemaker Teams

eappi.org
The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel.

annadwa.org
The International Center of Bethlehem operated by Christmas Lutheran Church (it also offers a link to the Abu Gubran Lutheran Guest House, where we will be staying in Bethlehem).

icahd.org
The Israeli Committee Against Housing Demolitions

luth-guesthouse-jerusalem.com
The Lutheran Guest House, where we will be staying in the Old City.

loga.org (under issues click Middle East)
Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs

machsomwatch.org
Israeli women who place themselves at checkpoints/barriers in the hope of reducing the frequency of harassment.

lwfjerusalem.org
Lutheran World Federation Jerusalem (Search Middle East)

mtofoliveshousing.org
Mount of Olives Housing Project

walktheroadtopeace.org
National Interreligious Leadership Initiative for Peace in the Middle East

palestinemonitor.org
The Palestine Monitor

ochaopt.org
United Nations Humanitarian Information in the occupied Palestinian Territories

Maundy Thursday

The following poem, by Macrina Wiederkehr, published in Seasons of Your Heart, arrived in my email "in box" today:

Supper was special that night
There was both a heaviness and a holiness hanging in the air
We couldn’t explain the mood It was sacred, yet sorrowful.
Gathered around that table eating that solemn, holy meal
seemed to us the most important meal we ever sat down to eat
We were dwelling in the heart of mystery
Though dark the night
Hope felt right as if something evil was about to be conquered.
And then suddenly the One we loved startled us all.
he got up from the table and put on an apron
Can you imagine how we felt?
God in an apron!
Tenderness encircled us as He bowed before us.
He knelt and said, “I choose to wash your feet because I love you.”
God in an apron, kneeling I couldn’t believe my eyes.
I was embarrassed until his eyes met mine. I sensed my value then.
He touched my feet He held them in his strong, brown hands
He washed them.
I can still feel the water, the touch of his hands, see the look in his eyes
Then he handed me the towel and said,
“As I have done so you must do.” Learn to bow Learn to kneel.
Let your tenderness encircle everyone you meet
Wash their feet not because you have to, because you want to.
It seems I’ve stood two thousand years holding the towel in my hands,
“As I have done so you must do,” keeps echoing in my heart.
“There are so many feet to wash,” I keep saying.
“No,” I hear God’s voice resounding through the years
“There are only my feet
What you do for them you do for me.”

FINAL Report from Biloxi

One last word, I promise!

It's 4 a.m. Friday, I've slept well on the church floor, but I can't sleep anymore before we actually get going at 4:45, and there were a couple of incidents last evening.

Jay and I drove down to the far east end of Biloxi to view the US 90 bridge over to Ocean Springs that was wiped out by Katrina. These massive sections of concrete and steel highway just toppled over like dominoes! A man and his wife were sitting there, enjoying the very pleasant afternoon air; they live here, there were an elderly Japanese couple, very friendly. They tried to make conversation with us. We think they asked us, "How long before it will be rebuilt?" I took a guess and said 6 years, which is probably not far off.

Then we toured the east end where many of the Vietnamese shrimp fisher folk lived -- many, many lots bare of houses, a few FEMA trailers sprouting up. We went on the the house where we had helped with some painting on Saturday, the home of Mrs. Bourgeoise. The volunteers who had done her dry wall had written their blessings and names on a bare stud that was in a closet opening, that would have to be covered with wood trim. She wanted so badly to keep that as a memento, so Jay took some photos of it and intends to have Kinkos do up a nice photo strip for her to affix to the trimmed and finished frame.

Well, we were in an office here at church trying to find her correct phone number to tell her, since she hadn't been home when we stopped by. A site manager came rushing into the office saying, "Oh, good you're still here, two pastors, just what we need! There's a call in from a potential suicide. Can one of you take it?" Well, I took the phone and spent a very harrowing and exhausting half hour trying to hear/understand/reassure this woman. Multiple medical problems, plus family problems, some house damage, and on drugs. Jay sat nearby coaching me with notes to me (he specialized in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Work when he worked full-time in Ann Arbor). He asked me to get her to commit to coming into our clinic tomorrow, and since I won't be here anymore, to tell her that I would call the clinic from Ann Arbor to see if she had come. She didn't want to give me her last name. "Why do you want it?" I told her so that I could be thinking about her and praying for her. I ended this crisis call by praying with her, then let out a very deep sigh of relief. I've really not done much crisis intervention like this in my career, and several times I just wanted to hand the phone to Jay and tell him to take over. I wrote up my notes from this call, passed them on to the site manager, and Jay and I suggested the kinds of people who should be prepared to intervene with her. Happily, Dr. Bob will be her today; I understand that he is most compassionate and should be able to engage this woman's trust, since this is such a complicated situation. Also happy that a pastor will be on duty at the clinic -- the pastor of our Lord of Light '05 graduate from Whitehall, MI, Sally Hollister.

The most joyous part of the evening was when a retired pastor and his wife and two church members from Kentucky asked Jay and me to take pictures of them making a presentation to Pastor Jerry and his wife Judy. First they had them open a box, which contained a hand-made pastor's stole, green for the long Church-season from June through October. On one end of the stole was the symbol of the church in KY: three crosses. On the other end was the symbol of Biloxi: the Biloxi light that withstood Katrina. That wasn't the end: they presented a check from their rather small church in the amount of $7,000.00!

Such examples of outpouring of love for the folks down here is truly amazing and heartwarming. And although it saddens us to see volunteer crews leaving, and for us to leave, too, with all the work that remains, we see the continuous flow of new crews coming in last night and later today to take up the work.

Take heart up there! Enjoy your day! Next week is Holy Week and Good Friday, BUT, Easter is coming!!!

Roland

(Almost) Final Report from Biloxi

Hello up in the MIdwest and Eastern coast!

And for you at Lord of Light in Ann Arbor: do you need a picket fence built? No sooner said than done! Yesterday Jay and I went out with a Lutheran Disaster Response Construction Site Manager to build a picket fence. We had hoped to take 2 or 3 more workers along, but Jay and I were the only ones Tim could scrounge up. He really should have stayed at the front office to manage, but he was out working along side us. The place was the home of the City Inspector for Biloxi, so we were a little suspicious about the urgency of building this fence around an undamaged fairly new home out in a suburb of Ocean Springs. The story is that this fellow lost his entire house in a Biloxi location, then just happened to have the chance to buy this one. Further more, it's a matter of Luth D Response "owing" this guy one for probably many, many breaks and favors he has done for us over the past 7 months.

So, there we are on the site, and Jay and I start drilling the holes for the posts with this gasoline-powered augur, which is a real trip going down, then every few seconds pulling it back up to bring up the dirt, getting bucked by the stubborn drill. First hole went well. Second one gave us problems down around 2 feet. Now, I'm really watching how I lift this machine back up in tandem with Jay. But suddenly down there, as I'm bending and lifting with my legs, I also have to use my back...and zing! Out goes my back again, the third time in one month. And I had been feeling super up until then, no back problems in spite of some very hard destruction work. I had even thought of cancelling my chiropractor's appointement for Friday afternoon. Well, I'll keep that appointment.

I left Jay and Tim to continue the work, then drove back the 12 miles to base to try to scrounge up a couple replacements for me ( I don't mean to imply that it takes 2 to replace me!). I found them in Tent City (Camp Biloxi, as the other LDR tent site is called) in the persons of 2 America Corps gals. I drove them out, then picked them and Jay up at 5. Jay reports that they did a terrific job with the power augur. It figures! These folks, from 18 to 24 years old, are the best.

The rest of yesterday afternoon I puttered around the church's volunteer base, running a couple errands with the car, taking it easy for my back.

Last night was Lenten Service here at the church, another good blessing during our week. Every night after dinner we offer stories about "Where did you see the face of God today?" Really quite amazing how peole discover this reality in their hard volunteer work here: like doing dry wall and painting in a house, and the little kids who are to move back in there come up to you and give you a big hug. Or a young member of this church who lives 90 miles away in New Orleans, who has been rather depressed because of the long wait to get his condo gutted, re-dry walled, painted, etc., only to find that his electric stove can't hook up to where the outlet was placed. Yesterday, just by chance a group from Pennsylvania who had an electrician amongst them ( a premium skill down here) returned mid-morning with nothing to do. Judy, the pastor's wife, who is the site manager here at the church and the spiritual spark plug of this effort, realized that God didn't have anything for them to do for no reason! She asked two of them if they would drive to N.O. to take care of this guy's electrical needs. They did, and last night at the "soup and sandwich" Lenten supper joined in by church members, this guy's mom reported how happy her son was for the work accomoplished. So happy that he gave these two folks some his Mardi Gras beads that he has been hoarding for most of his life -- like a whole trunk full! So take that, Pastor Sue Sprowls and Barb Hayworth!

Back in October one of the volunteers made a DVD of "8 Days in Biloxi" which included the story of Frank, who nearly lost his wife to the surge of water, and he himself survived by climbing up onto his kitchen stove with his two dogs. The stove started to float, but he managed to settle it down. HIs favorite Lazy Boy chair was ruined by the water, but he still used it, since that's the only place he can comfortably sleep. Along came an SUV full of volunteer women to visit him, and they were so touched that they went out and bought him a new Lazy Boy. On Tuesday, our Pastor on duty and another volunteer were called to do a home visit...to Frank. The found him still quite down, and later I heard one of the team talk with one of our dry-wall experts about getting out to do his work. All these kinds of stories are so touching!

For the past day or so our free phones and internet connections have been out in order to do some more proper reconnection. Our local coordinaator asked me to be the handy man for a more expert volunteer as he worked with cables, switch boxes, power adapters and more. I did some climbing around in the church attic, and thankfully, my back didn't holler out.

When were here a month ago, Judy wanted the collection of good crutches, canes, walkers anda a wheel chair to be taken down the street to "Hands On Center," where they might be better used. The day we left, I thought I had arranged for someone to do that. Lo and behold! when we got here last week, those things were still piled up in the hall. I put them in our car and drove them down. Then at the work site yesterday, I got a call to ask if I knew where there was a walker for one of our clinic folks. So, I stopped at Hands On and they said all the crutches, canes and the wheel chair were gone, but all the walkers were still there. I was happy to pick out one and bring it to the clinic for this patient. Small errands, small chores, but everything everyone does around here fits into the bigger picture of "being the hands and feet of God" for just one more day.

This afternoon I'll put on my clergy shirt/collar and go down to the Distribution Center a mile away to work with a couple Intake volunteers as people come for their food/clothing/other needs. Apparently there is a great need for pastoral work down there. Jay has been back to wearing his Social Worker hat in our free medical clinic, during which I observe that he also is very much the pastor that he is pleased to be. Then this evening Jay and I will pack our gear for a 4:30 a.m. arising to g et us to the airport for our return home.

See most of you very soon. Blessed Easter to you all!

Roland

Tuesday Report from Biloxi

Yesterday, Monday, was a hot and sultry, but great day here. My colleague, Jay, from Lord of Light in Ann arbor, worked in the health clinic here at the church, wearing his Social Work hat rather than pastoral. He was in his element as he did Case Management and some Intake, but mostly coaching and supervising a terrific crew of 6 young women from American Corps. I did pastoral counseling for the day, and found out that I am filling up with Katrina stories so that I really need to get back out to home rebuilding sites. Besides the clinic work, we began our day with trash, clean-up and latrine duty. Bags and bags of styrofoam plates and cups and plastic table ware. It's a garbage hauler's heaven, but continued death to the earth. I did the same this morning, and Jay did his Social Work all day today, but around 10 I put on my clergy shirt and left the clinic in the hands of two pastors from Virginia and Georgia. I walked across the street to the FEMA site, intending to offer support to staff there. The two directors met me very cordially and explained that FEMA has its own support folk. But the receptionist for the Parks and Rec, who run the building, suggested that I look around the whole place. It is a wonderful rec facility, and I stopped to visit with a woman on an exercise bike, who told me her Katrina story. She is a member of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, whose building had stood right across the highway from the water. It is totally gone! Only a small Episcopal flag flies at the site. They now meet for their 3 services in a double-wide trailer.

After that visit across the street, I drove out to the site where we had begun demolising a very old house last Friday. It was now down to just a few pieces of lumber and some bricks and front steps and general debris. There was a team from America Corps plus some Lutheran Disaster REsponse volunteers. None of them were wearing masks, and the dust was fairly thick. I had mine on and I offered my other 3 to anyone who wanted one. None of them accepted! Not even the team leader was wearing one. Soon the FEMA subconctractor who was picking up this huge pile of filthy debris came by and chastised them for not caring enough for their health to wear proper precautions.

That was only one hour on that job, then we ate at a Salvation Army feeding site for volunteers -- lots of disaster food: the standard hot dish prepared for such sites from wherever, shipped here, heated and served along with plain bread, chips, etc. I was rather tired, so went back to the church and crashed for a few minutes on my pad. Then I did my best to bring some order to a janitor's closet that gets "beaten up" by a new set of volunteers every week. Early this morning I drove over to Gulfport to find vacuum cleaner bags and mop heads for use here.

On the weekend I met a Missouri Synod Lutheran Pastor who is his own disaster relief and crisisministry, approved by the Synod, but support stricly by his own efforts. He flies around the country wherever necessary alaong with his handsome Golden Retriever, Georgie, who wears his vest that states "K-9 Crisis Chaplain." What a team! The pastor seems to have success in getting into FEMA offices and work sites, and offered to take me along today. But when I called him this forenoon, he was on the road to a site in New Orleans. I doubt I'll get to go with him, since Jay and I expect to get out to rebuilding sites tomorrow and Thursday.

For Jay's birthday, we sang "Happy Birthday" at breakfast yesterday, then one of my cook friends baked him a cake and we put 3 candles on it for April 3. When we brought it out for dinner last night, I commented: "Some folks come down to Bethel/Biloxi to do volunteer work; others come down to celebrate their 70th birthday, like Jay Haite."

Well, we're nearly ready for another disaster relief dinner. Jay and I are truly enjoying the experience with so many other wonderful volunteers and especially the chance to work alongside of these Bethel Church folks and the residents of Biloxi. Talk to you another time. Take care!

Roland and Jay

Sunday from Biloxi

Hi, all!

A nice Sunday on the demolished Gulf Coast -- sunny and quite warm. Had a great day in church this morning. It was a special treat to preach at BEthel for the pastor. It was the first Sunday his wife Judy, who is the site director for Lutheran Disaster Relief since she retired from 30 years in the VA here just when Katrina hit. She had a heart attack a month ago when we were here. So, it was good for the folks to see her again. Also it was touching for a member to stand up and look at the crew leader who had overseen the gutting of her house last fall; she is back in it. It's really something to see the connections made between volunteers and members and other residents. It's good to be back here.

After I had finished my preaching, I went to my seat next to the young, perhaps 12-year old male acolyte. He turned to me and said, "That was a good sermon!" And he said it again after church. You just don't expect a compliment like that from a male adolescent.

Volunteers go out working Sunday afternoon, too, as I learned today. Jay and I went out, too, and wound up painting trim on a nearly finished house in East Biloxi, where the folks took a hit both from Katrina's gulf surge, as well as from a surge from the opposite direction with back bay waters. We helped a large Habitat For Humanity crew who are concentrating on rebuilding homes in a one-or two-block area. It's neat to see the progression from demolition (where necessary) or gutting to dry wall to painting to trim to roof, etc.

This afternoon there was a human surge again here at Bethel, as a new crew of volunteers showed up -- from Georgia, Viginia, Penn, Wisc and Michigan and Minn. There's a Catholic team from Grand Rapids and a team of 12 from Muskegon/Whitehall. When I asked the Whitehall folks if they knew Sally Hollister (a very active LOL peer minister who graduated a year ago, whom Barb and I mentored, who is doing this year with Lutheran Volunteer Corps, they said they were from Sally's church, and included her pastor. They said Sally is applying to several grad schools, including U of M. So, we may see her again. Another woman said her daughter is a Jr. at U of M and gave me her c-mail address so I can invite her to check us out.

Pastor Sue will be interested to know that this evening Judy Bultman did the orientation for the new folks. Sue knows how excited Judy gets about this ministry in disaster relief. Well, she came up with a half-hour stem-winder sermon that had us all riveted on her every word. You wouldnl't know she had had a heart attack 4 weeks ago! Super real, super energetic, super committed, super convinced that God is real and showed it in responses to Gulf Coast needs.

So, tomorrow Jay will work in the clinic mainly as Social Worker/pastor and I will also help out with pastoral services, since Judy wants 2 pastors available if possible. Tomorrow is Jay's 70th birthday -- he works at our site needs like a 50-year old. Tough guy!! Our cook's assistant has a cake for him baking in the oven right now.

Time to begin bringing this great day to a close.

Love to all of you.

Roland

Report from Roland: April 1st - No foolin'!

Jay has his camera, and has taken a roll already. Today, after waiting around at a Habitat site (almost a whole block of homes that are in the stage of drywalling and painting) for over an hour, we finally got over to a house a mile away. This house also had its drywall done, and Jay and I had a somewhat lighter day in working in a much more finished home for a disabled widow. She served us coffee/iced tea and pineapple pudding cake for our afternoon break.

We drove back to our demolition house from yesterday for pictures, to find a FEMA subcontractor loading our massive pile of debris onto a rather mini-truck with just a small caterpiller with bucket and claws. The subcontractor asked us how he could get more help from LDR or Habitat in finding out which of our home projects had piles of debris for him to haul away. So, I passed his info onto the folks in the little green house. And, oh yes, that woman in the convenience story by Tent City, the one with the husband who was suicidal, still hasn't gotten her work done -- a matter of priorities plus the nature of her roof: flat, with special roofing needs.

This morning just before we went out to work, Bob the Roofer showed Jay and me his very extensive handbook of his records of all the shingle donations, donors, amounts, locations, etc., etc. VEry impressive the work he has done, both on roofs and back home in Phoenix with getting out the word.

Tonight, Saturday, it's rather quiet at Bethel, before a new surge of volunteeers tomorrow. We all went down to Tent City for chow. Jay and I just finished one of two DVDs on WLOX's Katrina story -- took nearly two hours to look at. I opted to sleep tonight on a Tempur-pedic in the long classroom, just to see how g reat it realy is. But tomorrrow night, back into the sanctuary. Jay says "Hi" as we turn in for a shorter night as we set the clock forward.

Oh, one more thing from Miss Linda from yesterday's work with the St. Olaf folks: she passed out piles and piles of Mardi Gras necklaces. I took 6. Want some???

Good night! I'm excited for tomorrow.

Roland

Report from Roland: March 31, 2006

Roland Schaedig, our first "Biloxi Boomerang," and Jay Haite are in Biloxi for a week. Here's Roland's first report:

Jay and I have arrived. I gave Judy the DVD right away--she was thrilled; she goes home for the afternoon and evening now. I gave Donna her envelope and left the envelopes for Judy and Kelli in their offices (Kelli is due in this evening).

After lunch Jay and I drove down to the little green house and found another leader-type who took us to a busload of St. Olaf students (20 of them with their campus pastor), who took us out to a work site in East Biloxi. When we arrived at the house, I was dumbfounded. I said it should be bulldozed, rather than gutted and rennovated. Well, we were the bulldozers. Miss Linda next door got permission to have this very decrepit house, uninhabited for 30 years, torn down so that she can properly fix up her place. Miss Linda said she was the chef of her block, and did we have plans for dinner and if not, she would be delighted to fix us some right good home cookin'. Of course, we all had made commitments back in tent city or Bethel.

So, we tore into the house, after instructions on safety by Bart from Lord of Life in Fairfax, VA. His picture is in that newspaper clipping from the Washington Post that Barb and I posted for our "Have A Heart For Biloxi" fundraiser. Bart's crew of 4 stout guys also worked. It was not just dirty work, it was downright grimey and hot and sultry and dangerous. There were long boards with nails flying everywhere, followed by rotten sheet rock. Tell "Little Bit" and Chelsea that we didn't see ANY roaches!. After 3 hours of this we have nearly cleared out the house down to the studs. The next phase will be to start dismantling the galvanized roof, rafters, joists, studs, floor -- right down to the ground.

This project had some very nice neighborhood flavor. Miss Linda was in there carrying out boards for a short while. Then she sat on a chair across the street and comandeered young neighbors and sent them into the house to help. What fun to have such a mix of workers! And the St. Olaf kids were just as energetic as our three and as the Augustana kids.

It's been a good first day (afternoon!). Jay reminds me that tomorrow we're at it all day, although he allowed that I might take the afternoon off since I'll be working in the pulpit Sunday forenoon,Bob the Roofer related that he saw the face of God in the fact that he finished his last peaked roof today. He leaves tomorrow to see his grandkids in North Carolina.

Jay and I would like to go back tomorrow to this project, if there's a crew to work with. We also would like to take Miss Linda up on her offer of a meal!

Jay will celebrate his 70th birthday here on Monday. I'd like to get the cooks to bake a cake.

Otherwise, we're thinking of you folks in your Katrina report Sunday.

Peace,
Roland

Jay was the first casualty to hit the Mash unit -- a slightly bleeding abrasion on his forearm and a slight cut on his chin. He's all fixed up, though. He didn't skip a beat through it all.

Small world: I asked the campus pastor where he had served parishes. One of them was Albert Lea. When I said Mary Olson's father had been pastor there, he said that he knows Mary very well through the Knutson GLBT Foundation. Bruce Benson says to say "Hi" to Mary!

On the Road Again...

Just after 4AM on Saturday, we awoke, cleaned up a bit, dressed and hit the road for the airport.

As we reviewed our luggage, we were once again grateful to Barbara and Roland for hauling much of our heaviest and bulkiest gear in their car.

We arrived at the airport at the same time three buses of Navy Seabees pulled up. Apparently, they'd been in Biloxi for two weeks of training and were scattering to the four winds. We had several Seabees on our plane to Memphis and Max enjoyed listening to their stories.

Once in Memphis, Chelsea and I made a beeline for Starbucks. COFFEE! Chelsea kindly wrote the blog entry for Thursday as we waited to board our plane to Detroit.

Remarkably, our flights were on time and our travels without incident. Max's, Chelsea's and Emily's parents all came to the airport to meet them; they just couldn't wait another moment to see their young people. And who can blame them? They're all remarkable. And I am grateful to have had the opportunity to spend this past week with them.

In the days to come, we'll establish a time for our group - as well as a couple of other LOLers who went to the Gulf Coast over break - to share our photos and stories. Stay tuned!

Grace and Peace,
Sue

Friday!

On Friday morning, Roland returned to do pastoral care in the clinic while the rest of us hoofed it through a couple of neighborhoods, checking in with folks, sharing information regarding the services available through Lutheran Disaster Relief and doing preliminary sign ups for those in need of assistance. We were welcomed warmly and with gratitude by the folks we met. One woman took us out back of her house so we could the view of the bayou; she also pointed out that one of her magnificent oak trees is approximately 600 years old! She was most gracious and clearly a proud resident.

In the afternoon, we took to the highway to see some of the areas we had missed (Long Beach, Pass Christian, etc.) We stopped along a section of beach that had been sifted. (No one is allowed on the beach until it has been sifted for debris by large trucks with conveyor belts; they leave interesting patterns in their wake.)

After this portion of our trip, we went to Ocean Springs, now accessible from Biloxi only via I-10 (the bridge is out between the two cities). Ocean Springs has a charming downtown, including a very nice toy shop where Chelsea enjoyed having a photo taken with a very large Lego figure and Roland and Barb engaged the owner in extensive conversation about vacuum cleaners and their experience of the hurricane.

Across the street, we visited a lovely gift shop that Dorothy (at Bethel) had recommended and a little ice cream parlor and gift shop as well. When the woman in the ice cream parlor discovered what we had been doing, she insisted on paying for our ice cream. "That's what I've been doing for everyone (who has volunteered)," she said. Again, she was most gracious, thanked us generously and willingly shared her family's story.

Friday night, we had our last meal at Bethel - barbecue - and enjoyed our final games of speed Scrabble, which is too much fun! We bid farewell to our new friends and turned in for a short night's sleep.

Grace and Peace,

Sue

Meanwhile, Back at Lucinda Marie's House and Elsewhere...

While Max, Chelsea and Emily were trying to do their part to beautify Biloxi, Roland took a group of 8 students from Augustana College to Lucinda Marie's house to finish the project. They completed the gutting of walls and removal of ceilings. Roland tells a very cute story about how two young men were pulling down a doorframe with their hammers. Despite Roland's encouragement that they use crowbars rather than hammers, they continued in this mode until they brought down the door frame. One young man held out his hammer to Roland and said, "I DID use the crowbar." Roland gently corrected him, saying, "That's the claw of the hammer." (Insert visual aid) "THIS is a crowbar." Well, we all learn along the way, don't we? From Roland's description, this group of Augies worked hard and accomplished a great deal, helping out neighbors and others along the way.

Meanwhile, Barbara was busy working at the Distirbution Center at Camp Biloxi. You could really see the fruits of her labors both at Bethel and at Camp B. Early in the week, Judy had walked into the back room that served as a warehouse of household goods (mostly linens) and clothing and said, "Someday, we'll get this all boxed up and moved down to the distribution center." That was followed by, "Someday, we'll get these shelves moved out and put into the Fellowship Hall." And finally, "Someday, we'll get these shelves in the Fellowship Hall and fill them with food." When she said those things, Judy wasn't counting on Barbara to take her "Someday" wishes to heart - but she did! And by Thursday, "Someday" had become a reality.

Barbara and friends (especially Lynn from Lancaster, with whom we all fell in love - what a sweet soul!) had not only packed up the items in the warehouse but labeled them so that one could tell sheets from tablecloths and twin size sheet sets from full. That made unpacking and distributing supplies much easier on all involved. For weeks, people will be thanking the invisible angels who will have made this work much easier!

Barb, along with Emily, Max and Chelsea, worked most of the afternoon in the distribution center. One woman, who was living in a FEMA trailer with four children (she had two sets of bunk beds and a full size bed; I can't even imagine how she fit all of that in one of those little trailers!) was in need of linens for the beds. However, one of the full-time volunteers - a stickler for the rules - told her she could only have one set of sheets that day. Since people are allowed to return once every four days, she would have to return four more times over a period of more than two weeks in order to obtain the linens that she needed. Well, this didn't seem right to a number of folks, including Lynn, who was working in the clinic with me that afternoon. Lynn trusted this woman and felt horrible that she hadn't received the help that she truly needed. After some conversation and a little thought, I remembered that, stacked up in the hallway at Bethel amidst the bedding set aside for volunteers, were boxes labeled, "Two Twin Sheet Sets." We checked them out. Each contained two fitted and flat sheets, blankets, mattress pads and pillows. Voila! We took two boxes and put them into the woman's car. We're about the business of caring for people in need, not making life more difficult for those who have already suffered much.

As noted above, I spent much of Thursday in the clinic, lending a hand with pastoral care. It was hard work - lots of intense conversation with people - but very rewarding. In a couple of instances, while people waited to see Dr. Bob (an amazing man from MN who is committed to spending 2 weeks of every month for at least the next 6 months working at the clinic pro bono), I was able to sign them up to receive assistance with home repairs. I heard amazing stories of survival, frustration, hope and determination. The resiliance of the human spirit is truly remarkable.

Thursday evening, we went out to dinner at O'Neals, a local restaurant recommended by Judy Bultman. Some of us had real gumbo, catfish and other seafood while others had hamburgers. (I'll leave it to you to guess who had what!)

Later that evening, we were introduced to "Robert the Roofer." For more than two decades, Robert was in charge of all of the maintenance of every roof of every building owned by Maricopa County (Arizona). He had just retired from that position and had trained 50 volunteers to be roofing site leaders. He was in Biloxi for the third time, to spend 5 weeks doing a roofing blitz. What a remarkable man!

Grace and Peace,
Sue

Thursday's "Beach Clean-Up" - by Chelsea Mathis

Thursday morning Max, Emily, and I trekked over to the Biloxi Town Green, an oasis in a desert of debris, to help out with the “Beach Clean-Up.” What we found after Pastor Sue dropped us off was a freshly sodded park with a grandstand and a brand new shoe fly. (A shoe fly, for all us Northern folk, is a deck wrapped around a tree.) We sat through an hour of speeches from local officials, like the Biloxi City Mayor and national representatives of the Keep America Beautiful program. It turned out that this ceremony was not a beach clean-up but the national kick-off for the Keep America Beautiful campaign for 2006. Several TV cameras and assorted press were filming and documenting the event. An overly chipper blonde woman promised us all kinds of freebies; from chewing gum to donuts to t-shirts, work gloves, and lunch, thanks to the several national sponsors whose logos were plastered all over the site. The Biloxi High School Marching Band led us in the National Anthem and paraded the crowds across the street where we were to pick up our supplies. Once we crossed the street, there were the usual odds and ends of donated free food, like cookies, crackers, and Gatorade. Everything was a little chaotic and disorganized from that point forward. We stood around waiting for nearly 20 minutes without instruction about what to do or where to go. Eventually, we gave up and crossed back to the other side of the street in hopes of finding a task appropriate for our skill level.

As soon as we stepped foot on the jigsaw puzzle of sodden lawn, the site director came up to us and started spouting off everything that needed to be done in that area. Max, Emily and I managed to find some shovels and we started digging holes to plant more shrubs around the shoe fly. Well, the dirt was packed clay and digging a hole proved quite a challenge. As we were struggling through the tough soil, a camera crew from Troybilt showed up and started videotaping Emily and me. Another man with the Associated Press snapped several pictures and even asked us for our names and hometowns. At the same time, we were getting flooded with more volunteers who wanted to take a stab at digging a hole. Eventually, the small garden we were working on was filled with nearly 15 people; however, there were not enough shovels, wheelbarrows, top soil or mulch, and we felt completely useless. It wasn’t long before the press caught wind of a third grade class mulching flowerbeds just a few yards from us and left us for more interesting subjects. We called a White Cap Society meeting and decided our green thumbs weren’t so green and we’d rather grab a few Glad Force Flex trash bags and walk along I-90 and pick up garbage (Glad is a national sponsor of the Keep America Beautiful Campaign.) We picked up a few remnants of the Mardi Gras parade but found that the piles of garbage that lined the street were a little bit too much for us to handle. Another White Cap Society meeting was called and this time we decided to throw in the towel and call for a ride anywhere but there. Our friend Doreen, a fellow volunteer at Bethel, came to save the day. All was not lost; we went to the distribution center and worked for the afternoon, filling food requests, carrying the supplies to patrons’ cars and stocking the tables of the tent.

- Chelsea Mathis

P. S. To see Chelsea and Emily in action, go to: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/photos/W/WXS11503030046.html?SITE=CODER&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Wednesday Report - A Day Late!

Now that Lent is underway, I must confess that I was just too tired to blog last night. In an attempt not to slosh myself with soup at supper, I tried to lean over my bowl. I couldn't do it. I had to lift the bowl off of the table! I'm really getting old!

Yesterday began with an interesting experience when we stopped at Camp Biloxi to pick up some tools. Imagine my surprise when the first person I met at the tool shed was Seth, our site supervisor from New Orleans! (I visited New Orleans in early February with a group from Lutheran Campus Ministry; we worked on three homes over the course of a weekend and Seth was our project supervisor.) I asked Seth what he was up to and he said that he was guiding a film crew around the Gulf Coast for three days.

I went into the little green house to check signals on our remaining work at Marie's house and to inquire about the student beach clean up, scheduled for Thursday. I was wrapping up my conversation with Bob and Cathy when there was a knock at the door. Cathy answered and announced, "The film crew is here and they want to see you." I thought that she was speaking to Bob but I was wrong. They were there to see ME! 'Seems they liked what I said to Seth but didn't catch all of our conversation on film. "Would you be willing to be interviewed?" they asked. "In my grubbiest clothes, with no makeup on and my hair a mess?" Okay. For a good cause, I agreed to do it. But I did insist on putting my hat on.

I'm certain that I looked afright but there's a bit of irony to this event. You see, Seth will be heading off to seminary (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS)) in St. Louis this fall. The organization whose work was being documented is an LCMS charity. But here they were, interviewing a female pastor who was wearing a Yale Divinity School baseball cap! God really does have a sense of humor and irony. Of course, that footage may end up on the cutting room floor!

Emily, Chelsea and Max collected the tools we needed and were very patient and encouraging while I was being interviewed. Once that was over, we took off for K-Mart to pick up bug spray (remember the cock roaches?) before heading on to Marie's house.

We spent the better part of yesterday working at Marie's home. We finished pulling down the drywall (except for part of the kitchen), pulled down ceilings and pulled up flooring. We encountered many more cockroaches and lizards but we were prepared! We enjoyed a picnic lunch beneath the trees before returning to work for the afternoon.

A word about flooring. In the bathroom, we found (in descending order): two layers of linoleum, plywood affixed with (now rusted) 3 inch screws, another layer of linoleum and the base floor, which literally crumbled beneath our crowbars. It was nasty!

Marie wanted to keep the carpeting in her living room, so Emily spent two hours on her hands and knees vacuuming it up. She did amazing work with incredible patience!

Once again, Max's height was a blessing. He could reach up and take care of tasks that required others of us to climb ladders! That was an immense help when it came to removing kitchen cabinets from the walls - especially those that had been installed in interesting ways!

After showers (have I mentioned that we've found the daily shower at the close of a work day to be a gift from heaven not to be taken for granted? It is!), we had a soup supper and Ash Wednesday worship. I'd estimate that about 90% of the people in worship were volunteers. We could feel the weight of the ministry that Pastor Bultman bears.

I'm having trouble uploading photos tonight, so I'll hold off on those for another time.

Chelsea has agreed to blog the students' activities for Thursday, so look for her entry next!

Grace and Peace,
Sue

My Very First Mardi Gras Parade!

Okay. No more funsies with the fonts, folks. I'll just type and we'll all live with what we get, okay? Thank you for understanding the limits of my technical abilities!

My first Mardi Gras parade was a blast! Judy gave us her insider's take on how to find parking. We did well and walked quite a ways along Route 90 before taking up spots on Porter Avenue, just beyond the corner at Route 90. (More about the highway later.) Once again, we found ourselves next to a group from Augustana College. In addition, two women seated next to us were longtime FEMA workers. When Barbara asked how they found their work (either frustrating or rewarding), they did not hesitate in responding: they found it to be terribly frustrating.

The pre-parade activity is a show in itself. People watching is great fun as folks - most of whom have had a very difficult 6 months - let down their hair in a big way!

The parade itself was comprised of a couple of bands and marching units and 76 floats, most of which were pretty basic in construction and boasted a theme. The goal, of course, is to beg for beads, flowers, toys, whatever is being thrown from the floats. Those who have the greatest advantage in this process are children and good looking (young) men and women.

We all noticed that the older folks next to us (particularly the woman in the black shirt and white hat) were pretty aggressive in their begging. Only after the parade did we discover that the "woman in black" was the wife of the former pastor of Bethel Lutheran Church, our home in Biloxi!

Max was a paragon of self-restraint. He's only wearing more than 2 strings of beads because we told him he looked out of place. He accepted no more than those pictured above. As for the rest of us, we were just getting warmed up!

Emily won the big prize for the day, that very cute ty Moose! (Of course, the pastor's wife tried to guilt her into handing it over with, "I wanted that for my grandchild.") Chelsea is STILL trying to unravel her collection!

As for me? Well, at one point toward the end of the parade, I leaned over to pick up a stray string of beads and almost fell over! I was top heavy! And that's not something that happens without a good deal of effort! I couldn't turn my head to the left, so it was a great help to have a good navigator and three good "spotters" along for the drive back to Bethel.

Back at Bethel, we had a traditional Shrove Tuesday pancake supper - complete with Mardi Gras king cake! And guess who got the baby...Barbara! Congratulations!!

Happy Mardi Gras!

Sue

Tuesday...Happy Mardi Gras!

Happy Mardi Gras!

And what a day it's been!

I, uh, overslept this morning. The earplugs worked wonders! The Tempur-pedic mattress was exquisite! And while I did have some strange dreams, I didn't even hear my alarm sound repeatedly at 6:30AM.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat, I was greeted by Dorothy and Judy, who were both FULL of Mardi Gras cheer! Dorothy, pictured on the left, was QUEEN of the Mardi Gras three years ago!!

After acquiring a couple of wheelbarrows and some extra tools, we headed out onto Route 90 (along the beach) toward our work site. The drive along the Gulf Coast Highway was our first look at "ground zero" in this area. My friend, Ken Davis, had told me that things were leveled. You can describe it. You can see it in photographs. But you can't get a real sense of what it's like until you see it first hand. Mile after mile of the most exquisite old trees, battered and bruised, no longer offer shade to grand old homes. The houses, stores, restaurants and hotels have largely been reduced to rubble. Every so often, a building remains standing and one wonders how it could possibly have endured when all around it was destroyed.

We (Roland, Barbara, Chelsea, Max, Emily and I - along with Carol and Doreen from O'Fallon, IL, across the river from St. Louis) arrived in three vehicles at the home to which we'd been assigned. The homeowner, who has been waiting since December for a work crew to arrive, greeted us warmly, saying, "My name's Lucinda but you can call me Marie." We introduced ourselves and Marie gave us a tour of the house, showing us what we would need to do. We'd be removing drywall (they call it "sheetrock" in these parts) in two bedrooms, the living room, bathroom and kitchen. In addition, we would be removing ceilings in the bathroom and kitchen. (That's Chelsea at Marie's house.)

We assembled our tools and went to work! Emily specialized in removal of baseboards! Chelsea spent a good deal of time cleaning out cupboards and stocking the POD out back of the house before she turned her attention to knocking out sheetrock.

Max's height is among his numerous gifts! He took care of removing mouldings in order to remove the sheetrock from up top. There were a few surprises, of course. This is the South. It is humid. There are bugs. A few times, when we removed panels of sheetrock, we were greeted by the scurrying of cockroaches. We learned very quickly that Emily does not like bugs. Period. Fortunately, Max was the one who discovered the little lizards in the walls!

Here are our buddies (roomies!) from O'Fallon, IL. (Who says that Big Ten groups can't work together?!) I was reminded that about 11 years ago I had a phone interview for a possible internship at their congregation, Faith Lutheran Church. Small world, eh? There's a LOT of that around here!

BTW, the majority of volunteers are from two groups: seniors (retired folks) and young adults (students). They ROCK!

We broke for lunch at about 11:30AM, decided to grab some lunch, change our shirts, regroup and head for the parade in Biloxi. (Even the folks in Gulfport said, "Go to Biloxi. It's THE parade"!)

I'll start another entry to share highlights of the parade with you, lest this program decide it wants to implode.

You may be interested in knowing that, while typing this, I've been watching a video assembled by a man who volunteered down here during the fall. Among the observations was this: the geographic region affected by Katrina is equivalent to the size of Great Britain.

Grace and Peace,

Sue

Photos...I hope!

Okay, so the silly program wouldn't allow me to upload photos into this afternoon's entry. So, here they are:

This is the house Max and Emily worked on.

Here are the SeaBees working with the HSSM Staff.

Chelsea loved the kitties - literally!

An attempted escape!

Modern camping equipment!