Katrina Relief Trip to New Orleans
Thanks for your prayers. We had an amazing trip to New Orleans over Thanksgiving.
We left Orlando at 7 am on Wednesday, arriving around 6 pm at the “Good News Center.” We spent 2-1/2 days there serving people who came for food, supplies and prayer. The center served lunch and dinner each day, and somewhat in the style of a rescue mission, offered music, worship and preaching at each meal. The center was staffed by an ever-changing mixture of Campus Crusade volunteers and church groups.
There was also a “store” adjacent to the main eating area, where people could pick up a free box of canned goods, toiletries and clothing.
Each evening the food tables were put away and the tent filled with cots for the volunteers. The men slept in the store area next door. The bathroom facilities were portable toilets, and we usually brushed our teeth standing by our van in the parking lot, using bottled water. There was a shower facility a ways away, where Dan and Pat managed one shower each during the three days.
Our family performed various jobs during that time. Pat mostly worked in the store and had many chances to pray with and encourage those who came. Katie and Eric worked in the store and the main tent. Dan spent a lot of time playing music and leading worship, working with different team members each time. Katie got to play her flute, blessing the people with Christmas music during a couple of mealtimes.
We spent one morning going into the community, offering care packages and prayer to those we met (most were not residents but workers hired to clean out buildings). Most we talked to were believers who really appreciated the encouragement. We heard a lot of sad stories, and were moved by the hardship so many were facing.
As we were bused through the hard-hit Ninth Ward the last morning, we could hardly believe the scope of the destruction. Street after street of destroyed, uninhabitable homes – even one house knocked off the foundations and sitting in the middle of the street. Each house bore a spray-painted legend showing the date of inspection, a code for the inspecting agency, how many were rescued from the homes and how many bodies were found (fortunately, we saw almost all zeros in that last category).
We left after lunch on Saturday, making it home at 2 a.m. – an 11-hour drive (fortunately for the kids, they were able to use Dan’s laptop to watch DVD’s – they saw the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy on the trip!).
We are so glad we as a family got to help just a little bit, bringing God’s light to a dark and needy place. This work will continue on for many months, and if you want to find out how to bring a group, please let us know (there are also opportunities for cleanup/construction in Mississippi). Again, thanks for your prayers and support.
We left Orlando at 7 am on Wednesday, arriving around 6 pm at the “Good News Center.” We spent 2-1/2 days there serving people who came for food, supplies and prayer. The center served lunch and dinner each day, and somewhat in the style of a rescue mission, offered music, worship and preaching at each meal. The center was staffed by an ever-changing mixture of Campus Crusade volunteers and church groups.
There was also a “store” adjacent to the main eating area, where people could pick up a free box of canned goods, toiletries and clothing.
Each evening the food tables were put away and the tent filled with cots for the volunteers. The men slept in the store area next door. The bathroom facilities were portable toilets, and we usually brushed our teeth standing by our van in the parking lot, using bottled water. There was a shower facility a ways away, where Dan and Pat managed one shower each during the three days.
Our family performed various jobs during that time. Pat mostly worked in the store and had many chances to pray with and encourage those who came. Katie and Eric worked in the store and the main tent. Dan spent a lot of time playing music and leading worship, working with different team members each time. Katie got to play her flute, blessing the people with Christmas music during a couple of mealtimes.
We spent one morning going into the community, offering care packages and prayer to those we met (most were not residents but workers hired to clean out buildings). Most we talked to were believers who really appreciated the encouragement. We heard a lot of sad stories, and were moved by the hardship so many were facing.
As we were bused through the hard-hit Ninth Ward the last morning, we could hardly believe the scope of the destruction. Street after street of destroyed, uninhabitable homes – even one house knocked off the foundations and sitting in the middle of the street. Each house bore a spray-painted legend showing the date of inspection, a code for the inspecting agency, how many were rescued from the homes and how many bodies were found (fortunately, we saw almost all zeros in that last category).
We left after lunch on Saturday, making it home at 2 a.m. – an 11-hour drive (fortunately for the kids, they were able to use Dan’s laptop to watch DVD’s – they saw the entire Lord of the Rings Trilogy on the trip!).
We are so glad we as a family got to help just a little bit, bringing God’s light to a dark and needy place. This work will continue on for many months, and if you want to find out how to bring a group, please let us know (there are also opportunities for cleanup/construction in Mississippi). Again, thanks for your prayers and support.
posted by Pat @ 11:36 AM
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