Sheetrock and Pork Chops and Donut Holes, Oh My!

God is good; very, very good! As I blog this at 5 a.m. the morning after, I have to say it was an amazing day in Stockton, thanks to the hands and feet of Christ, who moved among us yesterday in so, so many ways.

A reporter from the Winona Daily News asked me "Why sheetrock?" I want to start today's blog with the answer. Once the mud and water are gone, a home may look pretty good, but mold grows amazingly quickly on damaged rock so the sheetrock needs to be removed as soon as possible. Then, there is what feels like a step back, as the walls are taken down to the bare studs. So, new sheetrock is the first visible sign of rebuilding.

Buying sheetrock also helps bridge the gap between cleanout and when 'cash strapped' homeowners are able to find financial help to begin rebuilding. Most people in Stockton have finished cleanout and they are waiting -- for electrical inspections, for volunteer help, and/or for money to rebuild. Many who lost all say they are waiting for a miracle. If they have to wait too long, the larger community of volunteers and donors forgets their need. So, buying sheetrock gives them (and us) a jump start on the rebuilding process while volunteers are still willing.

Several families who need to fully rebuild asked for sheetrock and, after confirming they had a clean, dry place to store it, we provided them with the maximum amount we allowed. Bonnie Oldham and Pete Bambenek both told me, "This gives me hope."

Bonnie further said, "We don't have anything else right now. This is the first thing I can touch and see. It's a reminder that we will again have our own place, that this is temporary. I can't explain how getting sheetrock, and spending time with you all, changed my life today, but it did." I could have distributed just 80 sheets to Bonnie and today would have been a rousing success. But we multiplied that times 31 families...Wow!

Now, onto the details. An estimated 120-130 volunteers showed up, some from as far away as Morris (Gene Pasche from Orphan Grain Train North Minnesota), Comfrey and Cambridge. Our count included 50 youth from Woodbury Lutheran Church who continued to work the stream bed and fields to clear debris.

It started rough, as all big events tend to do. Volunteers began arriving about 9 a.m., a few minutes after the first of the Stockton residents, who had a variety of questions. It was hard to ask them to wait until 9:30; I can't explain the look in some of their eyes, only to say my heart ached. I knew it wasn't the first time in the past eight weeks someone has told them they have to wait, and the sheetrock hadn't yet arrived, so I'm guessing they were wondering if I had promised them something they wouldn't actually be getting. As good Lutherans, we had some good strong coffee and enough bakery goods to feed the entire county, so we were able to begin building community right away among the volunteers and the people of Stockton, and soothe those who had to wait.

The first two of six truckloads from Menards in Winona (wow, they were fabulous!) pulled in about 9:20 a.m. At the end of the day we had reloaded into pickups, vans and trailers 1600 sheets of drywall, 25,000 feet of tape, 250 gallons of mudding compound, 400 pounds of screws, 100 pounds of nails, and a hundred corner beads. We had also dolled out 400 pork chops, 150 hot dogs, and 600 donut holes, 40 bags of bread, 100+ quilts, an uncountable number of hugs (I got so carried away, I even hugged the reporter) and dozens of prayers.

It was a Herculian effort, but our distribution worked like a charm, in spite of the fact I really hadn't thought it out! There was a lot of reshuffling as people decided they didn't need quite as many sheets as they had ordered, or asked for a few more. Rather than cipher and sweat, I just changed their orders and decided we would hope for the best at the end of the distribution... With reservation, I compromised and filled one request with 20 sheets (they wanted 120) that I had prayerfully decided before the day started I could not fill (long story), and we ran 20 sheets short for the last pick up. That's how exacting God is; but God (and donors from Mississippi) had also provided Home Depot cards so I could give the homeowner more than enough to purchase the shortage.

Huge thanks to Woodbury Lutheran Mission Board, Our Savior Excelsior, Dakota-Washington County Thrivent, the Flood Run and members of First Baptist Church-Ocean Springs, Mississippi, for the funding to purchase the rock and materials and to Menards Winona for their discounts and for providing us with a truck and loading equipment for most of the day.

The kitchen crew from Thrivent (thanks St. Martin Winona, Grace Lutheran and Winona Chapter for lunch) and griller Steve Neddermeyer and family were fabulous (I'm hoping we'll share those pork chops in heaven!) and I heard many people say having a meal open to everyone was a good way to build the community up. The Thrivent "quilt distribution" was awesome (we especially loved watching one family of 9 who came in a van and the smiles on the faces of each of their kids, who left with a new, beautiful, handmade quilt). Our work teams were great and started on several new projects. Several women from Woodbury Lutheran took the list of people who had picked up sheetrock and made some home visits, lending a listening ear and a kind word. It was amazing to see how each of us is given our own gifts and how God used each and every one of us to the best of our abilities. He filled our day with divine appointments!

About 7:15 in the evening, we drove away from the community center as the remaining member of the kitchen crew put away the last serving spoon. As we headed north on County 23, the lights were still on in the lower level of the first home we sent a crew to at 9:45 a.m. Woodbury residents and volunteers John Regan and Ken Hoffman, were still hanging sheetrock on the walk-out lower level! AMAZING!!!!! (I also admit with a little guilt that we didn't stop, but I did offer a silent prayer of protection and of thanksgiving for them both.)

There was little said in our car on the ride home (those of you who know Dana Adkins and/or me must be amazed at that!). We were bone weary, but soul-satisfied. To God be the glory, great things He has done!