"Love Connection" Meditation by Sarah Hardy

God’s love brings people together. He works by creating communities, leading us here to church every Sunday morning, and in bigger ways as well, bringing people together for disaster relief. On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana area. Just days later, volunteers rushed to the area, willing to do anything needed to help the situation. A year and a half later my fellow UCC UConn members and I flew down to New Orleans to see what we could do. There, we met the members of the First Church of Slidell and heard testimony from those who witnessed the disaster for themselves. The widespread grief led too many people to question God. However, based on those testimonies, God’s love was evident in the rebuilding response from the church members and communities we visited. That year, UCC UConn was able to initiate change in two church communities as well as a woman’s life. In my experience, the expression of gratitude has yet to be matched to that of those people whose lives we began to rebuild.

Again, after this year’s trip, my fellow UCC UConn members and I made a great impact in the Slidell area. Among other things, we further strengthened our ties with our First Church of Slidell friends, despite certain Tennessee and UConn fan interactions. We also worked on multiple homes and a homeless shelter for men. All our hard work for one week for our mission. All because of God’s love. It brings people together. The call to help rebuild, the motivation to work hard for one week, the drive to make change. While we worked, my fellow trip members and I met some people of quality character and undeniable faith and gratitude. My personal experience was with four young men, who gave up six months of their time to come down to the North Shore area, more than three and a half years after the storm, and continue the rebuilding process. I continue to be in awe of their commitment to their mission and their faith in the Lord. Their drive to help is proof of God’s love. He truly works in wonderful ways, and the more I witness, the more I believe. God’s love brings people together, especially in the wake of something as destructive as Hurricane Katrina. As the rebuilding process continues, God’s love continues to grow - creating a close network of good people doing His work. The UCC UConn members, along with those who supported us, are part of that network and we will be forever grateful for our experiences.

Thank you.

"How God Makes Everything Better" Meditation by Daniqua Boulware

It took me a while to finally decide I wanted to go on the Alternative Spring break trip to Slidell, Louisiana. Actually, it was kind of like it was out of my control and I was somehow meant to go on the trip. Last semester, I started off getting updates from another friend interested in the trip because I couldn’t make the meetings, but little by little I began to make slightly bigger commitments to the group starting by participating in the candy and screw sale fundraiser. Eventually I paid my $100 fee and this semester I began attending meetings. During these meetings the things I held onto in my mind, that were, admittedly, potential excuses and justifications as to why I didn’t have to stick with my plans to go to New Orleans began to die away. I had a little encouragement and motivation to stay committed after the group was informed of a participant whose plane ticket was already booked, non-refundable, decided to drop out. It was then that I realized not going on this trip because of my own doubts and fears would affect more than just me. Not wanting to be selfish I continued to participate and doubts continued to persist but I went on apprehensive and all. I finally decided to stop lying to myself and accepted the truth; that this trip was something that I really had to do. Fortunately, I stand here today saying I am glad I did. The experiences I had, memories I earned, and many lessons I learned made me better today. On this trip I was shown many things I often prayed to see. Things about me, things about the world, and things about God that I knew were true, but doubted because of the way life had previously presented itself to me. Through working for the hurricane Katrina victims and bonding with the others on the trip I was able to see the strength in me and the love God has for each of us. I realized that although in some seasons of our lives hurricanes may come, strong winds may blow and heavy rains may fall, you are never defeated unless you give up, unless you turn and run away. Just as God is there to protect us during the storm he will be there to rebuild what gets damaged and turn our devastating situations into blessings. God will take what we once had and make it better. I was blessed to witness a woman have a brand new home dedicated to her and God years after she lost nearly everything she owned. I witnessed a man talk about dreams hurricane Katrina had put on hold and speak about plans that had once been turned down, now turned into possibilities. I watched him present our group that worked on his hours with a thoughtful gift and caring message of gratitude because we all did what God asked us to do. On this trip I observed God showing me that if we do what we are called to do, he will certainly do for us what he promised to do. God will make us feel like the blessings we are. This trip was full of laughter, pain, frustration, dedication, and contemplation all the same. It was better than one of the best experiences I can imagine, and I definitely look forward to doing it again!

Back to Africa

I alway love going to Slidell, LA because the people are so friendly and hospitable. Being in Slidell not only allows me to meet old and new friends but also to learn new things. Last year I learned how to use screw-gun butthis year, I learned how to use nail-gun. The nail-gun was not helpful for my first day of using it because it was making hissing noises like a snake and I wasn't comfortable using it. On my second day I said to myself, let me try one more time and by the end of the day I learned how to use and how to load nails in the gun. Now I feel comfortable how to use it without hiss noise. On Wednesday night, Sarah H, Sarah S, Chelsea A, and I went to see the African Children's Choir. When I saw these young children singing their songs, my mind was back to Africa. That night if I had wings, I would have flow back home but unfortunately I did not have wings. My spirit was back home, my mind was wondering and recalling everything that I had done when I was their ages. Thanks to Laura Harris and Jason Gould for allowing me to attend the African children choir becuase I was supposed to help them do dishes. Also, thank to Sarah H, Sarah S, and Chelsea A for your company. I really appreciated it.

~John Amol

Affirmations

It is Sunday evening, March 15, and I am tired. I thought I would get a nap in this afternoon but alas, that didn't happen. I just read my "Affirmations", which is a ritual we adopted from the High School Pilgrim Fellowship group (Thanks Louise!). We decorate bags on the first day and then through the week we write little notes of affirmation for each other. We take our bag home at the end of the trip, and typically read them on the plane. It makes you feel great! I however, packed mine in my suitcase, so I didn't get to it until this evening.

Perception. Tom spoke of it in his "Mudbug Award" (see entry) to us when he asked what makes space sacred. What makes us sacred, I want to ask? I think it is being perceived in love. We know God perceives us in love. The joy and the challenge is to perceive each other, as imperfect as we are, in love. Affirmations remind us that we can and are perceived in love and kindness. What a gift.

I am so thankful each year for the group of college students who want to spend their Spring Break working hard and serving others in need. This year the particular combination of students was particularly striking. Our evening reflections were powerful. Don't underestimate college students. They are bright and wise and observant. I felt humbled early in the week to have them show me how to be a better follower of Jesus. I am looking forward to our worship service next week and hearing their testimonies, their reflections. I always strive to create a safe space to have the students share their faith, wherever it is in their journey. Sometimes I worry too much and err on the side of not bringing in enough spirituality. But the amazing thing that I discover, time after time, is that I am not in charge. Not really. Nor is Richie, or any other student leader. God is at work, and we simply need to get out of the way of ourselves and let the Spirit move. God is at work in the sweat and the labor, God is at work in the giggles and the laughter. Or maybe I should say God is at play!

~Rev. Hilary Dahlberg

Pow's, Wow's, How's: Part II

From Thursday March 12th, our fourth day of work

TOP POW’s:
- the slow start to the workday, we wanted to get started right away!
-the time commuting to and from the worksite, and the dedication- lots of driving
-too many gnats at the house dedication for Yolanda

TOP WOW’s:
- again, the teamwork, what we accomplished, what we could do together!
-The African Children’s Choir on Wed. evening
-the dedication of Yolanda’s home- all finished & move-in ready, 3200 people hours later
- Tom’s gift of the poster, the thoughtful words and the Mudbug Award!
-growing comfort with tools

TOP HOW’s:
- How interactive we all were at the dinner that evening when we invited Tom, the homeowner from one worksite, and 4 Mennonites who were working at the other worksite with the other team and their “house parents.” People were able to talk and share. There was a “buzz” in the room.
-Tom’s presentation of his gift
-how incredible the 4 Mennonite young men were in how they are devoting 6 months to help with the rebuilding
-Yolanda’s dedication of her house, and Yolanda herself, looking at the joy on her face makes what we do worthwhile
-The African Children’s Choir

From Friday, March 13, our last work day

TOP POW’s:
- leaving the worksite early because we had to return tools
-leaving Slidell
-not feeling done yet, not satisfied yet
-the fact that drive-thru daiquiri stores exist in Louisiana
-sunburn, mosquito bites, scratches, sore muscles.

TOP WOW’s:
- our wonderful Celebratory End-of-the-Week Dinner, shared with Josh, our Disciples Coordinator, his wife Laura, and their twin babies.
-how much we got done this week, what we accomplished, how it’s all coming together
-admitting how there were reservations, doubts, fears, and yet how much fun we had together getting to know everyone
-no matter how exhausted we were, we still kept on going!

TOP HOW’s:
-Seeing the Spirit in everyone here, including our site supervisors, Josh and Chris. Feeling full of gratitude.
-The dinner there was wonderful energy
-The Spirit was present in that we all still like each other, we’ve managed ourselves with maturity being in tight quarters and working really hard!
-The Spirit was present in all of the little conversations, little by little getting to know one another
-The Spirit has been present simply in that the energy has not stopped all week!

~Rev. Hilary Dahlberg

We're back!

After an early start to the day (5 am), we left New Orleans and the warmth (it was 70 at 6am) at 9am, and after an hour and a half layover in Detroit, we made it back to Connecticut around 3:30 weary and tired. Everyone had a wonderful time throughout the week, and brought home so many memories, and a few new skills with rebuilding a home.

While our trip is officially over, continue checking out the blog throughout the next week as we hope to have a few people write reflections on their whole week.

Also, don't forget that next Sunday (March 22nd), we will be running the entire 10 am Worship Service at the Storrs Congregational Church where we'll have a few people share reflections during the sermon period, and provide slideshows with all of the pictures we took throughout the week. Hope to see you there!

~Richie

The End...

Although the week was a very successful week today was bittersweet in having to stop working and say goodbye to the people we have come to help and worked with. The memories and experiences we gained will never be forgotton but there is still a part of me that wants to stay until all the work has been done. Seeing as how that is not possible I am trying to accept that we came to do a job and thankfully that job was accomplished. When God sends us out to do his work there is a part we are each responsible for and he handles the rest. Although I am not totally satisfied I have to realize that it is not about me and that God is satisfied that I did what he blessed me to be able to do. Just as he sent me here I am sure he will send others along the way to finish what we started and when the time comes I will have the opportunity to do more of his work. With that said I am sad to leave but glad that I heard God's call and responded accordingly.

~Daniqua Boulware

The Mudbug Award

Tom’s Gift Presented to the Team, a wildlife poster with these words
written on the back:

You came as strangers,
You remained as workers
You leave as friends.

A philosophical question for Alex: What makes a place sacred? Perhaps
it is perception- or perspiration. Sharing sweat in our mutual
endeavors means having blessings. You all have shared your blessings
with me, and I am most grateful. Thank you! By your acts you have
added to my sacred quest in Lacombe, LA. So to the following: Rev.
Hilary, Brittany, Daniqua, Sarah, Alex, Richie, Laura, Erich,
Mickeve,, who served as sheetrockers, ditch diggers, dirt movers and
other sundry chores, performed on 3/10 and 3/11, 2009, I present the
Mudbug Award, a sacred piece of Louisiana soil crafted by a crawfish—
better than the Corps of Engineers builds levees!

Thanks to all,
Love, Hope, Justice, Peace and Joy!
Tom Aiklen

Mandleville Excitement

This afternoon in the future house of an older woman in Mandeville, Louisiana, I stood admiring the quick, productive movements of my group mates. I saw hands measuring sheetrock, hands mudding the screws on the walls, hands applying tape to the cracks between each wall, and hands using the drill to attach the sheetrocks to the wood that held the house up. I then realized how the Lord Jesus was truly working in our hearts. Our movements were INSYNC as we progressed to move along and transform this house into a home of hope. A hope that will one day bring many blessings to this lady and that has already brought blessings upon our group today. Now, I anticipate our last day at the house and my spirit feels different. I feel lighter in my spirit and I know that I have been chosen by the Lord to help build homes for a few individuals. I am extremely grateful to share this experience with ASB UCC UConn because we have all become leaders in our own ways. We are a group of people who find wisdom and strength in giving hope to others. Therefore, I want to thank the Lord for giving us the opportunity to be alive and well enough to be here in Louisiana. I know that this is an experience that will follow us for the rest of our lives because we have grown together and for the better. Personally, I stepped out of my comfort zone and I found blessings upon blessings that will serve me well as the years go by. Therefore, may the Lord continue to work through us and help us realize that we have a purpose in life, sometimes that purpose is to show his Greatness and Love through work(labor) for others.

~Mickeve Regis

Daily Reminders

"The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:17

This trip has been a constant blessing. Every day I see something that impacts my life and learn something that I am certain I will never forget. We have been told over and over and over again how much the people of New Orleans and the families affected by hurricane Katrina appreciate our dedication and help to rebuild their homes, lives and dreams but somehow it always seems to slip my mind until something truly amazing, such as the dedication we witnessed today or the gift Tom, a home owner, gave to us in appreciation, occurs. I continuously start to doubt my contribution and feel as if what we are doing is somehow not as important as it is but God has a way of showing, through others, just how important it actually is. The look in the teary eyes of Miss Yolanda today as her house was dedicated to her and God through a ceremony brought tears to my eyes, joy to my heart, and motivation to my spirit. When I got to my work sight all I could imagine was the look on Susan and her mother's face when there house would finally be finished and they could once again enjoy a HOME and a continue to live the lives God has blessed them to have. We had many issues that caused us to have a late start, which put me in a bad mood but once we got to work I remembered Yolanda, forgot about time and made up in my mind that nothing would stop me from making sure we did as much as possible to get the house closer to being finished. Tom's thoughtful gift and words of gratitude took the doubtful thoughts from my mind and replaced them with satisfaction. The presentation of his gift showed me that the people we are helping TRULY do need and value our help no matter how small or big our contribution is to them. Today as every other day was heart warming and confirmation that this trip is and always will be a very important experience to me and all those involved.

~Daniqua Boulware

Pictures from Sarah Hardy

Sarah has graciously shared all 313 of her pictures that have been taken so far...more to come later on!

To find Sarah's pictures, click here.

~Richie

Hard Work & Fun!

I must begin by commending my fellow trip attendees on their inspiring performance thus far. Our week has been full of both hard work and fun! Despite being split into two groups, as a whole, all 18 of us are sharing this experience of rebuilding and are bonding. Slidell’s community has welcomed our able hands with open arms (and GOOD FOOD) and has shared both stories and motivation to bring change.

With a little education, things are really coming together; power tools are no longer scary for nearly all of us. A lot of progress has been made in the homeless shelter we are working on as well as the homes our other half has been improving.

Aside from the mission work we are doing, we reserve our afternoons for board games, cards, the beach, and meal preparations. Needless to say, by the time we all come home, we will be experts in entertaining and feeding ourselves. Life is good.

I am just so content to be doing God’s work in this beautiful place. (Have I mentioned the weather has been over 80 and sunny every day? Yes.) I fully expect the rest of this week to be successful in rebuilding as well as continuing the healing process for all those involved. Katrina was a monster of a storm compounded by a man-made disaster when the levees broke. Now, about three and a half years later, things continue to be on-the-mend. Lives are being put back together, souls are being healed, and communities are coming back together all thanks to the help from volunteers like us.

Thanks for providing us the means for seizing this opportunity to generate change and supporting our efforts. It is appreciated by us as well as the people of Louisiana.

See you when we get back!

Love,
Sarah Hardy

Slam Junk!

Despite the fact that it isn’t apparent that we have 2 different worksites based on this blog, my group has been working hard on helping to build a homeless shelter for men inside of a Pentecostal church. This is not a traditional shelter as it will house seventy men who have jobs but are unable to afford apartments.

On the inside our team of 9(Curt, Jill, Melissa, Becca, Brittni, Chelsea, Sarah, John, and myself) are currently working on framing the second level of the shelter. Our team has been diligently, working on framing and dry walling the building. On the first day we put up drywall in a first floor hallway. We then moved upstairs to help with the framing process. Our team is being assisted by 4 Mennonites who are volunteering their time to head the project! Everyone has pitched in and even though it may scare many of you reading this, everyone has used a nail gun, a power saw, and even I myself have climbed a ladder again (see stories from 2008)! All these tools have been used to put up studs, bridge the studs, patch the floor, brace the walls, and create ventilation holes along the walls. One project which I had a lot of fun with was putting trash into our dumpster. Opposed to the traditional lifting and dropping the trash in the dumpster, I added a new twist. I decided to do my best Hasheem Thabeet/ Lebron James impressions and performed 360 and reverse slam dunks into the dumpster.

Initially the team as a whole was disappointed not to be working on a house. This attitude has changed throughout the week however as we have heard the stories about the future use of the building and have realized that it is not just one person whom we will be touching, but 100s as it serves as a home to many men in need!

The progress has been incredible and our team works together like we have done it every day for the past year!

~Jason Gould

A Slidellian Surprise

Tonight, the Sarahs, John, and I witnessed more of the Slidell community's generosity at work at the African Children Choir's Concert. We went to another church in town which was packed with people of all ages out to support a group of orphans whose lives have been changed thanks to the Music for Life organization. The concert was amazing, the children were phenomenal! I appreciated not only their spot on harmonies, but their focus, energy, and infectious dance moves. What touched me most was when the pastor of the church passed around a collection plate and the people of Slidell, who have been rebuilding from Katrina for the last few years, literally threw money at the deacons in support of the choir. I'm not joking, one woman threw money from the balcony into the collection plate below her. The money goes to help the choir and the orphanages and schools they sponsor. The group is made of orphans from different African countries who otherwise would not attend school, travel the world, or even have a healthy meal everyday. Many of the kids involved are inspired by the education they receive and receive higher degrees in law, education, engineering, etc. and return to their countries to serve other children. You should definitely check out their website (africanchildrenchoir.com).

After last night's amazing potluck dinner hosted by the parishoners of the First Christian Church where we are staying, it was great to see more native Slidellians doing what they do best... supporting each other, friends, and complete strangers. One lesson that I will take away from this entire experience is you can always give more to the people around you, whether it's a hug, a meal, or a donation and I have the people of Slidell to thank for this.

~Chelsea Ambrozaitis

The Attack of the Tennessee Fan

Today the UConn campsite was placed under siege by a rowdy Tennessee fan.
He drove his Black SUV which had Orange Tennessee Volunteer Bumpersitckers
and Orange Ts all over it. Being the avid fans we are, Richie and I had
prepared for this attempt to infest our residence with the lurid color of
orange.  While he was helping to prepare for dinner, Richie and I snuck
outside and stuck 11 UConn country logo’s to his car and flipped the
Tennessee Ts upside down.  Everyone here thoroughly enjoyed the prank and
we were also proud that we had successfully repeled the Tennessee invasion
of UConn Country.

~Jason Gould

Best of Pow Wow Hows, Part One

Every night our group engages in a time of reflection. We read some Scripture, then go around the circle and share a disappointment (Pow.), a wonderful thing that happened (Wow!), and how we have witnessed the Spirit moving (How?). Here are the top responses from “Pow, Wow, How” from the last two days.

From Monday, March 9, our first work day:

TOP POW’s:
- the fact our group of 18 was split into two groups at two separate work sites.
- the heat and humidity
- the slow start to the day given the introduction by Northshore Disaster Recovery, our host rebuilding organization.

TOP WOW’s:
- the team work, everyone worked together well with no complaints
- the muscle power and can-do attitude of the women!
- Witnessing rebuilding and progress in the Lower 9th Ward on Sunday

TOP HOW’s:
- Sitting at the introductory meeting and seeing all the volunteers, listening to Dale, the Director, and learning how much we are needed
- The Spirit was present in how smooth and well the groups worked together
- The Spirit was present in people’s motivation- we are happy to be here and know the purpose

From Tuesday, March 10, our second work day

TOP POW’s:
- the heat and the humidity
- experiencing judgment
- ran out of materials to do the job and had to wait around for a little bit

TOP WOW’s:
- the amazing Potluck hosted by First Christian Church in Slidell, the food was so delicious
- teams continue to work together well, move in and out of jobs with flexibility
- the amazing wildlife: catfish, turtles, tree frogs, geckos

TOP HOW’s:
- Seeing the Spirit move in Tom, one whom we were helping, who had big dreams and ambitions despite the setbacks from Hurricane Katrina. His stories and inspiration
- How First Christian Church, a small church, can do such a big thing by hosting so many mission teams and feeding them every Tuesday. Thanksgiving for Storrs Congregational Church’s support of this mission team
- “I’m so impressed with our whole group!” How we work well together, educate one another, support each other

~Rev. Hilary Dahlberg

Working With Tom

Today was our second day of work.  Unfortunately, we had to break into two
groups to do our work this week.  My group did some moving and mudding at
a house yesterday, and today we were at a different house.  The man who
lived at the house we worked at today was named Tom, and he was quite a
character.  At first glance, he seemed like a packrat who was a little bit
crazy.  However, as the day went on and we heard his stories, we grew to
appreciate him and all that he had to say.  His house only had a little
bit of water damage during Katrina, and he didn’t evacuate because he had
already been through other hurricanes in the past, including Betsy back in
1965.  His house was very unique, with many different sections, decks, and
a pond in the back.  He built the house himself, dug out the pond, and is
in the process of creating his own “levees” in front of his house.  He
expressed a lot of anger at the government’s lack of action after the
hurricane struck, but he was nothing but grateful for receiving help from
us.  He has made it his personal mission to teach other people about the
Choctaw Native Americans.  The Choctaw were Mayans who migrated to the New
Orleans area.  His grandfather was Choctaw and he is creating a museum to
teach others about the Native Americans that were removed from that area.
It was amazing to all of us how Tom has so many ambitions and dreams for
his life.  Throughout the day we were constantly hearing about all of his
plans—from running a tour company to creating a stage for Choctaw theater
performances to building cabins for people to come stay and learn about
his ancestors—he is still dreaming big despite the damage that Hurricane
Katrina has done.  He kept telling us what a blessing it was to be able to
meet people like us who are willing to give our time and energy to help
others.  At one point he said, “You guys are doing more than restoring my
house, you’re restoring my dreams.”  We could feel his gratitude all day
long.  As for work projects, we moved some things (ironically, we moved
another boat—we’re thinking of starting a UCC UConn boat-moving company),
sanded and mudded a wall that another group had started, and put up
sheetrock on a ceiling.  In addition, we worked on some outdoor
projects—moving a walkway and some plants as well as cleaning up the yard.
Richie, Daniqua, Laura, Mickeve, Erich, and I were working on the
ceiling.  Laura, Richie, and Erich had done projects like that before, but
Daniqua, Mickeve, and I were inexperienced.  Each of us got a chance to
get up on the ladder and drill the screws into the ceiling.  Although
Daniqua, Mickeve, and I took awhile to get the hang of it, we ended up
getting the job done by the end of the day.  Alex, Hilary, and Brittany
were working with Tom on some of his outdoor projects that he had for us.
It was an exhausting day, but we got a lot of hard work done.  After
getting home and showering, the people from the church where we’re staying
came over for a potluck dinner.  I can’t even express to you how DELICIOUS
the food was!  We got to try lots of Southern dishes and spent time
talking with church members.  It was an awesome ending to an incredible
day, but there’s much more to come!  It’s only Tuesday!  Tomorrow we’re
only working in the morning and we’re heading to the beach in the
afternoon!

~Sarah Stockmann

Pictures uploaded!

I've posted pictures from both yesterday and today's worksites for the group I'm part of. They can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/uccuconnASB/UCCUConnASBTripDay3Four#

We hopefully will have pictures up tonight from the second group, as well as some comments from other people!

~Richie

The First Day

Our day began by traveling across the street to the Methodist Church where we received an orientation by Dale Kimball, who is the head of Northshore Disaster Recovery Inc, who we receive our projects from. After an hour talk by Dale, we finally received our projects. This year we were given two projects again, so we split up into two groups of 9 for the projects.

The first group, which I am a part of, traveled approximately 45 minutes to Mandleville, LA to work on a house. When we arrived, we met Susan, the owner's daughter, and Angel, her very cute dog! After a quick introduction, and learning that the house had been flooded with about three feet of water, we got to work.

We first began moving everything off of the walls as on Tuesday, a company was coming to spray foam insulation on the walls. The house is fully framed, and the ceilings had already been sheetrocked.

After a trip to the gas station down the road for a bathroom break (many of the houses volunteer groups work at do not have working toliets or bathroom, so the groups need to either go to a neighbors house, or to a place down the road), and our lunch break, we help Susan move everything from under the house as they are going to be spraying the foam insulation there as well. Before Katrina, the house stood on 3 foot stillts; now they are on at least 12 foot stillts, which will help trumendously if another Hurricane were to roll through the area. The moving involved pushing a fairly large boat to the back yard, as well as moving a fridge and range.

Once that project was done, we went back inside to begin mudding all of the screw holes on the ceiling, and finding screws that weren't fully into the sheetrock so that Laura could come around and finish screwing them in. This took us the rest of the day, and around 3:45 we packed it up and headed back home, where Daniqua, Alex, Erich, and Richie cooked a wonderful pasta, garlic bread, and salad dinner. Following dinner was our devotional period, where we do a Pow, Wow, How session. Each person talks about a Pow (something that didn't go too well), a Wow (something that went great), and a How (how we saw or felt God) during the day. The night ended with some great games of Scatagories, Bananagrams, and Apples to Apples.

I'm hoping tomorrow that someone from the other group will post about their worksite and explain what they're doing and where they're at. Our group will be heading to a different worksite tomorrow because of the insulation being sprayed.

Pictures will be uploaded tomorrow at some point. Until then ~ Richie

Sunday's Extravagazas

What a day! It started off with a wonderful breakfast of eggs (cooked by Richie), pancakes (cooked by Sarah H), and Bacon/Sausage (cooked by Hilary). After breakfast we attended First Christian Church's Sunday Service, where Hilary, Richie & Jason provided testimonies that were well received by the whole congregation.

After church, Josh Baird, proud new father of three month old twins, who is our mission manager through Disciples met with us, and then led us on a tour through New Orleans to visit three areas that were hit the most, including the community of Lakeview (near the 17th Canal), and the Lower Ninth Ward. Many pictures were taken, some of which that I took can be found at the link below. Hopefully I'll have a bunch of other pictures soon from everyone else.

Then we drove into the French Quarter where we got to experience the New Orleans culture, including walking down Bourbon St, eating the local cuisine, and viewing some famous sites.

Once we got back around 10pm, some of us hit the sack right away while others played an intense but hilarious game of Apples to Apples.

We all can't wait for tomorrow as we'll learn of our work stations, and will begin working on the house. We hope to have pictures of our work site(s) tomorrow, and hopefully some reflections from people other than myself.

Till tomorrow ~ Richie

To view the photos, visit here: http://picasaweb.google.com/uccuconnASB/UCCUConnASBTripPicturesDay2# I plan on labeling them tomorrow so y'all will know what they are.

WE MADE IT!

After three plane rides, and an early morning, we made it to First Christian Church around 5:30pm. Rev. Susan, the pastor at FCC, and Floyd & Debbie met us here when we arrived to at the church to run through some things about the mission station. After dinner a group went out to do the food shopping, while other groups left to pick up things they left behind.

We're all getting ready for tomorrow's church service, as Jason, Richie & Rev Hilary are providing testimonies/sermons during the service. After church & a quick lunch, Josh Baird, our project manager through Disciples will lead us on a tour of New Orleans, visiting various areas that were damaged from Hurricane Katrina, including the 17th ward and the lower 9th ward. After the tour we'll all head into the French Quarter, where we'll split up and enjoy an evening of food and shopping.

Some photos from the flights and us in the mission station follow.

Till tomorrow ~ Richie

To view the photos, click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/uccuconnASB/UCCUConnASBTripPicturesDay1#

Almost There!

It's just two days until we leave for Slidell, LA, and we're all very excited for it to finally be happening! The preparations are almost done, and we all are basically set for our trip. We'll be leaving Bradley International Airport at 9am on Saturday, flying thru Detroit and Memphis to finally reach New Orleans around 4pm central time, so it's an early morning for all of us, but it's well worth it!

Before we leave we would like to thank everyone who has supported us one way or another, whether it's been through a donation, attending our Valentine's Day Dinner & Silent Auction, purchasing a Candy Bar or two, or by donating a service. After subtracting non-trip expenses (such as those from hosting the dinner, and buying the candy bars), we have exceeded our goal of $9,000!

Make sure to check back daily as we'll be posting new pictures, reflections and comments as frequently as possible! We've learned that there will be internet access this year at the church, so we won't have to drive around to find a Wi-Fi spot!

Till next time ~ Richie Kremer, President UCC UConn

Photos Uploaded from Dinner!

We've posted photos from the dinner! Follow the link to view them!

2009 UCC UConn Valentine's Day Fundraising Dinner & Silent Auction

Amazing Turnout on Saturday

Finally somewhat recuperated, I'm pleased to announce almost final numbers from our Fundraising Dinner & Silent Auction from Saturday!

Between the two dinners and take-out, we served almost 200 people, which is by far the most we have ever served in our four years of running the dinner! The silent auction brought in the most money every as well, by almost $900! We raised over $2,600 from the silent auction alone, which is only $500 less than what we raised from the whole dinner last year!

Now for the total amount, so drumroll please.......

Between ticket sales, silent auction, good will offering, and simple donations from the dinner and the day after, we have raised over $5000 from the dinner, nearly $2000 more than last year! This amount exceeded our goal by $1000!

Once we receive all of the money from the silent auction, we'll post the actual amount raised.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CAME OUT AND SUPPORTED US! WE GREATLY APPRECIATE IT! I am happy to say that as of today, we are VERY close to our goal of $9000 for the trip!

Thanks again!
~ Richie

Update on Ticket Sales

Today was the last official day that people could purchase tickets, and here's where we stand, give or take a few tickets:

4:30 pm: 69
7:00 pm: 108
Take-Out: 10

For a total of 187 tickets sold!!! That is by far the best we have ever done for our fundraising dinner! Now we're all looking forward to Saturday, and are hoping that everything runs smoothly and successfully!

Thanks for supporting us!!

Ticket Sales Update!

As of Sunday, Feb 8th (less than a week before the dinner!), we've sold over 120 tickets between the two dinners, which is great! This includes over 15 couples (30 people) of UConn Students, which is amazing!

That said, we still have tickets available, so if interested, make sure to get in touch with us before Thursday!

~Richie

Ticket Sale Update for Our Valentine's Dinner Fundraiser!

Tickets for our Valentine's Day Fundraising Dinner & Silent Auction went on sale about two weeks ago (Jan 18th). At of Saturday, Jan 29th, we've sold over 50 tickets, which is the best since we started the dinner four years ago.

So this means one thing....buy your tickets now!

Tickets are $20 per person ($18 for seniors and take-out; $5 for child), and a student special of $30 per couple. They're available by calling me (Richie) at 860-427-2862; e-mailing uccuconnasb@gmail.com, or visiting the Storrs Congregational Church office (Mon-Thurs 9am - 4pm; Fri 9am - 1pm). Tickets are available thru Wed March 11th, or when they sell out.

The silent auction is shaping up to be great as well. We have over 50 items, including:

• A signed basketball by Ray Allen, courtesty of the Boston Celtics
• A signed poster by the entire UConn Women's Basketball team
• A signed picture by Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox
• $50 Gift Certificate to Jorgensen
• 2 Tickets to a New York Yankees baseball game
• Gift Certificate to Edible Arrangements
• 2 Tickets to Six Flags New England
• 2 Tickets to Lake Compounce
• Gift Certificate for 4 players to play 18 holes at Skungamaug River Golf Club

Hope you can make it!

Welcome!

This year we've decided to create a Blog, and we'll try and post each night about how our day went in Slidell, LA with our project helping with Hurricane Katrina Relief. It all depends on if we get internet access at the church we stay at. They had just installed wireless when we were there last year, but it wasn't working yet...so we're hoping they've fixed the kinks by now :)

Some info about our group. We're UCC UConn, a group on the UConn Campus and who is associated with the Storrs Congregational Church, UCC (hence where we got our name). Every year we participate on an Alternative Spring Break trip to help with Hurricane Relief. It all started in 2006 when a group of 16 of us traveled to Port Charlotte, FL to help with Hurricane Charlie relief. For the past two years we've traveled to Slidell, LA to help with Hurricane Katrina Relief, and that is where we are going again for 2009.

We have a wonderful group of 18 going this year, with 16 college students (the most ever!) and two over 25ers. We'll be using this blog to share our experiences down in Slidell while they're happening, and the goal is to have everyone on the trip post at least once. This way everyone back home can read and see what we're doing on a daily basis! We'll also be post some things before the trip, such as our fundraising efforts (we have a goal of $10,000 for the trip to help pay for everything), the planning process, and hopefully some feedback from group members on how they feel about going on the trip!

So make sure to check back every so often between now and March 7th, 2009, which is the day we leave to Slidell!

Until then ~ Richie