"Here’s just a little insight into the happenings down in New Orleans..."
       - by Margie Smith (team member) & emailed by Tracy MacKenzie

Looking to our right as we come into N.O. we can see devastation that lingers. Devastation that lets us know that Katrina really never has left. But as we look to the left- there is new construction- condos with bright colors that are attempting to draw more attention than on the left. It didn’t work. The left side is littered with vacant untouched apartments. Gazing at the skyline as we enter this city from afar it looks normal. 

Open for business- that’s great to see. It’s really important to see what you have- instead of what you lack. The familiar Veterans Blvd is crossed- there is much industry and “normalcy”. However, there has been slow progress. There are still a lot of folks who remain in their FEMA trailers. Some, dare I say most, are getting frustrated. I’m not sure if frustration is even the right word. I think that a person can get swallowed up in the pit of frustration and despair. Their routine down here - if not changed - does not foster growth. It’s hard to see hope when you are in such crisis. Today in church service we were blessed to hear eight or nine little kids sing. These are the same children who went to the vacation Bible school that Epworth put on at the Kenner church in the summer. Bright little faces with Jesus in their hearts - sang for us. It was more affirmation that God knows what He’s doing with the mission work at our church. We visited one of the families whose house we worked on in July. We cautiously walked up to their FEMA trailer and knocked on the door. Betty Thomas and her husband were home. She said that another group was there and they did work too. She brought us in and showed us the progress. She beamed as she gave us the tour of her single shotgun home. Some painting had been done and the subfloor had been put in. The ceilings were also freshly painted. The back door had been put in so now she could feel safer. Still, much work is needed but she was a different woman then when we last left her. She carried herself a little straighter and smiled the entire time we were there. You see, she may not have a completed home- but she has hope. She also has witnessed the hand of God through our work team. You see- we are not just rebuilding homes- God is using Epworth to rebuild souls. Betty Thomas is seeing what she has- not what she lacks. God is so good.

Today’s work has neared its end. When we left this morning- Mary Alice had a bun in the oven. It’s a cake, silly. We’ve all worked hard- progress seems slow. Maybe this is because we're eager to get our families in their homes. It’s been two years too long. Prayers for all these folks is paramount- especially those who have been forgotten. We’ve hung sheetrock and cabinets. We’ve even had a cabinet fall onto one of our team member’s head. OUCH! He’s O.K. There’s been ceramic tile laid also. It’s amazing what God can do with willing hearts.  There’s talk of keeping Kenner Church as a sleeping station for teams. This would be more ideal than the other church because it was very crowded and loud. We have been taking in more devastation than we can bear. It just makes us work harder and pray more.

Our day started with buckets of rain and ended cool but fairly dry. Our bellies are full because our cooks are quite skilled. We have eaten very well. It’s so nice to come back to the church after working so hard all day and find snacks of fresh veggies and chips waiting for us. As we enter the church doors the smells of dinner linger and finally - we can rest. Today you are going to get a glimpse of our worksites. We’re hoping that it will bring you into our homeowner’s plight. We’re hoping that the words we write can impress upon all who read them- the importance of service to our brothers and sisters who are still in the wake of this storm.

Team #1 consists of Bob, Marilyn, Ken, Dick, Scott, and Margie. Our day today was quite disappointing. We arrived at our site eager to work hard and found we didn’t have the supplies that were promised. We found things to do. We took measurements for drywall and problem solved leaks. We had our familiar friend Clint come to the site and assess our needs. He got our list of wants and needs and he set off to get them. He said it’d be a couple of hours. Since it was raining he wouldn’t be able to get the much needed green board for the bathroom. We sent out Ken and Bob to Lowes to purchase it. We didn’t want to waste any time. We fixed some tiles and hung drywall. We wanted to have Dick climb on the roof to place flashing but ran into a lack of altitude problem as the ladder was not long enough. We did several jobs that took a lot of time and effort. We all had our areas where we gravitated to. We placed thin boards behind the tub and sprayed foam insulation because the homeowner is very concerned about the rat population enjoying her new home. The good news is- the supplies finally got to the site. The bad news is- the plumber did too. He came into the bathroom that was 99% done and broke some devastating news to us. He told us that we had to take the Jacuzzi back out and reframe it. We would also have to take out the sheetrock. Two days of work was all but gone. I have to admit that we were quite saddened. We had a choice to make - we could wallow or start over. We chose the latter because of perspective. This was not, after all, a life or death situation. We did not have to endure a hurricane. We did not lose our life or all we owned. We just lost time. Today stung for our team. But God was ever faithful - whispering to us. It felt as though we were being gently reminded that it’s not all about us - it’s about our God.

Team #2 consists of Paul, Roger, Clyde, Chris, David, and Ron. Their team has worked tirelessly this week. They’ve put in kitchen cabinets and countertops- none of this without incident. There is never a square room. We’re working on twisted homes that have survived a hurricane and a huge levee breaks. What do we expect? Here in lies the frustration. It’s really neat to watch Chris, David, and Roger melt into our Epworth family. It’s as though we really are family. We care about each other very much. Mission trips can do this. They tear down walls and form bonds that matter a great deal. Team #2 has put down molding, patched wholes, and trim. They fixed the floors also. They had an incident where their belt sander attempted to eat one of the team member’s sweat-shirt. They considered it a loss and cut the sweat-shirt which further acted as insulation for the sander.

Prayer starts our day and certainly ends it. We have been very careful to carry it throughout our day also. We cannot draw on our own strength- it must only be God’s.

Prayer starts our day and certainly ends it.
We have been very careful to carry it throughout our day also.
We cannot draw on our own strength- it must only be God’s.

It was a brisk 53 degrees this morning - no rain thank goodness. The teams are still eating well thanks to our cooks, Faye and Mary Alice. Every mission trip at Epworth would be blessed to have them for every trip. Yesterday is gone and so are its frustrations. Today is a different day. It has been a day full of challenges and blessings. At times we forget that our way is not always the right way. We do understand that this has been very hard on all these folks...it has been two and a half years. You would think that they would have this rebuilding thing down pat. The organization in some areas (especially purchasing building supplies) has been deplorable. We are running into problems with what our homeowner has purchased. It was not well thought out and so there have been many trips to the hardware stores. If they are given too much say in what happens in their homes, it’s not a good thing. This may seem a bit strict but there is too much room for them to make multiple changes in their wants. We have really wanted to make a difference. Sometimes the biggest difference a person can make is just by being present. Sharing in others grief somehow bonds those involved. Somehow it provides a bit of hope. I am reminded again that just because we can’t see mighty works from God- it doesn’t mean that He’s sitting back watching the show. God does amazing works without our permission, without our hands muddying the waters. We may not get satisfaction because of delays but does our satisfaction really matter? What really matters is our obedience to God. What we should be saying is - less of me Lord and more of you. If we don’t get to rebuild anything tomorrow, it’s okay. It says in the Bible that all things are possible with God. His grace is sufficient. Do you hear that? His grace is sufficient! Our week is nearing its end and I’m wondering where it went. We’ve been growing here. We’ve been pushed to our limits and pushed closer to our God.

Thursday night we dined on more fine cuisine. This time- our hostess was Tracy McKenzie. We had what the locals eat. She made chicken and sausage jambalaya, crawfish and corn bisque, and shrimp and grits. We also enjoyed a nice selection of desserts. This included king cake- special pastry that has a small plastic baby inside. The king cake traditionally was served on "Little Christmas" or "Kings' Day" these are other names for the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated January 6.Since Epiphany comes on the twelfth day of Christmas celebration, it also became known as Twelfth Night. The cake is served throughout the "Epiphany season" or until Mardi Gras. Believe it or not, the cakes were originally baked in honor of the Magi. The baby is placed inside to represent Christ. Other cultures may contain a coin, bean, pea, or pecan. Here in New Orleans, the person who gets the baby has to purchase the next king cake. The lucky winner of our king cake baby was David. We left Tracy with some things that would improve the value of her home. She is now the proud owner of a beautifully displayed bowl of scarlet and grey M&Ms. She also has been given signage for her front lawn to let all her neighbors know who she really rooted for in the national championship.

We're wondering how long it will take her to see that Ohio state sign. It didn't take too long - this evening she called and played and sang the LSU fight song in its entirety. She has not found the candy yet.

Today was our last workday. We worked from 8-12 and then visited each other's work sites. It's been an adventure. Now we understand why the other crew got lost every day. After a week of service we planned some downtime in the French Quarters. To say that it's colorful would be putting it mildly.

On the corner of Canal St. and N Claiborne is "tent city". On both sides of the boulevard are at least 100 tents combined. N. Claiborne is under I- 90 so there's protection from the rain beneath the underpass. If you can for a moment...imagine those 100 dome tents scattered about. There was even a couch and some chairs and a few exposed sleeping bags that littered the makeshift camp. You could see people milling about and suddenly you are humbled.

Silent prayers were lifted for all of them. I didn't want them to go to bed tonight without someone praying for them. I couldn't bring myself to take any pictures. These folks are not an exhibit. They are examples of human survival. We toured the lower Ninth Ward and I'm telling you- this very talkative group was suddenly without words. It is very difficult to explain the total devastation that we saw. The closer to the levee we got the fewer houses we saw. The force of the water from the levee break reached speeds in excess of 400 miles per hour. I certainly cannot imagine the impact or power of this wall of water. The two houses that stick out the most in my mind will remain inside of who I am forever. One had a lighted cross out in front of a trailer and a sign that read "I'm home and I will rebuild". Then we went by another house that had a very bitter comment on it. It read something like "you should be ashamed of yourself for not stopping and paying for this tour". I wonder why God would have us drive by and see this.

In the stillness of the empty lots our hearts grew. I'm thinking that maybe He wanted to give us a healthy dose of reality. The work here is not romantic. There are real people involved with hearts that are heavy. Their hearts were probably aching way before Katrina hit. These are truly the least of our brothers here in the states. Helping others shouldn't be the exception, it should be the norm. Epworth has an awesome mission outreach program. I'm wondering, we've given so much, how about we give even more? It seems that God has a way of filling our needs when we've emptied ourselves for those in need. My heart aches for those in "tent city" and I am ever mindful of the bigness of our God. I pray that we concentrate on what we have and not what we lack. We as a family can do amazing things through Christ to further His kingdom. Another successful mission trip is complete.