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Mission
Trip
New Orleans, July 2007
I have to admit that I was a bit nervous
about the trip to New Orleans. I have been down south during the summer before
and was concerned about working in the heat and humidity for myself and
for Drew who has never worked before in that kind of heat. We were advised
to drink a lot of water to deal with hydration. I can say that recommendation
did make it a lot easier to deal with heat.
Once we arrived, I couldn't wait to get to work. On Monday morning, Drew,
Nate, Justin and I drove to our work sight and met the home owner. Montrel
let us into his house. I noticed that his house was furnished for the most
part, however, there were no countertops in the kitchen. I asked Montrel
how long he had been been in his house. He told me the night before was his
first night back in his home in almost two years. You could see the joy in
his eyes - he was home. Our mission there was to complete the reconstruction
of his shed. I know what you are thinking - what is so important about fixing
his shed? Well, in his shed were two small bedrooms before the hurricane.
They needed new drywall installed and new doors hung for the two rooms. Eventually
another team would install flooring and paint the walls.
On Tuesday, Drew, Ellen, Abby and I went to Montrel's home again. We were
working in the shed out of the sun. We were a lucky crew who had bathroom
facilities to use in his home, and he had electricity for our power tools.
The real treat - he had air conditioning! Montrel invited us in for a break.
He talked to us about his faith in God and losing his eight month old son.
I thought, I don't how I could share with strangers about a son dying in
my arms. His perspective was amazing! Montrel explained to us that his son
was God's son first and his son second. He thought God must have needed him
more that he and his wife did and they accepted that fate. We got up to go
outside to eat our lunch when he asked us to bring our lunch inside to eat.
We declined and thanked him because we were all sweaty and didn't want to
soil his furniture. Montrel told us not to worry about his furniture. He said
one thing he has learned from the hurricane, is that material items don't
really matter much. God did not give us the material items, he gave us life.
God gave us life and God can take it away. The only thing that is really
important is what God has given us - our life. He truly is a very spiritual
man.
On Wednesday, Drew and I were the only two to go back to Montrel's home.
When we pulled into the driveway, I noticed Montrel wearing a t-shirt that
gave me a good laugh. What it said is inappropriate to say in church; but
those 3 simple words summarized how he and most residents of New Orleans
felt about Hurricane Katrina! Please ask me to share it with you later on.
Later in the day, Montrel's mother-in-law stopped by to see the progress of
his home. She told us her story about the day the hurricane hit. Clara was
in the hospital recovering from surgery. She said she prayed to Jesus to
take her away - she was ready to go to heaven. Clara mentioned the same thoughts
about the material losses they incurred - her house and her possessions. She
felt the same way, that the Lord Jesus Christ is what really matters, the
hurricane can take those all away - but it could not destroy her faith.
I have never met people like them before. People with such faith and hope,
after what they went through. They could be bitter, they could be angry,
but they are just thankful they are alive and together as a family. By the
way, we met his daughter, Baby Girl he called her, she was the sweetest little
thing. Also, we did get work done that day. We installed doors and hardware
on the shed bedrooms.
We finished up the work at Montrel's on Thursday. Courtney, Gina and Matt
went with me this time to finish up sheet rocking the interior and paint
the trim on the doors outside. The time had come to say goodbye to Montrel.
It was hard for me, we had made a connection. Through him I could see how
church and family were so important.
It hit even harder when we traveled that night to the 9th Ward and saw
the worst of the devastation Hurricane Katrina forced on that area. As I
took in the massive destruction, I thought that we New Yorkers should never
again complain about a snow storm because even Oswego survives 100 inches
in one week - but we still have our homes and our lives. One day you’re going
to work, the next day you don't have a place to live, work, go to school
when a Hurricane such as Katrina hits! Shoveling snow or mucking out a home
- what would you rather be doing?
After all is said and done, I have no regrets about going on the mission
trip. I was happy to get to work with these kids and get to know them. They
are all hard workers. I was also happy to be able to share this experience
with my son, Drew, he really worked hard, never complained. I think he has
a new appreciation for what he has. I went to New Orleans, to help clean
up, but what I really was doing is serving others in their time of need. In
return they really served me in my faith journey and I am glad I was able
to contribute.
- Darren Moyer
If you were part of the Mission Trip and have a
story you'd like to share,
please e-mail Bonny McCabe.
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