Mission Trip Update: Cedar Rapids, IA

May 8-13, 2011

A team of seven Lincoln church members (4 from Westminster; Jim White, Greg and Cathy Hershberger, Ken Govaerts, and 3 from First Plymouth Congregational) spent the week working on three homes being reconstructed that were damaged in the 2008 Cedar River flood.

The recovery effort our team participated in is organized by the coalition called Block by Block. This long term mission is to acquire abandoned or unoccupied homes that remain in after flood damaged condition and rebuild the homes to modern standards. The overall objective is to return the affected neighborhoods to original or better condition than they were before the flood. This is to avoid the problem of having neighborhoods with some restored homes remaining next to abandoned or unoccupied homes.

The work is done using volunteer labor from faith based organizations, including PDA, but supervised by the recovery coalition (all volunteers themselves). The finished homes are sold to new owners at a low price. The money from sales is then used to re-build other damaged homes.

Our team continued some demolition of interior walls that had been started by other volunteers at two damaged homes. We then framed up the interior of one of the homes. We reinforced the old second floor joist with new heavier material and built new patricians and window headers. One crew also helped repair and paint the exterior of a home.

Our team was housed at Christ Church Presbyterian. This congregation of 125 has been hosting volunteers from around the nation since the 2008 flood took place. We had excellent dorm like sleeping quarters and access to kitchen and dining facilities. We each made an individual offering to the church to help with maintenance and cleaning.

We made a donation of $1,153.58 worth of heavy power tools to the Block by Block coalition to be used by volunteers in the rebuilding effort. The Pearlington, MS. fund will be used to pay for the tool donation, with Cheryl’s concurrence.

I consider our team effort very successful on this mission trip. We had skilled workers who were able to efficiently and effectively carry out the complex carpentry work that was required for this build.

I believe several of the team members will be willing to return to Cedar Rapids in August.

Ken Govaerts