Day 4

Thursday was a cold, rainy day in New Orleans, but that did not dampen the spirits of the people whose houses we are working on this week. Since we are all working on drywall, we all have mudded the walls with drywall compound, and we hope that it will dry fast so we can sand it and apply another coat of compound… but the moist air and cool temperatures are not allowing that process to move very quickly! The other factor is that none of the houses we are working on have heat, let alone electricity in the home. The electricity that is being utilized for our work is being run in through extension cords throughout the house. Restroom facilities are the fast food place down the street or the homeowner’s FEMA trailer. Water is the hose out back for our group. Tom Michael finished up the plumbing at the house he was working at yesterday, so they will soon be able to have the water in their home! Work continues to progress very well at all the job sites, and for that, all of us are happy, as well as the recipients of our labors.

I asked Pastor Barb of Peace Lutheran in Slidell (this is the church that is housing us this week) how families are chosen for the work to be done on their homes. She informed me that people apply directly to Lutheran Disaster Response (LDR) for aid and assistance, and that there are caseworkers who review their needs and assets to determine what can be done. Currently, LDR here is low on funds, and is unable to provide much in the way of material supplies, so many of the homes that are being worked on are people who can afford to purchase the supplies for the work to be done. This money is either from their own savings or insurance settlements. The financial crunch LDR is experiencing is something many organizations and businesses are feeling. After 2 and a half years, New Orleans is no longer front page news, and there are other things that are more appealing for financial support. That being said, LDR has made a 12 year commitment to work in this area! The method, mode and configuration of that support will continue to change as the needs and resources change.

So our work has been primarily to provide labor for the work, and the homeowner has provided the supplies. There is a sense of ownership and pride that goes together with that, and we have all experienced the joy of our hosts, whose homes are better off than when we arrived on Monday. All of us have made new friendships with our hosts. Personally, I had a wonderful conversation with Louis, the man whose house we have worked on this week. Louis has two children close in age to mine. His son is going to college to be an engineer, and his daughter is in Junior High. He has helped his dad get back into the house he grew up in just a few blocks away, and helped his sister get back into her home. Now it is time for him to get his home fixed up. Yes, the neighborhood has changed, and things will never be the same, but there is hope for tomorrow.

Belinda and her daughter are so thankful for the work being done on their home – she beams every day, and was so excited that for the first time since the storm, she can lock the door to her house. Early in the week, she was shy, and did not say much to the group, and kind of peeked in on the work as it went along. As the week has progressed, her joy and enthusiasm has grown. She bought the work crew a huge hot sausage sandwich at her favorite place on Thursday, and told the people making it “this is for my friends from Ohio who are working on my home – so wash your hands before you make this sandwich!”

Hilton and his family are so grateful for the work being done, and even though the communication is difficult with their hearing loss, they are able to communicate joy and laughter. Sharon shared how much she has enjoyed getting to know the family, and how funny Hilton can be, teasing his family members and sharing a laugh with others. He was so excited that the gate to his property works once again, and that the progress on the bathroom, walls and wiring are coming along, thanks to the magic of Tom Michael.

At the end of the day, we gathered together to head out to once again tour the areas that were hardest hit from the storm. It was both disturbing and hopeful. The tour began in the neighborhoods where we are working this week. Several homes are being worked on, and there is progress being made in Chalmette/St Bernard Parish.

At the same time, several homes have been demolished and all that remains are the slabs, and on some you can still see the tile floors that used to be kitchens, bedrooms, etc. As we moved into the 9^th Ward, the number of homes and properties that are being
worked on dropped dramatically, yet there are a few houses that are coming along.

In the midst of the devastation, there is a glimmer, small that it is, of hope. For some of us, we saw the lack of progress and the incredible amount of work that still needs to be done.

For others of us, the signs we saw are hopeful, and there is progress. For all of us, the magnitude of it all still is terribly awesome. There is still a lot of work to do, and we hope and pray for those who build, and for their families, and for their future.

We got separated on the way back to our home base, and that was a bit nerve-wracking for a few of us. But, by the grace of God, we made it back. We went out for dinner and had a wonderful meal (I am still full, and it has been over eight hours). A funny conversation happened with one of our members at the restaurant – as we waited for tables here, she asked one of the locals what was good here at the restaurant. She heard the man say, “It’s stag night.” She said, “What is good on the MENU?” Same answer. She looked around and didn’t see a lot of single men

standing around, and said, “What is good to EAT here on the menu?” Finally the local said, with their southern accent, “Stag, in comes with a baked potato, and salad!” It was STEAK, not STAG! Ah the communication problems.

We have one more day of work, then we are on our way home. I will have another entry to update what happens this last day. We have grown closer to each other, and each day we have seen the hand of God. We continue to laugh and rejoice that God has given us the opportunity to serve, and through it we have been blessed!