Julie's Hope Lives On

June 24, 2008

We've been home for 3 days. Life is back to normal but my heart is back in Gentilly . . . Julie's home. I miss her. I miss the sweat, the hard work, the day's accomplishments. I miss our team. Yet, I am so grateful to our God for making the impossible possible! I am privileged and honored that He choose me, completely unqualified, to carry out His work! I can hardly believe that WE DID IT! God led the way and each of us followed.

For 2 1/2 years, Dennis & I have longed to help Julie rebuild her home. I will never forget January 14, 2008 when Julie and I shared dinner at Zea's Restaurant. She spoke how God was doing a "good work in her", of faith in her God, how she would trust Him for whatever He had planned for her. For the first time since Katrina, she had hope.

At that moment, God gave me a glimpse of what He had planned. "St. John's can be Julie's restorer". I was so excited just to think that our dream for Julie could be a reality! Then the tug of war began. The war between Linda the Dreamer and Linda the Realist. I have been known to have grandiose ideas that falter and fail. "Is this a "God thing" or just another crazy idea?" I decided not to share this with Julie until I knew for sure that this truly was from God.

The following Saturday, when I arrived home from New Orleans, I told Dennis about the dinner with Julie. He immediately agreed to the idea and saw no reason why our Church could not make this happen. Next, I asked Pastor Stroup's permission to proceed. He said "Absolutely!" To make this work, the team needed a place to stay. Will the camps house a team who is not working on a camp project? Quickly, the answer came. No Problem!

What a joyous time it was when Dennis & I called Julie to share God's plan with her. The rest of the story is an amazing journey how God revealed His plan step by step and provided for every need.

He gave us a team complete with many skilled laborers and team members with passion and zeal to pack in a 10-15 hour work day. He lifted up dozens of individuals who donated all the gas and Home Depot gift cards needed, loaned the team 2 trailers, gave an abundance of home furnishings and most of all, prayed fervently for Julie's Hope.

Very soon, Julie will reside in her home, a home lovingly restored by the hands of God's people. I will cherish the lesson I have learned from this mission my husband called, Julie's Hope. I have learned to trust my God for everything, because He is faithful and will provide! Even in the midst of despair and hopelessness, when He seems to have forgotten me and does not immediately answer my prayer, I will know to trust in His abiding care and to wait patiently for Him to reveal His plan. For when I wait upon Him, He will not fail me. Praise Him for all He has accomplished and to Him be all the glory! Halleluiah!

Linda Burmeister

Dear God2

I am Sorry! Dear God was posted by me, Julie.

God Bless!

Dear God!

Father I have never been one to question your will, but today you allowed me to awaken with 2 eyes 2 see, I say not enough, 2 ears to hear, I say not enough, a mouth to speak, I say not enough, a mind to think with, I say not enough, a heart to feel with, still I say not enough. Not enough My Father, to express all the Joy, Love, Sharing, the Learning, and the Feelings of being among your Angels hear on Earth this past 3 months. For that I Thank You!

To everyone at St John's Lutheran Church, I say THANK YOU! Whether you were in a place to make a monetary donation, say a prayer with me in mind, supported a love one's effort to contribute to Julie's Hope, etc. To my brothers and sisters that it took Hurricane Katrina for me to meet and to get to spend a week with, and mom and dad, you know I am crying as I write this. Mary, Don, Linda, Dennis, Cathy, John, Christie, Art, Doug, Gary, Cliff (Craig), Debbie, Anna, Ed, Elizabeth, Mark, and Sue, you know the address, you know your spot, and please know that I will be working even harder to send you a completed picture.

Reflections on Day Five of Our Mission of Hope

We are approaching the final few hours of our time with Julie. As I am writing this, several team members have returned to Bethlehem Camp for some sleep so that they are rested for our drive home tomorrow; several more members work diligently trying to complete ...just one more thing. So many memories from this week--much hard work & I hope & pray Julie will be able to enjoy here home very soon! My favorite memory of today will be The House Blessing--the entire team stood together in Julie's living room and prayed that God would continue to protect Julie & bring joy & peace to her home. We know that our Lord will walk beside us, guide us through whatever may come into our lives--we as people of God just need to remain focused on Him. What a great example Julie has been to us all as she lives each day trusting that the Lord will give her strength to "get through this--one day at a time". Right now it is time for me to go help load up a trailer or wash mud off the kitchen floor-or help pack up tools.......what a week it has been---I thank all the "teachers" for showing me so many thing about home repair and for their help in getting Julie back into her house.

-Deb

Start of Day 4 at Julie's

It's 8:05 AM in New Orleans and half of our group is just finishing cleaning the camp. The other half has already packed up the trailers, taken one of them and set out for Julie's for the last day of work. This is going to be a tough day, both physically and emotionally, but everyone seems to be ready for it.

When we left Julie's house last night at 10:00 PM, she told us that she would probably be crying today. She told us that the tears would be a mixture of tears of joy for how far her house had come and for all the help and blessings she had received, as well as tears of sorrow for the group leaving so soon. It's only been a few days, but I think it's safe to say that every member of the team considers Julie a friend and will be feelings exactly the same way that she is today. We've done so much but there's still work to be done.

Everyone has worked so hard over the past week and accomplished so much. Today is going to be no different, but the feelings will be. Today will be bittersweet, joyful because of what has been done and sad because the experience has to end. I'm not sure how we'll feel tomorrow at 4 AM when we get on the road back to Illinois, but I do know that the memories of this trip will stay with each member of the group for a long, long time.

Three 1/2 Years Later by Anna Martell

My first trip to New Orleans was in Jan 06, five months after Katrina hit. The devastation was unbelievable and one that pictures could not really tell. Mucking out a home in the neighborhood of where the levy broke brought reality to the disaster that year. Things have changed a lot since then and no longer do you see the blue roofs as you circle the airport. The animals are back and thriving. Baby ducks and turtles fill the ponds and we even saw what looked like an egret in a tree. Dogs greet you at the camp. Unfortunately though , it will still take years for the city to recoup, if ever. Although one by one homes are being put back together by many volunteers still willing to come and help; one home will be abondoned or torn down in the same neighborhood with no one to return. The bureaucracy has hindered those who want to get back into their homes. On this trip, we will help one more person get back in her house before the FEMA trailer is taken away. Julie told us that this disaster has been the worst thing that has happened to her in her life but feels blessed because if this wouldn't have happened, she would not have met all of us, but helping Julie has been more of a blessing to me than anyone could ever know.

REFLECTION OF DAY 2 BY MARY LONG

I am a retired attorney with time but no constructions skills. You know what they say about attorneys - it takes 6 to replace a light bulb. So, Art Osburn, the professional cabinet guy, has to teach some of us the rudiments of sheet rock installation. I learned some new construction lingo. First, you rock, then you mud, next you scrap the buggers and finally you scrap up the turds. Due to my few skills, I was assigned to the Shop Vac - so you know my job assignment for the day . In the evening our Team boss, Linda Burmeister, who happens to be my daughter, gave us the night off to tour the Katrina damaged areas and visit the French Quarter. A must, is a cup chicory coffee and a powdered beignet at the Cafe DuMond. We were all dressed in our "Julie's Hope" red shirts so we stood out in the crowd. The "Celebration" church team spotted us and stopped by to compare experiences. We found out that we are living in the lap of luxury at the Bethlehem Volunteer Center. The Celebration Camp only has 6 showers for 300 people. Bethlehem has 15 showers for 60 people. We sometimes have to stand in line, so they must have a lottery. The Lutherans really know how to live. I can report that our team behaved themselves on the French Quarter walk about. Not due to their exemplary character but because we have to be back at camp by 10:30 p.m. or there is a lockout. Right now, the streets of New Orleans is not a good place to camp out.

Meeting all the Christians, of all denominations, working so diligently, makes you feel the "Communion of Saints". All the prayers are helping each of us to be Jesus' hands and feet to help the people restore their homes and spirits. This is my second trip to New Orleans and I can see the progress - one house at a time - one life restored. Praise the Lord.

The Second Day

The second day seemed to go smoother than the first. We had better plans and the team had a better idea of what each individual needed to do. The teams were divided between "mudders" and "rockers" in the morning. The rockers hung the drywall and the mudders finished it. The rockers had two bedrooms to do completely. We were unable to finish a closet in the second room. The mudders were all over the house all day, usually in the way of the rockers, but with some patience and good humor, everyone worked very well together even when thin resources were required in two places. The mudders polished off 5 5-gallon pails of mud and we had to go buy another five pails. Hopefully, we should finish the house with that.

Julie was in the middle of everything all day. Every time you turned around she was helping hang drywall, taping a seam or picking up garbage. All that effort from a woman who the week before worked seven 12-hour days.

One of the trailers we brought down was stuffed to the gills with cabinets and furniture. That trailer was emptied and the ladies wiped everything down, cleaned it and prepared it to be placed in Julie's house.

It doesn't look like a lot in words, but we busted our tails today. As I'm writing this, it doesn't seem like I should be that tired based on what I'm reading, but I'm exhausted!

The heat down here has been impressive. It's been in the 90's with very high humidity. In the camp briefing, we were warned to drink at least five 8-ounce bottles of water a day. THAT HAS NOT BEEN A PROBLEM! Most of us are very surprised at how fast the water disappears.

During our lunch break the past two days we've discussed the neighborhood and how it doesn't look much different from when some of us first saw it in 2006. Some homes have been rebuilt beautifully, but those are in a minority. Most of the neighborhood seems to be abandoned. Julie has only seen her next door neighbor on one side once since the storm, and their house is literally falling apart from the rot.

Tonight we are treating ourselves to a night on the town. We are going to the French Quarter and visit Cafe du Monde. With any luck we will not be arrested...kidding, although Linda was pulled over by the police today. Luckily, we made bail...again, kidding.

-Mark

It's been a long day. . . but by day's end I saw great progress. It was a slow start since John, Mark, Anna & Kathy had to make the Home Depot run to get supplies. Meanwhile, we had a few supplies to get us going. Art gave us a quick lesson in sanding and later another lesson in mud application and the team was off! A few hours later, the Home Depot contingency returned with dry wall, doors, and the insulation. We were set to really get to work. Before I knew it, John and his crew had the entire den drywalled! By 7:30 p.m. it was time to quit for the day. When I reflect on the progress made today, I can really envision Julie cooking in her brand new kitchen in just a few days!

This team is amazing. They work tirelessly in this New Orleans heat mixed with way too much humidity, waiting patiently for work assignments and willing to do any task to get the job done. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings . . . Stay tuned!

-Linda

Meeting Julie and the first day.

As we pulled up to Julie's house, Linda was the first person out of the car. As she got near the entrance to the FEMA trailer, Julie came running out of the door and embraced Linda. The rest of us in the group let the two enjoy their reunion and then relieved a tour of the house.

John and Art immediately began to plan for the next day's construction as the rest of the group wandered through the house to see just how much work had already been completed and how much remained to be done. After a brief tour, we piled into our vehicles and headed off to Mandina's for an authentic New Orleans dinner. After a delicious meal, we dropped Julie off and returned to the BVC. Following a brief orientation, everyone wandered off on their own for a little while and then went to bed knowing that we had a very busy day ahead of us.

The next morning (Time: 8:00) after breakfast and packing the trailers, we set out for Julie's house. The temperature started in the low 80's but over the course of the day rose steadily. At Julie's, groups were formed. Some of us taped and "mudded" the drywall, some of the women installed insulation and one group spent four hours at a Home Depot just getting supplies for the upcoming week.

The following posts will be personal experiences told by the group members who lived them. A link to the Julie's Hope photo album can be found above the "About Me" link.

The First 34 Hours

We gathered together at 6:30 Saturday morning in the St. John's parking lot--15 travellers and a smaller, no less dedicated group of well wishers/family members.  After loading (and reloading) a a pair of vans and the trailers that were hitched to them, we were on the road at last (Time: about 7:15).

I can only attest to what happened in van number one, but based on the comments of people from all three vehicles (Van 1: White, Van 2: Black and the car), it's amazing what you can find out about people after being in a  small area with them for so many hours on the road.  Long story short (for now), the people who made this trip are a good and very interesting group.

While it usually wouldn't be worth mentioning, there was a gas stop in Arkansas that warrants a special mention.  Maybe it's being from Woodstock and mostly dealing with gas stations in Illinois, but I (and other group members) were taken aback by the layout of this particular Shell station.  Along with usual gas station fare (medicine, food, drinks, cigarettes), this station had rack after rack of assorted merchandise, ranging from magic tricks to a copy of  an the Elvis film biography, "All the King's Men" (on VHS) for $5.  This store had an ambiance such that several members of the group were told that they needed to go in and see it for themselves.

After 11 hours of driving and one hour divided between various gas stops and a lunch break, we all arrived at our destination, Hernando United Methodist Church, The Gateway to New Orleans.

At HUMC, we were treated to a very tasty dinner of chicken, cole slaw, beans, sweet potato pie and chocolate cake.  After dinner and a brief time for devotions, everybody ended up falling asleep early to prepare for the next day's drive. (Time: 9:30  PM)

(Time: 6:00 AM)  Wake up time came early on Sunday, and after shaking off the morning grogginess and getting as clean as we could without showers, the group headed to the dining hall for an even better meal than the night before.  Along with homemade biscuits and grits, we were treated to ham, a fruit salad and fresh made eggs.  How good the food at Hernando was can not be overstated, it was simply fantastic.

By 7:30 we had eaten as much as we could handle (but not everything they had prepared, as we received a bag of ham and biscuits for the road (they would later make tasty snack sized sandwiches).  After a few more gas stops and a lunch stop, we finally arrived in New Orleans, and I can safely say most of us (or at least, I) have never been happier to see a shower.  We also met traveler number 16, Anna, who had flown in on Sunday morning and, as such, was much cleaner than the rest of us.

After cleaning up and resting a little bit, we left the Bethlehem Volunteer Center where we are staying and went to meet Julie...(Time: 5:00 PM)

Julie's Story

August 29, 2005

As head Pediatric Nurse at Charity Hospital, Julie Newman began the day coordinating employee child-care during the storm. As communication between Charity and University Hospitals failed, she also gained responsibility for pediatrics, labor and delivery.
Meanwhile, the Industrial and London Avenue Canals bordering her neighborhood, were breached. Flooding continued until the water levels equalized to the level of Lake Pontchartrain. The flood waters leveled at 6 feet in Julie’s ranch home. She lost everything, except her car which was in the hospital’s parking garage. After 6 grueling days at Charity, Julie was evacuated to a shelter. From there she relocated to Johnsburg and finally to Camp Algonquin. In March 2006, Julie moved back to New Orleans and presently lives in a FEMA trailer which rests on her front lawn. During this tragedy named Katrina, Julie has discovered the guiding hand of our gracious God and learned how to be patient and wait for His answers in His time.

During the January 2008 Mission Trip to New Orleans St. John’s members, Lou Longo and Linda Burmeister, met with Julie. She told of her difficulty in her efforts to rebuild her home.

She slowly realized her best chance would be to rebuild room by room. She would buy a few sheets of drywall with each paycheck.

Little did Julie, Lou and Linda know but God was already at work! In the days ahead, God put forth a vision ~ bring together a team of St. John’s volunteers to provide the labor to rebuild and I will provide the rest. He is faithful to His Word! 17 Volunteers will leave Algonquin on Saturday, June 14th and head to New Orleans. The team includes a contractor, a kitchen cabinet builder, and several great “do-it-yourself” handymen and others willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done!

Donations have poured in . . .

· The children of St. John’s Day School have donated $1000.00 in Home Depot Gift Cards
· St. John’s Mission Resale Shop donated $1000.00 to purchase gas (estimate of gas required = 600 gallons!)
· Area businesses have donated $1050.00
· Friends and members of St. John’s have contributed $4900.00

All of the teams expenses have been met PLUS we will present Julie with $5400.00 in Home Depot and Lowe’s gift cards! PRAISE BE TO GOD!

The team will bring down donations of gently used:

· Oak Kitchen Cabinets
· Bathroom Vanity
· Bedroom Set
· Couch
· Trundle Bed
· Twin bed
· Desk
· Kitchen Table
· Canned and packaged food for the Baton Rouge Food Pantry
· Lots of miscellaneous stuff!

Story to be continued . . .