When the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down...

 Gregg, Phil and Karah at Mrs. Williams House

Imagine leaving the water running in the bathroom tub while you run to the kitchen to make a nice cup of hot tea. Then the phone rings and it’s your friend wanting to chat…so you do. You remember the water was left running in the tub, you rush back to find the water overflowing…water everywhere. What do you do to clean up the water? Grab a few towels, maybe a sponge, and quickly unplug the tub to let the water drain away, right?

Imagine now it’s raining and raining and raining, a tropical storm stalled above your community, above your home, and the rain doesn’t stop. Now imagine your home alongside a creek and the water keeps rising and rising. You can’t pull the plug and let water drain. The water rises quickly. What do you grab before you leave your home? Do you even have time to grab anything? You are helpless.

Now, imagine not having any or not enough insurance to clean up the mess; tear out the old and install the new walls, cabinets, floors and furniture. This is the predicament many folks are facing in Williamson County, Texas this year. The flood waters rose and receded but Tropical Storm Hermine left behind devastation and shattered lives.


Ms. W. of Round Rock, Texas backs up to Brushy Creek. She has lived in this home for over 20 years and had never had any flooding. But in the early morning hours of September 8, 2010 she had over 3.5 feet of water enter her home.

The mud was left on her floors, inside the cabinets, on her bed and in her dresser. Her walls were soaked. Everything had to come out. EVERYTHING! She has been living with her loving and supportive family but has not been able to sleep in her own home for over three months.

Volunteers from many agencies have banded together to begin the rebuild one home at a time. Through Wilco’s Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), drops of grace has partnered with Austin Disaster Relief Network (ADRN) and the First United Methodist Church-Round Rock (FUMC-RR) to help rebuild Ms. Ws’ home. The sheetrock is now up, putting walls back which have been gone since the first week in September. Kitchen cabinets and flooring will be next and soon Ms. W. will be coming back to her own home.

On Dec 18, 2010, students from the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, arrived a mere 18 hours after their last final from college, not for a vacation break, but to work with ADRN and drops of grace in the rebuild of Ms. Ws’ home. These incredible young adults are taking time from their Christmas break to come to Round Rock to volunteer. To give as Christ asked us to give, to give from their heart.

The students, led by Aaron Preston, Titan Christian Fellowship, organized this mission outreach just a few short weeks ago and put the word out that he was going to come to Round Rock. Abby, Anna, Mark, Mike, Jordan, Kyle and Matt all responded with a resounding YES...

Tired from their long trip; they hit the ground running and began hanging drywall as soon as they arrived. They did this with a smile on their face, joy in their heart, all side by side with and for people that were total strangers.

They attended church at FUMC-RR on Sunday and were recognized by Reverend Lee Trigg. He commended them all for hearing the call by Christ, to go and do, to say YES, to not only do good work, but to do Holy work.

We are each called by God to go and do. Saying yes is what God wants us to do.

drops of grace is proud to be able to assist in rebuilds after hurricanes in the gulf and to now be working right here in literally our own backyard. If you are interested in participating in the relief effort, with your hands, prayers, or financial support, please send an email to info@dropsofgrace.org to find out how you, your family or your organization can work with us to help rebuild Round Rock.

God Bless,
Karah

Homeward Bound

Responding to people in need is a very natural way of showing Christian love. 

  

Volunteers with many talents and abilities provide valuable assistance to a community affected by disaster.

The work of Volunteers - putting their faith & love into action - helps turn the chaos of disaster into an image of hope.

This is the mind set that we have used to build our Domestic Program.  We feel that we need to help where ever we are called, even in our own backyard.

Our domestic trips are all a little different depending on the project, the team members, location and the people we serve.

Our latest trip was the weekend of Sept. 12, 2010. This was an important date because it was the second year anniversary of Hurricane Ike. Our project was in LaMarque, Texas just outside of Galveston. We had a team of 16. We all met up at 6:30 Friday morning loaded our vans and hit the road.

 

We were advised by our partner UMCOR that we needed to lay a portion of sub flooring, lay Pergo laminated flooring in the kitchen, dinning room, living room and hallway, repair the sheet rock in the living room and cover it with paneling, remove two walls of vinyl siding and replaced it with new 4 x 8 sheets of siding - getting tired yet?  Install vinyl flooring in the bathroom (which meant pulling the toilet and re-installing), replace a small cabinet in the kitchen, install all the base boards, caulk and paint them, and also tar the roof above the sunroom if we had time…WOW! Oh, and by the way the client is living in the house, so we have to move all the furniture around and try to stay out of their way. 

After taking a breath, the team dived in and it didn’t take long before we all where working in different parts of the house and getting to know each other and our new friends The Tagles, who live in the house. We worked late Friday just to make a dent in the project.  We left very dirty and very tired, but thankful for a full day of work and we headed back to the church we were staying at and picked up some BBQ for dinner. We enjoyed our showers with the mosquitoes in the shower trailers, a short devotional, some fun late night conversation and then off to bed.

The next morning we had breakfast casserole that was prepared by the team members, we made a sack lunch and headed back to work. The second day was much smoother, everyone knew exactly what to do and just jumped right in. We had lunch while sharing a devotional.  Afterwards, we procured the new bolt for the toilet to replace the one we lost earlier down the drain pipe, cleaned up the house and actually ended our day early.  It was amazing what had been completed.   After two years,  The Tagles - parents of 7 children & 13 grandchildren - had their home restored and refreshed and looking forward to hosting their family for Thanksgiving in their new home after 2 long years of living in disarray & chaos.

After many hugs and joyful tears we left our new friends and headed home.  When we returned home other members of drops of grace where very busy too. When I said we work even in our own backyards, I mean literally in our own backyards.  Thursday before we left for LaMarque Tropical storm Hermine hit Williamson County.  According to the Williamson County Emergency Management there were 660 Homes damaged by flood waters. Two hundred of those homes had major damage or had been completely destroyed.  Additionally, 30 businesses had been damaged, 5 of which were completely destroyed causing approximately 40 people to loose their jobs. Most of the homesowners did not have insurance, or they had a limited amount.

Many volunteers have already answered the call and helped family, friends and neighbors over the last few weeks.  There has been a lot of work done. But, like the damage from Hurricane Ike there is a lot of work yet be done.

drops of grace will be partnering with local agencies like The Red Cross, Round Rock Serving Center, VOAD, Williamson County Emergency Management and the Austin Disaster Relief Network to directly help with the long term recovery.  

Please consider gathering a volunteer work team to help families rebuild & restore their homes, or do other disaster recovery work. 


drop us a note, we will love to hear from you. 

If nothing else you now understand why our Domestic program is not just about brick and mortar or hammers and nails.  Much of what we do is about teaching others and learning from others. You don’t need to know anything about lying flooring.  Just come with an open mind and a willing heart.  You may never pick up a tool at all, you may just sit on the couch and listen to a sweet lady tell you about raising 7 kids in the only house they have ever known, or hold someone’s hand as they sort through water soaked irreplaceable belongings trying to decide to throw them away or keep them just because.  You may find yourself standing in the middle of an empty home with no carpet, no pictures on the wall, no furniture without even sheet rock just hugging a woman that you just met and letting her cry on your shoulder.

This is what we do … This is what missionaries do….. Come join us!

God Bless, Dan Rybaski



Mrs. Tagle & dogs in newly restored living room.



What happens when God calls upon common people?

What happens when God calls upon common people?

Great things happen!

The Lodja water system project at the Diengenga Mission Station in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is moving forward and significant progress is being made!

Nothing should surprise us since “it’s the Congo” but as the excavation has progressed, more remnants of the original dam are being uncovered.

Some very large logs were found under the core of the dam that were apparently left there in the original construction. They are well below the level of the washout of 1973, so seem to be from the original work back in the 1950's.

Paul Law, (Appointment Congo) and the workers are making progress with the hauling of clay dirt and digging out the core of the dam.

The sawmill team has returned from the forest with a load of Ukulungu planks for the core wall. They will begin driving the center planks very soon. As they do that, they we will need to contain the stream that will divert the water from above the dam to below it so that we can work on the dam without having to deal with the stream water all the time.

It won’t be too much longer before we can really see what the dam will look like!

There is still a lot of work, but we are seeing some progress and a team of men employed full-time on the water project. There is consistent progress that we can see all the way from this side of the world.

Yep. “it’s the Congo”, but with the generous support of the drops of grace friends and the hard work of Paul and Marty Law and Appointment Congo, and the commitment and employment of the people in Lodja, fresh water flowing from the tower rather than being hauled by women and children in the mission station is becoming a reality and will transform lives for generations to come.

This is so cool! I can’t wait to see it in person!

Please keep them all in your prayers.

Look at Them Go!

The Dam is going up!

After challenges we in the good ole' "US of A" can only imagine, including building a new road just to get there, the dam at the Diengenga Mission Station near Lodja in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is on it's way up!


Want to hear and see more about this water project? About Malawi and Somebody Cares? About drops of grace work in the USA?

Tease, Tease, Tease......

See you at the Ripple Effect on Friday, October 8. Tickets are still available from your favorite drop or online

The Story of Recovery - 2 Years After the Storm...

On September 12th 2008 Hurricane Ike began crashing ashore on Galveston Island with a vengeance. The massive storm began affecting the coastline more than 24 hours before landfall.


Two years later, the City of Galveston and the Texas gulf coast appear to be back in business and recovered. The beaches are open and full, businesses along the seawall are thriving, it’s busy along the Strand, and ships are moving in and out through the channel.

But when you get off the beaten path and look a little closer, you find thousands of families on the island and all along the East Texas Coast in need and looking for help. There are millions of dollars tied up in the bureaucracy and many of these families are still waiting for federal disaster recovery grant funds.

On the second anniversary of this devastating storm, the people of Galveston and the surrounding counties are not forgotten. drops of grace is putting hands and hearts to work and partnering with UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief). UMCOR has been working in the area from the very first week after the storm and they continue to help those who may have fallen through the cracks.

On September 10, 2010 drops of grace will take a team to help some of the families in need. That team is full but if you would like to be part of future trips like this one, please contact us at info@dropsofgrace.org

Dates and locations for future trips will be posted soon.

A changed heart...

• Nearly half of the estimated 2 million orphans are orphaned due to AIDS, with the total expected to rise to 3.5 million by 2010.

"He picks up the poor from out of the dirt,

rescues the wretched who've been thrown out with the trash,

Seats them among the honored guests,

a place of honor among the brightest and best.

He gives childless couples a family,

gives them joy as the parents of children. Hallelujah!" psalm 113:4

Michelle in her final weeks at Baby Watoto, Uganda

It is bitter sweet, the ending of a beautiful journey.  Michelle will be coming home soon to continue her studies at the University of Texas in the fall.  She has learned, she has grown, and she has been changed.  It gets in your soul and you forever know the abundance of love.  Please read some of her final thoughts as she closes this chapter in her life's novel.  We are so proud of Michelle and her selfless desire to just show love to those who need hope.

Peace & Blessings, Diane.

I think that before, because it felt like I still had so much time here, I was kinda anxious and wanted to go home. But now, I only have one week left, and it’ll go by so fast. I’m currently sitting in the rocking chair on our porch, looking at three Ugandans working in a patch of tall grass, looking out over the hills and clean, beautiful sky, and its times like these where I don’t want to go home, back to drama and busy life where people make tiny problems huge and get mad at lines and traffic. How can I go back after being here and seeing how these people live? They work so hard and still have almost nothing, but are the most giving people I’ve met. They can’t even drink their own water without getting sick. They live a simple life. We live such complex lives, and I wish we didn’t. You think you know the world, or at least have a grasp on it, until you actually go out into it.
Yes, the city is much different from the country, it smells and the roads are full of pot holes, but I love these people. God loves these people. He loves these kids, and He loved them when no one else did. When they were found in a box or a toilet or with a bag over their head, He still loved them and saw them as His beautiful children. And there are kids all over the world like this. I wonder if God’s heart isn’t breaking every second, because mine is for these kids. I’ve been trying to figure out how to handle leaving, and I can’t imagine feeling anything but sadness, because I really love these children, these babies, these nannies, these volunteers. I’m probably never going to see them again, and that breaks my heart. I love waking up to the sweet innocence of the babies, even if they cry and smell. Sometimes, you just need to cuddle a baby in the morning to make the rest of the day good.
Two and a half years ago at world mandate, God laid Uganda on my heart. I even got one of those bracelets to remind me to pray every day for this place. And now I’m here. I tried other organizations and options, but the doors all closed. Except for this one. So when I miss home, I just remind myself that this is where I am supposed to be. And maybe I won’t learn some huge profound lesson, but being here is changing my heart, I think. Just the way I look at people and the world and my own life. And sometimes we need that, a reality check. If anyone ever needs a reality check, go to a place worse off. It makes you take a good look at what is really important in your life.
Why am I here? Because it’s where God put me, where I needed to be so that my heart would change. To do something truly not for myself. To see God in other places and people, outside of my box I keep putting Him in. To love the widows and orphans. To become who He wants me to be. Because He called, and I followed. And I couldn’t have asked for a better way to do all this.
All Glory to Him,  Michelle

Trouble in Uganda

Dear Friends,
You may have learned that last evening during the World Cup Finals twin deadly bombs went off in the capital city of Kampala, Uganda.  74 people were killed.  This is a very sad day for Uganda.  Michelle, our college intern, was there but if you've been following the blog you know that she was moved to the Watoto location at Suubi, which is 45 minutes from Kampala - Praise God. We are so thankful that Michelle is okay, but unfortunately there are still many in the rubble. 

We are praying for our friends in Uganda at Watoto Childens Center & Humble School and for our brothers and sisters in mission who are lending their time and talents to the people of Uganda but most especially, we pray for peace in Uganda and for everyone who is today sad and scared and lonely that they come to know the mercy in God.

Below is Michelle's latest blog.  She is still pressing on with an amazing spirit for Christ.  We are very proud of her and all the work she continues to do with those precious babies.  God Bless.
Peace,  Diane

Meet Baby Blake.  Super Cute right?!  =D

So it’s been a little while since I last wrote…

Last night was the World Cup final, which we watched downstairs with the night shift nannies. It was quite fun, but sad to see the Netherlands lose. Then apparently after the game, two bombs in Kampala went off, killing 64 people and counting. One bomb was not far from where I was staying before I came here to Suubi. I’m so thankful that I’m currently 45 minutes away in from the city, because I’m sure it’s crazy down there. Pray for the victims, and Mulago Hospital where most of the people are being taken. It’s not a very good hospital, and is where Watoto gets some of its babies. It’s a sad day for Uganda and many people are still missing from the explosions. I just can’t believe I was so close to it all, and am so thankful to be safe.

Things at Suubi have been pretty slow. Just work and hanging out in the evenings. We’re now trying to do some developmental activities with the children during the times they aren’t feeding, like sensory exercises and practice crawling and strengthening muscles. We also have Freedom Fridays, where the kids get to do something extra fun like play in the water or with goop or play dough. I’ll also be working more with the special needs kids, called the lions, this week and going with a few of them to physical therapy on Thursday. They are all such sweet kids who really love to drool.

Anyways, that’s about it from around here. I am so blessed to be able to love on each of these kids every day, and that they have a God filled environment and safe place to live. So cool what is going on here in Suubi.
All glory to Him,  Michelle

Freedom Friday!  Yeah!!