Candy Cane Lane was a Huge Success

Preliminary counting says a lot of money was raised to help out good people.
Thanks again to John Kuehner and the crew on Murdoch.

I will update with totals and pictures soon.

PICTURES HAVE ARRIVED

stop by Nerinx Thursday or Friday to pick up great pictures.

I have plenty for everyone.....

Welcome Home

Welcome Home to all of the Biloxi girls! I think I can speak for everyone when I say we had an amazing trip. As Mr. Magee said at the beginning of the week, this isn't a service trip, it is an introduction to a life of service. I hope we all remember that as we think about the awesome experiences we shared this past week in Mississippi. Whether it was building a house from the ground up or drinking hood juice at D'Vine's Soul Food, this week made an impact on all of our lives. The community of Biloxi was so open to receive our help. According to Bono and Mary J. Blige, "we GET to carry each other." As the new class of seniors prepares for their last year at Nerinx Hall, as graduating seniors move on to start a new chapter of their lives in college, and as veterans get ready for the next phase of their lives, I hope we all remember this experience (and come back next year).

I want to thank all of the parents, students, and Mr. Magee for not only making this trip possible, but for welcoming me into your community. Enjoy your summer and I hope to see you all back next year!

-Real Chili

"I've Been Working on the Drywall..."

And now for a little ditty by Terri and Jenny:

(Sung to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad)

"I've been working on the drywall
all the livelong day.
I've been mudding and taping
just to pass the time away.

Cant's ya see the dust a flyin'
settling on the floors?
Can't ya hear us all sneezin'
and white stuff on my drawers.

Keller got it done. Keller got it done.
Two steps forward,
three steps back.

Keller got it done. Keller got it done.
And put the bricks right back!

Someone's in the kitchen paintin'.
Someone's in the closet I know, oh oh oh.
Someone's in the front room sandin'.
And the Hummels are here fo' sho'!

We're singing,
Fee Fi Fiddly Magee
Fee Fi Fiddly Magee ee-ee-ee
Fee Fi Fiddly Mageeeeeeeeee

Nerinx really LOVES Biloxi!"

Magnificence...

I was nervous before going on this trip. I have no connection to Nerinx Hall...no children that go to school there, didn't go there myself, and I don't even live nearby. I simply know the math teacher that organizes the trip, one Mr. John Magee. He was gracious enough to invite me to help on this year's trip, and I jumped at the chance. I was most nervous about driving down to Biloxi, no small trip, with 5 teenage girls I have never met before. That anxiety was wiped away in the first 5 minutes of the trip. I had a FABULOUS group of girls in my van. After going through Memphis by mistake, and then almost to New Orleans by mistake as well (quit laughing), I wondered if I would get the nickname "Jenny Wrong Turn". But finally we got to the Back Bay Mission, and our week began with a flurry of activity. Everyone was wonderfully polite and inviting, but still, I was overcome with emotions, being the only person truly here on my own and never having been on the trip before. Mr. Milford eased my mind and told me all would be okay. And it was.

It was more than okay...it was magnificent. Almost 100 young women worked together to help rebuild lives for people. Never complaining about the heat, the hard work, the weather, etc... They volunteered to work the food pantry, the Micah Center, Home At Last, the soup kitchen, and pass out leftovers to the homeless after our restaurant night. I had just met all of them and I was so incredibly proud to be with them. Their spirit to help others is contagious.

Upon my return I know I exhausted my husband's ears with stories. I laughed and cried while telling him of the week's events. Aside from giving life to my three children, I believe this Biloxi Back Bay mission trip was the most important thing I have done in my life. I will come year after year, if John and the girls would like or need my help, and as long as Biloxi needs assistance. Thank you to everyone who lent me a hand, bent their ear, gave me advice, and made me laugh on this trip.

Thank you also to the girls who were in my car, in my workcrew, and in my dorm at Seashore. You were amazing. I hope you continue to give back to those less fortunate, and inspire the people around you to do the same simply by your contagious spirits.

Jenny Florida

2 Kinds of Angels

Jimmy, the Hope Supervisor at 615 Roy, told me this story.....(paraphrasing) "God has put 2 different kind of Angels into our world. He puts the first kind on earth and gives him roles like the homeless, the hungry, the mentally unstable, the single mother with several kids, and also the angry old man. He puts these first type of angels on earth, to test us to see what we will do. But he puts a 2nd kind of angels on earth to take care of that first set of angels."

Jimmy told me "your students, these incredible young women, are the 2nd type of angels. I had a great week, because I was surrounded by angels all week."

----We tend to be quite grateful in the blessings we receive thanking God for our blessings. This trip was really about another kind of blessing: the opportunity to give. All week long we were given the opportunity to give, sometimes to people, sometimes to buildings, sometimes just a smile or a hug for the person painting next to you.

If Jimmy is right, we all have the opportunity to be that second kind of angel. Not only in Biloxi, but for the rest of our year. We just have to open our eyes, open our ears, and open our hearts to the opportunities around us.

I am so proud of the 99 students who were angels this week.

John Magee

A rap for the 2010 Biloxi Trip....

I'm lookin out the window in this rainstorm
This rain is insane, it's not the norm
I'm in here usin all these power tools
When all I wanna do is go jump in a pool
I know a few cuttin down Vietnam
Hey, it could be worse, at lease you're mot cleanin for your mom
I know a few people painting houses pink
We're all sweatin so much that we all stink
Other people pare dry wallin
Oh, hey, what's that? I hear Magee callin
I know some girls paintin houses twice
Movin those bricks from left to right
Always making sure those screws are tight
Others are puttin in the laminate floorin
Even though the rain outside is pourin
I walk into rooms and you're all journalin
While some of us here are just servin
Truly all of us are here havin fun
All hangin out in the sun
Makin sure those houses are good to go
And honestly we all know
We are makin a difference here
We love the people in Biloxi and that's all clear.




- Drooper (Maddy Niehaus)

Special Sauce

Fellow Followers of this here blog, I sit here reflecting after a very labor intensive week. HA! We are waiting for these really bad cooks to prepare our chow. Just kidding they are pretty decent, a level above the Nerinx Hall cafeteria food at least. Let's just say I'm happy my mom makes the majority of the meals at my house and not my dad. I'm very skeptical of the food they are preparing for us. They are a pretty secretive bunch. This week my job was to paint houses. I never realized how much of a perfectionist I was until I would see little smudges of blue left on the white trim left by a previous painter...or even myself. I'm pretty impressed with the work not only our mothers and fathers have put in but also the girls. We have worked extremely well together. Having such a big group be so close together is pretty amazing. Our chemistry is crazy awesome. I know my dad loved the job we had today because we painted the house purple, his favorite color. He is a true product of CBC or as most of us like to call it "Cry Baby College". Well I should probably go now because the food is a waitin'. (Actually I don't know what else to write because I have a lot of distractions surrounding me). But, you all probably want to be praying for all the people eating the food tonight, who knows whats cookin in the oven. This is a true testament of the dad's abilities to cook. If they really knew how to cook they'd add a lil' bit of special sauce to spice up the meal a bit.

Peace,

"Special Sauce"

Ellen Augsburger

Work Day 4

So far it has been raining all day in Biloxi. Most sites aren't able to work today because of the continuous rain, but a couple of sites like Roy and Keller are still working on houses inside. I'm on Peyton Street, but all of our work is outside with paint, so right now we're just waiting for the rain to pass. This morning I went to Loaves and Fishes, which is a soup kitchen. We were there from 9:30 until 1:00 and we served breakfast and lunch. For breakfast we served toast and sausage, and about twenty people came in for breakfast, which was from 10:00 until 10:30. Most of the people stayed around for lunch, which was from 11:30 to 12:30. For lunch we served spaghetti, spinach, squash, bread, and cupcakes, and we served about thirty to forty people. The people we met there were really nice and they asked us about St. Louis. One man we met was named Sam. He taught us some French and talked with us for awhile about what he remembers about St. Louis when he was last there. By the end of lunch, we asked him to come to dinner with the whole group tomorrow night and we're hoping that he will come. Hopefully the rain is going to clear up soon and we'll be able to get back to work.

--Timon (Kelley)

I Was So Excited I Ate My Hands

There are two kind of people in the world those that think they can, and those that think they can't, by the way both of them are correct.

I am spending a wonderful week with 127 who think they can.

It is amazing how much joy, there can be in hanging out with good people who are so committed to others and each other. I am doing a lot of driving this week, often hauling students who have worked in the soup kitchen or today working with the homeless in the Micah Center back to their construction sites.

They could linger for a moment in an air-conditioned room at Back Bay, but so often they are literally begging me to get back to the job. They want that work, that experience of building something of getting back to their team.

I am so proud of each and every one of these students, and their parents, and Bill, Terri, and Jennie who just decided to share their talent. And today, thanks to Tooter and Updog for their wonderfulness and the laughs they gave me.

Work Day 2

Work Day 2: Success! After many of us woke up early (5:45am to be exact) to cook a delicious breakfast for not only ourselves but the fathers too, we were off to our second day of work. Some of us went to finish painting the houses, serving the community at Loaves and Fishes, the local soup kitchen, finishing dry wall, building a deck, and scraping and painting more houses. It was a long, hot day, but we avoided the rain and got a lot done! The Nerinx Hall Markers sure are making our mark here on Biloxi. Everyone is having a great time at their site getting to know the people who live there, helping out the community, and seeing our hard work pay off. It's a great thing to see just how happy a little hard work can make someone.
At 4pm, most of us gathered back here at Back Bay for a meeting all about the true purpose of Back Bay. Not only is this a program to fix up and rebuild the area, it's all about helping people. Different branches of the program help people be placed in homes, it provides meals from the food pantry, and it has shower accommodations with hygiene kits for the community. Today, some of us worked at the local food pantry, some went to clean out apartments where Back Bay places disabled people that meet certain requirements, and others went to their normal job sites (as stated above).
After the meeting, everyone split up to take showers and clean up, and then we all joined back here for a great meal. Who knew that teenage girls would be so okay with picking apart seafood: crab, crawfish, and shrimp. It was delicious! After dinner, we had a special surprise for three people in our group: Grace, Mr. Toben, and Hayley. They celebrated their birthdays this week, so we gathered at Back Bay and sang to them and then we all dug into four delicious cakes made by Jenny Florida. We played games and right now we're just sitting in the main room hanging out. The SeaShore girls went home and we should all really start getting ready for bed! Tomorrow is Day 3 and we need to be ready! We love Biloxi! Can't wait for the Baptist mass tomorrow night!
See ya later, alligator,
The Back Bay Bunch
(Hayley, Jill, Erica, Meaghan, Emily, Sarah, Jenny, Libby, Sam, Megan, Lauren)

Work Day #1 at Gulf Port

Today we began our work for Hope CDA, which is an organization separate from Back Bay and a government-funded house repair organization. Their focus is to repair the houses already existing, not to completely start from scratch. However, today we found that our assigned project desperately needed to be completely torn down and built up from the ground. It seemed like a daunting task, but we quickly got to work. We began by cleaning all of the trash around the property and then began working on the house. By the end of the day we had ripped out most of the flooring, laid down floor joists, ripped out many of the walls, and laid down the subfloor. Although we have a lot of work yet to do, we made substantial progress and it already is looking so much better. Today some of us learned to apply more sunscreen, some learned to never use a port-a-potty, some learned to saw (Go Go Gopher and Twizzler pretty much beasted this one...), and some learned how to use a nail-gun. By the end of the day most of us were a few shades darker partially because of the sun but mostly because of the dirt. Around nine-thirty we were refreshed by some Mississippi rain soon to find that we were completely drenched from head to toe, despite our hats. Overall it was a fulfilling day and we are all looking forward to going back tomorrow. - P-Fitty, Mad Eye, Twizzler, uP Dog

Fantastic First Night In Biloxi

We finally made it to Biloxi. We settled into our rooms at SUMA (Seashore United Methodist Assembly) and Back Bay Mission. We got to meet all of our roommates for the next week. Those at SUMA after checking in we walked across the street to the beach. The sand was nice, but the water was a little dirty and cloudy, but the atmosphere was calm and relaxing. We enjoyed an afternoon with our friends. After spending some time at the beach we went to back to the dorms and got ready to leave for dinner at Back Bay. We piled way to many people into cars because we didn't have enough drivers. It was a bonding experience. When we got to Back Bay for dinner we found out that the people who were cooking dinner had just gotten the food so their would be a little wait. During the wait we played various games such as, Down By the Banks, the Umbrella Game, and Tap. It was a good way to get know each other. We had many laughs. We then got to eat dinner; spaghetti, salad, and bread. The girls cooking the dinner did a really good job cooking the food. We all raced to see who could finish their food first, partially because of the limited seating in Back Bay. We were all really surprised at how fast people could eat. After dinner we went back outside to play more games. Our first night in Biloxi has been really exciting and successful and we can't wait to find out what we are going to be working on for the rest of the week. We are also excited to get to know all the other girls on this trip better.
Signing off:
Kelly Anderson (Space Ghost), Teresa Nguyen (T-Noz), Anna Chott (Chongo)

After a grueling 7 hour drive (which actually flew by faster than expected), we got to in Jackson, MI with minimal damage. A broken car and a few detours later, everyone arrived safe and sound at the Hampton Inn. Before leaving for St. Richards parish, we played an intense round of UNO, SpongeBob style. At the parish, we were treated to the best home-cooked Southern meal we'd ever had and then surprised by a plethora of games. We played spoons, dodgeball, catchphrase, and bunko, which somehow managed to have different rules at every table. We finished the night with some karaoke and rapping done by the talented girls on this trip. The amazing hospitality of everyone in Jackson was greatly appreciated, and started off the trip on a very high note.
This morning, we returned to St. Richards for mass, where we were again welcomed warmly and even applauded at mass. After a mishap involving an automatically locking door and no working cell phones at the church after the service, we finally got on the road. A refreshing downpour at the Southern bbq joint drenched some of us during the lunch break, and most of us arrived on schedule at the Back Bay House by 3 (except for the two cars in the middle of Louisiana...). The accommodations exceed expectations (Harry Potter reference) and we are feeling energized and ready for the week ahead of us. Now we're off to play a game of frisbee! Talk to "y'all" later!
Love,
Mad-Eye (Elizabeth Modde), Whetsel the Pretzel (Catherine Whetsel), Showtime (Jenny Starrs), Lil' Bidness (Erica Watson)

let the good times roll

We made it! Some of us made short detours to Memphis and New Orleans along the way, but the end of the caravan is finally rolling into the Back Bay Mission House in Biloxi, Mississippi. After many long hours of driving, all of us, although slightly restless, are happy to be here. We're settling into our new homes for the week and getting everything situated, making trips to the grocery store and to and from Back Bay and Sea Shore. Last night we spent the night in Jackson. We arrived at the hotel and shortly headed out to eat a great home-cooked meal at St. Richard Parish. Thanks to Dana and her crew, we had fried chicken, corn, baked beans, desserts, and lots of fun and games. We spent a few hours at St. Richard's after dinner playing Bunko, Catch Phrase, Dodgeball, and Spoons, which, as you might guess, got a little to competitive, but no one got hurt!
The standards were set high for this trip after the awesome hospitality we received in Jackson. We participated in a nice mass this morning and then we were on our way. We're going to work hard for the next week to become the selfless people the backs of our shirts describe us as and to help the lives of many people down here.
'I am only one, but still I am one, I cannot do everything, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.'
Peace,
Patreece Smith (Midnight) & Libby Harbaugh (Shaking the Tree)

See You at 7:40 a.m.

This will change every day....check in all week for updates!!!

Required Reading

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

The End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder

The Theology of the Hammer by Millard Fuller

Last Week Announcements

Students

1) The veteran Biloxi students would like to have a half hour of your time to make
the trip better for you.

We will meet at 11:45 am....after your last exam in the back of the cafeteria.
This should not be a long meeting, but will be if we have to wait for you.

Please be there, if you cannot be there, please make arrangements to be there.

If you still cannot be there--talk to me tomorrow Tuesday.I will be in the building..

2) We are working hard to collect forms, insurance cards and contact info and
a few more payments.
If you are missing these, please see Mr. Magee tomorrow.

3) At 8:00 a.m. in the EAC, we will have a short less than 15 minute prayer
service before we leave.

Please invite your parents, who are dropping you off to attend this service.

You are expected to be on the back parking lot by 7:45 am on Saturday...

4) Also, Remember we are bringing underwear and socks for the homeless to MS.


5) I will be sending out a more formal email to your parents as soon as the last car details are complete..

Making a House a Home

I have seen the same pictures of Nerinx students working on installing drywall at 397 Howard a hundred times now. They are great pictures of what is done on this trip, but these "before" pictures pale in comparison to the "after" pictures.

I spent 10 minutes in the home of Ms. Nguyen, and 15 minutes on the porch of Mrs. Fields, but those moments really reinforced why we do this trip. I do not know who we will run into this year, whether it will be sweet, sunny Southern friendliness of a Mrs. Fields or the the always smiling resiliency and courage of Mrs. Nguyen. But each house has its own story, and each person their own tale. It is the simple act of reaching out, of the humility of putting others first, that we will try to succeed again in accomplishing this year.

So take a look at Maggie Herr(Magilla) and Megan Manuel (Mega)on a ladder, but then also of the home right above it.


John Magee

Biloxi 2010 !!!

Students and Parents,

It is time to start thinking and preparing on how you are going to best use your talents to share with our friends in Biloxi. My goals for you are quite simple, I want to introduce to you a lifetime of service. If you talk with any of the people who have gone in the past, you will find that Biloxi and their experiences are still very much in their heart and thoughts.

This is something you can do. If you think about the best thing you have ever done in your life, my expectations for you on May 30th are beyond that mark. The amazing thing is that every year I say this challenge, so many students not only go beyond their best, but go beyond...WAY BEYOND... my expectations.

That is your challenge to equal the tradition that the previous classes have established.