Flexibility is the Name of the Game!

I learned a long time ago that, when it comes to ministering in God's name, FLEXIBILITY is the name of the game. 

See? Like this guy. 

Err, maybe not. 

When I was in college, I went on a mission trip to an Indian reservation in northwest Ontario. We departed from Grove City College thinking we were going to be talking to the high schoolers on the reservation about the importance of education, since few of them attend college after high school. We had prepared a few skits and some presentations, among other things.


Well, en route to Canada, we discovered that our focus would radically change, due to unforeseen circumstances which I won't get into here. Suddenly, we were going to be working with KIDS! Like, elementary school kids! So, there went our plan RIGHT out the window.


Fortunately for us, our leaders were prepared AND experienced in entertaining small children for hours! (Ever heard of the cup game?!) 


See what I'm saying? It pays to be flexible. 

Our group just received an email from the PDA coordinator in Nashville letting us know that our plans for the week might need to be tweaked. The details aren't important. (I'm sure I'll be blogging about them in a few days anyway!) 

What IS important is that we as a group arrive in Nashville with hearts prepared to serve, whether it's as planned or not. 


FLEXIBILITY, my friends, is the name of the game!

Nashville Rises

In my perusal of the internets today, I stumbled across this ... a local Nashville filmmaker is producing a short documentary called "Nashville Rises," narrated by none other than the one, the only Billy Bob Thornton!

From the movie's website:
Devastation, hopelessness, confusion, misery.  These are some of the emotions people go through when affected by a natural disaster.  On May 1st and 2nd, 2010, the citizens of Nashville, TN tested these emotions.  Also known as the 1000 year flood, this disaster is the worst in Tennessee history, with over 2 billion in damages.  Historic landmarks such as the Opry House and the Opryland Hotel were inundated in water.  


Even going through the worst natural disaster in TN history, this didn't stop the citizens from rising up. This is the story about the power of the human spirit, and how neighbor helped neighbor to overcome this tragedy. 


Here's the trailer for the documentary. (Pretty moving stuff!)




Here's a PSA Billy Bob did on behalf of the Red Cross just after the flooding began. 




You can read more about the movie right here and over here. You can even "like" the movie on Facebook here, like I just did! 


And here's the official music video for the movie.



Sounds like it's due to be released soon--sometime in March. I think I saw somewhere it will be shown on PBS ... I wonder if we'll be able to see it in PA?? 


I guess this post is "to be continued ... "

A Silver Lining?

One of the hot topics on the "Nashville Flood Recovery" website is tax help for flood victims. In this news story, you can read about a silver lining for flood victims in Nashville: tax breaks and free help preparing their returns!


The story follows Lisa Spangler who lives in River Plantation, called "ground zero" for the damage. Though she has some accounting in her background, she was daunted by the amount of paperwork required for her tax returns. But never fear ... "The good news is that twenty accounting firms in the greater middle Tennessee area are doing free tax returns for the first 100 flood victims who apply."


Can you believe that? Twenty accounting firms! Think of the volunteer hours that will be involved in this project. I know 100 flood victims doesn't sound like much, but maybe other law firms in the area will be inspired to pitch in and donate their time and services as well!


One of the accountants who was interviewed said, "It's not as fun as a Garth Brooks concert but it could have that kind of impact," Wiseman said. (Brooks recently performed a series of benefit concerts that raised over $3 million!) 


For Spangler, it is a painful process to relive the devastation from the flood. But, with a pro bono tax preparer's help, it is a pain she's willing to endure because the money from her tax return will help her to rebuild her life. 


Volunteering their time and expertise in a place of need--now THAT'S how to "be the church!" 

"We Are Home"

Today I decided to do some digging around to see if I could find some info on the rebuilding that continues to go on in Nashville. 


I started out looking at this website called "Nashville Flood Recovery" which offers some great statistics on its home page about the damage caused by the 2010 flood: 

• 10,940 properties damaged; 3,922 building permits issued
• 333,000 cubic yards of debris removed
• 90,391 volunteer hours donated for recovery projects
• $8.7 million donated to Metro / State Relief Funds
• $5.55 million relief funds awarded to recovery efforts

(You can click here to find more stats.) 

This website has a collection of press releases dating all the way back to May 2, when the flooding began. It is fascinating to read through them and to get a taste of what life must have been like in the aftermath of the torrential rains. One of the more recent releases talks about the "We are Home" Awards, which are rebuilding assistance awards. 

Local members of the public sector quickly recognized that their fellow citizens were not going to have enough money to rebuild their homes and lives. The "We are Home" program is part of "a joint effort of private and public sectors, including The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, financial institutions, nonprofit organizations and Metro Government." The application process is pretty rigorous, since the average amount of the award is well over $20,000.  There are many measures in place to discourage fraudulent applications.  

To date of the press release (09/16/10), 102 people have been given "We are Home" awards totaling over $2.9 million. That's a staggering amount of money. Think of all the lives that have been changed through this program! I really can't even fathom it. 

So there may be some of you who are not able to go on this trip but now you're wishing you could do something to help. Well, there are a million ways you can STILL help rebuild Nashville (they're far from done!), not the least of which is to be in prayer for the Music City. Another way is to support The Housing Fund, which is the nonprofit administering and managing the "We are Home" assistance program. You can make a donation here.   

Project: Packing

If there was anything I learned from my trip to Greece a couple years back, it's that PACKING IS PARAMOUNT! Particularly, smart and EFFICIENT packing!


(Sidenote: Would you believe that I actually threw away my carry-on suitcase in the middle of my Greece trip?? Talk about inefficient packing--if I could fit my carry-on stuff into my big suitcase. Add to THAT...one of the leaders of the trip asked me to take some BOOKS back home for him since he was continuing to travel with his wife after our trip was over! Sheesh. I vow to be more efficient this time!)


And what do I do when I need to learn how to do something? I "google it up"--a phrase that is popular in the Bauer household. My searching turned up this article, which had a few helpful suggestions. 


And this site has an "interactive packing list," which is cool. All you have to do is pick from their list of all the items you'll need (and you can add up to 10 more that they don't include), then hit print--and, BOOM, you've got a personalized packing check list to help keep you organized! (We have a packing list from the group, but this personalized one is uber-detailed. Aaand if you bring it with you, you have a list of what you had in case your luggage gets lost, which won't really be a problem with this trip but would be helpful when flying!)

Now, this mission trip is only a week long, and we'll be doing mainly construction work, so I'm not too worried about choosing color coordinated outfits, like that first article mentioned. But I AM mentally preparing myself for the possibility that some things may need to be thrown away before packing to come home if they're ruined beyond saving--even a favorite old t-shirt (*sniff, sniff*).

SO, even though the trip is 10 days away (and I'm totally a last minute kind of person!), and since thinking things through seems to be step one of packing efficiently, I started packing today.  


See?

Yeah, I know it's not much ... but it's a start, right? I've picked a suitcase, dug out my trusty Tevas (for shower shoes), found my only set of twin sheets (Rugrats from my college dorm room!), and added the PINK tape measure my sister got me for my birthday and the mini-lantern someone at the church gave me, also for my birthday.

Look! The lantern even flashes red! (In case I get lost in the church looking for the bathroom in the middle of the night, I guess!)


Other things I need to acquire for the trip include some steel toe work boots (ordered online!) and EAR PLUGS! Not so much because I plan on running loud equipment all day long, but mainly because I have a feeling there's going to be a whole lot of snoring going on in the dorm rooms. (Yes, including me.) Although, I HAVE run a saw a time or two in my life ... in shop class ... in seventh grade ...18 years ago ... yikes. 


At any rate, I was talking with another member of the "Frankfort Five" the other day about a training regimen for the trip. We concluded that the most important preparation for this trip just may be getting on an "early to bed, early to rise" sleeping schedule.  Other things I need to work on include sleeping with the ONE pillow that will got to TN with me and sleeping with the ear plugs in!


Based on what I have written today, apparently I am more concerned about being well-rested than I am about the fact that I have relatively little construction experience! Which, as I reflect, is probably a good thing. I imagine there are those who wanted to go on this trip but aren't because they worried about being useless at the work site. But I am convinced that   God will gift me with what I need and use me as He needs me. And I am convinced that God will do this for others on the trip as well.

History That Matters

You might think that the people of Nashville would like nothing better than to forget about the flooding from last May. And for the most part, I would guess that you're probably right. But not the librarians (and historians)!  


As I was meandering around the internet looking for more things to post on the blog, I came across this article. The public libraries of Nashville are working on "collecting oral histories, still images, text, audio, video and documents of the aftermath." Historians know that history matters--that the flood was an event that has forever changed the state of Tennessee! 


It is the kind of thing people will tell their children and their grandchildren about. For years to come on the anniversaries of the flood, folks will gather around the tables, and talk about how the flood changed their lives: how severe the damage was, the struggle to rebuild, and, ultimately, the joy of re-establishing their lives.


And now the local library will be a place they can go to remember the story of the flood and Nashville's triumphant return.


The idea reminds me a lot of the Johnstown Flood Museum. (Further proving my point of the similarities between between Nashville and Pittsburgh that I talked about here!) It's a living memorial to the tragedy of 1889, also in the month of May. I had the chance to visit the museum a few years ago and was overwhelmed by the tragic history of it all ... but was encouraged by Johnstown's resurgence in the years following their flood. 


And now ... we'll get to be a part history through this mission trip in Nashville! I mean, we may not make it into the library's digital flood project ... but our deeds will be recorded in the book on high! (And that's the history that really matters!) 

Mission Trip Meeting #2

Wednesday night Larry, Ann, Ruth, and I traveled to Butler for the second of two info meetings for the Beaver-Butler Presbytery Nashville mission trip for small churches. (Thought I'd mention those details again in case you had forgotten/wondered who we were!) Joyce, Ruth's friend, wasn't able to come but assures us that she is already packed and ready to go! (And we still have 2 weeks before we leave for the trip! Can you tell she's excited?? :0)


Almost all of us who were going on the trip were able to attend the meeting, which was really neat. 45 people is alot! I tried to sneak some pictures as we were meeting...


These are our fearless leaders...Joyce (L) and CF (R).

(We did a lot of laughing last night!)

One of the activities we did was, of course, a "get to know you" game where everyone was given a brown lunch bag with an object in it. Then you had to go around and find the piece that goes with it. Ruth and I lucked out because I had a lock and she had the key (feel free to pause for a moment to sing the Madonna lyrics, if you know them! :0) ...and we were sitting right next to each other! Larry on the other hand, had a green gardening glove in his bag and had to search for the mate...

...and he found Bob, who had the other green glove! Bob is a contractor who has gone on a number of mission trips already. In fact, his wife and kids are all going on the trip this year! (They also have already offered to host the reunion party after the trip is over!)

After that game, CF passed out some Scripture passages for each group to study. (In case you are wondering you can find the Scriptures here, here, and here.) We were supposed to 1) read the passage together, 2) talk about what words or phrases that struck out to us, and 3) talk about how the passage applies to the mission trip. Here's a picture of a group studying their passage:

As you can see from these pictures (like the ones above and this one from the get to know you game...)

...there are a variety of ages going on this trip. I didn't get an exact headcount, but I'd guess there are probably  a dozen teenagers going on this trip. And the Frankfort folks were very impressed by not just the enthusiastic participation of the teens, but also the quality of the contributions they made. I personally enjoyed the obviously loving interactions they had with some of the older members of the group with whom they have been on a trip previously. 


For the final part of the meeting, Joyce shared with us some pictures she had taken with her son Luke on their scouting trip down to Nashville. Among the pictures she took was this one...

In the picture, the man is standing in front of his home. He is showing them how high the flood was...it was incredible to hear the story and to see all the damage left behind after the floodwaters receded.  


The water has long since dried up, of course, but the damage still remains even after almost a year. 


And in just a couple weeks, we'll be traveling from PA to TN (and back again) to be the church for them because "...the Lord has anointed me ... to bind up the brokenhearted...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." (Is 61:1, 3) (one of the Scripture passages from the meeting!)

Pics from Nashville Mission trip meeting #2

If you'd like to see more photos from the meeting, you can click here to see the "set" I made on Flikr.

Perspective from "ground zero"

Yesterday, I found this article on a law firm's website. It was written a day or two after the Nashville flooding. It is part historical detail, part reflection, and part advice for people as they go back to their homes to see what can be salvaged.


I can only imagine what it was like for the residents of Nashville to return to their homes and find them destroyed. Then to call their insurance companies only to find their homeowners insurance doesn't cover flooding. From what I can tell, few people had the extra coverage. I cannot understand the depth of the heartbreak of those who lost loved ones and those who lost the place they called home.


What I CAN understand, at least a tiny bit, is the joy that comes in helping one's neighbor in a time of need. Earlier this week, our church had a little mini-flood in the basement. Nothing major...nothing ruined. I just made a few phone calls to people with shop vacs and we had the whole place cleaned up in an hour. It wasn't exactly the way I had hoped to start a Monday, but when stuff like that happens, you drop what you're doing and get to work.


It seems to me that in those 60 minutes taking care of our church building, we had a little glimpse of how the people of Nashville must have felt as they helped their neighbors sort through the wreckage of their homes. Those of us who participated in the "be the church" day on Saturday saw a glimpse of the beauty of neighbors helping neighbors. ANY time we reach out to help someone in need...when we share God's love with those whom others have deemed unlovable...that is when we ARE the church, which is sort of Frankfort's unofficial motto for 2011.


And that is what we will do in Nashville...we will "be the church" for them.

A Thousand Words

They say a picture is worth a 1000 words. Well, here are many, many pictures and some pretty powerful words too. 


 


The quotes used in this video come from this blog post. This blog is usually a hockey blog for the Nashville Predators. But after the flooding, this guy took a few moments to veer from his usual topics to share some observations of the May 2010 floods.  


There is an edge to his words we see in the video. And if you take the time to see the read the whole entry, you'll see them there too. Those were difficult times for the residents of Nashville and you can see the raw feelings that were captured in the moment of that article.  


He seems a bit perturbed by the lack of national news media (citing a failed car bomb and the oil leak in the Gulf occurring simultaneously to the flooding) but takes a moment to give a little shout out to the people of his hometown. His article ends by saying this: "And yet…life will go on. We’ll go back to work, to school, to our lives…and we’ll carry on. In a little over a month, I’ll be on this website talking about the draft. In October, we’ll be discussing the new Predators’ season with nary a thought of these past few days. But in a way, they changed everyone in this town. We now know that that it can happen to us…but also know that we can handle it.

Because we are Nashville."

I love those last sentences: life will go on "with nary a thought of these past few days. But it a way they changed everyone in this town. We now know that that...it can happen to us...but also know that we can handle it. Because we are Nashville."

There's (rightfully, IMHO) a lot of pride in Nashville concerning how they handled the floods. And seeing this video and reading this blog gives me more reasons to be glad I have the opportunity to go "be the church" for this great city. 

No Words

No words today. Just this video.

Music City...Here We Come!

Today I'm trying to learn more about Nashville. So to get started, I clicked here to check some things out. And frankly, it makes me want to go even more on the mission trip, but also STAY for a vacation! Of course, we won't have much time for site seeing since we'll be busy from morning until night doing the Lord's work, but a girl can dream, right? 


From what I've read about Nashville--especially my favorite quote from an earlier blog entry: "This ain't no country club baby, this is Nashville" (you can read that post here)--it sounds like the ethos of Music City is an awful lot like Pittsburgh, the city of Steel. Pittsburgh, though quickly becoming a technological hub, historically has been been a blue-collar, mill town with a hard-working attitude and a gritty outlook to go with it. 


The "down-to-earthness" that frequently accompanies country music appears to color the local scene of Nashville as well. The Lonely Plant website (where the quote above is from) describes it this way: "It [Nashville] also has friendly people, a lively university community, excellent fried chicken and an unrivaled assortment of tacky souvenirs." See? Couldn't that phrase describe Pittsburgh too? (Of course, one must substitute pierogies for fried chicken.) 


I THINK Nashville is gonna feel a little bit like home for those of us who have been city-dwellers. We'll know for sure on the Thursday night of our trip...that's the day we quit early and hit the town! Westminster Church, where we'll be staying, has provided us with a list of handy places, including some "safe" honky-tonks! 


Can't wait to post pictures of THAT night! :0)

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

I'm gonna guess (though I admit I have not done much research!) that most large denominations have their own branch of disaster assistance that is mobilized during times of crisis around the world.


We Presbyterians have the PDA. They respond to both national and international crises. Right now, on their home page, they have updates on response efforts to the devastating earthquake in Haiti and flooding in Brazil and Pakistan, as well as updates on the recent referendum in the Sudan. They also post "situation reports" concerning the recent events, including (among many others!) the situation in Liberia and on-going progress in the Gulf Coast.


Last year through PDA, Frankfort Church members donated over $300 for the relief effort in Haiti. The session decided to match the donations received and sent another $300 for earthquake relief efforts in Chile. In March, 5 Frankforters will take part in the PDA trip to Nashville, working on relief efforts a little closer to home. 


God's arm has a long reach through PDA and other relief organizations. The prayers of His people come from every corner of the earth, and offers of service and resources flow like a river in times of need. There is always a way to "be the church" to help those in need! 

Westminter PDA on the Web!

Guess what I found?  Westminster's PDA site is on Facebook! You can go there for more information on what's going on even now! (PS Garth Brooks just raised $5 million for flood relief!)


And...I found a blog that another church did of their PDA trip to Nashville! Check it out if you want to see the kinds of things we're getting ourselves into! 


(And here's another one but it's a lot longer than the first one and it doesn't have any pictures.)


And here's an article the local media did about the great things Westminster Church is doing through PDA! 

See our Digs!

Want to see a slideshow of where we'll be staying? Just click here!


Not exactly roughing it, is it?  :0)   There is a plethora of bathrooms at WPC...but not so much with the showers! So team leader Joyce L. has arranged with the local YMCA to set aside time in the AM and PM where we can go over and use their showers! 


How many days can Allison go without a shower?! (Longer than you might think--she did work at a summer camp, you know!) 

Find out the results at the conclusion of the trip! 

Do you know the way....to Nashville?

Want to know how to get to Nashville, TN??
OK, so maybe this isn't EXACTLY the route we'll be taking...but I bet it's close!   


I have some friends who have traveled pretty extensively and highly recommend the "Lonely Plant" tour guides. So I began to search for an online version for Nashville...lo, and behold, here it is! (My favorite quote from this web page is: "This ain’t no country club baby, this is Nashville.")


Thursday night of our trip is "Nashville Night" when we quit early and hit the town for dinner and whatever else we can get ourselves into! This should be an adventurous night! (Or will we all retire early because we're so beat?) Guess you'll have to check the blog on Friday the 25th to find out!  

The Countdown Begins!

Five Frankforters are embarking on a Beaver-Butler Presbytery mission trip (for small churches like us!) to Nashville, TN to help with the clean up efforts from the 2010 floods. 


Allison Bauer, Ann Butler & Larry Zellers, Joyce Wills, and Ruth Zakutney are preparing to make the 10 hour trip (13 hours with stops for eating and *ahem* using the "facilities") to the land of the Grand Ole Oprey!


Last night (Tues, Feb 22), we had an organizational meeting at the Mt. Chestnut Presbyterian Church (Butler, PA) with others on the team. We are, in total, a group of 45 who will be traveling to the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. (Check out their website here: http://www.nashvillewpc.org/home.cfm ) There will be another group of 15 staying there at the same time, which should make things a little interesting... 


At the meeting last night, we went around the room and introduced ourselves by name, by church, and by how many mission trips we've been on. For me (Allison), this is my third mission trip (one as a participant and one as a youth group chaperone.) For Ann, Larry, Joyce, and Ruth, it is their first trip--and they each received a round of applause from the group for being brave enough to embark on their first trip!  (And there are several teens for whom this will be their 3rd, 4th, and even 5th mission trip!) 


I am personally grateful to the Beaver-Butler Presbytery for their grant that made this trip possible. I am also grateful to all the Frankforters are stepping out in faith for their first mission trip! 


I've got lots more info to share (and stories to tell!) but I'll save those for later. Suffice it to say, I think this trip gonna be life-changing!


Allison