Here you see Sara and Judy Bultman saying goodbye on Saturday morning, one more heart connection having been made over the week there. I believe that everyone must be back in Renton/Kent by now. The four of us arrived from West Jordan UT a little after 7 yesterday evening, having done our long Oklahoma-Utah day the day previous. We talked some during the trip about what we had seen and heard, and as we drove looking around in far easter Utah with a beautiful sunset we talked a little about how unreal it seemed that we had ever been where we had spent those ten days. Now, this morning, I am home, I am up unreasonably early (as I have been each of the last seven or eight days) and KCTS is running the Jonathan Demme New Orleans documentary which was filmed in January 06. What we saw, then and there, 22 months after the storms, will need time to come out of each of us, and that includes the 'time warp' for those who have been there before, the difficulty of putting some of those Gulf Coast scenes together with what we see everyday back in WA, and letting anyone who will listen know that there are tremendous needs on the Gulf Coast- for all kinds of things and money and work but most definitely a need for connection- for people 'on the ground,' meeting, listening, working, praying, being led. In all of that there are gifts for us- maybe some new eyes and ears to serve here where we live and to see people who tend to be less visible or invisible to those around them, and to be led and to be connected and to be part of healing. So many things to pray for, more each day, more all of the time. I give thanks, looking back through pictures, for each one of our people who were there and for everyone who has given any kind of support to this work. I look forward to hearing whatever bits and pieces I will get to hear of our people telling what they have seen and heard.

The healing that we got to be part of requires many more eyes and ears and hands than ours, but in the end we don't have to worry about that. Like the preschoolers sing- love grows one by one, two by two, four by four- and that seems to be the way that the telling happens, too. I keep getting taught that, as I see and hear about situations here and on the Gulf Coast, situations that neither my head nor my heart can take in at once. There is peace to be had on the other side of that, I know. and when any of us tell the story of our time on the Coast, I am praying that we will talk about that peace even as we talk about so many heartbreaking things. I have seen people, including myself, learning something new about being overwhelmed and being led and being given the peace that comes from putting ourselves in God's hands. I want to go out and talk about that, until I go back, and then I want to talk about it some more. I'll talk about how busy God is on that coast, how busy God is among hurting people everywhere, and at some point I can give up trying to explain or draw pictures and say something like Paul did - O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! - Pastor Glen

This morning our people will start to head to the airport, the first two around 5:30, then others later in the morning and in the afternoon, and the last four from New Orleans tomorrow (many thanks to Dave and Stacey for the airport taxi work). Scott, Gretchen and Connor left by road yesterday, and Isaac, Sara, Scott and I will drive from here this morning after breakfast, taking a little extra time today to drive to Vicksburg and then through the Delta on our way to Oklahoma.

Yesterday evening the fellowship hall here was full of workers, and as we leave I know that Bethel has workers booked to come through October. Lots of transition going on and coming on. Yesterday was partly about saying goodbye once again to Sam and Evelyn, to John and Virginia, and to Bill. I am so privileged to know them and to be able to be here to visit. John and Virginia are anxious to let everyone at Cross and Crown know that they thankful for the connection and for knowing that they are remembered up there. I will be thinking of them this month and August especially, as people here say that August is the toughest month in terms of the heat. That air conditioner will help a little, I hope. Bill may well move before too long, possibly into a Habitat home. If that happens, there is a possibility that we may be able to 'donate' Habitat work done in Washington toward his 'sweat equity account.' I suggested that we could probably figure it out. Sam and Evelyn aren't going anywhere. Sara and I enjoyed spending a little time with them yesterday and leaving a quilt for their son Doug, who may soon be out on the road driving a semi again. I believe that David and Patricia's sons will get quilts tomorrow, and I gave three more to Donna, Judy B.'s right-hand person here who has two uncles whose home is being worked on now. Donna started chemo yesterday, so we gave one more to her.

The rest of the quilts, I believe, will stay here. When a home worked on by Bethel workers gets finished, they like to give the owners two quilts, if they have them, along with some other things.

I anticipate that once again there will be a lot of 'unpacking' to do in the next days and weeks. There is so much that we see and hear, and it seems to get stored away without my realizing it and it only moves through head and heart at its own pace. Our drive is one way to handle that, I think. I will be thinking of everyone at Cross and Crown tomorrow, including Karyn as she leads worship. When asked 'for whom else to pray,' there are all of the names above in this entry and all of the names below in the blog. Dave B. stood up last evening in the big group and reminded everyone that, while workers get thanked for the work, he and we are thankful for everythint that we receive here. Good words. Time to go. - Pastor Glen

There are pictures here of Cross and Crown members in the Bethel kitchen, working with members of Camano and Morningstar Monroe at John and Virginia's house, working at the Habitat site, working in Bill's home to to help to get rid of some things and to clear some space for packing and organizing, enjoying dinner with Patricia, Davia, Kendrick and William, visiting Bill (all 18 of us) afterward... We are all over the place here. Jody, Ashley, Isaac and I went to work at Bill's home. It was a only a short time of work, and then we brought lunch back to sit with Bill for another hour and talk and hear stories. I was up in a storage area handing things down to be taken outside- Bill had said that some raccoons had been up there, so I wondered what I might find in the way of messes, etc. It wasn't bad- but it made me realize that, if there had been some awful mess up there, I would not hesitate to do the work and to do it to the best of my ability, because it's for Bill. I know him. We are connected. This week I have really been struck by the effort our people are puttting forward at the Habitat site, since there isn't a connection with the owners. They are not in town, they are not coming over as Patricia and David did last summer to visit and to talk and to connect. Our people are knocking themselves out putting tile down, etc for a family they don't know. It is wonderful to see that. In the meantime, they have also connected with David and Patricia and are working to help them to get their floors finished and to get that much closer to moving in (this has included a new stove and range, thanks to the generosity of the people of Cross and Crown and of everyone who put the car wash together and worked at that). Isaac and Ashley and Sara and I have been at John and Virginia's place to work and to visit. A lot of brush and bushes and vines were cut down in their front yard (especially by young people from Camano and Morninstar yesterday) and I put in a new toilet and a new air conditioner unit. The connection is the thing, thoughand it is the most important thing. This work has always been about people, first and last. That applies here to Bethel and to life around the church during the week and also to anyone we run into anywhere (Home Depot, car repair place, Winn Dixie, etc etc). We are privileged and blessed to be the ones to come here in person and care for the connections that we have. As the months go by, people who are struggling seem to become less and less visible. The opposite of invisible is- connected - in person, one by one. I don't believe there are no words to express what that does in a person's heart, and I have been blessed that way many times over the last 9 days here and in New Orleans. That's why we are here, and that 's why we can talk in terms of being called here. God has been very good to us here.

Scott and Gretchen and Connor will leave today, and I will leave early tomorrow with Isaac, Sara and Scott C. There are things to be wrapped up today, plenty of work to do, preparations for traveling. I believe that we all go through the leaving part in our own way. Last evening just as we left I asked Bill whether he needed us back to work today, and he said it wouldn't be necessary. So- that was one goodbye, once again. We'll do them one at a time today. - Pastor Glen

This morning Ashley, Isaac and I went to John and Virginia's house and cut down some bushes and brush in their yard. By 10:30 or so it got hot enough outside that we knocked off work. They had mentioned that they had a toilet that was not working, and I replaced that. We picked up Jody and went to Bill's house/studio, having picked up and delivered ice cream bars to the Habitat house sites along the way. I am told that the tile is coming along well in the 'main' house. Tor continued assembling window frames in another house (and met the owner today).

Cross and Crown people continue to work at church and at various places in town. I will return to John and Virginia's home tomorrow morning with Isaac and with some young people from Camano and Morningstar/Monroe congregations. We will work while there is shade. After that, Jody, Ashley, Isaac and I plan to help Bill move and sort some things. Jody enjoyed a first visit with Bill today. He remembered Ashley from last July, but wasn't sure about Isaac (Isaac has grown just a bit since July '06).

Tomorrow night the 18 of us intend to go to dinner at a restaurant in Gulfport, and I am h0ping that David and Patricia (and maybe their children) can join us. Several of our people were back at David and Patricia's home this evening, installing flooring and delivering a washer and dryer which (though working fine) were replaced today at Bethel. We had worship this evening, with Pastor Scott from Camano Lutheran leading. This day started very early and included a fair amount of heat (I am thinking, too, about everyone back in WA with 95-100+ temperatures- I am hoping that everyone is all right. I want to try to get the name and address of the couple whom Isaac and I helped to move furniture last July- I want to visit their Jezebel, their St. Bernard/German Shepherd mix. Gretchen says that she would like to visit Jezebel also (see last summer's blog for a picture of the dog in question - Pastor Glen

We heard from Judy Bultman yesterday evening. She looked around and saw that most or all of those gathered had heard the story of the first days after the storm, and so she spoke to us about different ways in which she and Jerry had been provided for along the way, all the way back to when they met, when they went to seminary, when they came to Bethel...Jerry will be retiring at the end of the month, and he and Judy plan to head for their lake house in Georgia at that time. There will be some kind of party here at the end of the month, which we will not be able to attend, so we had a chance to give thanks for Judy and for everything that God has done through her.
David and Patricia's home is very nearly done- as I understand it, there is just some wooden flooring that needs to be finished and some counter work. Sue, Dave and Melodie went over there last night to work on it, and they hope to finish Thursday night. Isaac and Ashley and I will go to the home of John and Virginia T. - a couple whom we met a year ago and helped with part of their move from a FEMA trailer back into their home. They need a toilet replaced and some bushes/brush cut down and moved, so that's what we'll do. We'll also head to Bill's house/studio to move some things. So, in addition to all of the work being done by our team in East Biloxi (on three different houses) we are blessed to reconnect with people and to be able to see needs and do what we can to deal with them. In addition, Jody, Gretchen, Stacey and Sara are back cooking and coordinating food, having seen a need and responded. Sue and Melodie will be working in the clinic. I am so thankful for every one of our people here who are doing all kinds of things. Each group's week here will be different. We came down here with heart connections to people, and so it seems very natural that Cross and Crown people are all over the place this week. Where there is need, God seems extra busy, and so where there is need, we are extra blessed - Pastor Glen

This morning Melodie, Jody, Stacey and Sara cooked breakfast and then shopped and set up meals for the groups and staff workers who will take their turns in the kitchen the rest of the week. The rest of us went to the house site (in East Biloxi, not far from David and Patricia’s house and not far from Bill Johnson’s home, either) and got to work promptly. Peter, the leader from Habitat of Northern Virginia, gathered us and let us know what we would be doing. He spent much of the day there helping everyone get started and answering questions. We will not be able to meet the owner of the house (who is out of state now) and I will miss that. However, it is much easier to get started this way (last year, one day of the five was spent picking a site, gathering tools [across town]..) Everyone worked very hard in the heat. Lunch was served at a Salvation Army Center at Biloxi 'Yankee Stadium,' a football stadium near the work site. One picture above shows Scott G. visiting with a young woman named Emmy, Biloxi native, who told us about the storm and the days after, the time in shelters with her three children, and many other things.
I went to see Bill in the afternoon, and he is doing ok and working (there are more fish carvings/paintings on the wall of his studio) . It is always good to see him. He will not have to move anytime soon, and there is a strong possibility that he will be able to rent a house not far away from his present home once that house is refurbished. Some of us will go sometime this week to Bill’s place to help him to move and pack some things.
I saw Sam and Evelyn Reyer tonight, and we sat and visited. There are big changes at Bethel coming up- Pastor Jerry and Judy will retire at the end of this month and move to their lake place in Georgia. There will be an interim pastor coming in September. Sam and Evelyn are well and send their very warmest greetings to everyone at Cross and Crown.
We heard from Donna Tasker, a Bethel staff member, tonight as she presented the ‘Eyes of Hope’ DVD and gave background information. The song play aside pictures from September 05. I’ve been thinking again and again that having been here before does not make me any smarter about any of this - in fact, it gets harder each time. I have seen and heard, and heard from people I know here (I am blessed to be able to check in with people I met in Oct 05) that when the storms happened everyone – rich, poor, in between, had the storm in common- everyone had a story, and people who had never had to ask for help with basics in their lives were suddenly vulnerable. Each time I’ve come (one year later, six months and then four months after that ) I see and hear more and more that people who have experienced recovery (job, prospects, house, future) were less and less inclined to remember that they once were vulnerable. Each time I come here, the changes, the amount of rebuilding of businesses and homes is extraordinary to me. But each time I come here, people who are struggling here seem less and less visible to the people around them. I don’t believe any of us want to remember when we’ve been through terrible times, and we want to get to some kind of normal. When I’m here, ‘normal’ doesn’t seem so great. There were many amazing healings and connections happening back in the most terrible time. That was then, and we get to be here now, not just out in the community but here at Bethel in their time of big changes. What are we being called to do? Gretchen helped to lead everyone in hand motions for the song ‘love grows.’ What the song says is still true- one person at a time, one armload of sticks, or tiles, or whatever, at a time, one looking people in the eye at a time is how good things happen.
- Pastor Glen

All eighteen of us are now at Bethel. This morning Ann and I returned to New Orleans to pick up Sue and Tor at the airport, and tdrohen we went to worship at St. John #5. We were joined there by Melodie, Scott and Gretchen, and then we went for coffee in the French Quarter and from there through the lower ninth ward and St. Bernard Parish on our way out of town. The coffee place is nice (we went there three mornings during our time in New Orleans) but part of the reason for going there is to keep in mind that that French Quarter area, with no obvious signs that a hurricane ever happened, is only a short drive from the 7th or the 9th Ward, where the damage is so extensive. In those neighborhoods, as in areas of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the damage looks like a front-page or a lead story for the evening news, 22 months in.

Scott, Gretchen, Connor, Bill, Isaac, Melodie, Dave, and Stacey went this morning to worship with Patricia at Main Street Missionary Baptist Church in Biloxi, then returned to worship at Bethel (for the record, that made three different worship services in one day for Melodie, Scott and Gretchen).

Tomorrow morning four will stay and take another turn working in the kitchen (after having prepared wonderful breakfast and dinner today) and the rest will go for a first day at a home site in East Biloxi, not far from David and Patricia's house We look forward to seeing Judy Bultman on Tuesday (she is on a speaking visit in suburban Chicago) and to checking in soon with Bill. - Pastor Glen