PDA Mission Trip #33 (New Bern, NC) Travel Day

Written by Lucille Baur

We came from Gaithersburg, MD; Rockville, MD; Alexandria, VA; St. Mary’s County, MD; North Potomac, MD; Youngstown, Ohio; Durham, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia…with the common goal of being a participant in our Rev. Mary Beth Lawrence’s last Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) Mission Trip with GPC! We all had “New Bern, N.C. or Bust” stickers on our various means of transportation. (Ok, maybe not physically, but it was certainly a mental image). Fortunately, our 19 hearty travelers made it safely to Neuse Forest Presbyterian Church, a PDA Mission Trip’s answer to Marriott. Only very minor mishaps to report. Fletcher and his passenger and former work colleague Wendell Nelson were delayed arriving because they hit one of those proverbial Route 95 backups during the North Carolina leg of their trip. Elisa McClelland’s car with passengers Laura Wilson and Alice Alexander, was the last to arrive on Sunday, but that is because this Creation Care committee leader drives an environmentally friendly electric vehicle which required a couple of recharging stops along the way. Perhaps most frustrating was the great disappointment that was suffered by the Three Amigos, Stuart Morrison, Bruce Andrews, and Stuart’s friend Dave Salak. They have made it a tradition to lunch at Carolina BBQ in Roanoke Rapids, but on this trip found it had closed for business. This resourceful trio just turned around and went to Ralph’s BBQ which they usually stop at on their way home. 

That’s just a light-hearted narrative of the prelude to our week of doing God’s work. In preparation, some created a cozy nook for their bed and belongings, others started a puzzle or watched Sunday-night football. But everyone enjoyed coming together again and preparing to take on the home repair and rebuilding tasks that will shape this 33rd GPC/PDA Mission Trip. Please keep your prayers coming…for abilities to complete our tasks, general safety, and most of all for our homeowners who have endured much but still keep their faith!