Prior to that first mission trip in October 2005, the congregation made a 10 year commitment to helping some of those victims. We have partnered with First Trinity Presbyterian Church in Laurel, who chose which folks we would be helping.

On this trip, we would be charged with re-roofing and renovating the hurricane ravaged home of Mr. Ernest Creel.

Buoyed by God’s grace, and help from several churches in Laurel, our mission team accomplished a great deal.

The following are personal reflections from some of our mission team members:

Monday, March 20, 2006
Our host, James Saul, was up when we arose this morning; we had a hot breakfast delivered to our kitchen. What a welcome sight! Our five vehicles convoyed to downtown Laurel where supplies were purchased, and we proceeded to our job site, the home of Ernest Creel. Frankly, the house was in deplorable condition, inside and out. Our project managers surveyed the premises, and set forth the schedule for the day. Roof replacement was scheduled for Tuesday. Outside and inside cleaning was the order of the day. All nineteen of us were assigned (or assumed) tasks. By early afternoon it became clear that we would fill the on site dumpster, so another was ordered that we might continue our work the next day.
This evening’s discussion was all about Ernest Creel and our love for him. Each of us expressed how he impacted us and how we might express our love for him.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Jack baked biscuits, brewed coffee and cooked bacon for the crew. This morning’s temperature is very cool, the sky overcast.
This morning we---Catherine and I, Karen and Jim, and Pat Cowen---went to two schools to read to K, 1 & 2 grades. The children seemed to enjoy our reading, as did the teachers. My classes were delightful. Rev. Jim Truesdell, pastor of First Trinity in Laurel, said that he reads to a 4th grade class every Wednesday.

- Gordon Nielsen

A week of scraping, scrubbing, tearing down and building up; yet in the midst of it, moments of quiet when our souls were touched and renewed. Those early mornings watching the mist rise from the lake, and the morning sounds of the songbirds was invigorating. It was there in the faces of the children at the elementary school as we read to them, and told them that we, the congregation of John Knox in Tulsa, Oklahoma, loved them. Hospitality enfolded us as we sat down to a lunch lovingly prepared by an African American congregation. We gave physical labor, and received spiritual grace.

- Catherine Nielsen

The purpose of a mission trip is to be a Christian witness. A witness to the people we serve, and to each other. Both of these objectives were accomplished. I remember the title to a devotional book “A life fit for the Master’s use”. All the John Knoxers encourage me in developing this attitude.
The trip down to Laurel and the work gave each of us the opportunity to know each other better, especially the four teenagers that came with us, as well as our two great pastors, Jeff and Steve.

- Jim Brown

When asked by parishioners, “How was the mission trip?” all I could think to say was “Wonderful!” Then I opened the dictionary. Wonder can be defined as “astonishment at something awesomely mysteriously or new to one’s experience.” I was astonished by the continued financial and prayerful support of John Knoxers, by Ernest’s willingness to allow strangers to sort, clean and alter his home, and by the unending hospitality of our hosts in Mississippi. I was astonished by our group members’ ability to work well together and accomplish so much. I felt Christ was with us throughout the trip. It was, in fact, wonderful!

- Dixie Walker

Our plan for the mission trip was to replace a roof, scrape and paint walls, and tear down a collapsed garage. I prayed that God had a special task to fit my abilities. (I visualized being outside as a gopher, raking and gardening.) However, God and Rev. Truesdell had a totally different plan for me. For one week, I was in a kitchen cleaning out mice infested shelves, outdated food, and scrubbing walls and woodwork that had not been touched in over 20 years. For this overwhelming assignment, God provided strength, perseverance, and 18 other dedicated, uncomplaining, lighthearted missionaries to work alongside me. What an incredible experience! I was reminded that I must serve Him wherever He directs me, and He will provide joy and satisfaction in doing His Will for His people.

- Karen Brown

Our Mission trip was fun, but it was a lot more than that! What it seemed to be, when thinking about it after we all returned home, was something else. We seemed to be a living example of what the very early Christians called the People of the Way. People living the way Jesus had taught.

For at least six days we were People of the Way. We worked long and hard, and we did it not for ourselves, but for one man. A man most would call desperate. Our friend Ernest had no friends in his neighborhood, his relatives had not seen him for many years, and none of them had been to his home since his mother died several years earlier. His small dog Russell seemed to be his only visible friend when we first met him.

But, by the beginning of the second day of our work, Ernest had us as friends, and the 19 of us from Tulsa each had a friend in him. Our sudden friends were the people we were working with; kind, helpful, loving, accepting, hard-working, non-complaining people. One unexpected friend was Earnest, the man we came to help. Suddenly, we had more friends including the following: members from two Laurel churches, who fed us well; one young minister who drove miles from another town to bring lunch for us, and two families who provided all 19 of us with wonderful living quarters. For one short week, we truly felt we were PEOPLE OF THE WAY.

- Pat and Ted Cowan

Last March was our mission trip to Laurel. What a rewarding experience! Besides myself, there were eighteen others from John Knox, working side-by-side, bringing comfort and love to Ernest Creel and his dog Russ. I learned to roof, from stripping the shingles off, to the tar felt, to handling the nail gun. We tore down the remnants of single-stall garage, still cluttered with rusting tools, clothing and debris and left only a bare patch of soil behind. We replaced the windows on one side of the house. We scraped, primed and painted his home. We raked more than a seasons worth of pine needles, and pruned hedges and bushes. We planted some cheery flowers near the door, and uncovered a sidewalk leading to the front steps. We added, as a finishing touch, painting the exterior circular attic vent a bright yellow, which was Ernest’s favorite color.

Every inch of the home needed to be washed and disinfected. All of his dishes needed cleaning. The china revealed not to be brown, but white with pale blue flowers. All the walls and doors were scrubbed. Members of our group would dedicate themselves to a particular area: the toilet, the dishes, the sink, and would not stop until they had invested all the elbow grease and energy they could. Such inspired dedication. Such personal investment -- for a stranger! For a man who three days ago was a stranger. What testament to Christian, brotherly love. For all our achy muscles, sore backs, tired eyes, hammer-smashed thumbs, torn or painted blue jeans, icky smells…we lifted four 30 –foot dumpsters worth of earthly burden from Ernest’s shoulders. And I know he felt more loved when we left than before we arrived. Funny, so do I.

- Michelle Goff