Goodbye, Mississippi!

ISP at the animal shelter

What can I say? Are there even sufficient words in the English language to express how I feel at this, the end of my 10-month AmeriCorps journey?

When I set out for Mississippi last August, I had no idea what the year ahead would hold. What I found were amazing friends, a new view point of our country, and a realization of who I really am and what I want out of life. How can I put those things into words? I suppose I can do naught but try.

As for the friends I’ve made, I speak mainly of my teammates, who have seen me at my best and my most ornery, and who never failed to encourage and love me during our time together. Never before have I felt so much a part of a group--accepted as myself--than I did with these wonderful folks, who I now call family. Is it possible that this time last year I hadn’t met any of them? They feel like my oldest friends in the world, and I’m devastated by the idea that after this week, I’ll never live near them ever again. I’ll miss you so much, River 7!

When I say I’ve developed a new viewpoint of these United States, I guess what I mean is, I now know how much I don’t know. Working so closely with non-profit organizations in multiple states has given me a glimpse into the reality of the selflessness and hope that exists in people. There are so many who do so much, and I’m privileged to have met a few of them during my term of service. If you ever feel yourself getting cynical when it comes to our world, look up some non-profits, talk to the people who run it and volunteer with it, spend some time getting to know them and their mission, and you’ll start to see what I’m talking about.

Don’t just nod your head in agreement when you read this, or chuckle and say, “oh young people and their soon-to-be-crushed-by-the-business-of-living optimism”. Rather, do a Google search on volunteer opportunities in your area, or start conversations with strangers and see what they know. You’ll be surprised by the opportunities you’ll run into, and the awesome people you’ll meet. Even you folks who support organizations financially, that’s awesome, and without your support, non-profits couldn’t exist, but also, spend some of your time volunteering as well. I think to really feel and understand what strength and goodness exist in mankind, you need to be there.

That being said, I really cannot express the change I feel within myself that has occurred over the course of this 10-months. Not only do I want to be better, I have the confidence to actually go out and follow the example that has been set for me by so many outstanding individuals. I’ve heard it said that every experience you have, and every person you meet shapes you in some way, and you’re different because of it. I’m so honored to have had the opportunity to spend so much time being shaped by people who have changed me for the better. I can’t wait to get home and begin the next phase in my life!

For those of you who don’t know, I plan to start a small business doing finish carpentry within the Central KY area. This year I discovered how much I love construction, and I want to use the skills I have learned to tangibly make peoples’ living situations a little brighter. I am so excited to begin this project, and I want to thank you all for the support you’ve given me, not only during this program, but also way before. My family and friends’ belief in my abilities caused me to extend my reach, and I can’t wait to see what life has in store for me just around the corner…

Love you guys,

 k

Disaster - Day 12

As of today, all casework for this assignment has been officially completed! That means we visited all destroyed and majorly damaged houses over 10 counties. Hurray! My whole team has the day off tomorrow, and then we'll be working in the Chattanooga Red Cross chapter warehouse on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday we head back to campus for 1 week, and then home!

I was teamed up with Jacquie today out in the field, so that was a great way to end this disaster project. We visited over 30 houses and some sites that no longer held anything other than former house debris. Part of the area we covered was out in the country, and let me tell you, this area of TN is absolutely beautiful. At one point, we drove past a vineyard, and we decided to stop for a few minutes, because it was too beautiful to just speed by and not properly observe and soak it up. Isn't it funny how those odd moments of beauty can undo all your previous stress and worry? I didn't realize how much I needed to let it all go until I stared across those grape vines and studied the green mountains beyond. The sun was shining and bright, but there were billoughous gray clouds in the sky as well, threatening rain. The combination of light and dark was so wonderous, I knew it was a moment that was temporal. One of those times where you wish you could hold onto the moment so you could describe it later (as I'm attempting here, though failing miserably), but you know it's too much to process, so you just soak up the feeling as best you can so that you can at least hold onto that.

This evening, I decided to try an MRE for dinner out of curiosity. My particular "Meal, Ready-To-Eat" was a BBQ veggie burger entrée with fruit punch, dried cranberries, wheat snack bread, iced tea mix, and a chocolate banana nut muffin. The wheat snack bread was disgusting, but everything else wasn't too bad, and it was fun to chemically heat up my food. Also, the meal came complete with laxative gum, mini Tabasco sauce, wet wipe, salt packet, matches, and toilet paper. The veggie burger kind of tasted like beef jerky, so that was weird. I didn't try the gum or use the toilet paper, so I'm not sure I quite got the full experience, but close enough. I definitely wouldn't want to eat one of these every night, but I can see how it would be a nice thing to have if you didn't have electricity and wanted a hot meal.


Well, I don't think I'll be writing daily any more, since my job is normalizing again, but I'll definitely have another post up next weekend when I'm back in Vicksburg.

I hope you're all well, and I can't wait to see everyone in just a few short weeks.
love,
 k

Disaster - Day 10 & 11

Yesterday blogger was down, and today I got home too late to spend much time on an update. I'm still doing great, and yesterday I got lot of work  accomplished. Today was my first day off since leaving Memphis, and I pretty much just lazed around the hotel room with Ashlyn all day. Then our whole team went over to Shelly's house for dinner (she's the homeschool mom who's volunteering with the Red Cross that I mentioned in a previous post), and we had a grand time of eating home cooked food and enjoying an evening with a really nice family at their really nice farm. Shelly and her husband have 4 kids and they homeschool them all. It was really neat, because I found out that they use Sonlight Curriculum, which is what Scotty and I used, and what Mom still represents and is a consultant for.

Mom: I asked one of the girls if she'd read 'Mara, Daughter of the Nile' and 'The Great and Terrible Quest.' She said they had and that she loves them both. 'Mara' is one of her and her sisters' favorite books that they've read 10 or so times. I told her how Kelly read it to me when I had my wisdom teeth out because it was our favorite too. Such a small world...

Disaster - Day 9

Can it be day 9 already?? These packed days are flying by, and though my mind has trouble believing I've been working 10 -12 hour stressful days for over a week, my body refuses to let me forget it. I'm sore and sleepy this evening, but it's all for a good cause, and also a means to an end. I'm sure I'll miss it when it's over.

I did a lot of driving today, because my team was assigned to finish the last few houses that hadn't been visited in 2 adjacent counties. We drove back and forth over a mountain several times, and let me tell you, I have seen enough beauty here in TN to last me for a while: so picturesque. I went out with Ashlyn, and an 84-year-old lady named Pauline, who is spunky and hilarious. She volunteers as a mental health worker for the Red Cross, and she is sweet, sassy, and quite a flirt with all the old fellows we ran into.

We went to a Baptist church on the mountain for lunch, and we got to see a lot of neat things that are being done in the community there. The church has tables filled with clothes and food donations that anyone can come by and take if they need it. They also serve 3 hot meals a day for victims of the disaster, as well as volunteers who are working in the area. One of the ERVs from my Red Cross disaster chapter brought the food for lunch today, but often a group of indefatigable church ladies prepare and serve the meals. Patsy, the lady who is running the whole operation, has been working every day all day since the storm occurred two weeks ago, and when I spoke with her, she had a smile on her face and asked me what she could do to help me in the mission I was on.

While we were at the church, a large group of Mennonite men and boys came to eat lunch. As it turns out, they live in the area, and they are going around the mountain with chainsaws, cutting up downed trees in peoples yards and cleaning up the debris. Talk about tireless, these guys have also been working in their button down shirts and suspenders since the storm, starting early, ending late, and taking half an hour for lunch.

I keep meeting remarkable people!!!

Disaster - Day 8

Today was great! Sarah and I visited a lot of houses (and a lot of places where houses used to be) and talked to a lot people, asking them how we could help and listening to their stories. We even got to see some of our AmeriCorps friends who are also working in the area, so that was awesome.

At lunch, a guy walked up to our table when were finished eating and took our bill, saying he wanted to buy our lunch. He said the Red Cross has done a lot for him and for his community, and he insisted on buying our meal.

I am constantly overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness I have seen daily while working in these disaster torn communities: neighbors helping neighbors in any way they can. One guy we talked to was using his farm equipment (bulldozer, tractor, etc.) to help clear away debris at his friend's house, and when he finished on that lot, he continued on to the houses next door, clearing up their debris for free. It got up over 90 degrees today, and I can't tell you how many people were out working and volunteering their time and energy in order to help their friends, family, and neighbors. It was a good thing we had bottled water to hand out!

I'm also learning which insurance companies are worth paying into and which aren't, based on their response time and willingness to foot the whole bill. State Farm and All State are two that I continue to hear praised by homeowners.

Sarah and I had a conversation in the car about how this type of situation really shows you the goodness of mankind. What I witnessed today is my proof that people are inherently good, and anytime I may doubt that in the future, I hope I can remember what I saw and heard here in Cleveland, TN.

Disaster - Day 7

Today, I became a National Red Cross Client Services Supervisor. What did you do? Okay, so maybe it's not as impressive as it sounds since everyone on my team was promoted so that we can be in charge of volunteers, but still, it's quite a title, don't you think?

Jacquie and I went out together to do casework today in Bradley County, which was hit pretty hard in many places. Our job is to go to houses that are destroyed or have major damage (as assessed by the Red Cross) and see if there is anything we can do to help the residents. If the people aren't there, we're supposed to leave a note with Red Cross information, saying that they can call us if they need help with anything. We try to leave this note in a place where they'll see it if they come by, so we tape it to the door if we can, or to a mail box if the house is too dangerous looking to approach. I can't tell you how many lots we bypassed completely because there wasn't enough of a house left to tape anything to. I have never seen such complete and utter destruction. It was really sad.

We talked to a few people that had major damage done to their houses, and they all kept stating how lucky they are, and how it could be worse. I am constantly struck by how upbeat the majority of these folks are who have lost so much. One couple's response when Jacquie and I asked if there was anything we could do for them was to tell us how grateful they are for the work we do, and then they asked us if we'd like some cold water to drink. Their house is so majorly damaged, they were just stopping by to get some things they'll need while staying in a motel, but they asked us how we were doing and tried to help us.

Another thing I want to talk about are the volunteers I've had the pleasure of working with this past week. Shelly, a local homeschool mom, comes in every day to help us with case work, and she is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Mike is a local guy who has showed us the ropes, and is always ready to go out on a new case. Debby is a volunteer from the Knoxville chapter of the Red Cross, who is practical and compassionate, and has acted as a caring mother to our team. Rob and Steve are brothers who both attend a college in Michigan and started driving South after finals when they heard about all of the disaster damage. They wanted to help, but didn't know how, so they just got in the car and then started calling agencies when they approached areas that had been hit by tornadoes. They ended up in a two day training in Knoxville, then were sent to our disaster offices in Chattanooga to help in our Client Services department. Steve, Rob, and Debby all left today as they had things to get back to, and it was difficult saying goodbye. I suppose in this type of stressful, slightly traumatizing environment, you get attached to people pretty quickly. I'm so tired of saying goodbye to people. I think that's been the hardest thing this year: saying goodbye.

Disaster - Day 6

Operation bath tub laundry.

I had such an enjoyable day. Ashlyn and I did our 9 1/2 hour ISP at the Chattanooga Community Kitchen, and it was stress free. Except for being tired, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to start the new week tomorrow. I'm planning on turning in early tonight ie within the next 20 minutes, so that should solve the tired problem.

Ashlyn performing one of three soapy agitation cycles.

Also, I now have clean laundry, though it's still pretty wet...and did I mention it's hanging on a makeshift clothesline all over the hotel room? Ashlyn and I decided to wash our laundry in our bathtub, using powdered detergent. We filled the tub with hot water and the detergent, then threw our clothes in and agitated it thoroughly using an ordinary windshield scraper we found in our cargo truck. We repeated this process 3 times, then rinsed it twice in bulk, then one article at a time, after which we rung each piece out and hung it up on the clothes line with clothespins. We couldn't find a laundry mat, and anyway, we saved some money doing it this way, not to mention that it's been over a week since we've done anything for entertainment, so this was a pretty hilarious way to spend the evening. It was hard work though, and I now appreciate more than ever the simplicity of modern laundry technology.

Other than that, I just have to say, Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Our clotheslines make door access slightly trying...

Disaster - Day 5

Superfluous training, paper shuffling, and talking in circles was this morning's theme, but I actually got to go out and do something real this afternoon. Sarah, Ashlyn, and I drove out to a distant case (I got to drive a sweet Ford Escape, because I'm the only one who is 25 and allowed to drive a rental) about an hour and half away from our office. There is a family of six (including an infant) living in a rat infested tool shed beside their trailer, which was destroyed by one of the tornadoes. They don't want to leave, because they are afraid someone will loot their valuable tools, and they were running out of food and water. We took them all kinds of things they might need, including bottled water, MRE's, canned goods, snacks, baby food, diapers, wipes, toiletries, etc. We also opened a Red Cross case on them so that we can refer them to FEMA and set them up with other organizations to get them clothing, food vouchers, and temporary housing assistance. Even though nothing else in my day made any sense, helping that family in such a tangible way made me feel like what we are doing here might be worthwhile.

Tomorrow, Ashlyn and I have one of our two days off, so of course, we're working. We still have ISP hours to acquire, so off we go to the Community Kitchen downtown to prepare, serve, and cleanup a days worth of meals for who knows how many people. I'm really excited about doing this, and we get to sleep an extra hour, so that's nothing to scoff at. We're also going to track down a laundry mat since days off are the only opportunity for us to wash our clothes, and Ashlyn and I are both rapidly running out of clean underwear. *sigh* Hardly a "day off", but at least a different task mixes things up a bit.

If my thoughts seem scattered, it's because I'm beat. Before I go, let me just say that as you go to sleep tonight, realize how lucky you are to be sleeping in a house with a roof, and running water, and electricity, and  without the fear that the rat you heard run past you in the darkness might bite you or your infant. Also, hug the people you love and tell your friends what they mean to you, because the moment you're in is the only one you can depend upon. "No matter what looms ahead, if you can eat today, enjoy the sunlight today, mix good cheer with friends today, enjoy it and bless God for it. Do not look back on happiness -- or dream of it in the future. You are only sure of today; do not let yourself be cheated out of it." (Henry Ward Beecher)


Much love to you all,
 k

Disaster - Day 4

Another long day, but I did get to go out in the field for the first time, so that was neat. I worked on a damage assessment team with two other women for most of the day, so we drove to specific roads in a distant county where there was known damage to assess how bad things looked and to see what sort of help the families might need. Our assigned area was very rural and backwoodsy, so we spent a good portion of the day looking for non existent street signs and making wrong turns.

Back at the office, things are really chaotic as relief management is taking over for the managers who have been working without breaks since the disaster occurred, and the result is that our systems and trainings for things are being turned upside down. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow as the workers and managers begin to understand one another...

I'd like to give a big shout out to Ruth and Cain, who spent their day off helping out at the office and shelter. You guys rock. I'd also like to say that our entire team is doing a fantastic job of remaining positive and getting so much done even without direct instructions. Ashlyn, Sarah, Mac, Jacquie, Taylor, Ruth, and Cain, each and every one of you inspires me to do the best I can, even when I'm tired and frustrated. I love you guys!

Disaster - Day 3

Oh real food, how I've missed you! We got our Red Cross debit cards today to buy food and things we might need while we're here. Being a vegetarian has been a bit of a struggle in that everything available at the disaster office is either meat or snacks. I've been living off of potato chips and cookies for the last couple of days, but now I'm set. Ashlyn, Ruth, and I just walked to Walmart after our 12 hour shift and I bought some real food!

My day consisted mostly of paperwork and answering phones in the office, so not much to tell. Also, I'm pooped and I still need to take a shower and eat dinner, so I'll bid you hello and goodbye all in one breathe, if you don't mind.

Good night,
 k

Disaster - Day 2

What a day! We got off a little early again, meaning we worked an 11 hour day, but it went by quickly. I was assigned to the office today and tomorrow, but I got to go out in an ERV (Emergency Response Vehicle) over lunch today to help serve 100 sack lunches to people without power. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life.

Larry and I (Larry is an 80 year old volunteer who is hilarious, generous, and now my buddy) drove the lunches to a parking lot in the middle of a long street of houses that still don't have their power back. People came over and we chatted with them and handed out the bags, along with water, to ANY person who needed it, in an ANY quantity they requested. Red Cross does not discriminate in any way shape or form, and the immensity of what this meant really hit me today. This organization's mindset is to take people at their word and help them in any way they can. One lady told us that there are about 7 churches within walking distance of her house, but not one of them had opened their doors to help in the community, or come around to see if people needed food or help or prayers. She said the Red Cross was the only thing she'd seen in the area that had come to help, and she thanked us repeatedly.

From there we drove to a trailer park community that sustained quite a lot of damage, and one resident was actually killed by a tree falling on her trailer. The trailer looked like it had been cut in half by the tree, and there were several more trailers that looked the same way, though fortunately no one else was hurt. Larry drove the truck slowly around the neighborhood while I excited honked the horn to get peoples attention that we were there since there were far too many trailers to go around knocking on people's doors. I wanted to exemplify an ice cream truck by singing a carnival song into the microphone that projects like a megaphone from the truck, but I thought that might be overkill.

I lot of women came over with little children and babies to get lunches, and I've never wanted to be able to speak Spanish more than I did when interacting with them. They were all really happy to get the food, and when I'd ask them how many bags they needed, I gave them twice as many (per Larry's example) so that they'd be sure to have dinner in the evening too. Larry shamelessly pulled a few cookies out of random bags to give to the little kids that shyly held their mothers' hands, claiming they were too cute to not do as much. Hopefully the people who received bags without cookies weren't too upset :)

The one thing I found sad and disconcerting today was the way about 50% of the people who called into the emergency lines Jacquie and I were answering treated us on the phone. The Red Cross is a non-profit organization running mostly on volunteer labor, and they do not receive ANY government assistance. However, I get the feeling that many people think of it as a government agency that they are entitled to tap into as a resource whenever they are inconvenienced. I realize it's a hardship to lose power for a week, but the Red Cross is not obligated to drive a giant box of food to everyones house who lost their perishables when their refrigerator went out.

They make it their priority to first serve the people who are stuck without transportation and who have no means of getting food for themselves (there are people at this moment who are completely out of food and water and have no means of changing their predicament for all sorts of reasons). For people who are able to get out of their houses, there are several emergency shelters set up all over the area that serve food 24/7 and can provide shelter if needed (although many people refuse to permanently leave their houses, even if they have no roof, because they are afraid of looting, which is said to be a completely justified worry here). I've had people yell at me and hang up on me when I've told them we can't drive a box of food to their door to replace their refrigerator contents, and I'm talking about people with cars, canned goods, and already restored power. I must say, this is one aspect I wasn't expecting.

Anyway, I can hardly keep my eyes open, and tomorrow is a new day, so I'll say goodnight.

Love,
 k

Disaster - Day 1

Up at 6:30am. Hotel breakfast from 7 - 7:15, then into the van and off to the makeshift emergency Red Cross headquarters in a church about 20 minutes away. Meeting from 8 - 8:30 on where we are in terms of handling the "clients" in the surrounding devastated counties (our base is responsible for 10 counties). Brief intro training before jumping into answering incoming calls on 3 designated cell phones. Helped out in the office until 2pm when we began a 3 hour training for the work we'll be doing these next weeks. More volunteers than were anticipated showed up for the training, so that was encouraging. We were able to leave early, though it was still a 10 1/2 hr work day, and we're all pretty pooped.

What we'll be doing is pairing off and going door to door in devastated neighborhoods, asking people if they need assistance. If so, we'll interview them and fill out an information sheet for their household, and then in due time (possibly a couple days, though at this point Chattanooga's priority status has only recently been upgraded to a level 4 disaster, and the funds to handle this increase from a level 2 have not yet come through from the national branch), the Red Cross will make sure they receive money for food, clothing, furniture, etc. We'll also be equipped with water and food as we visit these houses, so if people have immediate basic needs, we'll be somewhat equipped to help them.

The Red Cross here has also set up several shelters throughout various counties, and they are currently in possession of 6 or 7 ERV's, which are constantly out and about delivering food wherever it looks like it might be needed. Taylor went out in one of these today to help distribute food, and he said people were incredibly happy to see them and get something to eat.

Everyday, 2 people from our team will be staying behind in the office to answer phone calls, and most likely to help out with varied tasks in other departments as well. The staff here is stretched extremely thin, and the people that are working are exhausted, having worked 12 - 16 hr days since the tornadoes hit last Wednesday. One gentleman actually collapsed in the office today and an ambulance was called. They initially thought it might be a heart attack, but from what I heard later this afternoon, it was just plain exhaustion. Everyone has been extremely welcoming to our entire team, and they're anxious to receive our help in every department. However, we've specifically been assigned to case management, and our supervisor is guarding us jealously, refusing to let us get into the middle of a tug of war situation and potentially lose some of us to other projects. She's been burned in this way in the past and is not about to repeat that mistake.

Thanks for all your prayers and good thoughts. They are very much appreciated. Tomorrow is the true test since I'll actually be out in the field (unless assigned to phones). I'll try and write at least a little update everyday, though I'm not sure how things will go once we get rolling since life must go on even in a situation such as this. There's still laundry to do, and PT, and food shopping, which must all be worked around an 8am-8pm work schedule. I'm just glad my mattress is comfortable :)

love,
 k

Disaster Response Update

This evening I find myself in a Best Western room in Chattanooga with only one roommate and WiFi. We got called off our project in Memphis yesterday to come work with the Red Cross in this devastated section of TN. We'll be working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week until May 15th. Our briefing is tomorrow morning, but it sounds like half of my team will be working out of the Red Cross staging area where ERV's (Emergency Response Vehicles) are being sent from while the other half does case work "in the field", which means going door to door (if that much of the house is still standing) and helping people get signed up for Red Cross benefits ie meals, shelter, etc. The death toll is pretty high here, and we've been told to prepare ourselves to speak with families who may have lost loved ones in the tornadoes, not to mention their homes and possessions.

I'm really glad we're here and that I'll get the opportunity to really help people who need it, but I'm also kind of terrified. Can I do this?

I don't think I wrote about this at the time, but when I was stationed in New Orleans, I was standing outside a house we were drywalling one morning, waiting for our site supervisor to bring the key to let us in. As I was pacing the yard anxious to start work, I heard the sickening sound of car crashing into a pole just two or three houses down. Two cars were actually involved, and a passenger from each care (both young women) were badly hurt. One had been seated in the back seat, and upon impact, the back window shattered and the woman literally bounced out of the car through the window and her body was hurled against the side of a brick house. The other woman, a teenage girl actually, had been tossed around the car like a ball in a pin ball machine, and was in a lot of pain.

Greg, one of the guys from our work site, immediately dashed over to the wrecked cars and took charge, checking to make sure the cars weren't going to explode and getting everyone away to a safe distance. He helped get the pinball girl out of the car without moving her around too much and laid her in the front yard, then he went to tend to the woman who had hit the house who we thought at first might be dead. Running over to see what I could do to help, I saw that the girl laying in the yard was alone in the chaos. When I knelt down next to her, she was shaking all over from shock, and crying from pain and fear. I didn't know what to do. Greg yelled to me to keep her neck still as it seemed very possible she had sustained neck injuries. I told the girl to stay still and I asked her her name. Through her tears she told me, though I can't remember it now. I stared at her and she stared at me, and all I could do was tell her over and over again that everything was going to be fine. I was scared. Her shaking was getting worse and all I had to offer her was the dirty hoodie I was wearing, embedded with layers of drywall dust. I covered her and told her the ambulance would be there soon and that everything would be okay. She kept crying, and I couldn't stop a few tears from falling down my own cheeks too, though I tried my best to keep them in check to show the girl that there was nothing to worry about.

Eventually the ambulance came and packed up the two girls. I have no idea what became of them.

I felt so many things in that half hour or so of sitting with that girl, holding her hand and wishing I had something clean to cover her with and keep her warm. Terror filled me, along with sadness, anxiety, anger, frustration, and a hundred other emotions all jumbled together. Is that what this will be like? How can you listen to someone's story who has lost everything and not fall to pieces? How can you be the strong one who looks them in the eye and says everything will be okay if you can't stop your own tears from falling?

Lord, give me strength!

Week 35 & 36

Fun at the "Down to Earth" festival.

To which should we yield: tornadoes or floods? When the siren goes off (which has become routine) we flee to the basement, but with all this water, I wonder if drowning shouldn’t be our bigger worry. Having power is now a luxury here in Memphis, and I’m learning to live every moment as if the next will find me cold and in the dark, eating pretzels for dinner. We were informed earlier this week that we’re on alert for going on a disaster project somewhere in Mississippi, and we should be ready to leave on a moment’s notice. As of this afternoon, they told us there’s a pretty good chance we’ll be leaving tomorrow. I’m kind of nervous about the work we’ll be doing, but I’m also excited for the opportunity to help fulfill people’s immediate needs in such a chaotic situation. Please pray for my team and for the people we’ll be trying to help. So many have lost so much these past few weeks.

I'll forgo the usual work and life updates as I'm preoccupied with all this emergency stuff. 

I love you guys,

 k