busy, busy, busy

I must apologize that we haven't updated the blog lately. The truth is...we are so busy we just haven't had the time! This week we have had three different groups (about 45 people) stay in our building: Pleasant Valley Evangelical Church (Youngstown, OH), Calvary Church (St. Louis, MO), and Grace Fellowship Church (Johnson City, TN). Boy, have they gotten some work done! Anyway, if your church is planning on sending a work team anytime soon, here are some things we have learned:

• We are assigning jobs a day at a time. Your team will be given enough jobs to fill the day. Your leader will meet with someone from our church each day to discuss your jobs for the following day.
• As you are planning your teams, try to focus on splitting up into teams to handle different types of jobs. For example, if you bring a team of 15, you could have an exterior team (chainsaw work, lawncare, etc.), an interior deconstruction team (tearing out floors, sheetrock, ceilings, etc.), and a specialized team (depends on your skills...roofing, carpentry, floating sheetrock, etc.). Of course, your teams might shift a bit each day depending on the jobs.
• A SBC church right down the road, Calvary Baptist Church, is hosting a Red Cross feeding center. Right now, the plan is for this feeding center to stay open for the next couple of weeks. They are providing hot lunches and dinners for free. You can walk right up and get as many to-go boxes as needed. Your group is more than welcome to take advantage of this opportunity if needed.
• If your group is driving in from the East, then I'm sure you are aware of the section of I-10 that has been closed due to Hurricane damage. Detouring around this route has added 45-60 minutes to the drive. Good news. It partially reopened today. Click here to read a news article about it.
• Flexibility is the key!

We have had some amazing opportunities to reach out to the community this week. We have helped neighbors, family members, friends, small businesses and church members. Also, a door open for us to play a role in rebuilding a public high school. Wow. I have been amazed at how God has worked...and this is only the first week!

Feel free to contact me (Doug) if you have any questions. My cell number is 504-975-7570 and my email is doug@bereannola.com. I am busy, but I want to talk to you!

Keep praying. God is working to heal New Orleans. I can't believe that we get to play a role.