Thursday October 9


We visited the 9th ward and were surprised at the building that was being done. About 5 - 8 houses have been built and it appears that there is a project to build many more. Unknown to us, Brad & Angelina & family were visiting the 9th ward the same time we were there! 2 blocks from Brad and we didn't even know it! Some of the new houses were much larger than the former houses. We also visited Habitat's Musician's Village and were happy to see how many of the pretty, mulicolor houses were completed.

Our house crew leaders, Ashley and Stacy are from the Americorps program. They are wonderful, talented, dedicated young women. We have enjoyed working with them and getting a glimpse into their lives.

Tonight we attended a party in the French Quarter to celebrate Women's Build week. Lots of volunteers and local dignitaries were there. Pink hammers were awarded to the volunteers who make the project a success. Liz McCartney, one of founders has been chosen, along with 9 other folks throughout the US, as a CNN Hero. CNN is having a vote for who is the top "Hero" and you can help St. Bernard Project by going to their site and voting for Liz. They will receive $100,000 if she wins. So in good Chicago fashion, vote early and often and maybe we can help this great
organization.



It is hard to believe that our week will be over tomorrow. We have completed the drywall in several rooms in Wanda's house as well as several closets and the hall. No major injuries, although Debbie will need keep her feet on the ground from now on!

Wednesday, October 8

Perfect weather--we don't sweat today so we want to continue working...our Americorp advisors tell us we have to leave because they have to leave!

The house begins to look more and more like a home as we put up more and more wallboard. It goes faster as we become more proficient. We talk and laugh a lot.

Tonight we went to an open house at a just-finished St. Bernard Project home. It gleams--tile floors, clean walls and beaming owners. We see the trailer they have lived in since Katrina. A lot of contrast. And yet next door there is a house still being worked on by the owner herself.

We go to a local Cajun restaurant for supper--real Louisiana seafood. A man stops to thank us for coming to help.

It is a good day.

Monday, October 6
Monday dawned bright, beautiful, hot and humid. Our day began with a meeting at St. Bernard Project Headquarters. We were all inspired by the words of Zack and then headed off to begin our work with energy, enthusiasm and high expectations.

We were very fortunate to be able to work together at the home of Wanda in Chalmette. Wanda's home held 8 feet of standing water for several days. She and her 87 year old mother evacuated to her brother's home. When they returned to see their home, Wanda didn't even recognize her furniture.

Wanda came by on Monday morning with ice, gatorade and muffins, and shared her story and heartfelt thanks. Her words were hopeful and positive, but emotional, especially when she spoke of her loss of treasured photos of her younger brother who died as a child.

We spent the rest of the day hanging drywall in the bedroom, utility room and closets. Marian, a self-professed 'watcher' was a pro with the utility knife and screw drill by the end of the day!

Thanks Marian! We'll post more pictures and stories Wednesday night!

NOLA-Women's Rebuild

Sunday, October 5

Well, we 7 gals from Lombard & Villa Park left Chicago on Sunday morning, and arrived in 75º NOLA and headed to St. Bernard Parish and Camp Hope.

Camp Hope is a former middle school, converted after Hurricane Katrina to a volunteer base camp for people who are helping to "rebuild 'da parish". Our room has 10 or 11 bunkbeds with real mattresses (but no comfort guarantee!) and AIR CONDITIONING!

After dumping our gear and getting Sandra settled in her hotel downtown, we walked the French Quarter. Highlights were street musicians and artists, great seafood po boy's, biengnets and coffee. We even got rained on a bit (Shaw's luck!).

We got back to Camp Hope and met Mr. John in the cafeteria, who informed us that Camp Hope is rumored to be haunted (but they 'won't hut cha'). Mary and Jeri slept by the door and protected us all--they slept like rocks. Deb Curtiss and Marian had a plan all set to tie the bedsheets together and escape out the window!

Thanks Jeri for doing the first blog post!

In the last analysis, every mission trip boils down to people --
--the people who give up a week or so of their lives to make the trip
-- the people who have the vision, the tenacity, the patience, and the compassion to make things happen
--the people who come to learn new skills and meet new people
--and the people whose lives have been turned upside down and whose hopes hinge on their own persistence and on, as Blanche DuBois used to say, "on the kindness of strangers.

It's the people you never forget, and the people who make you want to come back. And it's the people who remind you most profoundly of how lucky you are, how blessed you are, and, when you think about the human race this way, what a big interesting family you have.

A group is headed to the French Quarter tonight for a festival, and another out to dinner. Then it's homeward bound (in stages!) in the morning.

Thursday, April 10th

A little drama today... the massive maintenance induced canellations for our airlines left us without a ride home Saturday. My friend, Verna, at MTS travel who has booked 8 or 9 trips for us in the past, spent hours getting us rescheduled on different flights with a different airline. We won't all be traveling together (we'll come home on 4 different flights, but if all goes well, we'll all be back in Chicago before dinner Saturday) but we will all get home. For those wondering when they can pick up their family members at O'Hare, Deb Curtiss in the church office has the moderately complicated schedule, so you can call her for information. More than likely you have already spoken with your friend or family member, but Deb has the information if you need it.

You can't help but be impressed with several groups of people here --
-- those for whom St. Bernard Parish is their ancestral home and who are determined that it will come back fully to life
--people of "means" who had the opportunity to leave and build a new life somewhere else, but who decided either to stay here or move here because the parish needs doctors and teachers and nurses and other professional/technical people
--the Americorps "kids," college age kids for the most part who choose to learn and serve in ways that help them accumulate experience and make a huge difference in so many lives
--the folks at "Camp Hope," a Habitat for Humanity sponsored dormitory/meeting center for volunteers that has converted a former middle-school campus into a center that can house, feed, and accomodate a dozen huge groups at a time.

The work continues. One more day of work, then a picnic with the people at the St. Bernard Project, then the homeward bound adventure.

Wednesday, April 9th

There are all sorts of reminders of the storms and the levee breaches in New Orleans. When today after work we went to the levee near the lower 9th ward, it was easy to imagine how things fell apart. Even today the water on the business side of the levee is 30% up the wall. The water came over the top, through a couple of breaks in the wall, and then underneath the levee itself, simply devastating the lower 9th. The first houses stood literally less than a football field inside the levee walls, and they were the first to go. The devastation is still vast, but the devastation is not the whole story.

The resilience of the people here is remarkable. They are committed to rebuilding -- the slogan around St. Bernard Parish seems to be "rebuild da parish or get out." They have a great and generous and contagious spirit.

Our work teams are still at it, hanging drywall, mudding, sanding, repairing, improvising solutions. The St. Bernard Project (I can't emphasize how great these young people are!) has just completed its 115th rebuild, but more than 27,000 homes in St. Bernard Parish were destroyed. What governments local, state and federal couldn't do, this group and dozens like them are accomplishing.

Tuesday, April 8th

Second day of work is often the hardest day of work on a Mission Trip. The newness of the place we're visiting, the excitement of travel and settling in, and being introduced to the worksites are all in the past, and participants face the work that was there long before they arrived, and that will remain long after they leave. So it is with our NOLA team. On both of our sites in the St. Bernard Parish, our teams are working on hanging dry wall, mudding, sanding, preparing surfaces for painting. It is "slogging," repetitive work, and it's easy to see why it takes so long for rehabbed homes to get rehabbed.
But then, there are places like Habitat for Humanity's Musician's Village. As the Big Easy slowly came back to life, musicians were among the first to return, and several partnered with Habitat for Humanity to create this funky little center. Nearly as critical to this city's rebirth as the reconstruction efforts is the commitment by those who make its culture unique. New Orleans wouldn't be New Orleans without the musicians, the restauranteurs and the shop keepers. They say that less than 40% of those kinds of businesses are open now two and a half years after the levee breaches, but they are coming back.

The stories here are remarkable, as are the people. Today we challenged each other to not come home until we each heard one resident's story of the storm and flood and recovery. We will have so many stories to share when we get home.

Monday, April 7th

The St. Bernard Project was started soon after the storms and levee breaches in the St. Bernard Parish. Imagine a patch of land between three bodies of water, a lake, the Gulf, and the Mississippi River. Then imagine all those bodies of water being full to overflowing and inundating that patch of land. Essentially, that's what happened to the lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish.

The young people staffing the project are remarkable -- idealistic, smart, committed to making a difference, comapssionate, and great company. We are working with them at two sites in the parish, both homes, both at different stages of rebuilding. We're making a dent, and the homeowners we've met have been gracious and grateful. One of them brought one of our groups a typical crayfish lunch today. One or two of our hearty team were a little squeamish about eating them, but they were really good.

After work some of us went out for dinner, while the others went to a AAA minor league baseball game in which the New Orleans Zephyrs were soundly trounced by the Memphis Redbirds 9 - 1. It's back to work first thing in the morning. The weather's great. The work is challenging bur fulfilling. The teams are working well. And we are meeting some brave and determined and gracious people.