Peg & Dorrie Thursday August 14, 2008

Today was one of the most difficult days of my mission experiences. Usually I am rebuilding someone’s life but today Dorrie and I had to throw it away. Our job today was to clean out an attic. When we went to investigate what needed to be done, we discovered that the attic was dark, small and was not big enough for all of us. I went outside as Dorrie and Jill started to throw items out the small attic window. I was stunned to see that the items were children’s toys, stuffed animals and baby clothes. At that time the only receptacle to put things in was a plastic box and two plastic bags. As I began to fill these bags Dorrie can down from upstairs with a pair of tiny patent leather white Easter shoes. We both started to cry because the realization hit us that we were tossing out precious items that were loved by little people and their parents and grandparents. We asked Peter to get us more plastic bags as we felt that these items should not be just tossed on the curb to be picked up and dumped in the garbage. He said to just take the box and turn it upside down on the pile. I looked at him and told him that I just couldn’t do it. Peter was seeing this as a job that needed to be done and when he realized that I was seeing all of these precious items that needed to handled with care, he understood and let Dorrie and me continue to pack away these precious items with care. It is okay to feel the way we did, to cry and become emotional. These experiences put our own life and problems into perspective. They also show us that God is here to always get us through. I will always remember this experience with sadness but I have become a stronger person because of it.

Zelma Wooten aka Oprah of New Orleans Thursday August 14, 2008

My morning began with my body being sick and welcoming a fantastic grits, homemade French toast, applesauce, fruit bowl, coffee, juices and wonderful hostesses from First UMC. We took our group pictures in red shirts with the United Methodists Iowa Theme and were given our daily assignments and retrieved applicable equipment. Well, I went back to bed to recover and get better for afternoon. I was suddenly awakened by Peter Royal to come and watch the children because one had cut her hand and the other children needed supervision. So I went to J. D.’s and began removing carpet staples with Ariel until we were finished.
Later that afternoon frustrations overflowed and then I was needed to comfort frightened children while the police got down to the gist of the story as to who beat up on whom and police pictures and stories were untangled. Children were left traumatized it seems one more time and I had begun to pray for peace and harmony. I hugged and prayed for ALL of the children and Dakota thanked me for caring for and about them. He was only 12 years old and I found out he had gone to a New Covenant church in the past and I recommended they get reconnected so that they could be prayer covered. Until we left I was distracting the children to calm them down. I told them to speak words of power over their lives and speak what you want. There is death and life in the power of the tongue.