A Day of Disasters

Yesterday started out early (for us, at least.) We traded in our Saturday Morning Routine yesterday for a day of Red Cross Shelter training. And what I expected to be rather dry and boring, turned out to be really interesting and challenging. Our church acts as a Red Cross Shelter for disasters, and Rick and I worked pretty closely with the Hurricane Ike and Rita disasters. We really enjoyed serving in this capacity. So when this training popped up, it was a no-brainer that we attend. I guess I've never really paid attention to some things, but what I learned (apart from the nuts and bolts of Sheltering) was interesting. For instance, the American Red Cross is not affiliated with the government. Now, I KNEW they were supported by donations, but I never really thought of it in detail. One of their founding key principals is "neutrality." This means that they do not align with any political, religious, racial, ethnic, etc party. You will never see the American Flag on a Red Cross vehicle. Hmmmm. I feel silly admitting that, but I always lumped "America" and the "American Red Cross" together. Ok, now that I've brazenly displayed my inadequate intelligence... let's move on to other things. Next stop... the Emergency Room. Our training was interrupted by a phone call about Collin. He was riding his bicycle and doing what most boys do. Say it with me: "DA DA DA DUNNNNNN. Enter.... the ramp. Yes, a ramp. Normal enough for a kid of 15, right? Right. The result: a broken collarbone. He was quite brave - and believe me, this kid has a high pain tolerance. Maybe because we are no stranger to the ER. (As evidenced by the staff recognizing Collin and and saying "What happened this time?") He even attempted to refuse the vicodin. But once that nifty "figure 8" brace was cinched into position pulling his shoulder blades back, I think he would have taken an IV of the stuff. Next week he'll see his orthopedist. Yep, he already has an orthopedist! That would be from the incident last year. The really sad part is that Collin had just started the Power Lifting season. He was finding his niche, and REALLY enjoying it. This takes him out of that for the season. I know he is quite bummed, and so are we. Tomorrow my new hire starts work. Rick and I have survived a month of handling the office alone, every day. Just a few bumps and bruises, semi-permanent scaring, etc. Yep, tomorrow will be a GOOD DAY.

Pew-weee

I don't even have a picture to accompany this post, and if I did - I promise you wouldn't want to see it. It came to my attention recently that I have spoiled food in my fridge. Since we have practically been living at the church since last Wednesday, I have paid NO attention to tasks at home. I never realized how stinky a head of lettuce can be - or the icky residue it leaves behind. We're applying for FEMA to assist with getting a haz-mat team in to do the cleanup. Other than that - I have no complaints! Here's a summary of what's going on with the Browns right now: - Our Shelter downsized by about 20 this morning. That's really exciting! One family of 8 left to go back to Texas City because the Refineries are back online, and his job is calling him back to work. I'm not sure if their home is secure and safe, but it's good that he can get back to work. Another family headed back as well, but I'm unsure of their circumstances. - Our Shelter increased by 2 when one of the the aforementioned families departed WITHOUT their parakeets. We were housing them in a church-member's home, and when she brought them to the church this morning, the family had already departed. Guess they weren't too concerned about the birds. Or the eggs that are in the nest! Our pastor now has possession of the "evacuKEETS." - We're experiencing Shelter Fatigue, which is a term I was unaware of. But I'm glad there is a label for what I'm feeling. There are so many of us that have invested the last week of our lives into this project - and each of us is exhausted physically and mentally. As far as spiritual, I think I'm more hungry than ever. With the interruption of our regular routines, I have not been able to keep my daily time with God. That time usually comes early in the morning when the rest of the house is still sleeping. And I've just been too exhausted to try and keep my eyes open... With that said, I've still experienced God in a HUGE way the past 7 days. My duty has allowed me to observe each volunteer to become a servant and use their specific strength and gift. It's as if I've been in the audience of a huge symphony, where the bigger instruments right down to the smallest play their part in beautiful harmony. And God, as the conductor, has written a part for every single person. Tonight is our Wednesday night youth activities. It will be refreshing to hang out with the kids and experience a bit of normalcy. Well... that's if you can say teenagers have even have an ounce of normalcy. Compared to the chaos of the week, spending time with teens sounds like a vacation! Oh, here's a picture of Rick and Richard. Richard is one of the most polite and humble people I have met. I don't know when he'll go back home, but I know that we will miss him.

Shelter #09 update

Serving dinner Activites with the children Staff meeting And so ends Hour 59 of the Red Cross Shelter #9. We've had a busy day: Scheduled volunteers, shifted calendars, organized kids activities, cleaned up throw-up (twice) bandaged wounds, transported someone for dialysis, laundered towels, organized food, served meals, scheduled a surgical procedure, housed two parakeets, cleaned bathrooms, planned a worship service, hugged each other, printed maps, and prayed. And you know what? I am so energized. I've had a permanent rush, and I don't really want to go home. Most of my time has been spent with administrative tasks - but the times that I take a break and sit to visit with our guests is the most treasured of my time. You see, it's easy for me to put up a protective wall - to safely protect myself from having to deal with any emotion. And there's LOTS of emotion here. But when I let my guard down and truly connect with these new friends, I find a little bit of solace. Think about this - In one corner: Chaotic stress of organizing and running a Shelter - it keeps me stuck in the rut of an endless list of tasks. Productive, but tiring. In the other corner: The smiles and hope and peace and love offered by our guests...I visit with them and breath life. The good and the bad things about life. All of it. They are in an impossible situation, and they meet it with resolve and hope. Sure, I had my difficulties today. Challenges. Tough decisions. It has NOT been a cake walk of little debbies and warm fuzzies. But at the end of the day, I can't think of another place I'd rather be. It's about serving others, learning to listen more than to talk, meeting each challenge with new resolve, and standing with our new friends through their darkest days. May God bless and protect them.

Open for business: Red Cross Shelter # 09

Sorry I've been dark for a few days.

Wednesday was my last normal day. Because Thursday from 8am until after midnight we were at the church mobilizing Red Cross Shelter #09.

Our church is a safe zone sanctioned by Red Cross, and is housing Hurricane Ike evacuees. We have 29 guests as I type this, but our capicity is 50. I expect tomorrow we will fill the rest of our beds.

My role is "Volunteer Coordinator." It's been a BUSY and CHAOTIC and REWARDING journey so far. I've built more spreadsheets in the last 48 hours than I care to, and I've been more productive than 3 normal days at work. Funny how that works...

I'm exhausted. Can hardly believe anything I type makes sense... but I wanted to update you with what we've been doing.

Honestly, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'm getting to know my church family so much better and to witness first hand the generosity and servant spirit amongst them. It truly is inspiring. Every person I've encountered today has been so willing to help... and every person has a different unique ability to contribute. This sounds "sunday-school-ish" to say, but I'm witnessing the body of Christ working. Everyone has their own unique way of helping and encouraging and doing. It's AWESOME.

I'm tired. Must get some rest because morning is going to come early.

Tomorrow we may ride out the hurricane at the Shelter, and there's lots to do to get ready. News reports indicate that our little area of East Texas is going to be hit hard, and we need to be prepared.

Oh, before I go - I wanted to mention how friendly and grateful our guests have been. Their life has been put on hold, and they have no idea what they will have to go home to when this storm is finished. But they are positive and loving and hopeful.

I want to be more like them.