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Real Life Stories
Jessica Eskridge - Grand Haven High School
i cannot even begin to describe my interact trip to you. but i will try:
we left grand haven on tuesday at 3 pm, and waiting in the parking lot to see me off were my dad, and joe, my boyfriend. i watched dozens of strangers board that charter bus... strangers that would later turn out to be new friends. and cabin mates. and shopping buddies. and landscaping comrades. but i'll get to that later...
i sat near the front. behind my mom. in front of jimmy makin, and next to sarah anne ingalls, my best friend. we were introduced to mary - the trip coordinator, and carl, her husband. they are hardcore. [inside joke, ay shake and bake team?]
we watched a zillion movies. and ate alot of fast food. and played catch phrase and battleship and made new friends and stood in line to use the bathroom at a dirty gas station. about 6 times... but it was all a part of the experience.
blah blah blah blah... we finally made it to kiln mississippi at about noon on wednesday.. 2 hours behind schedule.. leaving not enough time for a work day...
so:
we split up between like 4 cabins. in mine: some old friends... ones that i hadnt been able to hang out with in QUITE a long time... + some new ones! they're great :)
then we went to the gulf of mexico. it was peaceful... but dirty. let me explain: after the flood, the water had to be pumped back into the ocean... but in the water was everyones stuff. thus explaining why the beach was dirty. sarah and i walked it.. and took it all in: the emotions, that is.. the sadness i felt by walking all over somebody's stuff..
i got sunburned. but i am thankful for the exposure i gained - to the destruction and sadness that still exists, nearly 2 years later.
dinner was delicious that night. i wanted to punch a few of my classmates for being picky and ungrateful.. i hope they know that.. anyways:
thursday was our first work day. we divided up into 3 groups and went to 3 different houses to work.. so that we could make more of a difference in the community.
our house was devestating. there had been about 9 feet of water in there, at some point. can you imagine? can you imagine the damage? they wanted to move back in.. some of my new friends gutted the inside of the house - removing the tiles on the floor, the hot water heater, insulation, and more... and i worked on the outside with the others: removing debris - and when i say that, i'm using it to describe the things that once lined somebodys cabinets.. it was really depressing. we also removed a large cedar tree from their garage, as well as a full size jeep and a decent sized boat. theres no telling who those things belonged to... we also met trina on this day.
after we had finished working for the day, we were taken to the musician's village. that was pretty awesome. look it up on the internet.
on our 2nd work day, i had a really hard time focussing. i was, and still am, so very devestated by all of the damage that i saw. so in the middle of the day, i went to trina's for a visit.
trina is 60. and she lives in a FEMA trailer [that she waited 10 MONTHS for] with her dog buddy. shes in a wheelchair because 2 months after the storm, she got stuck in the mud and broke her hip... she lives in her driveway, right in front of her house, that she wont be able to move back into for a very VERY long time... and that is what gets me the most. i went to her trailer on friday to tell her how sorry i was, and i began to cry. and she said "honey, they were just things."
coming from a single parent household makes you super-appreciative for what you have as it is... but after my experiences in louisiana, i feel like i need to give all of my stuff away. i was told so many stories [by locals themselves] of people going days and days without food - and here in michigan, food is wasted left and right. "they were just things" she said... it's amazing to me that somebody who's been through so much could take a look at the situation and describe it like that... unbelievable.
this interact trip has had a phenominal impact on my life. i can promise you that i will never be the same... and that i WILL return to chalmette, louisiana, because there is still work to be done there. and the people there are not getting the help that they deserve. ESPECIALLY from the government.
After we had worked for the two days [well - 1.5.... there was a huge storm on friday that prevented us from working as much as we had hoped... ps. the roads were flooded] we of course went on the traditional fun day expedition. but this year, i didnt feel like going. call me crazy, but i would have rather spent 4 more hours in chalmette louisiana - then spent 4 hours at six flags kentucky kingdom. and i mean that.
anyways. i'm home now. and i'm tired. and i'm achy. and i'm hungry. but i'm not going to grope.
i'm going to join the americorps. and i WILL go back.
the end.
jess*
David Witte
Mission Trip David Witte
April 16, 2005
A fourteen year old, angry, boy headed seventy mph strait to a flood disaster site in the middle of nowhere. This was not the ideal summer that I, as a 7th grader, had in mind. With my parents deciding that I needed a character building experience, and community service hours, I was on my way with St. Thomas Church and the National Relief Network (NRN) to help rebuild a small town in West Virginia.
The anger I felt toward my parents was almost blinding at times on the sixteen hour car ride. With the charter bus broken down, we were crammed into a fifteen-seater van. The conditions could not have been worse. When we turned on the air conditioner and warm air pored out, I almost screamed. One full week of my summer was being wasted. Instead of relaxing at the beach, I had to clean up other people’s houses. Were they just lazy? Why did they need forced, child labor to accomplish household chores? My view of a mission trip was to drastically change throughout the upcoming week.
With a long a car ride, I had more than enough time to re-evaluate my situation. Since I was already on my way, with no turning back, why not try to have a little fun? This open view helped turn the dreaded mission trip into a life changing experience.
We arrived at night and unpacked our loads into the basement of a church. Now it was time for a night of restful sleep. What seemed like five minutes later, my ears exploded to the sound of a bugle playing a wake up tune. Did I ever fall asleep? I swallowed my bad thoughts and proceeded to pack for a long day of hard work.
When we were driving to the drop site, my jaw dropped in disbelief. Even four months after the flood was contained, the town was in shambles. Trees were down; people everywhere were outside, trying to patch up the remains of their homes. My bitterness of the trip instantly turned to pity. What a horrible person I was to selfishly want a week of fun in the sun, while people were living with six feet of mud in their basements. The Red Cross came in to stop all the life threatening conditions, then skirted off to some other “major” disaster. This was the NRN’s fifth trip back down to the same town, and you could see people look up from their work and smile with eagerness for help.
The job of shoveling smelly, heavy, sloppy mud was never an easy task, but the elements of rain and gravity (hauling up stairs) made things worse. I never complained once. How could I complain, when these people depended on me to help them bring their lives as back to normal as possible? From project to project, I was rewarded. It was volunteer work, of course, but after clearing a garage that once had a river flowing through it, and retrieving priceless items for an old man, the look of gratitude on his face was worth more than any amount of money. After one week of work, I felt like a million dollars.
Once home, I could not wait until next summer to sign up again. Last summer, I completed my fifth mission trip: two floods, two tornado disasters, and stocking a warehouse with supplies that came in for all volunteers on ground zero after 9-11-01. I believe that working with disaster relief is my call to work. I get a great feeling when I help others and I hope to continue doing it my entire life.
I believe that with a lot of hard work and the proper training, I can reach my goal of being a doctor or some medical assistant in a developing nation. I deserve a chance to develop my talents in order to help others. With a college degree, my talents can expand exponentially. I look forward to the day when I can change someone’s life and really make a difference.
Northwest High School Jackson, MI
The Spirit of the Hurricane Relief Trip
by Marnie Hade
How do you express to people your thoughts regarding one of the most profound experiences of your life? Every adjective I find just doesn’t seem to do this experience justice. I think of how proud I am of the students and chaperones who gave so freely of every ounce of energy and enthusiasm they had – yet the word pride is not remotely sufficient. I think of how amazed I was at the spirit of the local citizens in the midst of the sheer devastation to towns, to families, to individuals we saw and met – yet amazed is not remotely sufficient. I think of how compassionate our volunteers were as they worked, sorting through families’ lives and listening to stories of survival – but compassionate is not remotely sufficient. Every word or phrase pales in comparison to what my heart wants to express.
Sure, you can talk about all of the work the kids and chaperones did to make this trip happen; thank all of the donors, the families, the community. You can talk about all of the work the kids and chaperones did in our four work days; gutting and/or deconstructing more than ten homes, cleaning up yards, neighborhoods, lives, roofing, dry-walling, rejuvenating gardens, setting up and working at outreach tents, giving gifts to 140 children one night then giving gifts to every fifth grade student in an entire town the next afternoon, restarting an after school athletic program with equipment from additional monies we raised, reopening the doors of a Toys for Tots program in a town in desperate need with our last dollars. Everything that was accomplished far surpassed expectations set for our group, but really…is that the story? The heart of this trip is in the spirit of the volunteers. Each of us has a story to tell, but nothing seems to properly express what it feels like to have invested in this trip. The giggles, the silence, the awe, the cheers, the Christmas carols, the tears, the anxiety, the sense of accomplishment, the snoring, the hugs, the pats on the back, the frustrated moments, the scrapes and bruises, the friendships created, renewed, and affirmed, the heartfelt gratitude for all we have and all we gave, the responsibility, the integrity, the moments of clarity of our worth, the respect for the power of nature and the human heart, and the love. The spirit of this trip lives in each of the people who climbed the stairs of those buses and chose to make a difference in the life of a stranger. It has changed us, yet we can’t always express why and how. Forgive us if we ramble while we reminisce, we’re trying to find words that sometimes just don’t do our experience justice.
The spirit speaks for itself…
“I can remember talking to the homeowner of the first house that we worked on… She told us about her children and how they still believe in Santa, even her 12 year old daughter.
At first I was like “okay, this girl is a little naïve,” but then the homeowner said, “It’s because of things like this (relief trip) that make my daughter still believe in Santa.”
I don’t think I can begin to describe how that affected me. Imagine, my giving of time and money is part of the reason a young girl still believes in the innocent things of childhood. She still believes in Santa because of me. It may seem like a simple thing to most people, but to me it meant a lot.”
- Senior Jon Chambers
“On the third and fourth days, our same groups moved to a location only 10 minutes away from the community center we were staying at during the nights. The three houses we worked on the third day were in a neighborhood. Some of the houses were quite small compared to the ones that I am familiar with up here, but they all have the same amount of meaning to them….They have meaning and hold an endless number of memories. We were to gut the houses by taking out the entire floor, drywall, ceiling, and anything else in them….It was a unique experience….They (the homeowners) may not know your name or what you are like, they are grateful for your presence. I realize how much help down there is needed.”
- Sophomore Amanda Dixon
“Which do you think would be better, finding your personal belongings inside of your house filled with mold and flood waters, or looking for your belongings in the debris a few houses down or even a block away? I can’t imagine either….The pictures and the stories do no justice to what it really is….I consider myself lucky to have been a part of this trip. I helped those who were in need, those whose lives where turned upside down and inside out. Along with these students and other chaperones we made a difference. This difference seemed like a very minute part of what needs to be done, but those lives that we touched will be forever grateful.”
- Chaperone Sarah Donaldson, NWHS Class of 2000
“Also what we did before the GMAC Bowl game was very kind. I teamed up with some other kids to give $10 Wal-Mart cards and T-shirts to a family. To see joy on their faces was one of the best parts of my trip.”
- Freshman Nicolas Weirich
“At first I was like, “uh huh sure” and I just wanted to help people and not get all emotional, but once I got down there I saw the types of experiences that others were having and I wanted that too. I didn’t really have too many options to speak to the owners, but when I did I took it. It really struck me how grateful all of the Bayou la Batre citizens were….When I got back to Jackson, Michigan I went into town and saw how everyone was caught up in the season. Wondering where the best parking spot is, what color of this to get, how much it is, what to get for Christmas dinner? It made me think of everyone back in Alabama, how they would be more happy if they would even have a house to live in or be with their friends and family for Christmas. Most of them won’t even have a Christmas at all….It makes you think about how much you have and all of those things that you don’t need….When I was in town the day we got back, I got some change from doing some last minute shopping in the mall and the first thought that came to me was, “Where are the people ringing the bells?” I realize how lucky I am to have all that I do…I could tell I came out of this trip changed.”
- Sophomore Ryan Linderman
“I learned about today’s young volunteers that they care, and want to make a difference. It’s not so much about curiosity and the gawker affect wanting to see the devastation as they earnestly want to do something to help another human being to hurt less. I’m proud of them.
“I learned about those in need, that disasters don’t know color, race, or income. Everyone in the way of the hurricane was affected. Everyone affected needs help. And perhaps most rewarding, everyone affected is deeply grateful for the unconditional help. I saw homeowners appreciative equally for the work we were able to accomplish as well as the hope given in seeing strangers travel 1000 miles to lend a hand.
It was rewarding for all.”
- Chaperone Scott Rosenbeck
“At the end of the week, we had been through so many emotions,… When we showed Mrs. Grandberry (a homeowner) her house, she just started crying teary eyed. When we pulled away from her house, she was again crying. When we pulled around the corner, my Aunt Carmon stood up and yelled, “bus driver, stop the bus!” Nobody knew what was going on, but my aunt started getting teary eyed herself. She held up a thank you card from Mrs. Grandberry. She read it to us and showed us a $100 bill that she gave us. We knew right then that we were going to give it back to her….I gave her back her $100….She told us that she was going to use that money for her kids’ Christmas. I thought I was going to cry. That moment was the highlight of my trip.”
- Junior Justin Petty
“When I first heard about the hurricane trip to Alabama, I thought of it as a vacation. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to go or not. There were many things running through my head. I waited to the last day to turn in my final papers. I said to myself, “why not, you have nothing to lose.” Little did I know I had everything to gain.”
- Senior Hallee Uphaus
“The experiences that my classmates and I have been through are indescribable and unforgettable. We were all asked to go on this trip and we all took the step out there to help others in need. We all took our time and effort to collect money and to write letters. Everyone was affected by this trip in so many ways, almost everyone would love to come back and help again. The thought of what we did in the few days we were down there affected so many people’s lives. We make a living by what we earn, but we make a life by what we give, and we gave more than we can understand.”
- Sophomore Ariel Metzger
“As personally rewarding as my experience was, this trip was ALWAYS about the student volunteers. I’m very grateful to them for including me on their trip, and letting me bear witness to their heroic efforts. Every day I would write in my journal about how absolutely awesome the students were, and how proud I was to work with them! It was invigorating to be immersed in such a large group of students day and night for a week. They loved to share their zeal for life with those around them. At work sites they required very little direction. They worked tirelessly, barely finishing one task before seeking out another. If there were any complaints, it was that they wanted to do more than they were already doing. On top of model work ethics, they reached out to the people in the communities where they worked, and embraced them with compassion. As budding adults the students were in full bloom that week. They showed total responsibility in their roles and far surpassed any expectation that was put on them. The students on this trip were truly the pride of Jackson County….I’ve lived in Jackson for nine years. I’ve never felt like I was more a member of a community than when I was on this trip.”
- Chaperone Pete Schultz
“My group worked in Mobile, Alabama the whole week. The first house we worked at, a tree had fallen through the house while the family was still there. It’s just so hard to believe that seven people were trapped in that little hallway of the house for five and a half hours under a mattress. All of their belongings, pictures, and memories, were in that house, ruined by water. We met the family and they told us about that day. A 15 year old girl, named Aleigha, told us about her closet, which she called her “cubby,” and how much that little space full of drywall meant to her and her friends. She wrote down her thoughts, dreams, jokes, phone numbers, and many other things. One entry in that closet really got to a lot of us in that house. It said, “Hurricane Katrina screwed us up.” Another one followed saying, “8-29-05, Worst day of my life.” That really hit me deep I just couldn’t believe a girl my age would have to go through something like that. I know how hard it is to be a teenager sometimes, but on top of having a tree and a storm ruining your house – it really affected me very much.”
- Sophomore Katie England
“I’m no poet but in life people have the chance to change or better the way they look on life, either by fate or by choice. This choice definitely altered my view, in more ways than one.”
- Senior Kassandra Gunther
“Everything about this trip really reflected one point – you can get through anything if you have faith in yourself and the people around you. This trip was the best thing I’ve ever done, and I was sorry to come home.”
- Junior Jenna Thurlow
Jean Brickertt
Let me tell you how National Relief Network affected my life. After
Hurricane Floyd hit and the flooding began I became involved in the
Disaster relief work of assisting to get supplies to the many shelters in the area.
After that came the cleaning out and rebuilding of houses that had been
flooded, having water all the way to the roof line and destroying
everything. The job of getting these homes mudded out, walls and floors
torn out and scrubbed down was overwhelming to say the least. I received a call from Scott Harding of National Relief Network one day ( I still do not know how he found us and our need), he asked if we could use 90 high school students to help with the work. My reply was a resounding YES! That was the beginning of a long relationship with Scott Harding and National Relief Network.
Hundreds of students over, not months, but years came to North Carolina and helped people have their homes rebuilt. These students and their chaperones were awesome, and will always have a special place in my heart. Their lives were touched and they touched the lives of the owners wherever they worked.
If I were younger I would be working with National Relief Network as a
chaperone or going out and speaking to schools to assist in putting these groups together. Of all the people that came to help in our time of need these were truly the most unforgettable and to this day I share stories from the memories they left behind. Thank you for the heart you have for the wonderful work you do.
-Jean Brickertt
April 2005
Audrey Pitonak
How the NRN impacted my life in a positive way…
Well, honestly, I don’t know where to begin my story as many years have passed since my first trip with the National Relief Network in 1993! Wow, where did the years go? As a teenager, wanderlust captured my imagination upon many a daydreaming expeditions. Exploring the world and helping others along the way was my life’s ambition. After tinkering in the world of business, I felt something was missing. A sense that an essential ingredient was inadvertently omitted from the recipe of my life kept me wanting to taste more. Since then, I have been on a mission to discover the unique spice essential to nurturing the bread of life.
While working as a financial analyst at Amway Corporation, I befriended many people through channels of networks in an attempt to fill my personal time with social activities. Then one day while reading the daily announcements, I learned about a group of employees who decided to volunteer their extended weekend to help flood victims in Missouri. As I had witnessed the extent of the televised destruction, I longed to help and joined their group. It was a heartrending experience to assist others in the process of putting their lives back in order. I, along with many other volunteers, dreaded leaving with so much work remaining unfinished. The moment I returned to Amway, I longed with eager anticipation for the next relief trip to be organized. My job kept food on the table and paid the bills, but the volunteer work filled my soul.
I continued attending trips as often as was possible learning much in the area of human relations as well as construction in the process. I also encouraged others to join the effort. Some made an attempt while others chose to leave the volunteer work unscathed. The friendships that I developed with some of the other volunteers grew deeper with each experience and it was their love and support that helped me survive a personal tragedy.
As volunteer work grew fonder in my heart and began to absorb more of my time, I decided that it was time to make helping people the center of my life. I spontaneously decided to resign after 5 ½ years at the company and to alter the route of my life. After a series of unexpected events, I found myself in Skopje, Macedonia, volunteering at a warehouse assembling packages of food and clothing for refugees who spilled over the borders from Kosovo in the spring of 1999. To this day, I have continued to live and serve abroad in various capacities; however, the National Relief Network remains close to my heart for it helped to give me the vision I needed to fulfill my lifelong ambition…to help others in their time of need.
Submitted by,
Audrey C. Pitonak
Aimee
Spring 2005
This year I went on the National Relief Trip and we went to Gulf Shores, Alabama. When I was deciding if I wanted to go on this trip, I thought about how I wasn't sure if I wanted to work my whole spring break. But I decided to go anyways because I thought it might be fun and I wasn't going anywhere else. The bus ride was long (23 hours one way), but I had a good time meeting everyone. We got there and worked on the house that got destroyed and even working on the house, surprisingly, was one of the best things about the trip. It made me feel like I was actually making this person's life less stressful. We also got free time which gave us a break from everything. The chaperones were open to anything as long as it wasn't inappropriate as in walking to the gas station-as long as you had someone with you and had permission. During the process of working on the house, I tore down a wall and my group helped clear the room and remove the tree so the roofers coming could have a clear space to work in. I would have to say that the National Relief Network has definitely affected my life in a positive way and I would definitely love to and am planning on going next year. It was well worth giving up my spring break to come on this Disaster Relief Trip.
*Aimee-*
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