Patricia Bondor

I live in a room in the church and sleep on an air mattress with a 4 lb puppy. I have no TV or radio. I shower in a shack out back. But to me, it’s like a 5-star hotel!

Ever since that night I spent with a freezing wind blowing in the broken window and an air mattress on the cold tile floor (see entry dated Friday, Nov. 3rd), things have improved considerably. My air mattress is now up on a cot, the window has been repaired and I have a space heater. The missing wood slats have been replaced in the shower shack, so no more freezing air blowing in there during my 5:30 am shower. The hot water heats the shack up quite nicely. So when Paige, a lady I work with, came upstairs and looked around my room and said, “Wow, this is depressing,” I was surprised! Especially considering that Paige lost everything in Katrina.

I questioned Paige about this, and she said that in all the 8 locations that she’s lived in since Katrina, they’ve all been more of a “family” type situation. She’s basically had her privacy. With 70+ people sharing the church with me, my room is where I go to find my privacy. But you see-I know that I have a home back in NC and that this is a temporary living situation for me. I don’t need to rebuild anything, and I chose to be in this situation (well actually God chose this for me, but let’s not quibble). Paige didn’t choose to have a hurricane take away her home, clothes, photos, community, etc., so living where she has privacy is critical to her mental well-being.

Across from the church where I’m staying, there’s a house with two FEMA trailers. The house belongs to the parents, and two of their grown children (and their families) live in the trailers. I see them trek over to the house each morning and evening for showers, breakfast and supper. I watch the grandchildren leave for and return from school each day. This is now “normal” for this family, they have adjusted. I even hear their laughter and family chatter as it is carried across the parking lot through the open windows of the grandparent’s kitchen on a warm Louisiana breeze.

Sharing a shower with 70+ people has become “normal.” Sharing a kitchen, TV, computer, etc. is normal. I’m learning so much from this experience, somewhat as the people of Louisiana have learned. Look around your house, your life, at your “things.” What is really meaningful? What adds to the purpose of your life? What can you live without? What truly glorifies God and helps fulfill God’s purpose for your life? What IS "normal"?

On Nov. 3rd my favorite daily devotional (Purpose Driven Life) reflects this thought…
“Every time you forget that character is one of God’s purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances.” — Rick Warren

Relax…He is in control. Do not worry about the normal day to day things of this earth-our reward is in living a life that glorifies our Father. When things don't seem "normal" you are simply building character, and never forget that what you consider normal today can change in the blink of an eye. If it does, will you be able to adapt trusting that God is Good, all the time?

IHS,
Patricia

Posted by Patricia at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have come to realize what a study in contradictions this area is.

This is a southern state with all the friendliness and warmth one associates with the south. People smile and give you directions, they willingly offer “tour guide” advice so you can enjoy the area, and they chat with me on the street when I am walking Tank. Then the very next minute they are yelling because Tank has “done his business” in public, or angrily blowing their horn, shaking their fist and yelling when I slow down to try to find the name of street because there are few street signs. When I mentioned this to a couple of New Orleans Police they smiled and simply said, “Yeah, it’s like we are a southern Brooklyn”.

The weather itself is a contradiction. One moment it’s sunny and beautiful, then in just a few hours the temperature has dropped and I find myself shivering. It can be cool during the day, and warm that night, instead of the other way around.

During the morning I can be standing in the ruins of an elementary school and then later that night find myself in a Wal-Mart watching life go on as though there hadn’t been a hurricane.

People here complain about the mayor, then re-elect him, a democrat with republican beliefs.

New Orleans reminds me of the book of Romans. This is Chapter 7, starting with verse 15, sometimes entitled "Torn Between One Way and Another":
"15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."

IHS,
Patricia

Posted by Patricia at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today I had the morning off and Lindsay (the 23 year old Oregon student that is housed at Kenner UMC where I’m housed) was quite burned out so we decided to take Tank to the park. Lindsay has spent the last couple of weeks gutting houses. When you go to a house that hasn’t been gutted, here’s a little of what you see…the front door is missing, warped or deceptively looks normal. When you go into the house, black mold covers the walls up to, and on, the ceiling. The smell is overwhelming and hard to describe. People here just call it “the Katrina smell”. The furniture is scattered about the rooms and items from the kitchen are found in the bedrooms, and vice-a-versa. Books, children’s toys, photo albums lay in ruin. They are all the same, yet different. At each new house there is an owner on the verge of tears as they watch volunteers haul their life out to the curb.

On the way to the park, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a piece of playground equipment with a dead vine on it. I told Lindsay I wanted to stop and take a picture. It was in Lakeview (remember I told you that Lakeview had 8 -12 feet of water) at a school that cannot be used because of the Katrina damage. We ended up peeking in windows and then going into a classroom. I’ve posted the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/patriciabondor/sets/72157594365836284/detail/ until I can upload them here. What an experience! So much for helping Lindsay relax from the emotional turmoil this job can cause. Hearing about and seeing the stories and damage over and over does truly get to you after a while.

Tonight we went to Wal-Mart so I could get an airline carrier for my and Tank’s Christmas trip to NC. It was like any Wal-Mart in any city. I commented to Lindsay about the contrast we live. Just a few hours earlier we were experiencing the devastation of Katrina as though it had just happened, and here we were in Wal-Mart looking at the survivors going on with their lives. Amazing! I don’t want to mislead you here though. Even though the surface can look “normal” looks can be deceiving. When I got back to the station earlier today, I was talking to Donna (a caseworker) who was telling me about a lady who had just had a nervous breakdown because of dealing with the ruin of her home. Remember to pray for the survivors, they are still in so much pain.

IHS,
Patricia

Posted by Patricia at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is Wednesday and I'm getting ready for an EBSS staff meeting (East Bank Storm Station), so I thought I'd take a minute and get this new entry started. So much is happening so fast, it truly is hard to write it all down. I can say that I see God all over this place. Being this close to Him daily is something I have never experienced. I'll never be far from Him again. Developing this truly "personal" relationship is a growth I had desired, but wasn't sure I could achieve, but when you are almost 1,000 miles from everyone you know with God being the only friend you have - you learn to depend on him like he is "real"....and HE IS! That's the most amazing thing to me, how very real He is to me now. We chat all the time, I see Him all the time.

Yesterday, I talked to a lady whose husband is paralyzed from having West Nile Virus, they divorced after Katrina. When her son overheard her talking to someone pricing the gutting job for her house, and knew they didn’t have that kind of money, he told her not to pay for that, that he could do it. He's 15!! He got his 13 year old brother to help. She said she was just so down, and felt like there was just no hope. I pointed out that seeing her 15 year old son’s heart was a gift from God. Most mothers don’t get to see their son be a man with that kind of heart and caring until they are grown.

Then I told her not to give up, that God was everywhere all through this. I told her that we could buy insulation and sheetrock for her and provide the labor to get the house done. She was so excited, she just couldn’t believe it. When I found out how little her house is and remembered that we had some sheetrock leftover from a job last week and that it's probably enough to do her house, I sent Warren over to measure her house to see if it is. When I called her to tell her that he was on his way over, she cried she was so happy. He talked with her and gave her advice on completing the gutting job, such as pulling out all the nails. She hugged and hugged him before she’d let him leave. Tomorrow he’s going to drop off the bleach for her boys to use to treat the house for mold. God is SO good. He had us call her on the very day she needed it the most!

Well, I’m still hoping to get photos up for you to see. I’ve taken photos of the teams working last week and of homes in the Lakeview area. Hopefully I can get my uploading issues worked out. In the meantime, go to www.flickr.com and put in patriciabondor as search. There are photos from this past summer as well as the ones for this trip. This trip is called “Now I can see the future”. In His Service, and only through him, humbly, Patricia

Posted by Patricia at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fri, 3 Nov 2006

Well, here I am in New Orleans. I got here last Friday and did some sight seeing then moved into the church on Sunday. Tank is doing great - getting spoiled by all the attention. The church congregation is about 73 years old average and he was welcomed into the fellowship dinner by the pastor carrying him around and introducing him to everyone while they were eating!! And not one person minded a dog being in the dining hall!!! LOL ...

There is a group of mennonites here voluteering and they all have adopted Tank as well. When I put him in his kennel and he yelps, they get him out!!! I may NEVER get him kennel broke!! Once my apt. is finished and I move in he is going to be so lonely, so he really should be learning how to be alone some!! He's doing great with the potty training and is just cute cute CUTE!!

I'm going to love working here - the people who work at the station don't keep up with time, they just give until they get it done. They pitch in and help as needed. It's such a cool attitude. Many of them are waiting for their homes to be fixed so they can "go home". Yesterday in a meeting they were talking about how behind the construction department is (my department where I'm the assistant) and said, well, I can give a half hour of my lunch to help make calls, do computer input, etc if it will help. They all put the families first and don't say "Katrina Victim" instead they say, "Katrina Survivor"!! Sounds so much more optimistic!

Next week there are 200 volunteers coming in, we will house them, provide them with tools, masks, etc. whatever they need to work. We will assign the houses to them. They provide their own transportation and food, other than that there is no cost for them. They usually give the church that has housed them a donation. If needed, I will work with the teams.

Earlier this week I was "in the field" assessing houses. It amazes me that there is STILL so much work to be done. Out of 4 houses, two had not been entered since the hurricane, one had the contents removed already, but that was all. The other has the contents removed, but is now "for sale" so it doesn't qualify for our program. Within these 4 different neighborhoods, there is about 10% of the homeowners living there. There are totally untouched houses next to empty lots where a home was demolished, next to a gutted and empty house, next to a completly restored house. Can you imagine what it must be like living in the completly restored house? No neighbors, a neighborhood that looks like a "war zone", and the fear of going out after dark!! But these families are determined to come back to the city they've lived in for generations.

I also call homeowners to see what else they need, once we've gutted their house. As you often here around here...everyone does have quite a story to tell. Many of them are elderly, widowed, foster parents that I have talked to. They all need to have someone listen to them and give them hope. "I'm a hoper" (those who went on this summer's mission trip knows what that's about!)

That's it for now, please send me notes via email. My apartment isn't ready so I've got an air mattress in a room in the church, no address yet. Last night I found out that Louisianna is NOT always warm...it was freezing and windy and there is a BIG hole in the window in my room. An air mattress on a cold floor with cold air blowing does make for COLD sleeping! Glad I had Tank to snuggle with me to help keep me warm, but a little 11 week puppy doesn't put off much heat!

Please keep praying for me. Also for my mom...she's back in the hospital fighting an infection in her knee that was replaced years ago.

IHS,
Patricia Bondor
(Eastbank Storm Station ph# 504-461-0425)

Posted by Patricia at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)