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New Orleans, Louisiana Trip - Sue's and Diane's Journal
Pre-Trip | Saturday | Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday
Friday | Saturday
Pre-Trip
We're off! One executive sponsor from St. Louis, 14 Thrivent Financial for Lutherans employees from the Appleton area, 5 from the Minneapolis office, and 3 people from various areas across our field organization are en route to New Orleans.
In the way of introduction, we asked each person to share what they hope to gain from this week's experience, and what they are looking forward to most. During our return trip we'll be asking them about what surprised or impressed them most, and what 1-2 words they'd use to describe the experience:
Brad Hewitt (Executive Sponsor, St. Louis) hopes to gain an insight into how a group of Thrivent members can create an experience that leads to engagement both with Habitat and Thrivent, and is looking forward to new friendships.
Sue H. (Online Journalist, River Falls, WI) I hope to gain a personal view of New Orleans, it's people and the challenges they face. I am looking forward to meeting and spending quality time with great people, and appreciating the difference we all make in each other's lives.
Diane B. (Online Journalist, Black Creek, WI) hopes to gain a better understanding of the needs that people have, and is looking forward to making an impact on the lives of those who remain in New Orleans and working closely with them.
Jon S. (Minneapolis)—is looking forward to food, work, fun, and getting to know some good people. He hopes to gain a tan after the Minnesota winter, a few calluses from hard work and a sense of helping rebuild the city that he once knew as home.
Pat E. (Plymouth, MN) points to the saying that it is better to give than receive and notes that, "Giving back to an area that desperately needs it will offer a lifetime of memories. We're doing a good thing, and it feels great! "He looks forward to meeting Appleton co-workers and being a part of something that is much bigger than him.
Mike S. (Appleton, WI) expects to gain the chance to contribute to the rebuilding of New Orleans, knowing that the need for the type of housing that we are building is still great. He's looking forward to seeing the rebuilding already completed and in-progress, and also seeing the state of hardship that remains yet 1 ½ years after the hurricane.
Linda A. (Kaukauna, WI) is anxious to share her time with people in need, and looks forward to meeting the family and starting to build and make a difference in others' lives.
Tom B. (Cottage Grove, MN) expects to gain a view of what really happened in New Orleans, and how much work there is left to do. He expects that he will leave New Orleans with an appreciation of how blessed he really is, knowing that he has been able to help a family have a new home. He looks forward to also having a little fun in the process.
Dan S. (Greenville, WI) hopes to improve his interpersonal skills and teamwork, make new friends and experience New Orleans cuisine. He looks forward to the gratification of helping others, and expects to be more of a proponent of volunteerism.
Sue P. (Appleton) hopes to gain new friendships, new perspectives, and to learn how she can do more good for others. She is most looking forward to the satisfaction that comes from helping improve the lives of others in need, others who need hope and assistance to get their lives back on track.
Linda W. (Freedom, WI) hopes to understand the magnitude of what the hurricane did to New Orleans, and looks forward to knowing that what she is doing is going to help make a difference in someone's life!
Deb W. (Co-leader, Appleton WI) hopes to continue to share the Habitat experience with others so that they may look to take advantage of an opportunity like this sometime in their life. She looks forward to helping families who are in need and creating new relationships.
Gary I. (New Ulm, MN) hopes to gain new friends, and looks most forward to being a part of a team that will have an impact on some of the people of NOLA. He looks forward to the impact he anticipates the people of NOLA and team will have on him.
Pete B. (Minneapolis) hopes to meet and get to know more Thrivent employees. He is looking forward to the warm weather and using his hands to help build a home for someone who truly needs it.
Faye R. (Appleton) doesn't see the trip as being about her, but hopes to gain additional building skills that will help her with her own house projects. She is looking forward to experiencing the culture in the area to gain another perspective, and is excited about helping in any way that she can.
Peggy G. (DePere, WI) is looking forward to the experience itself, and being able to 'pay it forward.' "So many people have helped me during my life's journey that I hope I will be able to help someone else build their home and fuel their hope and passion and to move others to pay it forward as well."
Margaret K. (Appleton, WI) hopes to come away with the feeling that she was able to give back, and able to appreciate all of the good thing in her life. She is looking forward to working hard and having a little fun in the Quarter.
Brian C. (Greenville, WI) hopes to gain a better understanding of the tragedy that occurred, the recovery work that remains, and the character of the people who are persevering. He looks forward to doing his small part to directly help a family rebuild their lives.
Cathleen K. (Austin, TX) hopes to gain a sense that she has contributed to the improvement of someone's life, and leave with a greater appreciation for having been spared such a loss. She is looking forward to getting to know new people, and working together to reach a common goal.
Chris W. (Appleton, WI) wants to take back a perspective on life that he will be able to pass down to his children. He is looking forward to meeting some locals to gain insights on their experiences over the past 2 years.
Jeff P. (Journal Photographer, Appleton, WI) is looking for a sense of helping out the families in this stricken area. It's sort of one of the US's little war zones. At the same time, he's curious to learn about the different construction styles and techniques necessary for the area. Jeff is also looking forward to seeing the outpouring of support he keeps hearing about. Jeff wants to see what affect thousands and thousands of people can have on a city/region torn apart so badly by the hurricane and its aftermath.
Greg R. (Co-leader, Combined Locks, WI) is looking forward to teaming up with others (our team, construction crews and Camp Restore) to help families in need and make a difference serving God. Greg expects to get a much better understanding of how really painful the recovery has been and will be for many years to come for the people of New Orleans, "I'm hoping to walk away from this trip having an even deeper appreciation of what our family has, and often takes for granted."
Patrick O. (Roseville, MN) is just looking forward to the experience as a whole. He hopes to grow as a person by learning new things about himself.
Saturday
A Day of Travel, Anticipation and Contrast
The team gathered at the airport gate and matched faces with pictures we'd shared earlier. There was lots of energy and excitement—so much, that I think that a number of nearby travelers were wishing they could join the trip. In fact, one gentleman stayed right in the middle of the group and shared in the reflection that Jeff led!
After we collected luggage and piled into our caravan of rental cars, we headed to Camp Restore. The drive was filled with contrasts. At times, everything looked normal, and you could pretty much convince yourself that this was just another trip to just another city. Then, we began to see a burned shell of a building here and there. Occasionally, vacant buildings were interspersed among active businesses. Trailers nestled next to houses without windows. Row upon row of crisp white, cookie-cutter trailers lined one entire block. By the time we reached Camp Restore, it looked more like a ghost town.
We toured the 'Camp'—and found dormitory style rooms, filled with bunk beds. It's hard to conceive that we are sleeping in classrooms that formerly housed 100 active children before Katrina. (Only 3 students returned afterward.) Much of the orientation made me feel like I was truly going to camp.
After a little time to unpack, it was off to the French Quarter for dinner. Again, I couldn't help but be struck by the contrasts—great food and friendship, lively music and activity on Bourbon Street—much as I remember it from the last time I was here in the mid-1980's. But then, we drove home again through dark neighborhoods, and empty houses. And we all remembered why we are here.
Quote of the day from our hosts at Camp Restore: "Be flexible! Blessed are the flexible, because they will not get bent out of shape!"
Sunday
Connecting with the Community and Preparing for Work
We had a leisurely start to the day and then headed next door to our host congregations for worship. I say congregations because Katrina created the opportunity to blend 2 churches—Prince of Peace and Bethel Lutheran. One lost their pastor shortly after the hurricane; the other lost their facilities. They now worship as one.
While cell phones had been already ringing that morning, and continued to ring throughout the day with Mother's Day wishes, we were quickly reminded of the occasion again in the children's sermon. Pastor Dave shared that God's love is like a Mom's love—always watching, forgiving, and caring. This touched many of the Moms among us, given that we were all away from our families. The roses that the congregation presented to all of the Moms (our group included) were especially touching as many of us thought about what these families themselves had been through … and yet, they were still giving to us! Again, we realized that our being away from home represents such a small contribution in the total scheme of things!
We came back to camp after the service for our own reflection, and also to view a presentation of the day-to-day progress of Katrina's path and devastation. As a result, we have a much better understanding of the magnitude and the causes of the destruction we're seeing.
In the afternoon, it was off to the French Quarter for a bit of team building and relaxation before our 'real' work begins. We are all getting into the local cuisine—crawfish, po boys, Creole, gumbo, and boudin! I had learned all about boudin at the airport from a gentleman I'd met from Arkansas—and was delighted to find it on a menu. (It was as good as he'd described!) We had time to wander the Quarter and enjoy the works of the local artisans and musicians before enjoying an outdoor team dinner.
The temperature was warm—and we all kidded about getting conditioned for tomorrow. We know it's going to be hot and potentially challenging work—but we're ready to "let our little lights shine"—just as we all sang together this morning!
Quote for the day: "When someone asks you to pray for them—stop right there, and do it! Don't put it on the list for next Sunday." (Ed - one of our hosts from camp.)
Monday
Starting clean
Most of us were up and out of bed without need for alarm clocks. We joined other workers in camp for a quick breakfast and devotions. This week's camp director, Curtis, started the reflection by reminding us that Katrina was really the first of four catastrophes that struck New Orleans—the others being Rita, the breaking of the levees with the resulting floods and finally, the Exxon oil spill. In JRR Tolkien's words, every good story needs a 'eucatastrophe.' ('Eu' means good.) In his view, this has become a "you-catastrophe" in the "you" bring the good! We certainly feel appreciated!
Devastation is all around. The ride over the highway bridges on the way to the work site brought memories of seeing people awaiting rescue on those same bridges. We reported to Musicians Village at 7:30 for our orientation and assignments. Habitat leaders explained safety rules and began to call out jobs and numbers of workers needed for each. We were delighted to find a perfect assignment for a group of 25, and rounded out our team as we joined forces with Jill (TX) and AT (a Thrivent member from Minneapolis) who both work for United Health Care. They immediately fit right into the team and we were hard at work re-framing the house and installing concrete siding in no time! (Yes—concrete siding … who would think???)
We noted a number of profound contrasts throughout the day:
- The brightly colored purple, orange, yellow, green, and blue houses of Musician's Village standing in sharp contrast to the piles of brown and grey refuse laying all around.
- Very clean and organized worksites in the midst of debris. Several people commented about having a compelling urge to just start picking up garbage --- but feeling so overwhelmed, and not knowing even where to start. (The work that we will be able to accomplish this week seems so insignificant in comparison to everything that needs to be done.)
- Sea shells that had no business in an inland residential neighborhood … but that had been haphazardly deposited there by the floods.
- The overall silence of a deserted neighborhood … broken by the chiming melody of the ice cream truck. We couldn't help but think that Katrina and Habitat have been very good for the traveling ice cream business!
We had a real sense of accomplishment from the tremendous progress that we made on 'our' house. We were delighted to know that our site manager thought so also. Eric indicates that he plans on doing his best to keep us on the same site tomorrow.
It was then back to camp for much needed showers, a few quick naps, and some time together to visit before dinner. I'm pretty confident that everyone is going to sleep well tonight! The question is in how well we'll move in the morning. Time will tell…
Quote for the day: "You don't appreciate being clean, until you've gotten really dirty!" (FR Cathleen K. - Texas.)
Tuesday
Ambiguity and Change!
"Rise, Shine, Give God Glory, Glory!" What a great song with which to start the day! Everyone was up and ready for breakfast in the dining hall by 7. We were then off to the Habitat worksite for our daily orders. That process in itself is rather amazing. Several hundred people pour into the open field each morning—much like day workers, but thankfully, our livelihood doesn't depend on our getting work. (Thank goodness!) Some are first timers, and others (like us!) are now veterans. Knowing that this same process has gone on day after day for month after month, and that it needs to go on day after day, for a very long time yet is also a bit overwhelming.
We learned that we had accomplished as much work on our house yesterday as normally gets done in an entire week. No wonder Eric was there waiting for us - just as he'd said. But, we soon learned that another worksite manager knew we were coming because he'd worked with Gary I. and another Thrivent group several weeks ago. He had two houses in progress, and requested that our group work with him! It's a good thing we learned about flexibility on our first day, because after a bit of discussion between the two managers, we were off to Dave's houses on another side of Musicians' Village. We soon converted from 'rough' carpentry outdoors, to finish carpentry indoors. Or, perhaps I should say we started to convert? The start to the day was a bit slower and we learned about installing door frames, trim and baseboards. Moving from relatively unskilled labor to more skilled and precise tasks challenged many of us. Thankfully, the day was a bit more overcast, and there was a great breeze for most of the day which made work a bit more bearable.
We had a real treat at lunch, in that Ricardo Crespo, one of the musicians who has already moved into Musicians' Village invited the workers to a front porch concert at his house. His pride was evident as he welcomed concert-going workers to tour his home (as long as we took our shoes off!) Appreciation for our work continues to be evident as even cars driving by shouted a "Thank you" to us.
As we drove back to camp, several people related the simple changes we'd had to make today to the much bigger changes the people in the neighborhoods in which we were working must have faced. Their lives literally stopped as the wind and water poured in. Where have they gone? The empty school across the street may never again be filled with happy, laughing, noisy children. Each silent, empty house around us has a history that it cannot share. We'll never know where the people have all gone. How many will come back? As we sit in the midst of the deserted homes all around us, we can't help but think of our own families and neighbors, and how we'd miss them if we were ever faced with our own need to evacuate.
Quote of the day: "I live life by a quarter of an inch at a time!" (Chris W. on flexibility, finish carpentry, and life in general!)
Wednesday
Messages for Mid-week
We started the day with devotions that included the following message:
"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed."
(2 Corinthians 4:8 & 9)
More on this later!
I guess that by the 3rd day on the job, even the slower volunteers can recite the safety rules pretty well, or at least be OK with a quick refresher, so we didn't need to report to the day's orientation. Instead, we got to sleep in a little this morning and go directly to our job site at 8 a.m. Cathleen and Brad volunteered to stay at camp to help with 'chores' there. They also volunteered to do the team laundry which was greatly appreciated by all. We felt especially honored to think that a member of our Executive Management Team would offer to take on that task for the team. Where else but at Thrivent would that happen?
Our site manager, Dave, reviewed the tasks for the day. We made a few adjustments and were working in no time. With smaller teams dividing assignments combined with the experience we had gained yesterday made everything go much more smoothly. We were able to finish a good share of the trim and baseboards in both houses today.
At times, we've found it challenging to work for several bosses, as various site managers seem to have different techniques and expectations. However, we've all pretty much decided that being a site manager for Habitat has to be among the toughest of jobs. It's hard to picture starting almost each day with a new crew of volunteers, while still being expected to get a quality home constructed. Some volunteers know very little about building. Others may think they know more than they really do, while still others actually know too much, and have their own ideas of what needs to be done and how. (We've had interesting discussions about which would be worse!) Everyone is anxious to help, but isn't always sure of what to do. Having 25 or more people all coming at you for with questions requires more patience than maybe should be humanly expected—especially in hot temperatures and high humidity. Sometimes, as with Dave today, one manager might need to supervise workers at several sites because there are almost too many volunteers. (What a pleasant problem that is—but still a problem, none the less!) Thinking about all of this left us wondering what the average job-life expectancy of a site manager might be - but we didn't want to bother Dave with that question on top of all the others we were throwing him!
Dave also spent a little time with us at lunch, showing us one of the 'gutted' houses across the street from ours, and sharing a bit of history around its shot gun design and structure. Interestingly, hallways and closets were originally taxed as rooms—so early structures were built without them. Most of the houses around the neighborhood now consist simply of two-by-four framed rooms within exterior walls. Their futures are still unknown. Some are deeded to people who died years ago, so ownership is in question. Some have been abandoned, but even still owners might change their minds and return. Abandoned houses will eventually be reclaimed by the city and turned over to organizations like Habitat. It all seems like a huge jig-saw puzzle with lots of missing pieces. Maybe some day everything will fit back together again.
As we left work, it was off to our daily Winn-Dixie 'supply' stop. We elected to take a circuitous route back to camp to view the lower ninth ward, the memorial that has been built from Katrina, and the levies that failed. It was still a little haunting to stand there and picture the water pouring in. In this area, there are fewer devastated houses. There are very few houses at all—just remnants of footings where houses once stood before they were washed away.
Several in the group visited with Alvin, the landscaper who came to mow the lawn next door. You see, it is important for homeowners to keep their lawns mowed as a sign of ownership as homes with overgrown lawns are subject to being claimed by the city as abandoned. Alvin shared that he sees this situation as a huge opportunity, and has started a business that he intends to pass to his son. Thus, the day came full circle from where it began, as Alvin provided first-hand proof of the very scripture verse we'd heard this morning. And, so it is with many of the people we talk to all around us.
Quotes of the day:
"Don't give up on us. We're going to get this done!" (Alvin, the landscaper)
"I am coming home. I will rebuild. I am New Orleans." (From the Katrina Memorial)
Thursday
Coming Together!
The day at the site began where yesterday left off - finishing trim work on the interiors of both houses. It wasn't too long, though, before some of the team members began prepping for painting. Tape, brushes and primer were soon finding their ways to the walls in the 'right' house. The 'left' house had a bit more finish work to be done.
It has been interesting to watch the evolution of our team this week. People have really enjoyed getting to know each other, and move freely from one 'group' or conversation to another. Sub-teams form quickly based on the nature of the work to be done, the activity, or the destination, rather than the people involved. Last night, we all went to dinner together at Patrick O'Brien's. After dinner, some investigated Bourbon Street. Others opted to go on a ghost tour. (We decided that this was really a history tour of the French Quarter, but marketing it as a ghost tour is probably more enticing.) As the women returned home and settled into our bunks for the evening, someone commented that the laughter and giggles truly made it seem even more like a slumber party. And, just as at camps in our younger days, there finally came a knock from the adjoining wall where apparently the men were more inclined to be sleeping.
We've had several other additions to our team.
- Loren, the lead recruiter for CNN, and John, the head of marketing at the Hilton, Kauai, came to New Orleans individually for their 'vacations,' picked up with our group yesterday. They returned again today, and promised to finish the week with us tomorrow. We've really enjoyed knowing and working with them.
- Winston is a black retriever who was adopted last week by Chance, another of the Habitat site managers. Chance relates that Winston has apparently been wandering around for quite some time, and has as a result, was initially very distrustful and aloof. He's certainly largely overcome that as evidenced by his friendly desire to recoup the attention he's apparently been missing. Winston's 'story' has touched a number of the pet owners on our team as they've recognized that Katrina also disrupted numbers of animal lives.
Camp Restore has exceeded our expectations in terms of space, comfort, and hospitality. We have lots of room to spread out, given its overall layout and space, and also that it is operating at far less than its full capacity of 164 this week. We have about 20 or so others with us in camp, and have enjoyed getting to know them as well. The facility has hosted nearly 2500 volunteers since its opening last October, who have contributed over 64,000 hours of service renovating homes and churches. Additional bunks, the camp kitchen (provided by Orphan Grain Train) and a group of showers are located in trailers outside. The staff and longer-term volunteers are housed in still more trailers or motor homes out back.
Yesterday, I wrote about the many missing pieces in the puzzle around us. As I talked to other members of our team today, I learned about an experience they had in the lower ninth yesterday. Brian C. is doing some of his own blogging, and captured their story this way:
As we were milling around the site, one team member kicked up a piece of clay pottery that had writing on it. Some more of us gathered around, found other pieces and soon, like a puzzle, the original work began to emerge.
The assembled pieces formed a simple wall hanging entitled, "Kitchen Prayer." It was the kind of small, inexpensive meal-area decoration any of us could have in our own homes. Or we could see it on the wall at our parents' house, or our grandparents'. Maybe even remember it hanging above the table at our best friend's.
The Thrivent Builds New Orleans team has been surrounded by destruction and hardship all week, but stumbling upon this moved many of us. It brought into sharp focus the violence unleashed by the flood. And an image of the houses that once stood on those empty foundations and the people who lived in them instantly became clear and real.
We gathered up the pieces of the wall hanging, and one of our team leaders plans to have it reconstructed and preserved. Among the lasting reminders of what we've seen in New Orleans this week, it may prove to be the most powerful.
Our team has come together in the spirit of service – feeling a need. Rev. Robert Smith, a missionary to Indonesia, spoke about service in the message this morning. He indicated that he'd become, "Too old too soon, and smart too late." So, he intended to help us get smarter sooner!
The quote for the day therefore comes in the form of a story about a monkey and a fish paraphrased from Rev. Smith's message:
A monkey saw a fish jumping in and out of the water. The monkey decided that the fish needed help, because it kept falling back into the water. So, the monkey climbed out on a branch that hung over the river, and sure enough – he was able to grab the fish so he could help it out of the water. He put the fish up on shore, and the fish jumped for joy at first. But, then it lay silent. The monkey had good intentions. However, true service (altruism), requires that we focus on meeting others' needs out of true concern for them – not for ourselves.
Friday
Everyone was anxious to get back to the site, and see how much we could get done before we left. It was another beautiful day - complemented with warm breezes and perfect for painting. With brushes and rollers in nearly everyone's hands, we were able to finish priming in both houses, and completed two finish coats of paint and the front of the exterior on the 'left' house. It was another day filled with hard work, but also one where you could look back and see 'real' progress! Many of us contrasted this to our 'day jobs,' where progress isn't always as evident.
After lunch, Lawrence, another of the local neighbors came by the worksite on his bicycle on way to another 'job.' You see, Lawrence is the local volunteer handyman who goes from neighbor to neighbor to do what he can to help anyone in any way that he can. He stopped to talk and share his story - his escape from Katrina and the generations of his family's roots planted in the 9th ward. Lawrence is a survivor who is committed to rebuilding the area. His love for New Orleans, his family and the neighborhood was most apparent as he talked—and many tearful eyes remained as he peddled on his way.
Leaving the worksite the last time was rather bittersweet. There were lots of hugs and handshakes as we said good-bye to Dave, Chance, Winston, and Loren and John (our two adopted teammates.) There was a tension between the feeling of wanting to stay given all the work yet to be done, and the excitement of knowing we'd soon be returning home.
We closed the week with a team dinner at Deanie's - a local seafood place on the south side of Lake Ponchartrain. Our Habitat coordinator, Melissa Manuselis joined us, and shared more perspectives on Habitat's work in Musician's Village and the owner of the 'left' house that is nearly complete after our week of work. Duane is a single, 23-year-old fast food manager with a young child. Duane will be joined in the Musicians' Village community by another 70 single-family home owners, and owners in five elder duplexes. A community-friendly center will round out the Village when it is done in the next several years. We were encouraged to learn that the stream of Habitat volunteers has continued to grow since Katrina. In 2006, there were about 15,000 volunteers. That number has already been surpassed this year! More are needed.
Jon S. closed the dinner with a reflection in Deanie's parking lot. Jon held true to his profession as a market researcher by sharing statistics about the growth—and subsequent shrinkage of New Orleans from the time that he lived here in the 1980's through the present. Jon has a perspective and love for the city that was very apparent, not only in his words tonight, but also as he provided commentary and history as we drove around the city throughout the week. Tonight was no exception as Jon guided us on a final tour of some of the most beautiful and historic parts of the city as we headed back through the downtown and back to the French Quarter for a final night out as a team.
This morning's devotion had encouraged us to take our stories home to plant seeds in others' hearts based on what we've seen and experienced this week. Everyone's eyes have certainly been opened, and it's apparent that most are still 'processing' everything we've seen and experienced. There were long pauses filled with simple silence in our return trip this evening.
Quotes of the day: As we sat on the steps of the deserted school across the street during lunch, team members shared some of the 'fun' things they've learned this week. The resulting list provides a few insights on the subtleties of life on a Thrivent-Builds project:
- You can't trade for much with raisins.
- Beignets are good cold too!
- There are pot holes big enough to swallow cars.
- Team members have sides other than we see at work.
- Senior executives do know how to do laundry.
- Caulk can cover almost any mistake.
- Measure twice, cut once. Measure twice, cut twice. Measure infinitely and still re-cut!
Saturday
Homeward bound
The day was off to an early start for some, as the Appleton, Texas and St. Louis contingents headed off to the airport at 7 a.m. The Minneapolis group was all (well, almost all) up to see them off. Two team members moved to a hotel to spend the weekend in the French Quarter. Another planned to join his wife for a weekend visit with old friends in the area. The Minneapolis group did a final cleaning of the dorm rooms and packed into the van to travel east on Hwy 90 along the coast line.
We drove for over an hour—often in silence, looking at remnants of buildings, boats, and damaged houses—but mostly seeing only footings and foundations without houses. The bridge that connected Bay St. Louis and Gulfport, Mississippi opened this past Friday, for the first time since the onset of Katrina's rage. The ferry that undoubtedly has worked so hard over the past 18 months was finally resting at the dock.
By the time we got to Gulfport, the consensus was that we were all pretty depressed from looking at the massive devastation. (The good news for us is that we had a choice to move on. Locals aren't that lucky.) Our goal had been to find a local restaurant for lunch. This proved harder to do than we'd thought, given that most were still closed. Finally we settled on a local deli, and after lunch, headed back to New Orleans via Hwy 10 and the 20-plus-mile bridge that spans Lake Pontchartrain. After one last stop in the French Quarter to gather last-minute souvenirs, a stop to drop off the rental car and a few minor delays in take-off, we were on our way. Being home again was great—partly because of reuniting with family members, but equally from the appreciation that we have solid, dry homes that have not been touched by Katrina!
We asked team members what had surprised or impressed them the most this week, and their responses included:
- How so little makes so many happy
- The amount of work a group can accomplish when they work together
- How small, but powerful, the seeds are that we planted in Musician's Village
- How much of the city has come back
- How much work there is yet to do—unbelievable!
- The contrasts in the city—the festive, jovial atmosphere of the French Quarter compared to the devastation in the surrounding city
- The hopeful, optimistic attitudes of the people we met
- Seeing tents of people living underneath the freeway exits
- The grounding in family, community and love for New Orleans among those who've stayed
- The strength and dedication of the long-term volunteers at Camp Restore and Musicians' Village
- How much was damaged, and that this isn't still in the news. Most Americans have likely forgotten about this
- The stories and appreciation of the local residents
- The numbers (300-400) of volunteers who showed up each day
While I've been the primary writer for the week, Diane has partnered in preparing the journal entries by serving as a 'reporter,' capturing ideas and thoughts and coordinating photography. She's written this closing to the week to share:
"Like the sand in an hour glass, our journey has slowly slipped away, but not without a profound lasting effect. Today, being the last build day really struck a nerve and as we drove away, I found it almost difficult to look back, though the snapshot in my mind will last forever."
I know I speak for all team members, when I say, "Thanks" - to Diane for her work, to Jeff for the great photography to round out our story, to Greg and Deb for organizing and leading the event, to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans for sponsoring the trip, and also to each and every team member for their hard work, and for making the week one that none of us will forget!
- Sue
Quote for the day: "Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin." (Mother Theresa)