Fondest
Memories
Find
More Informative Links Below
BETTY
JO- To recall one thing that stands as my favorite memory
is very difficult when one experiences a trip to New Orleans like
I did. The time spent with homeowners, church congregation, professors
and most importantly my classmates each have many special memories
attached to them. Instead of sharing a memory such as an inside
joke that only makes me and those on the trip laugh; I have chosen
a memory which can be heartfelt by everyone. Throughout this trip
we came across many New Orleans’ residences, especially homeowners,
who embraced us without hesitation and it is within this arena where
my most memorable moment takes place. While working on our first
house which was under approximately 5ft. of water for months after
the storm we first had to remove all of the personal belongings
from the home, most of which were destroyed. The one thing I will
never forget is removing the homeowner’s wedding gown from
her closet where instantly I associated it with beauty, but after
that instance I also discovered its wounds from the storm. This
homeowner had to place her wedding dress and tiara that she wore
50 years ago on her wedding day into a large garbage pile that had
nestled itself in her front yard; this exemplified to me an important
lesson that shone through each day in Louisiana- it takes things
much greater than materialistic possessions to bring a person sincere
joy and contentment.
COURTNEY
- To pick out one of the most memorable moments from our
trip is an extremely hard thing to do, for there are hundreds of
memories that I have from the trip that I will never forget. I guess
one thing that really stuck in my mind and really touched my heart
in such an uplifting special way was when a family we had helped
held a dinner in honor of all the hard work our class had done for
them. To help a family with something that they can not physically
do on their own itself is such a remarkable feeling but when someone
goes out of their way to say thank you like this one particular
family did is just an even more remarkable feeling. They really
touched all of our hearts in such an inspirational way that no one
will ever forget. The family rented out a big room at a quaint little
Louisiana style restaurant and invited the 32 of us and their entire
family to all come together and have one big dinner full of love,
laughter and thanks. They served us a huge five course meal full
of traditional Louisiana home cooked food. Then, as if this wasn’t
enough, they organized a fun gift exchange with all different kinds
of silly New Orleans related presents for all 32 of us classmates
and their entire family to partake in. This still wasn’t the
end of things though, they gave each one of us a picture frame decorated
with New Orleans flair to make sure that we never forgot what we
had experienced (as if we would?!) Before this amazing event was
over one of the ladies from the family sang us a song that brought
us all to tears and was full of inspirational messages for us to
continue doing what we were. I don’t even know the words to
use to explain how amazing it is to have a family show so much appreciation
forwards us for the work we had done. Some may same that we helped
touch and change peoples lives but the real truth is, all of the
people that we worked with helped impact and change our lives in
such a way that no one would have ever expected but in a way that
we all were so appreciative of.
KATHERINE
- So many memories were made on this trip I can scarcely
choose just one but one which particularly touched my heart was
actually an entire day. We arrived early in the morning to work
on a home in which the homeowner, her daughter, and a granddaughter
all lived together. We began by removing all of their belongings
from the home and I stopped for a moment to introduce myself to
the homeowner. After speaking with her for a few moments she realized
she did not know where her bag of medications had gone. I went to
find it for her, checking with her daughter to be sure I had the
right bag when her daughter thanked me for talking with her mother
and asked me to continue. I spent most of the day conversing with
the homeowner, keeping her occupied while her daughter sent their
belongings to the “trash” or “keep” piles.
As the day went on she became more at ease and I had the opportunity
to learn about her extensive family, their current living conditions,
and their terrifying experience during the storm. The grandmother
and granddaughter were forced to evacuate leaving the daughter behind
to fulfill her duties as a deputy. They spent the first night in
a shelter and many following the storm sleeping in the car, moving
from parking lot to parking lot in hopes of getting in touch with
the daughter. Two weeks they did not hear from her, not knowing
the horrible situation she was in, trapped on the roof of the jail
while snipers shot at her and other deputies. I listened and nodded,
taking in their story, wishing I could provide some other form of
comfort. As the day came to a close, I began to dread the coming
farewell. We exchanged hugs, email addresses, and more hugs, wishing
the day would go on forever. The family told me they would miss
me, voicing the extraordinary bond we had developed in a mere day.
I could not blink away the tears that stung my eyes as I boarded
the bus leaving behind this home, this family, my family, which
I remember fondly and pray for each day.
MARGARET - One of my most memorable times with
the whole group was when we celebrated Ellis's 20th birthday! It
was after our first day of work and everyone was in high spirits.
We took a trip to the local K-Mart and dollar store to get some
birthday decorations. We wanted Ellis to have a "jammy jam"
so we ended up buying each person their own glow stick to hold when
he would come into the room. The group set up streamers and birthday
banners while others were keeping Ellis occupied. When we were ready,
Dee went to get Ellis and we turned off the lights. Finally when
Dee brought Ellis into the room blind folded we started to sing
and dance with the glow sticks. It was one of the greatest times
because everyone, including the professors, had a great time. As
a group it was one of our first of many wonderful memories together.
I know that the enthusiasm from this night carried on through out
the next 13 days and nights we spent together!
STEVE
- I went on this trip to try and help the people of New
Orleans. What I ended up discovering was that the people of New
Orleans have a spirit that cannot be put down. We spent two weeks
destroying houses. We removed peoples belongings that they had had
all their lives. We had to watch a woman throw away her wedding
dress. These were terrible times for the families whose houses we
were working on. Throughout the time we were in New Orleans, all
we saw was incredible love for all of us who were working. While
we were tearing apart houses, all the people could tell us was how
much they appreciated the help. Did I have one favorite memory from
this trip? No. I had ten. I had a best memory every time I got to
see the thanks on the faces of the homeowners every day when we
stopped working. But their appreciation really showed me that they
did not appreciate that we were saving them money, they appreciated
that we came down and spent time to make their lives better.
More
Informative Links Below