A Little Adventure Never Hurt Anybody

This isn't anything fancy - just raw footage of the truck ride to and from Melda's. Its fun to listen to the people in the vans. :) BTW, thanks for your prayers as we tried to get the 26' truck up the hill last Thursday evening. We had awoken to a crash of thunder and a downpour of rain and wondered how we would ever get it up the hill with mud, but it proved to be no problem ... just a little adventure.

I Know You've Been Waiting For Some of These: Melda's Kitchen

These are not necessarily in the correct order, but you can see what it looks like. :)

Loaded and Ready

Thanks to all who came and helped us load!

Friday

We load the truck Friday, July 10 @ 6pm at the Buriff's house.
All crew must be there.
If you're not on the crew but want to help, we would appreciate it!

It's a big one and we've got a LOT of stuff to go in it!

Pray for NO Rain! No, Really, None AT ALL

Normally I'm kinda OK with the weather but next week we do NOT need rain for a few reasons.

1. If it storms in the afternoon, it may keep us from being able to have VBS with the kids -- and the kids are the whole reason for going.
   
2. We have a building project going on that is going to take every bit of our spare time. Rain may cause problems that we just don't need.
   
3. As part of that building project we are planning to take our 26' truck down to Meldas so we have tools/materials at hand. The road to Melda's is a dirt road. If it rains and gets muddy we may get the truck stuck which would create all sorts of problems that we don't have the time to deal with.

Here's the weather forecast for the village we will be in.

Jul 11
More Details
Sunny to partly cloudy
Low: 57 °F
High: 86 °F

Sunday, Jul 12
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Times of clouds and sun
Low: 57 °F
High: 88 °F

Monday, Jul 13
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Breezy with clouds and sun
Low: 56 °F
High: 82 °F

Tuesday, Jul 14
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Watch for strong thunderstorms
Low: 56 °F
High: 82 °F

Wednesday, Jul 15
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Watch for strong thunderstorms
Low: 56 °F
High: 85 °F

Thursday, Jul 16
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Rather cloudy
Low: 55 °F
High: 89 °F

Friday, Jul 17
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A couple of afternoon showers
Low: 57 °F
High: 80 °F

Saturday, Jul 18
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Mostly cloudy
Low: 57 °F
High: 77 °F

Things can change and God is in control but PRAY!

All I Can Say is ... Wow! I Hope This Will All Fit on the Truck!

Sad to say but these pics really don't do it justice. There's more than it appears in the pics. I've gotta be honest - I'm ready to get this stuff out of my house. But hey, I'm SO not complaining. Its not about me. :)

First Blood

Monday evening Bob and Pat delivered the exterior door, a frame for it, and a storm door! Tuesday my dad (Cliff) came over to put the frame together and hang the door so it's ready when we get there. That is a HUGE help since we're really limited on time after we get there. So, Melda's project has officially begun! My dad is battling cancer and all the wonderful side-effects of chemo so he's not able to go with us this year but he got the honor of drawing "first blood" on the project when he cut his hand. There are 14 of us going to the Rez, and 13 of us working on the project (Whitlock is the cook and will be on overtime cooking for the crew, the kids, and whoever else shows up to eat) but there are SO many other folks who are a part of it in one way or another.

Got Raw Brute Strength?

OK, so you don't really need raw brute strength... even I can do this and I'm an out of shape 48 year old lady.

IF you can't go on the trip but you would like to do something to help out ... here's an opportunity...

Friday, July 10 @ 6pm we have a 26' truck to load.

This year we could use some extra help because we have SO much more to load (building materials for Melda's, 45 heaters, 550 backpacks, plus all the food for the trip) and we have a smaller crew and of that smaller crew, two are injured.

Not all of the boxes are heavy - some are filled with toilet paper and/or paper towels. Most are easy to manage (remember even I can handle most of them).

If you can help out, shoot me an email amberburiff@aol.com or see me @ church to let me know we can count on you.

Two Down

Our crew needs help. We're dropping like flies.

Pray for Fred who is still in a LOT of pain.

Pray for Charles who blew his knee out and as of Sunday could not walk without holding on to things.

I've gone to buy ice packs - one for Fred, one for Charles, and one for whoever else gets hurt. I'm also stocking up on Icy Hot and Advil for the trip.

PRAY!

A Couple of Cool Stories

Got an email from a lady on the Rez asking for 300 backpacks for the kids in her village. I had talked to her earlier and was waiting to hear back to see how many she needed. The only problem is - we only had 250 for her. We have 150 going to one village & 100 going to another which only left 250 for her. I hate the thought of 50 kids being left out. SO ... I tried to figure out a way to get the other 50. I sent out requests on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, and the Backpacks blog. Don't ya know .... within a short time a good friend replied and said, "count me in for the $50". Turns out someone had unexpectedly given him $50 today so he passed it on. Amazing.

A package also came today. I wasn't sure what it might be. I order lots of stuff for the trip, but so far everything I had ordered was accounted for. I didn't recognize the box either. Hmmm... I brought it in and opened it and found a large cast iron skillet, dishtowels, dish clothes, and cooking utensils - all for Melda. From a total stranger who happened to read about it on a blog. This same sweet lady recently send $150 to help build Melda's kitchen. I was totally not expecting more from her. Wow...

Thank you!!

The Backpack Truck Is Gonna Roll Again!

Got the truck reserved and its a BIG one. Normally we take a 15 ft truck but this year we have 500 backpacks, 44 heaters, and all of the materials for Melda's in addition to our luggage, food, bedding, tools, etc. so this year we've got a 26 ft. truck.

The good news - we should have enough room

The bad news - it gets 6 miles per gallon. Yeah, fuel costs will kill us. Oh well. If its God's will, its God's bill.

We will be driving it both ways - we had considered taking the truck one way but we just have too much stuff to bring back home so it's gotta go both ways. We'll also take one of the church vans. It'll be cozy but we can do anything for a week, right.

I must say Ryder trucks have been a JOY to work with. They are always so nice and seem to do their absolute best to make sure we're taken care of. We usually get the best truck on the lot and get a bit of a price break too. They know us by name now and are just really great to work with. Unknown to them, the kids on the Rez think that "Ryder" spells "Backpacks".

Updated Materials List

In case anyone is insterested in what we have for Melda's. Here is an updated list of what we already have.


Assorted Nails
Assorted 16 Penny Nails
Assorted Beige siding / Corner / J-Channels / Starter Strips
3 Bags 80 lb. Quikrete
2, 45.5" x 45.5" windows
3, 4' x 8' x 1/2" obs plywood - T/G - blue edged
2, 4' x 22.5" -x 1/2" obs plywood - T/G - blue edged
16, 4' x 8' x 3/8" obs plywood - blue edged
14, 4'x8' interior wall paneling (white)
5, 4'x12' x 1/2" Drywall
10, 9'x16' x 1-1/2" planks
6, 4'x8'x3/4" Plywood (traditional)
11, 4'x8'x3/8" obs plywood - yellow edged
65 (est?), 2"x4" studs
4, 4"x4"x10' posts
10, 2"x4"x12'
1 roll tar paper / roof felt
12 bundles shingles
6, 8' base-board moldign
1, 1 Gallon Self-Stick Tile Primer
5 boxes of 12"x12" vinyl floor tle (45 tiles/box)
1, ceiling light (3 bulb fixture)
1, 5 gallon bucket of Interior Latex Semi-Gloss paint
1, large bucket Sheet Rock Joint compound
Assorted Roofing Felt nails
Assorted Shingle Nails
16 joist hangars
10, 10" galvanized bolts with nuts

I Made an Executive Decision

I made an executive decision. Usually I like to give the VBS teams lots of freedom to do what they want in their classes. This year none of the teams planned any craft for their class. Not doing crafts would save us $$ BUT it would also leave us with a LOT of kids with a LOT of unstructured time.

I've always said and still believe that the best ministry we do there is done on the playground, BUT too much time with no very little structure can be disastrous. Besides, the kids really love to draw and color.

SO, I ordered some crafts. In keeping with the Olympic theme, I ordered the following:

Make your own Flag

Make your own Medal

We also still have one of these plastic display thingys left over from last year. It doesn't look exactly like this one pictured, but it is very similar and holds several index cards with can be decorated any way the kids want.

I also have made up some coloring pages with the American Indian athletes from the post below. Each of the sheets has a picture of the athlete that can be colored and a bit of their "story". These could be used to help instill in the kids that their circumstances do not have to limit them - that anything is possible. God has given each of them a gift. It may be athletic ability or artistic ability or intellect, but if they work hard God will bless their efforts.

I also ordered a BIG box of markers which we will leave there for Shelly to use in children's church.

More Materials for Melda's

Jerry, Cliff, and myself went to Lowes today to get paneling, OSB board, and some sizing for the flooring. The paneling cost a bit more than I had planned but seems like a much better material. Thankfully, we have received a lot of donations! We'll need 'em!

The Garage Sale

Despite threats of rain one very determined team member (Cathy) carried on and held the garage sale. We did OK. Here's a pic of Cathy with her first $5.

Tim dropped by for a while, bought my coffee maker for $5 and then resold it within about 10 minutes.

Whitlock came by too but due to a misunderstanding he did not buy the yard that he thought was for sale - or the garage for that matter.

And I (Amber) didn't make much $$ because I was practically giving stuff away, but I didn't bring anything back home so I'm happy. Having someone pay me to haul off my stuff seems like a deal to me.

If you missed it, you missed some good deals, some good coffee, some good bologna, and some good laughs.

Olympic Themes

The theme for VBS this year is "The Olympics". I've been researching some inspiring American Indian athletes who competed in the Olympics and am pretty amazed at their stories. I think the kids need to know about these heroes. They are American Indian and they did not allow circumstances to control their destiny. They overcame some pretty daunting obstacles - that's a message the kids we work with need to hear. I'm thinking of making some trading cards to give to each of the kids.

Cheri Becerra

An Omaha Indian, she also became the first native American to win an Olympic medal

when she claimed a bronze in a demonstration wheelchair event at the Atlanta Games.
.
She only started wheelchair racing in 1995 when a rehabilitation worker in her home town of Nebraska City, Nebraska, showed her a magazine article and encouraged her to get involved.
Before that, Becerra had been swimming for fun and fitness but had never competed at sports.
"Being in a wheelchair, so many people have the attitude that you can't do anything," she said. "It's events like the Paralympics that prove we can compete and that we are very capable."

Becerra became a paraplegic at the age of four, saying she went to sleep one night and woke the next morning without any feeling in her legs.
Doctors attributed it to an unidentified virus.
Becerra said it could have been a blessing.
"If I could walk, I don't think I'd be competing at an international level -- I doubt it," she said.

Billy Mills

Oglala Lakota Sioux

Born in Pine Ridge and raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Billy was orphaned at the age of 13.

He took up running while attending the Haskell Institute, which is now knows as the Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS.

He is the second Native American ever to win an Olympic gold medal.

He accomplished this feat in the 10,000 meter run at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics making him the only American ever to win the Olympic gold in this event.

Many consider his victory in 1964 to be the greatest upset in Olympic history.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell

member of the US Olympic team in 1964,

competingin Judo.

He is the only American Indian in Congress.

He is a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.

During Campbell's childhood, his father had problems with alcoholism, often leaving the family for weeks and months at a time. His mother had health problems, with tuberculosis that limited the contact she could have with her children and continued to force her into the hospital for long periods of time. These problems led to Ben and his older sister Alberta (who died in an apparent suicide at age 44) spending much of their early lives in nearby Catholic orphanages.
Campbell dropped out of high school in 1951 to join the U.S. Air Force.

Campbell obtained his GED while in the Air Force and after returning to the United States, Campbell used his GI Bill and work as a truck driver (he was and remains a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters)

Today's Update

I've been shopping for cleaning supplies today. Gotta keep those bathrooms clean and shiny. 150 kids + 15 crew + 2 missionaries + dirt + sweat + a watermelon eating contest + a building project + lunch for all 150 kids and crew + potty breaks + an EXTREME water fight all adds up to some pretty messy bathrooms. So I've been buying, boxing and stacking up the boxes today.

I imagine they have cleaning supplies there, but ya know what? We go through a LOT of them in a week so ... we take our own so we don't become an added expense to the missionaries there. We take paper towel and garbage bags too - we go through a LOT of those too.

And SURPRISE! My surprise for the crew arrived today! *evil grin* I'll be working on that tomorrow.

And we got some GREAT NEWS!! Papa Johns will be back for REZonate Music Fest again this year! And .... they are willing to glue some flyers about the event on their pizza boxes!

OK, speaking of Papa Johns ... I'm hungry - gotta go fix dinner.

A Shower

Today I received $150.00 for Melda's project from a friend who found us through Michelle's blog. Its amazing to see how people are pulling together to help out. Michelle posted about Melda after the presentation at church and the school principal read it and told Michelle that there is a gift at the school for Melda. :) Michelle and Sheri will be doing a shower and I hope to be able to have Melda come up and make Indian Tacos for us (we'll buy the ingredients) the last night we are there and then we can present her with the gifts. She will not be expecting that - at all and will be so surprised. I'll post the date of the shower as soon as I know it.

For anyone who may be interested, I've made up a list of things Melda might use. The electric is limited there so please no electrical items. Here are some ideas ...

Ideas for Melda’s Shower Gifts

Dish Towels
Pot scrubbers
Dish Soap
Pot holders
All sizes cast iron cookware
Non-breakable glasses/mugs
Kitchen gadgets (non-electrical, things like spatula, tongs, long-handled spoons, etc.)
Kitchen knives
Flatware
Tupperware type storage containers
Non-breakable pitcher
Cutting Board
Kitchen Rug – the floor tile is black
Blinds or Curtains and the hardware to put them up. (if we can find out what size windows we will be putting in) I would suggest something sheer since privacy is not an issue – they are all alone there and the window(s) may be her only source of light. (this is taken care of)
Scrapbook – made of pictures from the shower and pictures of the building project and then mailed to her after the building is complete. If this included names of everyone and maybe some info about them it would be cool for her to feel “connected” to those back here who were a part of it that she may never meet.

Drywall and VBS

Dennis just left from unloading drywall for Melda's. We got the big sheets so (hopefully) it will go up quicker and we'll have less seams. We have plenty of us to hold it in place until it gets fastened in good. I have a feeling we'll need pictures of that. :)

Also been hitting some garage sales and picked up some stuff for VBS games. Now I'm gonna hit the thrift store to see what others VBS game stuff I can come up with.

Updated List of Materials Needed for Melda's Kitchen

Here is an updated list. We may add to it as we think of things we've overlooked.

UPDATED: May 21, 2009

Lumber:
2) 2” by 12” x 12’ treated boards for decking beam
Misc treated wood for stairs
1. 1 - 2” by 12” x 12’ for stringers
2. 2 – 2” by 6” x 10’
12) 4’by 8’ T11 siding boards – Vinyl Siding Donated by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc.
14) 4’ by 8’ Light color Paneling (interior walls)
52 ft of fascia board

Overhang Soffit:
70’ of vinyl soffit – Donated by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc.
70‘of F channel - (we may have this too - I'm not sure what all of the stuff in my garage is for)

Roofing:
4) Square equivalent of metal roofing or 4) Square of shingles (12 Bundles) – Donated by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc.
320 sq/ft of tar paper for roofing – Donated by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc.
20’ roof flashing – Donated by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc.

Dry wall:
6) 4’ by 8’ drywall boards or 4) 4’ by 12’ boards - purchased May 9, 2009
1) 5 gal. buckets drywall compound – Donated by Ameridian Specialty Services Inc.
1) 5 gal. bucket drywall topping- Donated by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc.
Roll of dry wall tape

Hardware:
Nails (framing, finish, paneling) - Have a 5 gallon bucket of roofing nails donated by Charles Fraizer & a 1 gallon can of framing nails donated by Ameridian Speciality Services

5 lb drywall screws
10) 3\8” x 7” carriage bolts w/ washers and nut - (we may have this too from Ameridian - I'm not sure what the big bolts they gave us are)

Insulation:
350 sq/ft of insulation for walls (16” width between studs)
200 sq/ft of insulation for ceiling (24” width between rafters)

Paint:
3 gal. for interior walls and ceiling – 5 Gallon donated by Ameridian Specialty Services, Inc.

Doors:
Pre-hung Steel Exterior door - donated by Bob & Pat King
Storm door - donated by Bob & Pat King

Windows:
Any size, pre-hung Window - two windows donated by Bill & Dixie Phelps

Flooring:
250 Self-sticking vinyl tile - donated by Cliff & Judy Dyson
Woodwork or vinyl stripping for base of wall

Electric:
Electrical wiring – Donated by Hauser Heating and Air
Electrical boxes – Donated by Hauser Heating and Air

Misc.
Kitchen ceiling light – Donated by Hauser Heating and Air