Our Unique Experience

As we reflected upon the week, on Saturday, we realized that we all have changed, we shared in a unique experience.

Empathy. As we discussed what we had done this week for others, people that were strangers a week ago and are no longer strangers, and for people who are still strangers. Many of us felt that we had grown in our empathy for others. We felt that we would never look at our own homes and neighborhoods in the same way again. Through this unique experience we have changed.

Appreciation. Everywhere we went, restaurants, stores, and the people in the neighborhoods where we served, said “thank you”! Everyone was so appreciative of the work we were doing to help rebuild their neighborhoods. People seemed desperate to have their neighbors back home. As we talked about how often we heard “thank you” we came to the conclusion that the residents of New Orleans and the surrounding areas are feeling forgotten, feeling that the things may never improve and they wanted us to know that they are grateful to those that are still coming to help out. Through this unique experience we have changed.

Words cannot adequately describe the unique experience we shared this week. We saw homes, modest homes in neighborhoods that we probably would not venture into in our own towns. We saw people living under the highway in tents, the kind of tents we might camp in for a weekend. These tents were their homes, providing shelter for people without other resources, those looking for work, those working but that cannot afford any other shelter. We worked in homes that had been broken into, not for anything we would think was of value, but broken into because it might have more than the next abandoned house. These people live in a very humble world where they lost everything in one great storm. It is the people that continue to offer their time and gifts that offer hope in this humble world. What we brought was a variety of gifts and physical abilities that offered hope to those living, working, walking through the neighborhoods were we ministered.

Our ministry was in the paint, drywall, roof tar, brooms, rakes, sanders, plumbing wrenches and hammers that we used each day in these humble homes. Our ministry was in the coming together of two congregations, the combining of gifts and talents to make one unique group. Our unique experience was in the hope we offered in the blue shirts we wore each day that indicated we were there to offer our gifts in the recovery. Our unique experience was in the time and place that we were serving as instruments of God’s messengers of hope and love.

In this experience we were all humbled and gained so much more than we gave. We will never be the same, we have changed. It is our hope that through this change we can help others to be inspired to reach out, in their own unique experience, to love and serve their neighbor.

Over the Hump in New Orleans

Yesterday one of our groups completed a drywall job!! It is great to see a project complete down here as there remains much to do.
In the past three days we have met many people, just walking by our sites, police on the street corner, and our homeowners that are most appreciative of the work being done here. They thank us continuously, no matter where we are for our love and care of our neighbors here.
Today we mixed-up our groups and went out to our two other job sites. One of our teammates stayed at the Mission Center to do tons of laundry from last weeks over capacity crowd.
As one of our groups traveled to a job site, in the University Hosptial/Superdome area, we noticed that a tent city we had seen the day before was moved across the street. Many tents were set-up under the highway, one next to the other, there had to be close to 20 or more and many people standing around watching the rush hour traffice drive by. We do not know if these people are homeless from the storm or homeless since the storm.
As we drove home today, we took the Rt. 11 bridge back to the Mission Center, to check on the progress of this area of the North Shore. For those of you who have been here you may know this area as the place with all the waterfront homes that are built on stilts. There are some homes that have been rebuilt, most lots still are vacant with only the old stilts sticking out of the water. There are also some homes that are not yet rebuilt and remain as the storm left them.
As we approach the third anniversary of Katrina the evidence of the storm is still everywhere. Homes are still marked with the "X" that let officials know that the house was inspected and whether there were any found dead in the home, as indicated by a 0 or another number in one the "X" quadrants. People here are still living in FEMA trailers and there are still many streets that have only a few complete homes while the rest of the neighborhood stands vacant.
Tonight, at our evening devotions, we reflected on the days work and our experiences on this hump day. We ended with a blessing: "...but may we realize that, whatever we can do, great or small, the efforts of all of us are needed to do thy work in this world."

June 23, 2008

Today is the first day of work and we went into East New Orleans. The houses are spaced so close together. The three teams were assigned our jobs and we went. I went with Bob B. and Pastor. We gutted a bathroom in a house where a family was living. It was a nicely appointed home and the family was gracious. There were eight members of the family living there, three generations. The water came up three feet into their house and the house was a five step climb up from the ground. The home next door was boarded up and may be torn down. The gutting was dirty work, Pastor pulled down some drywall and black sooty powder went all over his head and down his shirt!!! He pulled off his shirt and I helped him wash up with a hose!! It was all on the "up and up!" This is a great experience and the people are so thankful for the help. Thank You Lord, for this opportunity.

Day 1: Our tour through FIVE States!

It is 10 pm local time and we have arrived in Laurel MS. I would say it was record time but probably not as we took our time and had trouble finding a hotel thanks to baseball games and The Mississippi State Games. But we all safe and there was no traffic and no construction delays! We are looking forward to more great days filled with God's blessings and doing good work.