12/19/05 :: Fixing sandwiches, hanging drywall
New Orleans, LA >> Judy Luster, currently in the new members' class at Cornerstone Church of Knoxville, Tennessee, served with a cleanup crew at Lakeview Christian Center (New Orleans) in October. In a recent email, she described her experiences....
Each morning Erin and I clean up from breakfast, clean bathrooms, do laundry, sweep or vacuum all the floors, make 32 sandwiches, etc. When we are all done, usually about noon, we shop or do other things. Then we start dinner and serve it.
Erin is a newlywed since August 6. They were the last couple to marry in the building before the flood. Her new husband Eric now works full-time in the office overseeing lots of things. As many things here, all of their life has changed. He was part-time and a student, but the school closed and is uncertain about when it will reopen.
Yesterday our team of fifteen split and one crew kept demolishing and one (with more skills!) started hanging drywall. Sheetrock is almost impossible to come by here. The church maintenance man, Kevin, waits any morning that Home Depot says it has sheetrock. He goes before 6 a.m. and waits to see if he can get any. How they will come up with enough is an unknown.
Many of their poorer members will move back into their homes when the sheetrock is hung and live in that manner indefinitely. Others live in areas where it is undecided by government or higher-ups if they will be allowed to rebuild and move back into the area. Some seem to be pushing for wetlands or permanently flooding areas. Many members are displaced in and out of the area.
The numbers are foggy, but before we arrived the teams had gutted maybe 20-plus houses and they are ready to have drywall installed. Of course not all neighborhoods have electricity; some are still not open to people yet. Our teams will probably get five to six more done. There seem to be about 20 more with serious damage. Eric estimated about 25% of the members' homes had SERIOUS damage. Not so serious may mean only the roof is damaged, trees are down, windows out, etc. Those are in the back file folders on the desk here waiting for help.
The church building is a mess. It is still unknown what will be done with it. If they stay at that location, they desire to buy up more property to expand or rebuild a bigger building. They were already in two services. Did you know they did Celebration Alpha meals for more than 400 before the flood? Incredible!! Today I overheard they are now trying to track down their Alpha contacts and check on them. Whatever happens with the building, it will be a long time before they are settled. They would like to find a Sunday location, but so far a Saturday use of a church building is what they have. Last Saturday they had about 380 of their 600 there. People seem to be trickling back as businesses restart. Besides repair, finding employees is difficult. A Burger King is offering a $6000 (yes thousand $) sign-on bonus and $9-$10 an hour for staying a year.
Last night we had a time of worship for the team (from St. Petersburg, Florida; Knoxville; and one El Paso brother) and it was so rich. Then we were able to minister to the two serving couples, Erik and Erin Schmaltz and Pete and Carrie Schefferstein, with prayer. We were all really blessed. It was a little taste of what Heaven will be!