ALSO Alabama - Work week draws quickly to an end!

Today is the third day of volunteer work, and were still going strong. We split into two groups, 5 stayed at Camp Christian to do some maintenance at the camp, while the rest of the crew returned to Habitat for Humanity. At the camp Debbie got us to clean the front porch and prepared us for painting. We painted the ceiling and the two walls. 

At Habitat we finished siding the second house, and the first coat of paint as well! Wahoo! Tomorrow we are starting the third house! 

Then we packed up our stuff and headed to the beach! "Lets go to the beach, beach lets get away" It was very windy, but warm! The waves were beautiful and body surfing was a go! The water was freezing, but it was a experience of a life time for some people! There were people playing Frisbee, football, and walking along the beach looking for shells. All in all the beach was a success, and we were happy with the weather! We had a hard time leaving the white, silky (squeaky) sand. After what seemed like a long drive we came home to some devotions, and a warm fire where we roasted wieners on coat hangers, and even some yummy smores! It was a great day, and we are more than ready for tomorrow! 

Picture perfect until an unexpected wave came along1

Catching some rays!

Go long!

Tandy jukes and jives to a first down.

One of the few positive plays from Morgan's team!

ALSO ALABAMA

Back after a hard days work and fun at the ocean.

** Sorry for the double post today.  We are usually one day behind always when we are blogging due to the lack of internet at Camp Christian.  However after today's work we will be cleaning up and packing as tomorrow is our last day in Mobile. The students will work a half day on Friday then we will board the bus for the trip home.  I may not be able to access any internet tomorrow (sorry Heather!)  I will try to post on Saturday when we should be in a hotel for the night.   Wow the week has just flown by and none of us can believe that we are just about done.  The kids are tired as the mornings are early and the work day is long but everyone is doing well and having a blast!  Thanks for keeping up with us via this blog!  See you soon!

ALSO Alabama - Day 1 Habitat for Humanity

Howdy ya'll! We woke up earlier than what was prefered, but we survived. We were all super pumped to get to work, but when we got there it was colder than we expected. Nobody had time to miss home because it felt like Canada! They had a lot of work prepared for us, but as usual we got it all done! Way to go team….again. There was a lot of painting, and siding done. A lot of us were excited to work with power tools, *cough* Dayna. We could not wait to get to eat our lunch but when our break was over we went right back to working like champs. We had to cut our day a little short because of the rain (of course) but despite the cold weather it was sunny enough for some of us to get burnt! (Mieke) #gingerprobs. Some of the boys even picked up a southern accent and it seemed to last for only a few hours….(Josh, Shane, Derek, Jake, Morgan) After a long day of work we came back to the camp for some devotions and quiet journaling time, and of course supper. Again #shoutout #bevandralph After supper some of us went to play in the rain with a tire amongst other things. It was very slippery right Hayley? While others stayed nice and warm in the dorm area, or played card games. All in all it was a great bonding experience for the team and we are more than ready for what tomorrow brings. Goodnight ya'll, Mieke & Katie

The 'Muscle'

Hey Benjamin . . . want to be in the picture?

See mom . . . he's doing just fine!

What happens when it doesn't quite fit?  You rub it across the cement until you sand off just the right amount.

How many RJC kids does it take to paint an eave?

These two didn't know who Charlie's Angels were!!!

Measuring twice.

Mom and daughter working side by side in Mobile.

One of the three houses RJC is working on during our stay in Alabama

Back at Camp Christian we had devotion lead by Emma and Ashley.  We were a pretty tired crew by the end of the day.  So the evening ended with board games and visiting.

Emma and Ashley

What is more Mennonite than Dutch Blitz?

High River MDS - Work Day #2!

By the time we finished devotions and breakfast we were off for our second day of work in High River!  RJC and MDS, a match made in....High River?!

Today Hutch and Manny spent the day cutting and hanging drywall, they completed a bathroom. t'was a good time.

Most work has been in basements, but we did get outside a bit.  We stand on guard for thee! 

In the evening we went into Okotoks Evangelical Free Church where we met with a youth group and listened to a presentation about the church's response to the flood, and had some delicious snacks!  Well time for bed, because we're tired and tomorrow will be another full day. 

ALSO Alabama- Food Bank

Salutations from our currently rainy campsite! Denita Washington came and talked to us about fair housing laws, and signs to look for regarding discriminatory practices. She explained how hard it is for some people to find suitable housing.  She brought us in the mood for a hard working week.  We ended the session with our first  devotional lead by Derek and Morgan.  Then on to journaling for the day.

Denita Washington

Derek and Morgan lead a devotional.

Our first journaling

Change of plans because of the weather we ended up going to the mall instead of the beach. Lets just say you could spot the group by the amount of girls carrying big bright yellow forever 21 bags! 

After shopping we headed to the Bay Area Food Bank where we helped Carla sort foods. This warehouse was the distribution center for other  food banks in the area.  We ended getting done more than they expected. We packed 3200lbs of food, which made up 2400 meals!  Way to go team! We had a lovely meal prepared for us when we got home! #tacomonday #shoutout #bevandralph. 

Surveying the Foodbank warehouse.

Getting to work.

Sorting groceries.

Checking expiration dates.

Using our muscle!

We ended the day off with a good chill sesh, and some group bonding while playing soccer and other fun with the playground equipment. 

Water fun on the camp grounds!

A little soccer action.

-Katie and Mieke

High River MDS Work Day

This morning our alarms sounded at 6:30 AM and we got ready for a full day working with MDS in High River. At 7:10, we met with other MDS volunteers in the Chapel. Songs were led by Alejandra and Leah P., followed by devotions by Ryan, and Christie closed for us with a prayer in Cantonese. By 8:00, we were split into separate groups, and sent off to different houses in High River that MDS had already begun repair on. When we first arrived on the job sites, we were shocked. These houses did not look like the "typical" houses that you would expect to need assistance. These houses looked very expensive, however after entering their homes, and seeing the damage, we were able to realize how much the home owners truly required our help. The basements were all gutted, and were in the processes of being rebuilt. At some point in the day, every group heard about each homeowner's story, and how blessed they feel to have us coming into their homes to help rebuild. They needed our help, just like everyone else. At first we may not have understood why were were helping these particular people, but by the end, after hearing the homeowner's story, we were able to understand that each of them had their own unique story. Insurance companies only covered certain parts of the damage, and we were there with MDS to help fill the cracks and help them get back on their feet, to return their home back to home, as it once was.

At the end of the work day we celebrated with one of the home owners as we completed drywalling the ceiling in his brother's bedroom!

After the work day, we went back to Saddlebrook, and played a game of soccer with the young kids, who have been meeting at 4:30 every day to play soccer, since the flood.

Later in the evening, all of the different groups came together to share their highlights of the day. A group received cookies from the homeowners to show their happiness and thanks. Each group felt completely satisfied with knowing that they have helped the homeowner, with proof of tiling the bathroom, or drywalling the ceiling that they have done something, and helped the homeowner get one step closer to returning to their normal lifestyle.



Following the evening sharing time with the MDS group, we headed to Okotoks to hear stories about the flood from Neal Rowan of the Okotoks Fire Department.  Back to bed and ready for another full day of work tomorrow!

ALSO Alabama - Pass Christian

We arrived in Pass Christian, Mississippi on Sunday to a church called Goodwill Missionary Baptist church, which RJC has had an incredible relationship with over the years with our ALSO Gulf Coast trip. 

Going in the church a lot of us didn't know what to expect. We were greeted with loud and engaged speaking as well as singing. It was different from our church in the sense that no one would talk during the sermon or say anything, its quiet. In the Goodwill church when the pastor was talking people were talking, laughing and answering him. The sermon was called 'The Gift that Keeps on Forgiving', where we learned about forgiveness and how we can't receive it if we don’t give it. He made sure to reinforce that we do not count the number of times that  we forgive people we forgive 70x7 times. Throughout the sermon, Pastor Toussaint would say 'Can I get a witness?' and people from all over would answer. He was really honest and open with the congregation about his experiences. The music was fantastic, the singing was incredible, moving some of us even to tears (Karalee). Returning students pointed out that the 'sunglassed bass guitarist' was still there J. We especially enjoyed the solos done by two young boys (Afro with glasses <3). 

RJC Alabama Choir at the Goodwill Baptist Church

Mikayla and Ryan

Kelsi and Mieke present the church with a portion of the funds raised in the Have a Heart Fundraiser .  It was an answer to prayer as now the church can continue providing meals for volunteers in the area.

Who wouldn't want to tithe after this sermon on stewardship!

Congregational Song

Look Jim . . . they have 3 points in Pass Christian too!

The many faces of Pastor Toussaint

Can I have a Witness?

They served us a delicious home cooked meal including, beans, spaghetti, potato salad, garlic bread and a fabulous dessert served with a heaping of southern hospitality. A number of us had the opportunity to talk to the members of the church, which was especially heart warming.

The lovely people of Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church

 We had extra time after the service so we stopped at a nearby beach, where Mieke sat in bird poop, (good luck?). 

Only Katie had trouble with jumping on 3!

Katie and her parents stroll along the Gulf of Mexico along the shore where Katrina was at her worst.

After that we got to head to a swamp tour, where we checked out alligators, wild pigs (and piglets), boat raced and we all had a good laugh as the boat drivers were hilarious.  

The alligators were just coming out of hibernation.

The Blue Heron.

We arrived at Camp Christian late in the evening.  Tomorrow we begin our Also week activities.  We are ready to WORK!

Written by: Kelsi , Mieke, Cheyenne

Alberta Bound! Off to High River (and Saddlebrook)

Yeah!  We made it to Saddlebrook, AB, our work camp, just outside of High River where we will be working this week with Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS).

After registering for our rooms, and eating supper we had an orientation with the MDS reps who got us ready for our tasks tomorrow.  They also gave us t-shirts!  Saddlebrook is a busy place, and home to over 300 displaced people, many who are children.  It will be an early morning with devotionals at 7:10 AM, breakfast at 7:30 and on the worksite at 8:00 AM.  The need here is immense, and we are looking forward to doing our part!