New Orleans Reflection by Rebecca Lewis

This reflection was written by Rebecca Lewis, who participated in the Senior High WorkCamp to New Orleans. She delivered this at our WorkCamp Vespers worship service in August.

This summer, our Senior High youth group traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana to rebuild homes damaged by Hurricane Katrina. As we drove through New Orleans on our way to the church that we would live in for the week, we saw that the city was full of conflicting images. Neighborhoods with beautiful houses that betrayed no sign of hurricane damage stood just blocks away from decrepit homes with holes in the wall and water lines still visible. Thousands of volunteers had come from all over the country to rebuild, but many residents felt forgotten. So when our youth group came to New Orleans, not only did we work on houses for people in need, but we also showed the hurricane survivors that we remembered them, and that we cared.

Throughout the week we spent in New Orleans, we met wonderful people. Volunteers and hurricane survivors, each with a story about how they left their jobs in New England to come and volunteer for a year, or how they let 9 people stay in the second floor of their house until the boats came to rescue them from the floods. While we met amazing people on our worksites, it was after work, back at our home for the week where the most bonding occurred. Whether it was sharing lunch at our worksites after building all morning, having a water balloon fight between the boys and the girls, or singing hymns together at the end of a long, satisfying day, the 25 of us (plus leaders) had a great time being together and getting to know each other much better than before.

One of my favorite memories of the trip is from the last morning, when we drove into downtown New Orleans for breakfast and shopping. After buying French doughnuts from a bustling shop, we split off into groups to wander around. We walked with the friends we had made that week, and looked into little boutiques. Few storefronts were empty. A musician passed us, and after a short conversation, filled the block with music, as we sang along. The city, though still recovering from the hurricane in some districts, was very much alive.

In New Orleans I found a different side of America, far different from the suburban town I live in. Visiting the ninth ward, and seeing how some people lived there brought home some harsh realities. It was also sad to witness the neighborhoods that still needed so much work to become livable again. But we also found wonderful people, willing to take on the challenge that rebuilding New Orleans poses. I am grateful, that for a week this summer, we were able to help them.