Getting Ready for Another Mission

Christmas is approaching so that means it is about time to start on another mission trip.

The RV is now in our driveway and today I will open it and turn the heat on so we can clean and start packing. Our goal is to leave Janesville, weather permitting on Monday December 28. We plan on spending some time with my parents and with friends in Georgia as we travel south.

Annual Meeting Ending

The end of the Annual NOMADS gathering is coming to an end. The final banquet and entertainment will be held in just a few hours and everyone will be on their way home tomorrow.

The meetings were inspirational, provided spiritual growth opportunities and a lot of fellowship. Training classes in various skill areas were conducted and did acquaint everyone with new ideas.

There were 317 attendees at the gathering. The main fundraiser, a community charity auction yielded $50,390 to be used to support activities in the future.

One point that was made is that we all need to work at recruiting younger members. Membership in the organization is slipping and many of the active members are older than 75 so if we are to continue younger folks must be recruited.

Annual Gathering First Day

The first day of the Gathering was a very interesting day. There is a large group in attendance this year and the meeting hall was overflowing both at the morning Bible study and at morning session. We had an excellent speaker at both sessions and his presentation was quite unique, but effective. The afternoon session was devoted to the auction and I am sure there amount of money that was raised was more than last year as the bids seemed to be higher. The business session was also conducted with the Board of Directors.

After the long day, we all traveled to a local restaurant (McFarland's) for dinner. The meal was good and the company was great.

The weather has been anything but fall like we expected. The temperatures were very high yesterday and the humidity made it worse! It has been so bad that Greta does not even want to go to the dog area, she just wants to stay under the AC.  

NOMADS Annual Gathering

The Annual  Gathering of NOMADS is an event that brings old friends together and allows the members time to have some fellowship, spiritual growth via Bible study, and meetings to conduct the business of NOMADS. It also provides the members with the opportunity to learn about new construction and repair techniques that will help them on future projects.

Our original plan was to travel to the Annual Meeting on Saturday arriving on Sunday, but a last minute change was made. Linda and I were asked to help with the Rock County Farm to Table Party on Saturday night so we delayed our departure until Sunday morning.

We had a safe and uneventful trip through Illinois and into Missouri. We made an overnight stop at Cuba, Missouri. We parked in the Ladybug RV park. The park was quite unique in that it looked like a church camp ground more so than an RV resort. We did find out the campground also served as the location for the Deer Creek Church. The folks were friendly and even gave us a discount when they saw our NOMADS sign. We did have a full service site (water, electric, and sewer) but we were directly under a tree so the TV reception was zero. Oh well, that was good, no TV we could go to bed early and get some rest. Greta was disturbed several times during the night by the animals moving in the area.

On Monday we continued our journey to Branson. We arrived at the KOA site just before noon and learned we were the last to arrive. As we entered we were greeted by our first NOMADS team leader and were made to feel welcome again. During the afternoon several people went to various shows, but Linda and I rested and visited with friends. We are looking forward to a great program and meeting many of the people we have worked with!

Project Finished

The goal of painting the United Methodist Church at Monona is now complete and everyone has moved on to the next project. In total the group painted 9 classrooms, 1 office, hallway, narthex, coatroom, fellowship hall and rejuvenated the wood trim in the fellowship hall. Hopefully this new look will have a positive impact on the congregation of the church.

Once the painting was completed the task of cleaning was the last step in the process, The team removed paint from the trim work and vacuumed the floors. 

The fellowship hall looked great after it was completed. The room was painted, wood trim cleaned and renewed, posts trimmed out, and the serving area was cleaned and the wood trim was replaced. 

The classrooms were painted to add some color to the facility and no doubt they will be ready for the children soon! 

Since our campground was quite a distance from the project site, Greta spent her days at the Central Bark Park, a dog day care center in Madison. The only problem it was an upscale place and she became quite pampered during her stay. The good news was she was so exhausted at the end of the day she would sleep all night!

Project Finished

The goal of painting the United Methodist Church at Monona is now complete and everyone has moved on to the next project. In total the group painted 9 classrooms, 1 office, hallway, narthex, coatroom, fellowship hall and rejuvenated the wood trim in the fellowship hall. Hopefully this new look will have a positive impact on the congregation of the church.

Once the painting was completed the task of cleaning was the last step in the process, The team removed paint from the trim work and vacuumed the floors. 

The fellowship hall looked great after it was completed. The room was painted, wood trim cleaned and renewed, posts trimmed out, and the serving area was cleaned and the wood trim was replaced. 

The classrooms were painted to add some color to the facility and no doubt they will be ready for the children soon! 

Since our campground was quite a distance from the project site, Greta spent her days at the Central Bark Park, a dog day care center in Madison. The only problem it was an upscale place and she became quite pampered during her stay. The good news was she was so exhausted at the end of the day she would sleep all night!

Work Contines

The second week of the project at Monona United Methodist Church continues. The group is painting the interior of the church and had a good week the first week. Even thought the team only consists of 6 people, the classrooms in the upper level have been painted and now the large area in the upstairs is being prepared as is the Fellowship Hall.

The first step in the process was to move the all of the furniture either out of the room or to the center of the room so the room could be prepared for painting. This included removing fixtures from the walls as well 

All of the bulletin boards and chalk boards had to be covered as well to protect them from stray paint.  All of this work takes time. 

Taping to protect the woodwork and trim was the next step in the process. Just remember this process had to be completed in every room that was painted. The goal was to complete 3 rooms per day the first week and then to move to the fellowship hall the next wee. 

The paint was stirred and then the process of painting started. The rooms were originally an off white, and the new color that was selected was almond. 

The paint was applied, however at the end of the first day we were disappointed, thinking that one coat of paint would do the trick, but a second coat had to be applied to make the paint look smooth. 

To meet our goal of getting the rooms finished, the work had to be reassigned so the task could be accomplished on time. The weather was somewhat cooler than normal and since the classrooms were in the upstairs of the church and there was no air conditioning, we worked to get that floor completed before the heat and humidity of Wisconsin arrived!

Every project has a unique situation. On this project, we ate well...each day a member of the congregation brought us lunch. We had wonderful meals and a time for some fellowship. 

On Friday Night the LEO club (Let's Eat Out) decided we needed a treat, so we enjoyed a traditional Friday Night Fish Fry at Tulle's in Monona. Everyone enjoyed the meal and we were ready for another week. 

Another Mission Trip

Linda and I are on another NOMADS mission trip, but this time we have not made a long and tiring journey before the project begins. We are camping at a small RV park near Stoughton (Badger Land RV Park). The original plan was for us to camp on the church parking lot, but that plan fell through at the last minute. Our project is to conduct some of the maintenance and updating work that needed to be completed on the Monona United Methodist Church. We are joined by two other couples (David and Ruth Robertson, Texas; Tom and Evelyn Clements, South Carolina).

Upon our arrival we attended Worship Service on Sunday and learned the church had just had a new pastor assigned to the church and we were able to hear his first sermon in his new charge. Following the sermon, we all attended a good Methodist Pot Luck Dinner!

Monday Morning will be the start of another exciting venture!
 

Tool of the Trip

This a new section we are adding to our blog. Usually when tools are mentioned, you think of men and their tools, but Linda has been coming up with the tools to add to our list. At the end of last trip she indicated she needed a power screwdriver, and I did get her one. This time she came up with another tool she fell in love with, but I will let her tell the story.
Hi its me,Linda
We will call this part of the blog:  Tool of the Travel

One of my jobs was to do a lot of weeding around the flower beds.  The weeds were fierce and stubborn.  I found this tool (see picture below).  I grabbed the handle and suddenly I felt like the weed police.  I raked at those weeks and I chopped at the roots.  With each breath I took I said, "I hate weeds, I hate weeds."  Ok that does sound a little dramatic.  But I got say this tool is the best I've ever used to completely decimate those little devils.  I now know I will soon be using it on the weeds in my own garden. My next project will be-how to use a weed eater.

Traveling Home

On Friday morning we packed the trailer, hitched up and headed north. It is always difficult to leave a project, but we always have the next project to look forward to. NOMADS is not just about doing work to help someone, but it is also about spiritual growth, fellowship, and growing personally.

The trip home was quite interesting. Our GPS took us through the back roads and small towns of Arkansas on our way to West Memphis. Friday night was spent at Tom Sawyer RV park on the banks of the Mississippi.

The park was nice and had all the comforts we look for in a site. The site was on a concrete pad and had full utility hook ups. We were only a few feet from the river so we could watch the barge traffic, see the flowing water, smell the river, and hear the sounds of the water lapping against the shore. The only problem came when we were packing to leave....Greta escaped the trailer without her leash and she wanted to play rather than to travel. 

Our second night we stayed at the Tin Cup RV Park, Mahomet, Illinois. It was a full hook up site and was also very nice. 

Greta enjoyed the open space and the green grass without mud! She does travel very well and has matured since our first trip with her in 2012! Sometimes though she can still be a challenge...stubborn Corgi!

Sunday morning we attended Palm Sunday Service at the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, Mahomet, Illinois. The service was wonderful and the congregation made us feel welcome. Ironically the Minister's father had been a NOMAD so NOMADS recieved a free commercial during the announcements.  

After church services he headed for Janesville. The travel was very difficult because of rain and high winds, but we arrived safely. 

Second Week at Dubach

Even though the rain was heavy and the threat of storms existed, the spirits of the team was high. As usual we started our week off by attending church services as a team. The team elected to worship at the Salem United Methodist Church this week.

The church was smaller than the one that we attended the week before,but the congregation welcomed us with open arms, When we arrived, we were all concerned because there was no one at the church. It was raining and many of the roads were flooded, so we did not know if service had been cancelled, but just before serve everyone arrived!  Following the service we all went to Papa Joes in Dubach for lunch. 

When the work week started, many different task were undertaken. The wet and soggy ground conditions required some changes in the work schedule, but at the end we did accomplish a considerable amount of work. 

A pasture fence was repaired and installed. This was to divide the pasture into smaller areas for the horses. 

Several landscaping chores were completed. Trimming was one of the tasks that was completed. 

 Plants in the greenhouse were trimmed and repotted. 

Some of the plants were prepared for sale. The main plant being grown in the greenhouses at this time were ferns. 

The raised gardens were weeded and prepared for planting. Flower beds were also prepared for planting. 

A shelter for the goat flock was extended to provide them with more protection from the rain and elements. 

Equipment additions were made to the goat area. This is a swinging bridge that was made to provide the goats with some recreation. 

One evening we had a potluck dinner. Everyone brought something, Linda and I being true Wisconsinites brought brats and cheese!

Other tasks completed during the week included tree removal from some of the areas, putting mulch on the paths, erecting signs for the paths, and steps to prepare for the wedding that was to be held at the outdoor chapel soon. 

As a team we also attended "family night" at the Antioch Church.  

Linda and I had the opportunity to visit with some old friends. We had a lovely evening with the Philpots and provided them with a tour of the center. 

At the end of the work week Linda and I had to pack up and start our trip home. Jake, Linda's oldest grandson is scheduled for open heart surgery so we felt the need to be home with him.  Just before we left, we had a dinner with the staff and we loaded 3 cases of salsa in the truck and prepared to leave. Our experience at OWL was great and perhaps some children will benefit from our work. 

First Week Completed

The first week of the project is over and several tasks were completed by the team, but there is more work to be done. The week was plagued with rain and thunder storms so that limited some of the accomplishments of the team. After our orientation and meeting with the staff on Monday, the work began.

The first project of the week was to clean the outdoor chapel area and to make new signs for the path to the chapel. The entire team worked on cutting branches from the pathway, removing branches and twigs that had fallen during the winter. 

A wooden fence was erected between the RV parking area and the fuel tanks. The task was a fairly simple task.

The wooden deck at the administration building was power washed to remove the mold dirt so it  could be stained, however the rains prevented it from being stained. Oh well, this is Louisiana so frequent rains and weather changes are common in the area this time of the year.

The OWL Center has many trails, so one of the projects was to clear the trails so they would be usable for the groups that will be arriving soon. Leaf blowers, chainsaws, and pruning hooks were the tools of the day for the team that did the clearing.

The week was not all work, there was some  play in the week. Group photos were taken at different locations, one was with the group standing on the balance log that is used in the confidence course.

The hedges and landscaping plants at the administration building were in bad need of trimming, so the team trimmed the plants to dress up the building.

Trimming around the Conference center was another task that was completed by the team. After all it is springtime in Louisiana and that means spring cleaning is in order.

A fence dividing one of the horse pastures was completed by the team.

The shelter in the goat pen was enlarged so the young goats would have adequate shelter during the rainstorms that are common this time of the year.

Several tasks were carried out in the greenhouse. That included repotting plants, planting some blackberry bushes, trimming ferns, cleaning pots and a general clean up of the facility.

Flower beds and raised garden boxes were weeded and prepared for planting.

The weekend brought more rain and the threat of more thunderstorms for the week ahead. It will be interesting to see what we will be doing next week.

The Team

The team consisted of 10 members from the states of Alabama, Louisiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

The team members are (left to right) Andrew Lehman (Michigan), Pearl and Charlie Bruns (Louisiana), Lindell & Linda Whitelock (Wisconsin), Gary and Sharon Hatcher (Alabama), Roger and Sandy Westerman (Alabama) and Joanne Lehman (Michigan). 

During the first week several projects were completed and marked off the list. At the end of the first week everyone was tired from the work they had to accompolish. 

First Work Day

This was our first work day on the project. Following the morning devotion, we met the staff of OWL and had a tour and explanation of the facility.

We all boarded a bus and began our tour of the facility. Our tour leader not only told us the role of each of the facilities, but also told us about how it was funded and the benefits of the facility. 

The first stop was at a retreat called the "Bunkhouse". This facility has a nice kitchen, some small cabins, and a sleeping facility. The building shown in the background is the kitchen and dining area. There are 6 cabins surrounding this building. 

This building is the bunkhouse. It has two sleeping areas and a large conference room in the center. The building was designed as an architectural project by a group of students from Louisiana Tech. It is certainly a unique building.  

 The next stop was at the greenhouses. Originally the greenhouses were used to produce tomatoes for the salsa project that provides some revenue for the center. The salsa making venture now has become large that tomatoes must be sourced from outside the center. The greenhouse is now being used for the production of ferns for sale.

 A small orchard provides some fruit for the jelly making operation of the center. Again is the production and sale of the jellies grows as fast as the salas, other sources of fruit will need to be developed
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The next stop was at the Conference Center. This is a large multipurpose building where meetings are held, The building is not only used for events of the center, but also can be used by the public for a fee. 

A hotel is available for use by the parents  of the children who are in the center. The facility is designed much like a hotel, with the exception there is not a television in the room, so that reduces the demand for the facility. 

There are two beautiful lakes on the property. The lakes are stocked with fish. The species include catfish, bass, crappie, and brim. I certainly hope to reduce the number of fish in the lake before I leave the project. 

The center has a equine center that is used for therapeutic purposes . Many of the children have emotional problems, and this is a way to help them over come their problems. The center currently has 26 horses that are used for this purpose. 

Our first project was to clean and prepare the outdoor chapel area for a wedding that is scheduled in the near future. 

It will be intersting to see what tomorrow brings.