2 More Days!

Well, the time has almost come! I leave early Sunday morning out of Charlotte and get to New Orleans about 11:30am. I hope to spend the day getting acclamated to the area and picking up food items for the week. We've been told to pack our own lunches all week. We start bright and early Monday morning with a meeting at the St. Bernard Project headquarters. Then, we're off to the job sites! I have no idea if we will be at the same site each day. I hope so because I'd like to form a relationship with the homeowners. I am looking forward to hearing their stories. I know that I won't come back the same. I know that I'll come back with a greater appreciation of what I have been blessed with. Especially in Charlotte, we are constantly faced with wealth and prestige. Often times people here are measured by the size of their house, the brand of their clothes and the make of their car. Certainly that will not be the case in New Orleans. It will probably be a breath of fresh air!

So, tomorrow (Saturday) will be a day of errands and packing. I'm going to start the day off with a good breakfast with some good friends (Randy and Em). Then, it's a race to get it all done before I fly out at 6am Sunday.

Sadly, I did not raise all the money I wanted to raise, but I'm going with something and that something is money they didn't have before. It's not too late though! If you still want to donate, please contact me at stephmckendrick76@gmail.com. Thank you for all the support and encouragement along the way. I will welcome all prayers and well wishes this next week. Prayers for safety and health are encouraged. Also, it would be nice if I could at least make one friend to pal around with. I am taking books and my laptop so I will be occupied otherwise. I may be so tired at the end of the day that I don't feel like going out, but if I do, it would be nice to have someone to go out with!

Lastly, just pray that I can encourage those around me on this this trip! I go into this not knowing what to expect, but I know that I am just one volunteer who is wanting to make a difference in the lives of those around me.

Hope you all have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Please watch

Please watch this youtube video that was posted by a former volunteer! I was moved all over again after watching it. I am so very blessed to be able to participate in this project. St. Bernard Project's volunteers are impacting people's lives. Please be a part of this.

Friends

Thanks to Erin (and Lincoln), Holly, Emily, Randy and Steve! I appreciate you eating a delicous breakfast with me to hear about what I'll be doing in St. Bernard's Parish in a couple of weeks. I am excited, nervous, and looking forward to seeing how this experience will challenge and change me.

If you are seeing this blog for the first time and want to know more, please contact me! just1volunteer@gmail.com
I have raised some funds, but would love to be able to go down to New Orleans with more for this worthwhile project.
See more here:

www.stbernardproject.org

Be a partner in helping folks re-claim their homes!

Oprah features St. Bernard's Project

See the video hereThis kind of coverage never can hurt!

Big News

Hi Everyone! This is my first post and I want to let you in on what I will be doing in less than a month. As you know, a couple weeks ago marked the 2nd anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast areas in Mississippi and Lousiana. I'm one of these people who always wants to DO something, but rarely gets out of my comfort zone to actually do it. This time was different for some reason. One morning as I was checking a news website, I clicked on a linke to a website that listed out some organizations that give people like me the ability to get involved in a hands-on way. I want to go there. I want to see the aftermath first hand. I am tired of seeing it on the news and on the web. I want to hear people's stories instead of reading them. I want to help.

I found this organization called The St. Bernard Project. Here's the site: www.stbernardproject.org

I will be heading to New Orleans on October 7th and will be there through October 13th. It's going to be Women's Build Week and lots of women are going to converge to help families get out of there FEMA trailers and back in their homes! We will be at one house for the whole week so we will have lots of opportunities to talk to the family that we are helping out. How exciting!

But I want to do more than just hands-on work. I don't want to go there empty handed. I would like to go to St. Bernard's Parish with some financial help too. My costs will be low. The money I want to raise will go directly to the project. I would like to set a goal of raising $1000 for the organization in the next 3 weeks! This money will all got to St. Bernards project. Yes, i t's ambitious, but I believe I can do this with your help. If would like to donate to the organization, make a check out to St. Bernard Project/IH Center and the you can mail the check to me. Please e-mail me if you want my mailing address (just1volunteer@gmail.com). If you would like to help out with any of my expenses you can contact me.
Also, if you want to donate tools or any other types of supplies (that i might be able to take with me), please let me know!

My most awesome friend, Holly Thomas, has agreed to host a brunch at her home on September 22nd so that I can give you more information in person. I'd love for you to come. (Many of you will be getting an e-mail with more details soon.)

If nothing else, I would be grateful for your prayers. I am going to this city alone and, from what i hear and read, New Orleans is not a very safe place. In fact, crime rates have skyrocketed since Katrina. So, prayers for safety would be welcome. Also, since I decided to do this not long ago, I don't have a ton of time to do fundraising. Please know, I am NOT required to raise money for this trip. It costs about $10,000 per house to get it rehabbed to the point the family can live in it again. I am raising money because I believe in this organization and what they are doing. Also, it would be awesome if you would start praying for the family that I will be placed with and whose house I will be working on. They need true hope. Christ is my hope and I believe he IS the true hope for this world. Also, pray for me as I interact with the folks I will be building along side. Pray that I will build (no pun intended) good relationships with them too!

Okay, that's enough for now. I'll update the blog as I have new information to share!

Thanks so much for reading this and thanks in advance for whatever you way you choose to support me!