New Orleans Mission Trip
On January 9-14, 2010 we took a group down to work with Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. 12 of us went down to do construction type work in the continued effort to help revitalize New Orleans. We worked on a home in the 8th Ward that is almost ready for the homeowner inhabit. Redeemer Church and St. Roch church are still hosting teams to work on homes ravaged by hurricane Katrina. Even though the storm hit almost four and a half years ago, its effects are still felt in the Crescent City. We were also joined by my friend Shawn Slate and an RUF team from RUF at UVA. They were cleaning out homes that had been untouched since the storm - untouched everything, including the refrigerators (you can only imagine).
We worked on Ms. Linda's house, scraping, priming and painting. Our team worked very hard, and they worked together. We also got to interact some with the neighbors, which was a great experience for us. After scraping and priming, Ms Linda told our girls to pick out the paint color, "just make it some sort of purple," she said. After just three days of labor, we were able to finish painting her home a beautiful lavender color.
I would like to thank the Lord for giving us a good trip with fellowship and safety. Thanks to the folks at Redeemer (Ken, Ray, and Shane). You guys are doing a good work - keep it up. Thanks to Dick and Molly Davies and the folks from Grace Pres in Metarie. They housed our team for the week. They fed us and put up with us. You truly have the gift of hospitality.
So, the next time we take an RUF mission trip, you ought to come. It was great to serve in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was a welcome reminder that "life is not all about me."