In February 2007, their second team was upgraded to a shower trailer built by a Presbyterian church in North Carolina. Conditions and morale soared and the St. Andrews team got a gleam in its eye: Maybe they could equip another shower trailer for ongoing Gulf volunteers.

They approached the church’s mission committee. They called the North Carolina church for information, the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) to determine need, and the other four Presbyterian churches in this area to see if they’d pitch in. Church member and licensed electrician Paul Ryan agreed to be construction manager; the Session approved the plan; thus Saint Andrews had a project on their hands.

"John Robinson is coordinator of PDA activities across the country and it was his enthusiastic reaction that allowed us to get excited. He came from Winchester in February to give the official launch," said Kaye Ortiz, moderator of St. Andrews’s mission ministry.

They bought a used construction trailer in Gloucester and hauled it up to the parking lot. It didn’t look particularly shower-sustainable, but the shell was sound. Deterring winds and rains finally slowed so that Saturday workdays could start. Volunteers, known as the Shower Squad, replaced rusted screws and removed the rear roll-up door, linoleum flooring, an air-conditioning unit, old electrical wiring and protective covering underneath the trailer. They’ve framed the interior, installed insulation, hung sheet rock, defined shower space with cant strips, installed three outside doors and completed new wiring. "The early stages were easy," said Paul. "Tearing out, we didn’t have to be so careful. But in the building stages, it was easier to make mistakes, and mistakes cost time and money."

Four men’s showers will be at one end of the trailer and four women’s at the other, with five coed sinks in between. It will use tankless propane water heaters. Vinyl flooring under the showers will act as sealed waterproof pans. Each stall is 36-foot square.

Progress is promising for June delivery to Olive Tree Volunteer Village in New Orleans. Thanks to generous area vendors, civic clubs and individuals, the project, even with gasoline costs, should come in under the $15,000 budget.

"This project gives people the opportunity to do mission work without leaving home," said Kaye.

"The beauty of this is a confluence of four streams meaningful to me," said the St. Andrews pastor, Rev. Dr. Tom Coye, "One is that we’re responding to emergencies happening in our country, not just sending money but doing something physically to respond to human needs. "Another is the stream of churches working together. That’s one of my dreams, and on this project Tappahannock, Milden, Wesley, Campbell and St. Andrews Presbyterian churches are all participating. "Another is that it’s not just a church thing, but we’re helping the community to also be involved. And finally, this shower trailer is more than a creaturely comfort. We’re building this because the PDA has made a longtime commitment of seven years to the Gulf area. We’re in this for the long haul.

( The foregoing is an excerpt from an excellent article by Jane Tims, published in the Rappahannock Record, and is reproduced in part with her permission.)

and the goal is to convert it to something like this -