Sweet Summer Fun

(Ahem)...After a rather long reprieve from blogging, HisHands2Go is back in action with updates on our summer happenings. We've had some extremely hard-working teams, sweet fellowship, and wonderful experiences with the homeowners. Check out the next few postings for specifics on the teams we were blessed to work with, and the homeowners they were privileged to work for!

Much love to ya,

HisHands2Go

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!

HisHands2Go has been assisting homeowner Desoto "Bobby" Jackson with his home for roughly 2 1/2 months now. Mr. Jackson, an elderly gentleman, has been doing much of the work of rebuilding his home himself since 2005. HH2G staff made contact with him soon after the hurricane, and reconnected with him this winter (2010). Mr. Jackson was only expecting to have a little help, so he was thrilled when HH2G offered him much more: we've made a goal of finishing the work on Bobby's home, and seeing him move back into it, preferably by the end of 2010. Most HH2G volunteers that have come down since January have been priviledged to assist Bobby with his home, and have carried away wonderful memories of working with and for this man. Though much has been accomplished, there is still much to do, and now the work is to a point that it requires some skilled workers... but of course we ALWAYS welcome the unskilled as well :) Here are the tasks we are seeking to accomplish:

SKILLED
1) Sanding & refinishing hardwood floors
2) Finish carpentry work

UNSKILLED
1) Scraping & painting
2) Drywall hanging
3) Mudding, taping, sanding drywall

Please consider taking a week of your time to come down and work on Mr. Jackson's home. For more information or to book a trip, visit http://www.hishands2go.com/, email teams@hishands2go.com, or call (504) 302-0788. We look forward to seeing you!

Harvest Bible Chapel (IL) - March 2010

When HH2G first hosted Harvest Bible Chapel, the team was over 100 people strong. The church facilities were brimming over with all the energy that 95 high schoolers possess. The students and chaperones arrived, a tremendous amount of work was accomplished, lives were deepened spiritually, and some residents of New Orleans were much much closer to a reconstructed home... the week went beautifully!

This March (2010), HH2G was privileged to host the Harvest Bible Chapel Cyrstal Lake campus again. We welcomed back many familiar faces, and got acquainted with many new ones. The volunteers split into 2 teams:

The first crew worked on the home of Mr. DeSoto "Bobby" Jackson. Half of the team hung sheetrock inside the home, while the other half scraped, primed, and painted the outside of Mr. Jackson's home. The amount of work that this team accomplished in a week is incredible! Mr. Jackson still needs mudding, taping and sanding, and painting done on the inside of his home, but he will be back in his home very soon.

The second team worked on the home of Mrs. Banks. The team worked their muscles doing some demolition work in the home, as well as completely reroofing the house!

First Baptist Woodway (TX) - MAR 2010

HisHands2Go enjoys hosting a variety of age groups, ranging from junior high to senior citizens. The diverse age groups offer differing levels of energy and, of course, maturity. In our experience, the high school age brings a vast amount of energy to the experience in New Orleans, and the crew of First Baptist Woodway is a prime example of that…

Youth Pastor Bob Johns brought his crew from Waco, TX, to New Orleans 2 years ago to gut out a home and brush walls with mold remediation chemical. This year they returned with a new goal ahead of them- tearing down an entire house! This may seem to be a formidable task for a group of young people, but they handled it with a lot of hard work and team work; completely dismantling the fallen structure and diminishing it to 2.5 dumpsters in about 2 days. The crew then moved on to tearing down a garage for Mr. Desoto “Bobby” Jackson, and pulling up tile flooring in another home. This team accomplished an impressive amount of work in the span of 3 days, and was a joy to be around during their visit. Thanks for coming back to NOLA for another round of hard work- it’s appreciated by many people!

Waaaaay back in the year 2008, Sobie Serpe fearlessly led a crew of (somewhat) unskilled workers through the process of replacing the roof on a church building severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. This church building by the name of Spirit of Praise was destined to become a light in the community of the 9th Ward of New Orleans. Post Katrina, Spirit of Praise was no longer able to function as a church and the building was given to another entity to be used in whatever way the Lord directed. Now, two years later, the roof is in need of some touch-up repairs, and the wheels of Elan Ministries are turning to establish a community garden at Spirit of Praise, with plans for more programs and activities to develop. And who should be called upon to help us move forward in these endeavors? (da da da daaaaaaa) Sobie Serpe and his crew.

Sobie and the Williams Family and friends spent another week with HH2G this March. Not only did they repair the roof of the church, but also installed the drain pipes to harvest rain water for the future garden. In addition to the work on Spirit of Praise, the crew worked on the home of Mr. Desoto “Bobby” Jackson, who happens to be a lover of gardening himself. The team was able to line Desoto’s entire home with plastic lining, which prepared it for insulation and sheetrock. After the team left, I spoke with Desoto about his home, and he voiced (without my prompting :) how hard-working these team members were, and how much he appreciated their assistance. We at HH2G agree with Mr. Jackson, and would like to go further in thanking the New Covenant team for journeying again to New Orleans. Your presence here has brought both encouragement and joy to those you worked for. Thanks again!

Valley of Peace (MN) - FEB & MAR 2010

Valley of Peace Lutheran Church hails from the Minneapolis area of Minnesota. Though not new to New Orleans, they were new guests of HH2G. One of several teams we've had from Minnesota, they brought their unique accents and wonderful work ethics to the south. Team leader Tim Hepner put together a three week stint for his volunteers; most team members stayed for a week, while a few others settled in for a two week streak of sheetrocking, mudding/taping, sanding, painting, roof repairing, floor tiling, among other jobs. They worked on the homes belonging to Ms. Rosie Stevens, Brian Berteaux, Albert Franklin, and Ms. Julia Brown.

Tim recruited volunteers from Valley of Peace church, his family, friends and neighbors, and folks who joined the crew without knowing anyone on the teams! As their hosts, it was wonderful to witness the relationships that developed among strangers that were working together for the common goal of helping those who were in need of assistance. Thanks to the eclectic crew from Minnesota for all of the work you accomplished in your time here, for the laughs we shared, and the joy you brought to some New Orleans folks whose lives have been enhanced by your presence and work.

Whew! What a busy few weeks this has been! HisHands2Go has facilitated around 75 people in the last 4 weeks- some staying for multiple weeks at a time. With teams from Minnesota, Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut (the FIRST team from that state to stay with HH2G!), the months of February and March have proven to be rich in diversity of accents, personalities, volunteer skills, taste in food :), and experiences. Now with a two week reprieve, we are catching up on office work, and gearing up for the next team of 60 from Illinois!

When teams are present at the HH2G facilities, there is never a shortage of things to do... but we wouldn't have it any other way! Already this year- only 3 months into 2010 - HH2G has welcomed more teams than the total amount of teams we had in 2009. Hallelujah! God continues to touch the hearts of people who respond by coming down to give a week (or more) of their time. Our staff counts it a wonderful privilege to serve the volunteers so that they can in turn serve the residents of New Orleans effectively and efficiently.

If you haven't been down to New Orleans yet this year- give us a call and book a trip... and spread the word to your friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc! We'd love to have you join us in serving the people of New Orleans!