New Orleans Clean-up

And now a moment for reflection on my personal experiences in NOLA...

The past two weeks have flown by. I can’t believe I am already back in Ashland. When I signed up for this class, I knew that it would be a rewarding experience, but I had no idea just how much I would get out of it.
Leaving for the trip after Christmas, I was in quite a materialistic state of mind. After giving and receiving Christmas presents, I had spent a lot of time shopping and spending money. However, my materialistic mind set changed completely in New Orleans. There were so many times in New Orleans that I had to reevaluate myself and my values. Why have I placed so much importance on my material possessions? It made me feel guilty having to throw away the possessions of an entire family over the course of a few hours when I knew I had a house full of clothes, etc. waiting for me in Richmond. It seemed so unfair to me that these people had everything taken from them so quickly. Why hadn’t I been the one who lost everything? What makes me and my classmates different from these people?
Trying to find the answer to just that question is what taught me the most about myself, others, and life during my trip to New Orleans. The answer is I am no different than owners of the homes that we worked on. We are all human beings, wanting to make the best for ourselves and our families, and doing the best with what God hands us.
I found the people of New Orleans to be some of the most positive and spirited people I have ever come across, even during their time of loss. I expected to find people depressed and sad, and what I found were people with the best attitudes and outlooks on life I have ever seen. These people really know what is important in life. It’s not the label on your clothes or the size of the house you live in. It is the people you surround yourself with, your friends and family. It is the ability to connect with someone as a human, regardless of your race or how much money you have.
When I came to New Orleans, I knew that I would be giving of myself in the form of time and energy. What I didn’t know was how much I was going to receive. I never met a family along our journey that didn’t say thank you to us for what we were doing. People were shocked to find out that we had paid money to come and help them, but there is no amount of money that could equal what I gained on my trip south. One of the most memorable moments of the trip for me was when the Collins family took us to dinner. I was absolutely overwhelmed with their kindness and generosity, and couldn’t believe how appreciative they were. After Katrina had taken nearly everything they had, they still managed to find the means to take us to dinner and even buy us presents. Maralyn and Rodger even told us that they were planning on coming to graduation at R-MC for the next 4 years, one of the sweetest gestures of appreciation I can imagine
I also developed many friendships on the trip. I learned something from every single member of the class, and learned to respect each of them. Everyone brought something to the table, and I learned to appreciate everyone for what they contributed. Although some people may not have been able to carry a bathtub out of a house, everyone worked as hard as they could and gave it their all. I am so blessed to have been able to surround myself with a group of people who all wanted to give of themselves over J-term.
I am sure this journal is a little rambling and incoherent, because there is so much to say about my experiences in New Orleans. I am just so grateful to have gotten to be a part of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Although I gave of myself while I was in Louisiana, I received far more in the form of appreciation, friendship, and kindness.