Last Two Days in Louisiana

I can't believe it's almost over! We have half a free day before we fly out this evening. It's been an fantastic experience and I like to think that this week has made an impact on people's lives.

On Friday, my group continued the sanding process. It was hard work and, by the end of it, dust was everywhere! In our hair, on our arms and face, and all over our clothes. It was great! At the end of our workday, the homeowner, Kristy, invited us across the street (to her mother's house) to share with us videos of the hurricane damage on her house. We've seen how important it is for people to share their stories and their experiences and this was indicative of that. A great many people here have videos of the disaster and the aftereffects and they seek to share those videos. I think it's a way to work through the pain of their experience. It's equally valuable for those of us who didn't live through the disaster. We can never fully understand what happened here, but listening to people's stories and seeing their videos help to give us some understanding of the struggles (both physical and emotional) people are still going through.

On Saturday, we were done with service and sought to experience New Orleans. We drove into the city and rode a street car around. By luck, we came across an art festival. It was really cool! There were dozens of booths with local artists, good music, and delicious food. After the art festival, we moved the French Quarter and explored for several hours. People did all sorts of things; some people chose to shop, some sat in the sun and listened to music, some quested for the waterfront. We all had a good time.

This week has been a wonderfully unique experience. Those of us on the trip have made unbreakable connections with the community and with each other. Equally important, we've made an impact on the community and we've learned so much. The question we're faced with now is, "now what?" What do we do from this point forward? A week of change is one thing, but it's important to make this a lifetime of change. To bring our firsthand knowledge back and to share it with our home community, Linfield. We must continue to be the change we wish to see in the world.