One day before departure

We would like to share some excerpts from the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Team Orientation Manual. The front also states the motto, which is:

“OUT OF CHAOS, HOPE”

“ . . . it is the local church partner that has done the assessment, determined the nature of the work, and made all the arrangements to provide for the arrival of volunteers. When we accept the invitation to come work, that acceptance also brings responsibility. We are sent into communities as ambassadors of the particular church or council that has issued the invitation. Our behavior and relationships in the community where we work will directly reflect on our partner for good, or for bad, long after we have left. It is by virtue of our relationship with our partner that we come introduced to communities as an extended branch of the family of FAITH. We go recognizing the historical mission and MINISTRY of our partners in that area.

. . . Often the work we do does not seem that important, however, being present is. Funds we spend to travel could be used locally. So why do we go? We go so people will know they are not forgotten, we go to stand alongside and offer encouragement, we go to learn about where God is active in the world, and we go to learn about ourselves be seeing how others find strength and how our partners support them in the process of recovery. We go having a servant’s heart.

We must not only seek to serve, but find the grace to accept the warm hospitality and invitation extended to us to be part of a community for a while as they work towards recovery."

Some camp details . . . “The villages are very basic, with conditions similar to camping. The villages are located on church property, private land, or municipal property, each housing 75-150 volunteers. At most sites, they consist of hard corrugated polypropylene tents (3-10 persons each).”

“It’s hard to predict what the emotional reactions of such a devastating disaster may be on the survivors. People who have lost their homes, their possessions, their livelihoods, their neighborhoods, their friends, their families, may react with a muted awareness, and their sense of security and well-being may be seriously disturbed. Many survivors will want to talk, and they will need to tell of their experiences. We need to listen . . . Listening is helping, so please be ready to listen with open hearts.”


From your FAITH Team . . . Some statistics about the volunteer work . . .

PDA involved in disaster relief since September, 2005 (6 camps) – so that’s 1 year + 9 months (still going in full operation). That is 21 months [or 1.75 years]. At 50 weeks per year [or approximately 87 weeks] with an average of 110 workers per camp = 660 workers.

That’s 660 workers per week for 87 weeks, at approximately 8 hours per day (or 40 hours per week). 40 hours per week x 87 weeks = 3,480 total hours.

3, 480 total hours x 660 total workers = 2,296,800 total work hours. . . . Over 2.2 MILLION work hours donated!!!. . . (These are on-the-job hours, not including travel and camp time.)

And that’s before your Faith UP team contributes our 680 work hours!!!

What a privilege to witness God’s work being done first hand and to share in a small amount of this work. I am sure all of us have thought, “what can I do that will make a difference?” Obviously, when you look at the hours taken right out of the volunteers’ lives and donated to this project . . . it’s in black and white what a difference it makes! . . . More when we arrive in Orange Grove!