20 of us just returned recently from our annual Summer Mission Trip to New Orleans, we worked on two houses damaged by hurricanes and spent some great time at an inner-city school and day camp. We learned how to install a laminate wood floor, how to lay ceramic tile, used our drywall and texturing skills on various walls and rooms, found out first-hand how many cockroaches and lizards could live in a pile of debris left over from the storms, and were able to share the love of Jesus with several families and a bunch of little kids that really needed some care and attention.
We stayed at "Camp Restore", a Church converted to a Volunteer Camp for workers who come from all over the United States to help. Retired Volunteer Contracters organize the work and materials, then they match groups to jobs and little by little homes are rebuilt and restored so that the families can move back in after being displaced - sometimes for years!
At the end of each day we had time to reflect and debrief the experiences we had, and spend some time listening to God's Word on what we were doing for those we served. We also had time at the end of our week to get a tour of the city and see how much damage still remains even after 5 years of rebuilding. We saw some live Gators, sampled Beignets and Cafe au lait, ate Po-Boys from a local sandwich shop, decided Winn-Dixie was one of our favorite stores, met a couple of real live Cajuns, and helped out the local economy at several souvenir shops in the French Quarter.
Thanks to Hope Congregation for your unwavering support through all of our Fund-Raising and preparations. We look forward to sharing some pictures and stories with you this Sunday, July 11, at both worship services to let you know how this trip impacted those we served, and we who served, in Jesus' name!
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