Mission Trip Day one
As arranged I arrived in the car lot of Our Savior at 6am, ready to help the packing of the van. To my surprise (and great delight) I found that my fellow goers had all ready arrived ahead of me, and other than a few bits and bobs (mainly my large suitcase) most of the van was ready to go.
As arranged I arrived in the car lot of Our Savior at 6am, ready to help the packing of the van. To my surprise (and great delight) I found that my fellow goers had all ready arrived ahead of me, and other than a few bits and bobs (mainly my large suitcase) most of the van was ready to go.
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| The Van packed and ready to go |
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| June Long Island Mission Team |
Pastor was there nice and early to wish us well, and after a prayer at 6:26am we were off o the road. Cliff at the wheel, the route was set.
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| Some excited Goers ready to depart |
I don’t think we were on the road but an hour before the first request for a rest was heard, actually this one was me…Coffee was high on the requirements list to help stay awake. We were soon back on the highway heading to New London to catch the ferry across to Long Island. The ferry leaves on the hour every hour, and we were aiming for the 10am departure. All things were on our side, GPS said we had time, the traffic was light to non-existent, but then…Potty BREAK. We did arrive at the ferry port with a minute to spare, and on arrival we were asked …Do you have a reservation? NOPE….Fearing the worst a one hour wait poor Connie felt bad and kept saying if she knew we were rushing she would not have asked to stop. However that was all in vain as they allowed us to board, and we pulled on to the ferry. We had not even left our vehicles as the ferry pulled out of port. That was close.
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| The ferry gates closing |
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| We are still getting out of the vehicle yet the ferry is off. So close. |
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| Time to find a nice area for the journey |
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| And here it is |
Orient Point NY was our landing spot. Just one road leading the way out so getting lost at this stage was not possible. We drove through some wonderful scenery, beaches and vineyards on both sides for as far as the eye could see. We soon stumbled across a quaint little restaurant called Skippers, and decided this was the place to have Lunch. The food was lovely and very much needed.
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| Half the crew ready to eat |
Next it was off to meet out guide Tom. Meeting point was a gas station of of Interstate 495.
Tom was a cheery fellow, we all introduced ourselves and then we all followed him to the Disaster Relief center where we had to have orientation and sign our waivers. Whilst there we were given a tour of the warehouse they use to store all of their supplies. The place is HUGE.
Next it was off to the place we would be calling home for the next few nights. I think it is fair to say that we were a little anxious about this part, not having heard any thing other than warnings about the area, including from the volunteer center. When we arrived it was clear to see that we were not exactly in the posh part of town, not even close. All of the buildings were either covered in security grills or gates, and those that were not were covered in boarding’s. Right in the middle was Christ Risen Lutheran Church. You can see it is old, and it too was completely covered in grills and cages all round. We opened the cage to the car lot and pulled in.
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| Tom and Arthur discussing the plan of action |
Tom was a cheery fellow, we all introduced ourselves and then we all followed him to the Disaster Relief center where we had to have orientation and sign our waivers. Whilst there we were given a tour of the warehouse they use to store all of their supplies. The place is HUGE.
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| A section of the warehouse supplies |
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| Tom explaining how the warehouse works |
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| The crewe signing forms |
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| Connie found space |
Next it was off to the place we would be calling home for the next few nights. I think it is fair to say that we were a little anxious about this part, not having heard any thing other than warnings about the area, including from the volunteer center. When we arrived it was clear to see that we were not exactly in the posh part of town, not even close. All of the buildings were either covered in security grills or gates, and those that were not were covered in boarding’s. Right in the middle was Christ Risen Lutheran Church. You can see it is old, and it too was completely covered in grills and cages all round. We opened the cage to the car lot and pulled in.
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| The Entrance to Christ Risen Lutheran Church |
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| Our own private car lot |
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| Faded but still present |
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| The girls are waiting for the doors to open |
The inside of the building still has the primary school feel to it, even though it has not been used as a school for over 6 years. There are several class rooms still with the old desks and chairs. We chose our dorms, and started to unpack.
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| Cliff and Bills Room |
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| Arthur and Janices Room |
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| My Room (ENSUITE lol) |
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| Connies Room which is also the TV Room |
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| Cafeteria |
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| Kitchen |
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| Kitchen |
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| Chapel |
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| Chapel |
After a wonderful dinner, a little ghost adventure (thanks to Constance and her wicked sense of humor) we were finally ready for BED. Good Night Brooklyn. Tomorrow will be a busy day.
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