Team Members

Tim Adkins, Taylor Bostic, Tony Bostic, Chase Brown, Ken Brown, Destiny Butcher, Dr. Gary Edens, Jacky Edens, Jimmy Hartman, Victoria Hartman, Daisy Herrera, Greg Jeppson, Casey Lunceford, Cindy Lunceford, Mark Lunceford, Sarah Lunceford, Debbie McCleery, Karen Metts, Joe Stroud, Susan Stroud, Swindell Taylor, and John Tripp.

2011 Mission Trip to Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Watch this site for daily updates.  Daily updates and photos will be uploaded hopefully around 11:00 P.M. central time.

Click links below to go directly to desired day:

Day 1: Sunday, August  7, 2011

Day 2: Monday, August  8, 2011

Day 3: Tuesday, August  9, 2011

Day 4: Wednesday, August  10, 2011

Day 5: Thursday, August  11, 2011

Day 6: Friday, August  12, 2011

Day 1: Sunday, August 7, 2011

The first day of the mission trip has almost come to an end and it has truly been a rewarding day. There were forty workers, family members, and friends who gathered at FCC in the dark of the early morning to say goodbye. Sarah Lunceford led the devotion and influenced the importance of being eager to serve with the right attitude to the group. As we were about to take off Sue Miller passed out crocheted prayer cloths to all the workers and they symbolized all of the prayers that would be coming out of our church and throughout the community. Next stop, Alabama.

Split between 2 vans and Gary’s truck, we began our journey. We stopped briefly for breakfast at Bojangle’s, and then again in Colombia, South Carolina. We ended up having lunch at a rest area outside Atlanta, Georgia. Everyone had packed a sandwich and snacks so we had a nice picnic outside. Once everyone had eaten we continued on. 

After a few more hours of driving, we made it to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The church we would be staying at was in a town right outside Tuscaloosa, called Cottondale. We arrived at Cottondale Christian Church greeted by the pastor of the church and Rex and Patty the station managers. After we got settled we had a team meeting with them to nail down the specifics of our trip. Patty informed us that we would be split between two major work sites, clearing heavy debris and working with Habitat for Humanity and possibly working with the local Salvation Army. We will be starting bright and early tomorrow to try and avoid the Alabama Heat. Wish us luck, and keep us in your prayers as we begin our work tomorrow! Make sure you stay updated by continuing to read our daily journals!   

Click here for pictures from Day 1: Sunday, August 7, 2011

Day 2: Monday, August 8, 2011

The second day in Alabama has come to an end, and today our eyes have been opened. As we were riding to our different work cites, we saw the different paths of destructions, not just in our surroundings but in the different people we spoke to. Trees thrown all over like match sticks, houses torn to just the frames, driveways that led to empty lots, and yellow “warning” notices posted everywhere you looked. The tornado hit on April 27, 2011 at 5:13 P.M.  The tornado was a mile wide and destroyed over 7000 homes.  Many past workers say that this is the worst site that First Christian Church has seen. These people have truly overcome so much and still their faith inspires us. 

We were initially split into two different crews, but they slowly were divided into smaller groups as we found our specific jobs. The “Red Team” which consisted of Mark Lunceford, Debbie McCleery, John Tripp, Susan and Joe Stroud, Tim Adkins, Chase Brown and Sarah Lunceford. These folks were sent to work in a house that was being remodeled after a tree came through the living room. The homeowner was a single mom named Lisa, and her teenage daughter who had basically nowhere to go. First thing they were assigned to do is to tear down the drywall and insulation of the kitchen ceiling while John, Mark, and Chase tried to figure out the mess of electrical wiring strung about the home. After quickly tackling that project the others moved on to clearing out around the house’s fireplace, which had acquired water damage, termite damage, and the masonry around it was literally falling apart. After clearing that out the best we could, we waited for more instructions from our supervisors, Rex and Riz. Then they were then transported to a new location in the city to the home of an elderly disabled couple who’s home needed a lot of demolition and their yards, an surrounding yards were littered with debris. That site will be the main work cite for this crew tomorrow as they try to clean up around the house.

The first part of the “Blue Team” consisted Taylor Bostic, Tony Bostic, Ken Brown, Jimmy Hartman, Swindell Taylor, Greg Jeppson, and Casey Lunceford.  This group worked with Habitat for Humanity to help build two houses.  One crew worked on adding shingles to the room and the other crew added the fascia and soffit to one house.  The temperature was hot but the crews worked hard to work through the heat. 

The second part of the “Blue Team” consisted of Daisy Herrera, Karen Metts, Destiny Butcher, and Victoria Hartman. They started off helping Habitat for Humanity, but soon moved on because there were a lot of extra people there. They arrived at Salvation Army, which was located in an abandoned mall. Immediately, they started filling carts with hygiene products, water bottles, food, and sunscreen. Then the floodgates opened and people started pouring for their baskets. Each person got a box of food, a case of water, a pack of snacks, and a box of hygiene products. After that they helped load cars full of supplies so families could make it though the next 8 days. Tomorrow they will be working at the Salvation Army warehouse sorting and hanging donated clothes.

The “home-makers,” as we like to call them, were Jacky Edens and Cindy Lunceford. They are the wonderful ladies who work behind the scenes to make our meals, wash our clothes, and make this little church seem like home.  Today they started the day by preparing our breakfast. After that they took a “field trip” to Sam’s for groceries. But due to “scheduling conflicts” (or not realizing the time difference) they had some time to spare so the ladies decided to find the Krispy Kreme for future reference. Upon arriving, they saw that the Tuscaloosa Krispy Kreme now consisted of a bent over green pole and a Krispy Kreme trailer in the parking lot. The Krispy Kreme was a casualty of the tornados.  Leaving disappointed, they went back to Sam’s to stock up. After unloading all the supplies they started preparing for dinner for the group. They do so much for us, and we don’t know what we would do without them. 

Keep us in your prayers as we continue to be the hands and feet of Christ here in Tuscaloosa Alabama.

Click here for pictures from Day 2: Monday, August 8, 2011

Day 3: Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Day three has come to an end and I’m happy to say we’re all still alive and uninjured. Today was another day full of blessings in many different ways and through many different people. All the teams were very productive and each day we get done what God wants us to accomplish.

The “Red Team” who was finishing working at the same house from yesterday, which was mostly demolished, and it was surrounded with debris. Sarah, Susan, Joe and Tim spent most of the day trying to clear out the truckloads of debris on the property and moving it to the side of the road so the county can pick it up. Eventually Mark, John and Chase arrived from finishing their electrical project and continued to help. They found all sorts of items amongst the debris; everything from undergarments to kitchen cabinets. Pieces of these people’s lives were tossed around and now had to be scooped off the ground by us. The whole experience was extremely emotional. We ended up meeting the home owner, Abraham and his son Darrel. They inspired us more than they realize by telling us their survival stories. After leaving their house after the tornado, all they could do as they walked down the streets was sing praises to God for sparing their lives while being surrounded by those who hadn’t been so lucky. After lunch, we were given the task of removing damaged flooring inside the home. Even though this house and many around seem so demolished that it almost would seem easier to just bulldoze, and start from scratch, we had to keep in mind that to some people, this is their last token of hope that they have to hold on to and the rebuild would be a financial impossibility. We were deeply moved.

The Salvation Army team had a busy day as well. First they went to JVC center warehouse where the Salvation Army is currently housed. They spent the morning unboxing and sorting donated clothes. After that they moved to the Salvation Army Disaster Station, located in an abandoned Goody’s store.  There they loaded carts of supplies for the customers. But then that’s when the first test came: ants had invaded the boxes where the food was stored. So because of this they will spend tomorrow cleaning out and getting rid of the food. They had many different work experiences throughout the day. They ended up getting lost many times on the way to and from job sites, but it seems like everywhere that was considered a wrong turn, was where the people needed their help most. 

The blue team continued working on the Habitat for Humanity house.  After working most of the Monday correcting problems from the previous week, today great forward progress was made.  Greg, Swindell, and Jimmy finished the shingles on the front of the house and started on the back side.  Ken and Tony finished the fascia work and started working on the soffit.  Taylor and Casey finished building the "safe room" in the house and worked on other interior projects.

After a great meal prepared by Jacky and Cindy, we welcomed Gary as he arrived from the airport.  It was good to have our spiritual leader join us.  We finished the evening with a group discussion and then it was off to bed. 

Click here for pictures from Day 3: Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Day 4: Wednesday, August 10, 2011

            Roll Tide!! Day four has had many ups and downs but through it all we’re ready to work another day. Today was a day filled with new experiences and people to meet. We learned to be patient and work together as one team, and one body of Christ.

            The Red Team and the Salvation Army teamed up this morning to create one large team of sweepers and debris cleaners for a new project. Where the old homeless shelter of Tuscaloosa stood, now only lays a slab of concrete. To bring the community together, the Salvation Army wanted to throw a get-together outside on the grounds. So this morning we swept and shoveled the concrete slab and the surrounding area so it could be a safe place for people to come together. We had made a large dent in the clean-up process, by the time that the Salvation Army crew came to finish the job.

            The Red Team then switched back to working at Abraham’s house. Today we spent the day removing layers of flooring in his hallway, kitchen, and bathroom. Through the process we pulled out many nails and met a “friend” (rat) along the way. We had a great time working as a team on one big project. We also coerced a man on a Bobcat bulldozer working down the road to come and get the large debris in the back of Abraham’s land. It was a major God moment for us as a group. Since we finished the flooring today, tomorrow we’ll start on the heavy demolition of the back of the house tomorrow. As a whole we felt very productive, even after quitting an hour early because of lightning moving in.

            From the Salvation Army clean up site, Debbie, Karen, Destiny, Daisy, Victoria, and Pattie went to JVC center Warehouse. There they sorted and boxed clothes again. In one of their breaks, however, the girls put on a fashion show of some of the sorted clothes. They modeled anything from prom dresses to a Buzz Light year costume (see today's pictures). They had a lot of fun working together. Since tonight the church is throwing us a potluck dinner, Jackie and Cindy had the day off from cooking dinner, so after they did the laundry, they came and helped out at the Salvation Army station most of the time. Over all we got a lot accomplished for the day.

            The Blue Team continued building the Habitat for Humanity house.  The sun was out in full force.  Today was the hottest day yet.  Greg, Jimmy, and Swindell were back on the roof.  By lunch time, they had to come down off the roof due to the extreme heat.  Ken and Gary built the "returns" on the gable roof.  The locals called them "bird boxes".  Tony worked with the group from Texas adding the fascia and soffit.  Around 3:00 P.M. a bad storm came in and the site was closed down due to sharp lightning.  We were ready for the break.

          Tonight for supper our host church provided us with a potluck meal.  It was divine!  Cottondale Christian Church has been  a really awesome host.  We enjoyed the food, fellowship, and the recipes!  If we have needed something like a griddle or weed eater they appear with one!    We know it can be disruptive for 22 extra people to be living in their facilities and going/coming but they have offered us loving hospitality. Disciples live in Cottondale, Alabama.    

Click here for pictures from Day 4: Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Day 5: Thursday, August 11, 2011

The week is flying by! It is already the end of Thursday and it’s hard to believe that in one day we’ll be on our way back to good ol’ North Carolina. Today has been eventful, but also exhausting, but the crew is holding up well and it ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

                The Red Team was the Demolition Team today. In Abraham’s house there are several add-ons and in most of them they suffered multiple damages, so we had to take an extension off.  We ended up taking off three walls, a door, and a window. Then in the remainder of the extension, we tore off drywall and insulation.  We had a few visitors today, and their presence was a delight to the group. Abraham stopped by for his daily visit and once again filled us with the Holy Spirit and motivated us to keep trudging on.  Since our work was winding down we decided to pray with him and his son and it was very moving. God sends us wonderful people to encounter, and I don’t think we’ll ever forget him and his story.  On a lighter note, we now call Chase “The Stud Finder”. Today, Sarah and Chase were taking down some sheetrock, and Chase says to Sarah, “I have always wanted to punch through a piece of sheetrock” and he proceeds to punch directly into a stud. It definitely brightened up our day. We ended up finishing out demolition at Abraham’s house and now are going to be relocated to another project, but we had an amazing time.

                The Salvation Army Team started off the day arranging boxes of food for local survivors of the tornado, who are still not on their feet. Afterwards they sorted through, yet another, pile of snack bags. They spend most of the day trying to get the Salvation Army on their feet and running. They are the behind the scene members who keep an extremely beneficial organization like the Salvation Army running. Without them the Salvation Army wouldn’t be able to help all the people that they do each week. While doing this they even get to witness to the some of the people that come through. Some of the people have just fallen out of their church families since the storm, and they are looking for a new start. One of the ladies said she might even come to Cottondale Christian Church because of an invitation from some of our workers. God works in many mysterious, wonderful ways.

                The Blue Team continued at the Habitat house.  They also had a guest join them today from a Disciples of Christ student who attends Alabama University.  Elina joined the roofing team.  Even though we were hampered a little by a storm, we continued to work.  The roofing crew moved indoors until the storm passed.  They worked on various jobs on the inside until the storm passed.  Ken moved the saw inside, but Gary and Taylor stood under the roof overhang and continued to work through the storm.  The roofing crew almost finished the shingles and the fascia and soffit crew finished their work and started adding the siding. 

                Our day ended with a great dinner prepared by our cooks, Cindy and Jacky.  After dinner we had a time of sharing our day with each other.  We had some special guest join us for our time of sharing.  Gary and Jacky’s old friends from Texas now live in the area and they stopped by to share their stories about the tornado.  We heard testimonies about how they feared for their lives as the tornado passed by.  It was heart touching to hear the stories.  Tired and worn, we are off to bed to get ready for our final day in Tuscaloosa.                    

Click here for pictures from Day 5: Thursday, August 11, 2011

Day 6: Friday, August 12, 2011

“Where tragedy and love meet, it becomes Holy Ground.” The final day in Alabama was truly inspirational. Today was a day of reflection, and prayer. It was a day of joyfulness, and repenting. It was a day not to forget. It had been etched on out hearts and seared in our minds.

Today, since we had done all we could do at Abraham’s house, Joe, Susan, Tim, Sarah, Destiny and Daisy stayed behind at Cottondale Christian to help sort, inventory, and organize all of the work trailers. We color-coded the trailers to the keys, so hopefully the next group will have smooth sailing when they need to find a tool.

John, Mark, and Chase went to the Disciple House to fix some electrical malfunctions. The Disciple house sits right beside First Christian Church, Tuscaloosa and is home to Rex, Pattie, and 3 other University of Alabama students. They accomplished the job and did a few other odd jobs around the house.

Cindy and Jacky spent the day doing laundry and packing all of the food up for safe travel tomorrow. Without them this week, our whole team would have been up the creek without a paddle. They were truly a blessing.

            Tony, Ken, Gary, Greg, Casey, Taylor, Swindell, Jimmy, Victoria, Debbie and Karen worked on the Habitat for Humanity site. They finished the soffit and fascia work today throughout the home and added vents and siding on the gable ends of the roof. Greg and his group finished the roof’s supports and built a platform for the water heater in the attic. It was a small piece of the big puzzle, which will in the near future be completed for a deserving family.

            Since it was the last meal in Alabama, we decided to go out to eat as a group. We also had a surprise visitor who joined us, Gary Edge and his wife. For some of you who don’t know, Gary Edge is a former pastor at our church (1976-1981) and actually baptized Susan, Cindy, Karen and Ken. He is the man that said our delightful quote that opened. It is so true. Their visit was a sweet surprise for many. Our dinner was quite filling and was a good meal to send us on our way.

            I think that everyone’s God moment of the day was our closing worship service. It took place in the intimate sanctuary of Cottondale Christian Church. Our mission trip closing worships are always emotional and personal but each one adds a whole new level of reality as we reflect on the experiences of the week. We started listening to the song "Lamb of God" and the room fell to a hush as the Holy Spirit crept in. After a prayer, each person then walked up to the table and began to partake in their own communion service. One by one each person took the bread, dipped it in the juice, ate it, and sat down. Then Gary proceeded to show us a power point that was a comparison of our two holy lands, Jerusalem and Tuscaloosa. Each comparison showed just how real God is around our job sites, just like how real he is in Jerusalem. The power point ended with the slide of the picture that was the sign at our job site, “The good news is, God is still God.” Those lines leaped off the slide and jumped into our hearts. Then the song “My Redeemer Lives” was played and whatever hold we had on our emotions, broke listening to it. We sat and let the words of the song fold into our memories of the week. In the silence that followed, we all started to sing “Surely the Presence” and everyone felt it shining through. As we filed out of the holy ground we left with a new found experience on the week and all we went through. Each drop of sweat and each scratched knee suddenly had a whole new worth. Most of us come expecting to bless others and be the hero, but as all of us realized we are merely just a small stepping stone in a long journey of recovery and healing that God is carefully planning. We leave more blessed and fulfilled than we could have ever expected. It is a wonderful way to leave and come back to North Carolina where we are eager to spread the love and power of Jesus Christ to those around us. Wish us safe travels and we’ll see you Sunday!

Click here for pictures from Day 6: Friday, August 12, 2011

***Note:  A special thank you goes out to Sarah Lunceford for being our reporter for the week.  Without her help, this blog would not have been possible.

If you would like to send a message or ask a question of the mission team, click here.  (If this link does not work, you can send an e-mail to kbrown117@charter.net) 

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