Thoughts from team members

Today was the first day on the work site and we got the meet the home owners. They were so grateful that we were volunteering to help out down here. There was even one woman who had stopped and talked to us, and was just so appreciative that were helping. To see the schools was also horrible. They had been there for so long, and now everything is just getting demolished. Last night we went to Doug's grandmother's house and it was just devastating to see that all of her belongings still there. The car ride back was absolutely silent. I think that it became real to everyone as of yesterday. I'm so thankful that the Lord has provided me with everything that is needed.

After yesterday everything became real to me. It was extremely sad to see that house, but today actually meeting the owner of the house that we were working on was really emotional for me. To think that this woman lost everything is just horrible and there were so many others along with her. Today was life-changing for me.

While driving through the actual neighborhoods and "suburbs" today a feeling of helplessness came over me. I realized it isn't just a house here or there, or that it's almost done, or even close to it. Entire streets and neighborhoods just destroyed; house after house and no end in sight. The fact that I could feel that sense of "no hope" made me think about how hopeless things must feel to the people who actually experienced it. This showed me how much we're needed, not only to rebuild homes but to restore hope in a time and place that seems hopeless.

I had a hopeless feeling in my heart driving through the streets of New Orleans realizing how much work had to be done but I also had hope after I saw how willingly we jumped into our tasks and realizing that we are another link in the chain of volunteer workers who will come and go and finish the job others started and that we contributed to this week and with a little luck and a lot of prayer we can see a new New Orleans.
Between today and yesterday, everything became incredibly real. After seeing the destruction in person, I gained a better understanding about what happened here and what people have gone through that was never shown on TV.

So many times stand out just driving through some of the devastation. The two things that made my heart hurt was when I was told that 75% of the people living in New Orleans before the storm did not come back. I was told that is the majority of the blue collar work force, and one of the major reasons noting is getting fixed quickly. The second thing is that people are so resigned to their fate. The woman who owns the home we worked on today has not lived in her house for almost two years. I forget that this is her every day. Her reality. I expect sorry but a see same old same old mentality. It was heartbreaking. I was encouraged however by our team. They worked so hard for this woman to try to get her back into her home. We have such great students with us here.

Even with all the destruction that was done to the young boy Lestor's home, he was still filled with the youthful exuberance that all happy children are filled with.

It was amazing to see everyone work so hard in heat and humidity learning new tasks.

Nothing could've prepared us for what we saw last night at Doug's grandmother's house. Sure, we saw tons of pictures during training and heard stories, but those things had minimal impact compared to going into that house last night. Everything was either gone or piled on the floor. 80 years of special possessions from that woman's life were destroyed. The water line was above the door frame. Mold ate the walls. As you walked through the front door, the only thing that you could think was, "…wow." Everyone walked through the house in shock. Most of the only muffled words were, "This is so sad.'' The ride home was completely silent. I know everyone in the car was watching the city thought the windows and finally realizing how much the hurricane affected almost every building and person they saw. For me, that's when I realized that no matter how much we wanted to help, these people, all these people, really NEED help. Nothing could've prepared us for last night.

Today at the jobsite, our team had the opportunity to hear stories from people affected by Hurricane Katrina directly. Although I knew that the city had flooded, I didn't realize the impact it left on the people of New Orleans until today. One woman had lived in her house for over fifty years. When Katrina hit, all of her possessions sat under right feet of water for weeks. We heard other similar stories today too. These people are not only in the process of rebuilding their homes but also their lives. I loved how positive they were despite their losses.

Today's work helped foreshadow to me the feelings I am going to have about wanting to finish and not leave. Even in the state of exhaustion, I felt a burning drive deep within me to continue until I no longer could. The joy of the homeowner at the sight of our little progress motivated me especially after she had told us that she had seen so many groups come and go and she is still appreciative of each of our efforts.

On Sunday, we got our first glimpse of the personal side of Katrina. The news channels showed all the aerial shots of the Superdome and the looters and the burned stores, but walking through somebody's home, looking at all of their possessions, moldy and scattered over the floor, waterline way over my head, and cabinets ripped apart hit a different note. The ride back was silent. I think we all had finally realized how devastating the hurricane really was for the people of New Orleans—and that easily could've been our homes left like that.

When I first got to New Orleans I was excited to be down here and meet some people affected by Katrina. However, I was not expecting to make a huge difference. Today, we went to the work site, and next store there was a young girl and boy, and that changed my perspective a lot. To live in New Orleans during Katrina for someone so young would be absolutely terrifying. I hope that I can make connections with those children as well as others.

After having some time to ride around the city in one work day under our belts, I am amazed at the devastation still plaguing the city. I can't imagine what it was like to be here during and after the storm. Barbara, the homeowner where we worked today, has not been able to live in her home since the storm struck and is forced to live 75 miles away. But she's one of the fortunate ones, since her home is nearing completion. My heart goes out to the thousands of displaced families that still struggle with the affects of the storm. After just one day of working here, I wish I were able to stay longer to help more people like Barbara get their lives back together.

Day One Reflection- rollercoaster of feelings
Excitement to begin work
Anticipation as we arrived at the house
Overwhelmed at the job to be done
Overheated, working in the hot sun, humidity
Concerned as Charlie collapsed
Love-filled for Robyn and Charlie
Determined to do a great job
Sad as we drove by a home marked with "1" dead body found during the past hurricane sweeps
Honored to be doing Christs' work with a team who truly wants to be Jesus for those who are serving here in New Orleans
Excited to see what God has in store for me tomorrow

So far, I have seen some pretty amazing things. Starting with the home we looked at last night, the destruction was amazing. The water in this house had risen almost to the ceiling. It was so different than what we had seen on the news, and actually seeing it up close changed the way we all saw what had happened. When we went to our job sites, and met the owners I was surprised. The lady and her son were very happy. I thought that they would be sad, depressed, or upset.

So many things stand out just driving through some of the devastation. The two things that made my heart hurt was when I was told that 75% of the people living in New Orleans before the storm did not come back .I was told that the majority of the blue collar work force,and one of the major reasons nothing is getting fixed quickly. The second thing is that people are so resigned to there fate. Thewoman who owns the home we worked on today has not lived in her home for almost two years

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Scott Linscott