Weekly Report from Johnson Bayou

BY: LINDA BRAUN

Our last week at Johnson Bayou.

We had a few last minute touches at Miss Myrna's home in order to be ready for the home dedication.

Just in time, Mr. Archie's kitchen and bathroom cabinets were delivered. Paul installed the lower cabinets before he left for home, and John installed the uppers and manufactured the counter-top.

March 27th was the date set for the two remaining home dedications. The dedication for Miss Myrna's house was conducted at 10:00 a.m. by Karl and Laura, Project Managers of the regular MDS unit at Cameron, who had started the project. There were many friends present in addition to the dignitaries and the local newspaper representative. Our Senior RV unit participated by presenting Miss Myrna with a small kitchen hamper, a “Bless this Home” plaque and an album of photos. We had personalized a copy of “The Hammer Brings Hope” with a guest register and Senior RV volunteer photos. Karl presented her with a quilt from the MDS ladies group, as well as a lovely predominantly purple quilted wall hanging. And then, last and most important, she received the Bible and the keys to her new home. She laughingly stated when receiving the keys: “Nobody in Johnson Bayou has to lock their house!”

As a final gesture of friendship, we all sang “God Be With You Till We Meet Again” in a chorus of wonderful harmony.

There were hugs of goodbye and off we went to Archie's house, a mile down the ridge. The dedication of his house was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Archie and his grandson, Ivan, were the only family present. Three of the dignitaries that had been at the other dedication attended, as they had been involved with the reconstruction of this “grandfathered” dwelling from the beginning, and had not yet seen the finished product. It was incredible they said, compared to the house which had suffered the damage from the storm. Our leader, Jake, did his first responsive ceremony, and then presented Mr. Archie with his quilt, a Bible and an MDS key tag for his keys.  All the time we had been at Johnson Bayou, we had open access to his house – the door was never locked.  He may not even know where the keys are. Our ladies put the quilt onto the new bed already in his bedroom, awaiting his move into his renovated home.

Our mission at Johnson Bayou is now complete, and we are all free to be on our way home.

It was such a pleasure to become personally acquainted with the homeowners, and discover their lives mostly contain the same family ups and downs as anywhere else. Mennonite Disaster Service encourages listening to the stories of the local people, with the belief it is an avenue to helping them cope with the blow life has dealt them with this disaster. However, this makes it all the more difficult to say goodbye, knowing we probably will never meet again. They certainly will be in our thoughts and prayers for a long time to come.

We have been bombarded with thanks and praise from the local people and homeowners saying what a blessing the volunteers of MDS are to them. It is so very true that when you are able to be in a position to help out where the need arises, the blessing is returned many times over. We have truly experienced this in our time at Johnson Bayou and area.