Tonight we're throwing you a curveball....usually our lovely sponsor Shelly Christian would come and type our blogs with our consent, but you are in for a treat! This blog will be written by Jessica Teller and Aubrie Martin, two of the youth on the trip! Today was our last day in Greensburg =[.
Monday afternoon we were spilt into groups of 3. Group 1: JoBeth, Daniel and Jeffery. Group 2: Jessica, Aubrie and Kolby(that would be us). Tuesday, group 1 cooked and we cleaned. Then, today we flipped. So this morning we woke up bright and early to cook breakfast burritos (which were quite tasty), and proceeded to wake our fellow youth mates. After a delicious breakfast, we loaded up into the church van and continued with our twenty-five minute drive to David's crib.
We arrived at his bungalow around 8:45 for the last time. All the painting, hanging of coverings for the outlets and light switches, sanding of walls and cleaning up was finally done. David came over to see the finished project. You could tell by his smile that he was truly thankful for all we had done, and we were thankful to be there to do it. If you've seen the picture of us on our main page, then you've seen our mission trip shirts. It just so happens that we had a few extra and decided to give David a shirt so he'll always remember us. =]
Then later on Jessica, JoBeth, and Kolby went to the volunteer center to help move heavy items into trailers. Meanwhile, back at David's, Shelly and Aubrie were interviewed by David's younger sister, Rebecca. She writes a weekly newsletter telling all the great news about the progress of the town, and she wanted to write an article about our trip!
Then towards the end of our day, Matt our volunteer coordinator and Mr. Kelly, the pastor at First Christian Church in Kinsley, set up a surprise visit with one of the town's high school students, Taylor Schmidt (you might have seen him on the Greensburg tv show). He lost his Grandfather in the storm, but his strong faith and eargerness to see Greensburg rebuilt is what inspired us about him. He seemed to be a little nervous when all 8 of us jumped out of the van to greet him, but after a while he warmed up and his true personality beamed through.
What a perfect end to a perfect week. We've done a lot of hard work, but it definitely paid off. We all wish we could stay longer. We're looking forward to coming back!
FCCPA Youth Mission Group
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
It's Getting Personal
Well, back to the old grindstone. We were ready to go again this morning! We awoke and performed our morning duties. We arrived at David's house at 8:35. I am only speculating, but I would say that is about as on time as 6 teenagers and 2 bossy adults are going to get. Grandma and Jerry ( our jobsite manager) were waiting on the porch. Jerry is in the picture below, however Grandma has not been convinced that she needs to be photographed just yet. 
We invited our new friends to join in our morning prayer circle. We were at work within minutes. Before lunch, David, showed up to check things out. We all could immediately see the sparkle in his eyes. We beamed with happiness. He looked around and simply said, "it finally looks like a home." Our hearts melted. 
He then shared more stories while we worked. We learned that David grew up in Greensburg is whole life and moved to Chicago as a young adult to go to culinary school. Within a month of arriving, his apartment and all his belongings were gone. A water pipe had burst in the ceiling of his home and all of his posessions were destroyed. He packed up and moved back to the safety of Greensburg, Kansas. A year later, whatever posessions had acculumated through the previous months were blown away by an EF5 tornado. David once again is rebuilding his life with the help of Disciples of Christ from all over the United States. This experience just gets better every day.
At noon, we sat in our previously reserved seating. We had a lunch date with Grandma. She came out on the porch with her photo album tightly gripped in her hand. She sat and narrated her account of the storm picture by picture. We sat completely still and listened. It was unbelievable how the determination of family will pull you through anything. We love this family so much already. We just cannot figure out how to get them in our luggage yet. We get more and more attached each day.
At 3:00, we cut loose from the jobsite and get gussied up for a night on the town. We drove into Dodge City and ate dinner at a steakhouse called Montana Mike's. We sat together and ate steaks that I know weighed almost as much as the kids do. It was a wonderful meal. When then traveled the "Liberty Garden" a couple of miles down the road. Liberty Garden had some amazing sights.
The city of Dodge City was given a steel beam piece from Ground Zero at the World Trade Centers and a piece of stone from the damaged petangon when attacked by terrorists. They have made beautiful memorials out of both of them.
We came home and blessed our day and each other and everyone got to bed earlier than normal (Unless you count me, Shelly, who is typing in the peace and quiet of this quaint church) Tomorrow is our last scheduled day here. None of us want to leave. We all miss home, however, the urgency to finish this home is almost unbearable. We desperately want to see David in his home. With that on all of our minds, I am sure we will have an amazingly productive day. We have been told that we can stay and work as last as we want. I feel certain by our daily devotional conversations that we will work late into the eveing. Pillow is calling. Talk to you all tomorrow.
FCCPA Youth Mission Group
We invited our new friends to join in our morning prayer circle. We were at work within minutes. Before lunch, David, showed up to check things out. We all could immediately see the sparkle in his eyes. We beamed with happiness. He looked around and simply said, "it finally looks like a home." Our hearts melted. 
He then shared more stories while we worked. We learned that David grew up in Greensburg is whole life and moved to Chicago as a young adult to go to culinary school. Within a month of arriving, his apartment and all his belongings were gone. A water pipe had burst in the ceiling of his home and all of his posessions were destroyed. He packed up and moved back to the safety of Greensburg, Kansas. A year later, whatever posessions had acculumated through the previous months were blown away by an EF5 tornado. David once again is rebuilding his life with the help of Disciples of Christ from all over the United States. This experience just gets better every day. At noon, we sat in our previously reserved seating. We had a lunch date with Grandma. She came out on the porch with her photo album tightly gripped in her hand. She sat and narrated her account of the storm picture by picture. We sat completely still and listened. It was unbelievable how the determination of family will pull you through anything. We love this family so much already. We just cannot figure out how to get them in our luggage yet. We get more and more attached each day.
At 3:00, we cut loose from the jobsite and get gussied up for a night on the town. We drove into Dodge City and ate dinner at a steakhouse called Montana Mike's. We sat together and ate steaks that I know weighed almost as much as the kids do. It was a wonderful meal. When then traveled the "Liberty Garden" a couple of miles down the road. Liberty Garden had some amazing sights.
The city of Dodge City was given a steel beam piece from Ground Zero at the World Trade Centers and a piece of stone from the damaged petangon when attacked by terrorists. They have made beautiful memorials out of both of them. We came home and blessed our day and each other and everyone got to bed earlier than normal (Unless you count me, Shelly, who is typing in the peace and quiet of this quaint church) Tomorrow is our last scheduled day here. None of us want to leave. We all miss home, however, the urgency to finish this home is almost unbearable. We desperately want to see David in his home. With that on all of our minds, I am sure we will have an amazingly productive day. We have been told that we can stay and work as last as we want. I feel certain by our daily devotional conversations that we will work late into the eveing. Pillow is calling. Talk to you all tomorrow.
FCCPA Youth Mission Group
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Paintin' the Town
The morning grind is getting easier. We should get the hang of it by Friday. We made the 25 minute drive to Greensburg with ease. We arrived at The Village (Volunteer Headquarters) less than 10 minutes late. It was looking to be a great day! We received our jobsite orders and were on-site by 9:30. We were once again very excited. We are assigned to a house that has been worked on by several of the other Disciples of Christs Churches that have come here to volunteer. The owner of the house is David. He is the volunteer station's Head Cook. As with all of the people we meet, David has his "storm" stories, too. He has been gracious enough to share some of those throughout the day. We also have had the wonderful pleasure of meeting David's grandmother, Mrs. Phyllis - or as she would prefer, grandma. She lives next door to David's house. She is one of those people that we prayed we would meet. She has popped her head in and out of our project all day. We have heard many stories. We all made efforts to continue painting throughout the day.
However, inevitably, we would all slowly migrate to Grandma and listen to another one of her stories. We would stand silent and just listen.
Our expectations and priorities of this trip have already changed tremendously. While planning and preparing for mission trip we focus so much on the "Green" in Greensburg. We walked through the first day with many misconceptions wandering through our minds but never being spoken. Where's all the solar panels? How much of that house is "eco-friendly" We were all thinking those thoughts. At some time, through many of our own discussions, we concluded that the only time "Green" comes up is when we mention it. That revelation was monumental to all of us. We have learned that the people of Greensburg genuinely want to be an "eco-friendly" town. You hear the determmine and drive in their voices. However, some of these people do not even have a home yet. Sure, they will recycle. But where do you fit recycle bins in an early 1980s Winnebago? (David's home since the winter) Today's "in the trenches" work has opened our eyes and hearts to the people of Greensburgg even more than the day before. The conversation that our experiences are unearthing is priceless. We go through so many emotions throughout the day. And we will now go to bed dreaming about doing it all again tomorrow. Thanks for your interest in our trip. Good night to all.
FCCPA Youth Mission Trip Team
Monday, August 11, 2008
Another Day, Another Road Road Trip
We would love to tell you that we had a wonderful night's sleep and were bright -eyed and bushy tailed this morning. . . but we weren't. The morning came way too soon and before the sleep was wiped out of our eyes we were back in the church van. However, just when we thought all hope was lost, we saw our destination on the horizon. We drove into Greensburg, Kansas at 10:05 this morning. I am sure the town folk wondered what all of the screaming was about! We were so excited!!!! The "bonding time" in our church van over the past two days was worth it! We came bouncing out of the church van doing the "happy dance". (sorry, no pictures)
We then sat around with our job coordinator and host and compared battle wounds. EF5Tornado vs. Hurricane Rita. I think we all could relate to each other very well. Different stories, different locations, but the same emotions and fears. The kiddos began to get weary of the "old folk" stories so we moved on to outdoor manual labor with the promise of a tour of Greensburg after lunch. Our first project of our journey made a lasting impression on all of us. We went to the previous sight of Betty Johnson's home. Ms. Johnson is an elderly woman who lived her whole life in this small town. She would travel to different places and always return home with her souvenirs - rocks. She would bring her pretty and unusual rocks home and use them in the landscaping in her yard. Needless to say, on May 4, 2007, by 10:00 pm, Ms. Johnson's lifelong home was gone. She chose not to return to Greensburg. She no longer lives here. She asked our job coordinator to get someone to go over her property and see if they could find any of her rocks. That was our assignment. With 5 gallons buckets in tow, we exited the van on her driveway. That was all that was there - a driveway.The overwhelming impact of devastation was seen in all of us. We found slippers, welcome signs, pieces of broken dishes and whatnots. But most importantly - we found rocks. We returned for lunch with less half of one bucket filled with rocks. However, our heart and minds were overflowing. We understood.
Before we knew it, it was 3:00. TOUR TIME! We loaded the van and began our tour at the Big Well. Greensburg's is home to the largest (maybe deepest?) hand dug water well. It is over 100 feet deep! We all dropped coins and made our own wishes. (using Scott's money, of course)
We then saw every nook and cranny of Greensburg. It is amazing and inspiring to see where determination and will to survive will get you. This town has made unbelievable progress in the past year. We are so humbled and honored to say we are and will always be a part of the rebuilding of Greensburg, Kansas. We again are going to get some must needed rest. The cannot wait for the gifts tomorrow will bring. Thanks again for making the kids feel like movie stars. Good night to all.
FCCPA Youth Mission Group
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Following the Yellow Brick Road
Wow. Fifteen hours in the church van. 6 teenagers. 2 insane adults. It is midnight and we are in Wichita, Kansas in a Super 8 Motel. Still an hour and a half from Greensburg. I suppose the Lord's work can be challenging! After several rainstorms and an hour in stopped Oklahoma traffic, we called Sunday quits. We are "refueling" here in Wichita and will be ready to go into Greensburg at 6:00 am in the morning. Although we are tired, we are so EXCITED! We will have pictures and stories for you tomorrow from the GREEN town of Greensburg! Thanks for following us! Good night to all!
FCCPA Youth Mission Group
FCCPA Youth Mission Group
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Going Green: Area youths to help rebuild city, save the world
Published in the Port Arthur News on Sunday, August 10, 2008
by Mike Tobias/The News Staff Writer
The night of May 4, 2007 was a dark night.
No darker than normal anywhere else in the world, but more especially in Greensburg, Kansas. Dark in the normal sense of the nighttime sky, but dark in the sense of the memories a massive tornado, nearly 2 miles wide, would soon carve out.
The sirens sounded and the city had a mere 20 minutes to prepare for the oncoming 205 mph winds. Once the storm past and the dust settled, the city was nearly wiped off the map.
“The night of May 4, the city of Greensburg, Kansas was hit by a category EF5 tornado that destroyed 95% of the homes and businesses there,” Shelly Christian, First Christian Church of Port Arthur Youth Mission Trip co-sponsor said.
Images taken after around the disaster area show splintering remnants of former homes and leaf-less trees surrounded by dirt-strewn roads and grassy plains. Nine Greensburg residents initially lost their lives in the onslaught. According to a KAKE Channel 10 story posted four days after the storm, a tenth victim, Police Officer Robert Tim Buckman passed away after being taken off life support, but not before symbolically giving away his 18-year-old daughter in a bedside marriage ceremony.
“After the storm the city council and the citizens held a lot of meetings in trying to decide on how to rebuild after the storm and ultimately decided on building it back ‘green.’
The term ‘green’ refers to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, which provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. According to Wikipedia.com, ‘green’ building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle.
“Building it back ‘green’ means every structure there has to include a certain amount of refurbished or recycled material, and there’s a lot of ordinances you have to go through to get things approved before you start to rebuild,” Christian adds.
Following this ideology of placing the utmost high importance on ecological and environmental goals, LEED certified buildings are rated on a scale of a possible 69 points, based on a variety of prerequisites and credits: Certified (26-32 points), Silver (33-38 points), Gold (39-51 points), and Platinum (52-69 points).
When completed, Greensburg, Kansas will become the first U.S. city ever to be raised, or in their case rebuilt, to Platinum LEED standards.
“Scott (Miller), our Associate Pastor and co-sponsor, and I talked to the kids a little bit before deciding on where we wanted to go for the Youth Mission Trip,” Christian went on. “And we decided that we’d like to expose the kids to a different kind of disaster. Down here in ‘hurricane land’ we’ve kind of gotten numb to the effects of a hurricane and though we could give them a better sense of helping out in a different type of natural devastation than we’re used to.”
Each of the youths have expressed an eagerness to help out with this tragic, yet unique, situation.
“I’m excited to go,” Daniel Teller stated. “We’ve been through the rebuilding process here after Katrina and Rita and we’re getting an opportunity to help out a whole new community in a whole different state. We kind of know what they’ve experience, but we can learn as they rebuild ‘green,’ environmentally-friendly, and that’s good for them and good for the nation.’
The Youth Mission Trip team, consists of six youths: Jeffrey Green, 13; Daniel Teller, 14; Aubrie Martin, 14; JoBeth Jackson, 16; Kolby Duhon, 17; and Jessica Teller, 17. The group leaves to meet up with First Christian Church’s affiliation, Disciples of Christ, at their mission station near the city of Greensburg, Kansas today and will help in the rebuilding process before returning next Saturday, August 16.
The plight of Greensburg is currently being broadcast around the world as a 13-part television series, co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Craig Piligian called Greensburg, which airs at 8 p.m. Sundays on Planet Green. Since airing, six more episodes were ordered and filmed.
For those interested in following the progress of the ‘Going Green Youth Mission Trip,’ go to www.panews.com and click on the ‘Going Green’ button to view and comment on their online blog. The group will be updating their exploits with words and pictures at the end of the day’s work.
The group’s progress will also be updated on The Mike Tobias Show, The Port Arthur News’ daily podcast available on the homepage Monday through Friday at panews.com.
by Mike Tobias/The News Staff Writer
The night of May 4, 2007 was a dark night.
No darker than normal anywhere else in the world, but more especially in Greensburg, Kansas. Dark in the normal sense of the nighttime sky, but dark in the sense of the memories a massive tornado, nearly 2 miles wide, would soon carve out.
The sirens sounded and the city had a mere 20 minutes to prepare for the oncoming 205 mph winds. Once the storm past and the dust settled, the city was nearly wiped off the map.
“The night of May 4, the city of Greensburg, Kansas was hit by a category EF5 tornado that destroyed 95% of the homes and businesses there,” Shelly Christian, First Christian Church of Port Arthur Youth Mission Trip co-sponsor said.
Images taken after around the disaster area show splintering remnants of former homes and leaf-less trees surrounded by dirt-strewn roads and grassy plains. Nine Greensburg residents initially lost their lives in the onslaught. According to a KAKE Channel 10 story posted four days after the storm, a tenth victim, Police Officer Robert Tim Buckman passed away after being taken off life support, but not before symbolically giving away his 18-year-old daughter in a bedside marriage ceremony.
“After the storm the city council and the citizens held a lot of meetings in trying to decide on how to rebuild after the storm and ultimately decided on building it back ‘green.’
The term ‘green’ refers to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System, which provides a suite of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. According to Wikipedia.com, ‘green’ building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle.
“Building it back ‘green’ means every structure there has to include a certain amount of refurbished or recycled material, and there’s a lot of ordinances you have to go through to get things approved before you start to rebuild,” Christian adds.
Following this ideology of placing the utmost high importance on ecological and environmental goals, LEED certified buildings are rated on a scale of a possible 69 points, based on a variety of prerequisites and credits: Certified (26-32 points), Silver (33-38 points), Gold (39-51 points), and Platinum (52-69 points).
When completed, Greensburg, Kansas will become the first U.S. city ever to be raised, or in their case rebuilt, to Platinum LEED standards.
“Scott (Miller), our Associate Pastor and co-sponsor, and I talked to the kids a little bit before deciding on where we wanted to go for the Youth Mission Trip,” Christian went on. “And we decided that we’d like to expose the kids to a different kind of disaster. Down here in ‘hurricane land’ we’ve kind of gotten numb to the effects of a hurricane and though we could give them a better sense of helping out in a different type of natural devastation than we’re used to.”
Each of the youths have expressed an eagerness to help out with this tragic, yet unique, situation.
“I’m excited to go,” Daniel Teller stated. “We’ve been through the rebuilding process here after Katrina and Rita and we’re getting an opportunity to help out a whole new community in a whole different state. We kind of know what they’ve experience, but we can learn as they rebuild ‘green,’ environmentally-friendly, and that’s good for them and good for the nation.’
The Youth Mission Trip team, consists of six youths: Jeffrey Green, 13; Daniel Teller, 14; Aubrie Martin, 14; JoBeth Jackson, 16; Kolby Duhon, 17; and Jessica Teller, 17. The group leaves to meet up with First Christian Church’s affiliation, Disciples of Christ, at their mission station near the city of Greensburg, Kansas today and will help in the rebuilding process before returning next Saturday, August 16.
The plight of Greensburg is currently being broadcast around the world as a 13-part television series, co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Craig Piligian called Greensburg, which airs at 8 p.m. Sundays on Planet Green. Since airing, six more episodes were ordered and filmed.
For those interested in following the progress of the ‘Going Green Youth Mission Trip,’ go to www.panews.com and click on the ‘Going Green’ button to view and comment on their online blog. The group will be updating their exploits with words and pictures at the end of the day’s work.
The group’s progress will also be updated on The Mike Tobias Show, The Port Arthur News’ daily podcast available on the homepage Monday through Friday at panews.com.
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