Here are the remaining dates for work mission meetings

-John

November 23, 2008 5:30-7:00 @ IUMC

• Location update

• Committee Meetings

January 11, 2009 5:30-7:00 @ CUMC

• Location finalized

• Committee Meetings

February 8, 2009 5:30-7:00 @ NOUMC

• Distribute Stock

• Committee Meetings

March 15, 2009 5:30-7:00 @ CUMC

• Collect Stock Sale Funds

• Committee Meetings

April 19, 2009 5:30-7:00 @ IUMC

• All Money Due in

• Skills Sessions

May 24, 2009 5:30-7:00 @ CUMC

• Pre-trip Letters

• Finalizing details

*June, 2009 TBA (if Necessary)

June 20, 2009 Load Trucks

June 21-27, 2009 - Work Mission Week!

North Olmsted UMC: 7/13/08 5:30pm

Independence UMC: 7/27/08 5:30pm

Cove UMC: 8/3/08 6:00pm

We hope to see you there!

Dan B (NOUMC)

Hi all,

I have added a selection of pictures from the trip to the “Photos” page. It’s been requested that I not add too many pictures of the work we actually did until after the slideshow, so this selection will have to do.

I’ll be adding plenty more after the slideshows, so if you’re unable to make one of them, don’t despair, you’ll be able to get your whole picture fix here!

Dan B (NOUMC)

Hi everyone!

Our week in Baltimore is done, but we are still tasked with helping others and sharing the joy and the holy spirit with others. Along those lines, we will be having our traditional slideshows shortly; the dates will be posted here when they are set.

Also, continue checking the blog for more exclusive pictures and other new content that will be added this week and in the future - you won’t want to miss keeping up with the mission trip all year long!

I hope that you enjoyed the blog and hearing from us throughout the week. Remember, we want to hear your comments and suggestions - just email us at webmaster@noumc.org!

Thanks for your prayer and support, and we’ll see you at a slideshow!

Dan B (NOUMC)

The truck and all vans have arrived !!!   We have returned safe and sound.

Ed B.

Even with the pedal to the floor & leaning forward, the truck team, “Wilkes-Barre,” can only do 40mph uphill, and about 2.5 to 5.3 mpg uphill (12-35 downhill) acording to our instantaneous mileage indicator, on our way up I70 to Breezewood…. and the Eastern Van Group is stickin with us the whole way… at milepost 21 at 11am now and expect to be in Breezewood soon for fuel & a pitstop…. paz, salaam, shalom….

We have loaded the truck and everyone is in their vans. We are moving out. Wish us well…..

From the backseat of van 1(peoria).

ed

All the youth and adults are asleep, We had a wonderful day and it was very warm here, Our candle walk was great, and as always, many tears and emotions. We are hoping to leave about 9-930 am. There is construction on I-70 going north. We could have delays, We will keep you posted.

I have not read all blogs, but Thursday night we had a special treat for dessert, thanks to Jane and Ray,

We have delicious ice cream cake and it went very fast.  Thanks again,  Jane and Ray !!!!!!

Ed

Some of you have requested who is on these work teams. So here goes. Only first names, unless many of them. (ie Emily ). Each of the team names has a history as part of this church. Attended, minister, leader, etc.

Team Bailey Worked at Monroe Street UMC

Danny recorder

Katy E tool master

Amber crew chief

Riley Chef

Mike M

Craig M

Dave S toolmaster

Claire worship leader

Mollie chef

Team Carroll Worked at host site - Sharp Street Memorial UMC

Jason

Sam D Tool Master

Karen E chef

Kurt F chef

Lizzie crew chief

Donald J tool master

Kirsten R recorder

Rick S

Phillip W worship leader

Team Florence - Worked at the old parsonage next to St. James UMC

Nicole B Crew Chief

Mr Ed

Ken E

Maggie chef

Nick G recorder

Tammy M

Addie worship leader

Kyle Tool Master

Lauren S Chef

Team Hughes — Worked at Ames UMC

Chris B

Mary B tool master

Emily F #4 chef

Ward H

David J

Kat K worship leader

Kelsey L recorder

Wade P

Cameron tool master

Elyse S crew chief

Team Jackson - Worked at Unity UMC and at St, James UMC(both)

Amanda D chef

Lori F

Amanda K tool master

Gene

Andy M recorder

Megan P chef

Grant P crew chief

Alyssa S worship leader

Emily W #2 recorder

Due to church use, team jackson worked with florence and queen

Team Queen

James B

Jessie C recorder

Denise H

Hanna M tool master

Emily K #3 chef

Don K

Anthea R crew chief

Caitlin S tool master

Jeremy W worship

Team Stith - Kitchen crew. Best food ever !

Carol F shop-til-you-drop

Joanne K captain clean-up

Tammy K Pit Boss

Andy W Taco Master

Emily W #1 Lunch lady

The you go, All the teams……

Mr Ed.

I apologize for not getting this on sooner. Josh is a charter member of this missionary group and he wanted to add his thoughts for this week. ed b.

Work Mission 1997

Twelve years ago I was one of 44 youth who embarked on an adventure that would change all of our lives. A bunch of us, 6th graders through college, jumped in 15 passenger vans and started the journey from Cleveland to northern Wisconsin.

Our destination was Bad River Indian Reservation and our plan was to help those less fortunate than us; physically, emotionally and spiritually.

The trip became an annual tradition. We grew from a single group of 44 into 2 separate trips of 100+ people. Over the years we have served people in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, North Carolina, West Virginia, Michigan, Massachusetts, Illinois and Kentucky.

The founding youth have grown up and become adult leaders encouraging current youth to join. I hope this cycle continues for many years to come.

Early this week 62 youth and adults set off again. This time to Baltimore, MD. Nobody knows for sure what they will be doing, but if history has taught us anything, they will surely be scraping, painting, sweeping, hammering, sawing and most importantly: talking.

Missionaries: Our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers are with you for a safe and productive trip. Take lots of pictures and be sure to share stories with us when you return.

Josh Walsh

After a week of sunshine and warm temperatures, we get our first rains as our last work team returns from showers. I hope that the raindrops won’t keep our church partner families from coming to dinner. We have been working with some incredible people here. I met the Sunday drummer for St James UMC, Michael. He’s been playing for years and just now taking lessons to read music. The custodian, Wyndell, has been very helpful and informative. He also has incredible patience for when we make mistakes, and a good sense of humor for when we make really big mistakes. He aided our communication with the local youth workers who came to help. Pastor Iris Farabee-Lewis has exhibited the utmost hospitality. She has continued to do the ministry which her church needs to do, even without the availability of her fellowship hall. She has been pleasant, even when we’ve been in her way. She’s shared Jesus’ love with us as she shares it with the members of her church and those who receive the church’s services. We have been blessed to work with some amazing local partners. They are a part of our picture. They were here long before we arrived, and will minister here long after we are gone. God bless us all. Amen.

- Rev Don (NOUMC)

So today we arrived at the job site in record time, no misdirections and obfuscations by the NaviAlligator (see previous post for rebuttal). The Blue Plague was still holding on to quite a bit of trim and a bit of wainscotting. We set about with Brown Paint to obliterate the Blue, engaging several teams armed with brushes and paint cups. By noon it was pretty clear we were going to overcome all but one roll-down door, but what about the mess? Of course, we had used drop cloths, and of course we’re very tidy painters, but, well, drips happen. Alot. Thankfully, we had help from some local youth and our own Team Jackson and before we knew it we were done! Of course, we did have to repair a door Gene tore off its hinges, and the railing he removed for ease of painting, but even these came together with unusual ease. Quit pulling strings, guys! But a satisfying end to the week, with all members of Team Queen pulling together!

“Cleaning the mess today was quicker than making it!” -EEK (North Olmsted UMC)-

I am part of team Queen this week. Which is the coolest… Just Kidding! ALL the teams are the coolest. We are very blessed to have amazing people here on the mission.

Anyway, this week Team Queen was at St. James UMC. At St. James, we were responsible for painting their neon blue and white fellowship hall a nice chocolate brown and a mocha caramel color!! I am happy to report that we finished the whole thing today. (all except these divider doors, that may have been impossible)

We had a great time working together and getting to know each other… MANY LAUGHS!!!! We also enjoyed touring the city… especially when James missed a turn- AGAIN!

Well, tonight is our candle walk and I cannot wait. It will be a little different this year, but that is all apart of our MGE’S (Magical Growth Experiences). The candle walks are always something special, because it is like the culminating event of the week. It is a chance for us all to get together and sing, pray, and share our favorite moments. It is truly experience that you cannot put into words and one you need to be a part of to truly know its effects.

I cannot wait to tell you all about the trip, show you pictures, and SLEEP IN!

Thank you for all your prayers and support.

-Denise (Cove UMC)

Hello all!

I’ve been asked to share tonight’s dessert recipe:

Turtle Dessert

17 ice cream sandwiches

12.25 oz caramel topping

1 1/4 C chopped pecans

12 oz Cool Whip

3/4 C hot fudge topping

Place 8 1/2 ice cream sandwiches in a 13×9 pan. Spread evenly with caramel topping and sprinkle with 1 C pecans. Top with 2 cups Cool Whip and remaining ice cream sandwiches. Spread remaining Cool Whip evenly over sandwiches. Sprinkle with remaining pecans. Cover and freeze at least 2 hours. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Cut into squares. Drizzle with fudge toppng. Yield: 16 servings.

Enjoy!

tk

Team Jackson has been assigned to work at the Unity United Methodist Church this week. At this church we have been painting a 14 foot hallway that was very long. Unfortunately, we had to paint the hallways with antique white. The old paint was regular white. We have also been working at St. James UMC and its Parsonage due to funerals at Unity UMC. While we were there we continued to paint along with spackling, drywalling, scraping, and cleaning. After doing all of this work at these churches we have been exhausted, but yet we still find a way to make new friends and help people in need. We are truly enjoying ourselves and can’t wait to come back next year.

Team Carroll is working at Sharp Street UMC, and we are having a very entertaining time. So far we have replaced 3 toilets, and attempted to fix a shower. There have also been two very long (2 hour) trips to Lowe’s on Monday and Wednesday. However, we seem to be moving even quicker with toilet replacement, and hope to have the last three replaced by Thursday afternoon. Also, there is some wonderful painting going on, and it is getting on all of the walls, and our team members!

-Karen E.

Hello friends and family =) Greetings from Baltimore! Team Hughes is having an awesome time here, and surely getting a lot of work done. We’re working in Ames Church on building a wall in the basement and painting their youth room. The room is done and all we have left of the wall is putty and painting.

Our hosts at Ames Church are the greatest. They insist on making us lunch every day, and helping us in any way possible. It’s really great!

Yes, it’s quite a shock and change being here in the city of Baltimore, but quite an eye-opening experience. Today was a half day, and our recreation day was quite successful as well! Lots of fun in the sun with our friends!

Well, hope all is well back at home. We miss you all!

God Bless =)

Elyse  and Team Hughes:

Emily F, Wade, Kat, Mary, Kelsey, and Cameron.

Hi! We had a successful half-day of work today, and are about to head out to Fort McHenry and Patterson Park!! We’re really excited to get out and enjoy Baltimore for a half-day, and you’ll be getting more posts this evening with the latest updates on our work and recreation acitivities!

Dan B, NOUMC

You have heard some of the team names is the previous posts.  The team names this year are:  Bailey, Carroll, Florence, Hughes, Jackson, Queen, and Stith.  When the missionaries were told the names, they were given no further information, but challenged to find out what the names were a a little about them. 

John W.

Hi all,

Dan here! We’ve had a great couple of days at our work site. I’m part of the group working at Sharp Street UMC. We have been doing all kinds of great activities at our site, including painting, flooring, and fixing ceiling tiles. However, the highlight of today for me has to be my infamous trip to the library! Along with Mr. Wolter and several other youths and adults, we made the trek into downtown Baltimore to visit the Enoch Pratt Free Library. It’s really an amazing building - just as nice as the one in Cleveland! (though not as big).

Here is the group before we left - Sixty-two shining, happy faces ready for 2008’s work mission trip:

I hope we’ll be able to get more pictures online later this week - it takes some time, and as you can imagine, we are quite busy, but I know everyone enjoys being able to follow along at home. Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

Dan B (NOUMC)

Some of you may have heard rumors about an incident that happened today.  We are writing this to present the facts.  Today there was a non-fatal shooting in the neighborhood in which we are staying.  We have made inquiries about the incident and learned that the incident stemmed from a drug deal gone bad.  None of our missionaries were nearby at the time.  We have been and continue to be very security conscious during this mission. Feel free to contact us with any concerns you may have.

John & Michelle, Directors

-After going to bed very, very sleepy last night, we awoke to Andy W.’s pancakes and J-wan’s bacon.  I am Mrs. Tammy and I’m paired up with Mr. Ken and Mr. Ed.  Ken drives and Ed navigates, so for me, life is good.  The word of the day was flexible.  One of our other teams was displaced today due to a funeral, so the nine of them joined the nine of us in our 9 room parsonage house.  Our work site has been fun, lots of painting, some drywall, and no plumbing problems.  We also had two kids from a community program join us, we everyone had to be very flexible.  We completely painted a bathroom (Mags, Lauren, & Alyssa), remarkably some of the paint did end up on the walls, Emily W., Andy, Nick, & Addie painted the living room, Amanda D. and Megan were the paint and spackle girls, Amanda K. helped out everywhere, while Nick, Grant, and Kyle got to play with drywall.  Luckily everyone was flexible and cooperative.  Today I totally broke the rules, because I worked with my son and had lunch with my daughter.  The lunch time devotions involved play-doh, so that was fun.  The good news, is that we completely painted 4 rooms, the bad news, is that we think the paint was either not mixed completely or we got mixed up, because as it dried it appeared to be different colors.  Best of all, tonight was spaghetti & meatballs and a salad bar and we’re looking forward to french toast for breakfast.  See you all soon…………………………….Tammy M

We showed up at our worksite, and got to work immediatly, first we started to put up dry wall with the help of team jackson. As we were finishing dry wall, the painting started. The white on white was hard to tell where we painted. As we painted, we patched holes in the wall..thats where the fun began..

Painting is a messy job,you got to get your brush, then your paint, then your paint bucket, then your paint tray, then your paint roller, then your drop cloth, then your ladder, then your set to paint your hearts desire. As you roll your roller against the wall, you need not to drip on the floor, to prevent this you use your drop cloth. In order to get the edges, you need your paint brush and your paint bucket. Once you run out of paint, your done for the day. (thats money right there)

Yesterday, June 23, part of my job was to scrape the old paint off a window sill. The window was a little ways off the ground, so I was on a ladder when I was doing the sides. Then, one of the adults on my table came and said, “Why don’t you just sit on the window sill after opening it without the screen?” After about half an hour of sitting on a ladder in an awkward position, I was sitting on the window sill, still keeping some balance on the ladder inside. I ended up scrapping off the rest of the paint while sitting on the window sill for about forty-five minutes.

After that job was finally over, I started sanding the other windows that were finished from scraping. This didn’t take too long because other team members stated sanding already, but ended up with other jobs, leaving them to not finish the sanding.

I describe the last thing I did first because it was my favorite part of the day.

Earlier yesterday, I was scraping paint off of other window sills, pulled paint off of the walls where it was cracked, took out screws and nails and other sharp remains around the house, and helped another member of the team clean up what was left of the ceiling on the floor. This was most of the day for everyone because there were so many rooms to do. It was a big group effort, and everyone did their share of hard work. It was well worth the effort when everyone pitched in.

Today Flroence worked in a parsonage at st. JAMES CHURCH. Lauren, Maggie, and Alyssa (Jackson) painted a bathroom. Kyle, Mr.Ken, and Grant (Jackson) replaced some soggy ceiling tiles, while Mrs. Tammy painted the kitchen with Andy, Amanda, (Jackson) and Addie. Amanda and Megan (Jackson) were painting the hallway on the top floor. While Maggie, Lauren, and Alyssa were sweeping when the vacuum almost exploded. Every room in the house needs to be painted. Today 3 of them were painted. By 4:30 our wok for the day was done!

monday 11:30 pm. It has been lights out for 1/2 hour and it very quiet here. A couple of cell phones/Ipods still light up bedrolls and pillows. It was a long day for Team Florence. This year the travel teams and work teams have names instead of numbers…Our team consists of myself, Tammy M, Ken E, Maggie, Nicole, Adie, Lauren, Nick and Kyle. What a work team. Our job is working on the inside of the old parsonage of St. James UMC. Lately it had been used as a community house, day care, etc, and with a very leaky roof, has ceiling areas on the second floor in need of repair. Our trip to Home Depot (Walmart was too far….) netted more paint, ceiling tiles, 5 gal joint compound and sheetrock to repair walls and ceilings. Alot of scraping and filling holes on the walls took place. Another team is working in the church right next door. We shared lunch together. We still have 8 rooms to paint, tape and mud the walls, and try and put down the new flooring in the kitchen and bathroom areas. Lots to do and the folks here are wonderful. We had a very delicious meal served to us on Sunday’s arrival and we heard about the history of the 110 year old Sharp Street Church tonight. They are all so grateful a group like ours would come here of all places. In a place so dark with crime and drugs on many corners, we provide a light to many who worship in this area. Time to close the laptop and get some rest, tomorrow will come soon enough. Mr Ed.(NOUMC)

So here we are again, another mission trip and another year of new experiences.

As crew chief of Team Carroll I figured I would let everyone in on all of the WONDERFUL work experiences we had on our first day. I know everyone is so amped on hearing all of the hard work, sweat, and drive we put into our work day…hah.

Today we woke up at six AM to the sounds of “Goodmorning Baltimore”, and from then on the day had begun. We ate some tastey food for breakfast and then headed over to our work site…the other side of the church.

Our main purpose for work today was to fix and repair numerous toilets and sinks on the second and third floors of Sharp Street Memorial church. Even though we were down two team members, (Sam was sick in the morning, and Karen was running late and still stuck back in Cleveland), we still found a way to scrape paint off the bathroom walls, repair second floor toilets, tear out a sink and toilet, rip out the tile and some floor boards, make SPECTACULAR cardboard hats, and still manage to fit in time for lunch.

After all of the strenuous work throughout the day it was time to make a trip to Lowe’s. Karen, Kurt, Kirsten, Mr. Shaffer, and myself made the journey to Lowe’s and expected to get our gear and get out. Little did we know our “small” shopping trip turned into a two and a half hour adventure. But, in the end we got all of our supplies and made it back in time to shower and most importantly EAT!

While we were gone Phil, Sam, Donald and Jason held down the fort by cleaning up all of the mess in the bathrooms and attempting to remove another toilet.

All in all a very productive, exciting, and fun first work day…as always =)

I hope you keep reading about all of our adventures to come. Pray for us and keep us in your thoughts.

WE MISS YOU ALL =)

peace&love

Team Carroll (written by Lizzie aka Crew Chief!!)

and input by Phil =)

Well as the title says, I have arrived. Due to another obligation that lasted through late Sunday morning, I was unable to spend the nice long trip in the vans with my fellow missionaries. Although, I did hear all about the eventful trip they had. I was due to depart from Cleveland-Hopkins Airport on Sunday afternoon at 4:40pm. Well, I thought (after the storm that came through at 3:30) my flight was delayed. But I was wrong. I missed my flight. After missing my flight, I was placed on stand-by to get to Baltimore later Sunday night. The flight was set to depart at 7:45pm but was delayed until 8:15pm. I missed the flight due to another person having missed a flight earlier than my 4:40. So I asked, and was booked on a flight that departed Monday morning at 11:25am, and I had a seat! There was no way that I was going to be even remotely allowed to miss this flight. I boarded the flight, and safely arrived to Sharp Street UMC at 1pm Monday. I enjoyed talking to the Kitchen Crew, and setting up my bed, before (appropriately) joining team Carroll (Sharp Street Team) to make a nice 2 hour trip to Lowe’s. Everyone has told me about missing my flight(s), but I have enjoyed the week ( 10 hours) so far!

-Karen E.

Working with Rick completes my tri-fecta of working with all 3 Shaffers. The best team in Baltimore is working at the church we’re staying at to provide plumbing for the church and all of our fellow missionaries. We have toilet fever! so far 1 is replaced, 2 removed and 3 fixed. thats it. Have fun.

-Jason

Hi everyone!

We have successfully arrived in Baltimore and completed our first day on the work site! Sorry about the lack of posts yesterday - we have many more to come!

~ Danny (NOUMC)

11.05 and we’re at exit 28 on the PA tpke…

well, we’ve been on the road for almost hours and no potty breaks yet…. (gosh, we miss Ron Clough & those 1st 15minutes of travel Dunkin Donut stops)….

we left IUMC at about 9.15 after Don gave us all puzzle pieces (riddle me this) and an inspiring comissioning service sent us forth to do the work we’re going to do this week….

so…. won’t wite much more now cuz typing on a laptop in the bouncy seat of a 20′ truck makes for lots of typos to fix…

paz, salam, shalom

team wilkes-barre

Compared to my normal wake-up time, this isn’t all that early, but I didn’t sleep enough last night.  Too many details swirling around in my head.  I think I’ll let someone else drive first.

John W.

Just 8 hours remaining before we all climb into the van and make our way to Baltimore! I hope to spend at least a few of those hours sleeping but I know I’m not going to be able to sleep much, which is not a big deal since I’ll be able to sleep in the van. While in Baltimore I hope to take some good pictures with my digital camera and maybe even some videos. As always I’m very excited to be going on work mission and I look forward to working with everyone.

Phil W. NOUMC

It’s the day before we leave for mission and I am anxious! I flew in today at 5pm from Milwaukee, WI to complete my eighth year of being a missionary. I packed my bag, hoping I have everything I need for this years trip and praying that i brought enough clean clothes and deodorant; my weather reporter says it’s going to be HOT and things might get messy with all the painting we expect to do! GOD IS GOOD!!! After the flight got in- it was straight to Independence to drop off my bin and a quick reuniting of friends from past trips and my anxiety builds up. I am repetitively hugging people and telling everyone “I’M SO EXCITED!”. Tomorrow we finish loading up the truck ,give our praises and we are off on our nine hour trip to Baltimore!

I’M SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!

Amber F, NOUMC

While I know we’ll be posting many more pictures later in the week, here’s a good one to give you an idea of where we’ll be staying at all week. This is Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church:

- Dan from NOUMC

First off, I can’t explain how excited I am for this year’s trip! I don’t think I will sleep much tonight. Then again, I barely sleep the night before leaving for any mission trip.

Every year for the past six summer’s I have packed up a Rubbermaid bin, sat in a van for hours on end, and worked for a week of my summer. I can’t help but look at what I am doing and wonder why I really do all of this. Waking up is not my cup of tea, and getting up early to a fog horn or a squirt gun isn’t exactly my favorite either, but I continue to participate anyways.

Well, enough of the “not so good” stuff about mission trip. The truth is, I enjoy every single second I’m on these trips. I laugh, cry, smile, frown, yell, fight, hug, love every single person I go on these trips with. We share something I have never shared with a group of people before. We share the love of God and a love of doing God’s work.

Mission has taught me an immense amount of maturity. I learned that working together can accomplish amazing things. I learned that compromise isn’t so awful and that sacrifices for a team usually end up with a great final product. I’ve done work I never thought I would ever do, and I actually enjoyed all of the labor I did. I learned that I can be a living example of God’s love and what He wants us to do for others. We work as a team on these trips, we are a family.

Writing all of this really makes me that much more excited to leave tomorrow morning! Hopefully I will come back with some good stories to blog about. But until then, I’ll see everyone when I get home!

peace&love

Lizzie

It’s almost time to load the truck at NOUMC. Last minute packing and getting all the stuff to fit in the bin……where is that duck tape ?             Mr Ed.

Well it’s Saturday morning and we are getting ready to go! Still packing and cleaning….. Where are those  goggles…

Ed from NOUMC

“God is Good,
All the Time!
All the Time,
God is Good!”

Those are the words we use to start each Work Mission gathering, so it seems appropriate that they should start our blog. For those of you who may have wandered to this site, we are a United Methodist youth work mission that travels 300-500 miles for one week each summer to help others and serve our Lord. Ours is a combined mission from four United Methodist Churches, three in the Cleveland, Ohio area and one in Chatham, New Jersey.

This blog was started as a way to share our mission with the folks who support us. For those of you who have supported our mission, thank you once again. This year’s mission starts June 22, 2008. In keeping with the philosophy of this mission–It’s Their Mission–our youth will be doing most of the blogging, starting when we get to Baltimore. Watch this space for updates!

John W., co-director