A Safe Arrival

The mission team meeting in front of
Aldersgate UMC in Slidell.

We made it! We understand you folks back home have had some snow and cold. We had cold weather most of the way down but the roads were clear and traffic from Tennessee to here wasn't bad. The team managed to eat a lot of the cookies donated to us so we finally had to switch to something healthy like apples and oranges. But don't fear, there are still cookies, Carmel Corn, and other donated goodies for us, thanks to all of you. We got to Slidell about 3:30 P.M.  with sunny skies and a temperature of 60 degrees!

The camp is almost full.

No, that's not the house we are to repair.
It's one of many foundations left abandoned
after Hurricane Katrina.

There are groups from Janesville Wisconsin and Tulsa Oklahoma with us. After we selected our beds (we were the last group in so we got the slim pickings of the genuine wooden bunk beds) we unpacked and took a tour of Slidell. We drove out by the waterfront and looked at some of the areas that have been repaired and those still abandoned after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Issac. We thought we should celebrate our safe trip so as good Methodists we all went out to dinner and had good Louisiana seafood. Devotions begin at 6:45 A.M. and breakfast at 7.We're all looking forward to a week that will involve some hard work but will offer us a chance to serve Christ by serving others.

Off We Go

The 2013 Louisiana Mission Team: Ron Smedley, Ed Willobee,
Larry Molloy, Rev. Bob Brenner (top row), Rena Swanson,
Nancy Molloy (middle row), Joyce Brenner, Frank Wassilak,
Ann St. John (bottom row). Smiles at 6:30 A.M.- not bad!

While most of you were asleep at 6:30 AM on Saturday, Feburary 16, 2013, your mission team was meeting and packing the trucks for our trip to Slidell. Once our gear and tools were packed Rev. Sandra Willobee of the South Lyon UMC lead the team in prayer. After a quick stop for coffee at 6:45 AM we were off. Breakfast was at the Mc Donalds in Bowling Green Ohio and  lunch at Cracker Barrel near Louisville Kentucky. We arrived at Franklin, Tennessee 6:00 P.M. Detroit time, registered at the motel and then had dinner at O'Charleys, a mission team tradition. Aside from some scattered snow showers in Ohio the drive down was uneventful, clear roads and skies ranging from overcast to blue. If all goes well we'll be in Slidell tomorrow in time for dinner.

The Epworth Project



Aldersgate UMC, Slidell, Louisiana

Your mission team is going to Slidell Louisiana to work with the Epworth Project. Created to help with the recovery of homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Epworth Project now finds itself working on homes damaged by Hurricane Issac (see below), some of which unfortunately had been previously damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Over 95,000 volunteers have clocked over 3,800,000 work hours to serve over 105,000 individuals and repair over 21,700 homes, according to the Epworth Project web site.  The Epworth Project works with many groups including Northshore Disaster Recovery, INC. as well as the Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. It is housed on the grounds of the Aldersgate United Methodist Church in  Slidell. Why not click the following link to visit the Epworth Project Virtual Tour and learn more about the project and take a virtual tour to see the  accommodations your team will be using for the week.

Hurricane Issac

Why a trip to Slidell Louisiana?

Floodwaters surround a house in Slidell, La. on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012.

Credit: AP Photo/John Bazemore

Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans on August 28, 2005. Almost seven years later to the day Hurricane Issac roared ashore damaging many of the same areas. Issac was originally a Category 2 storm and had its first landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi on the morning of August 28, 2012. It made it's second landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana on the morning of the 29th. Due to it's large size it created a massive tidal surge and created unprecedented flooding.



People rescued in Olde Towne Slidell Thursday, Thursday, August 30, 2012, Mathew Hilton,
The Times-Picayune

 Slidell Louisiana is suburb of New Orleans and is located near Lake Pontchartrain, about 45 minutes from downtown New Orleans. It's one of the  spots the Weather Channel seems to use for their storm coverage. Hurricane winds, rains, and flooding from Issac did more damage to Slidell than Katrina did.  According to Wikipedia, the central business district, about three miles inland, experienced a 10 foot flood level while St. Tammy parish and other local areas experienced flood depths of 13 feet. Yet, for several reasons,  there has not been the large out-pouring of help and support for these people as we saw for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The United Methodist Church is now sponsoring several projects to help those impacted by Hurricane Issac. This year the Mission Team from Farmington First and the South Lyon United Methodist Churches will assist in these efforts and help the victims of Hurricane Issac.

You may wish to check out these web sites to learn more about Hurricane Issac and it's impact on Slidell, Louisiana:
Slidell Sentry News banner - Hurricane Issac
The Times-Picayune-New Orleans, rescues in Slidell
The Times-Picayune-New Orleans, Flood waters take Slidell by surprise.