The decision to volunteer in New Orleans started out of a desire to experience “real” poverty and the absence of hope while giving of myself in a purely altruistic and sacrificial manner. I failed.
While I sat on my bed inside the sleeping tent waiting for the first day of work on Brunilda’s house to start, I dug through my bible looking for inspiration and resorted to the concordance, searching against words like generosity, deeds, selflessness, actions… James 2:14 surfaced ringing a bell from a Creekside sermon. I turned to the following passage, read and re-read it before taking a short prayer walk.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if people claim to have faith but have no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
I was really feeling the connection – divine guidance had directed me to that passage and it was the perfect foundation for the week ahead. I was ready to go give selflessly and really be God’s hands making a difference in the world! Off I went to the Monday orientation meeting and then the drive to Brunilda’s house which I had heard was only a few blocks away from the fabulous Vineyard Ministry Center located in a seemingly “fully recovered” suburban middle to middle-upper class area. The drive took a few short minutes and there was Brunilda’s house on a street with lots of neighbors and relatively few FEMA trailers. The first piece of my altruistic vision was starting to crumble. Replace the hurricane with an accidental fire and Brunilda could have been any Creeksider dealing with catastrophic financial loss compounded by the human tragedy of her husband’s death. This did not feel like the devastating poverty I was planning to so boldly confront.
Later that day I met Brunilda for the first time after watching members of her family coming and going from jobs and school. Obviously there were very really hardships like 3-5 people living in a 30’ single wide travel trailer, but the house was already taking shape thanks to Bill and the earlier volunteers. After talking with Brunilda who was so very excited to be leaving the next day to attend her daughter’s graduation from college, it struck me that this woman already had hope. Her children were making progress and reaching toward the future and she would soon have her home back. Perhaps I would sustain or fulfill some small portion of that hope by contributing a few hours of labor to the completion of her home, but I was really feeling that with or without me, Brunilda had hope.
The timing of days and events are a little fuzzy already, but at some point early in the week we met Brunilda’s neighbor. As we were first introduced I thought to myself, perhaps this will present an opportunity to evangelize or inspire a neighbor and really have an impact on the people of New Orleans! Ahh… NO!
Instead, I was the recipient of a quick but very powerful lesson in the importance of family, the worth of a long-term marriage commitment, unselfishness and generosity. You see, the neighbor introduced himself and his wife who were headed off to celebrate their anniversary and her birthday. During the twenty minute conversation he talked of his multi-generational family and his commitment to them. He talked of the Katrina flooding and it’s devastation and how glad he was that we were helping Brunilda, because “she deserved it.” Not a shred of bitterness or covetousness, just honesty and obvious compassion. As for generosity, the open welcome to raid his mini-orchard any time for Satsuma oranges and grapefruit was the finishing touch and the closing of a lesson received.
The rest of the trip was consumed by the anything but “selfless giving”. Instead, I had the opportunity to learn more about a group of quality people. Bill, Richard, Heather, Lynn and I shared the challenges and accomplishments of various construction tasks while eating some great meals (oysters, crawfish, shrimp, catfish, grouper & BBQ pork) and snacks (Café Du monde Beignets). All the while we talked, learned about our respective families, shared faith stories and experienced fellowship in a way, that upon later reflection, is probably closer to what God intends than what typically occurs in the regular routine of weekly church attendance. So for all of that “selfless work” I headed back to Seattle having turned three casual acquaintances into four friendships, successfully avoided any physical injury from running soffit material backward through a table-saw, in possession of a deeper understanding of the worldly realities associated with Hurricane Katrina and… initially at least, a sense of failure as a missionary.
As I was flying home I kept thinking about the progress we had made on Brunilda’s house. Although Bill always focused on the positive contributions we made, in-truth, he probably could’ve finished the house three weeks earlier if we had just sent him the money spent on travel to hire some local skilled labor. But as they said during orientation, “the thing is not the thing.” The more I reflected on the experience the more I came to understand that getting Brunilda back in her house was a worthy goal, but not fully God’s purpose in the experience. Having that common goal served the purpose of bringing people together in God’s name to do something positive and truly live in community. Surely the boldness of the goal varies, but as I have come to believe, the success of any mission is not measured in the size of the project or even perhaps the number of new believers it directly generates. I would suggest that a successful mission is more like a successful Christian life. Did you work for the good based on God’s guidance and did you seek to live in community – placing ultimate worldly value on God’s people rather than possessions and experiences? As I have gradually come to this understanding, my sense of failure in truly experiencing a mission has faded and it has been replaced by knowing that I have taken another step closer to God on my journey to becoming a good and faithful servant.
Thank you to Bill for conceiving the “common goal” and to Creekside leadership for bridging the financial gap and coordinating the logistics for all the volunteers.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Note from Janelle this week ...
Just wanted to let you know Brunilda moved into her house on Saturday! There are a few things left to do, but she had decided it was done enough! I stopped by on Saturday to find her in the living room sitting on a plastic chair reading a book… dogs running all over. She couldn’t have been happier. I was hoping to get a couple pictures of the empty house so you could see the final product, but I was too late. You’ll get to see the final product with a “lived in” look. I haven’t gotten them off the camera yet, I will send to you once I do.
Final Thoughts
It comes with mixed emotions that this last update to the One Home project is being written. There have been so many wonderful experiences that have come out of this mission that I find it difficult to sort thru them all and convey them in some cohesive manner. Looking back, we did an incredible amount of work in a fairly short period of time. We were able to spend some time with Brunilda and her family. We had a great time getting to know and working with volunteers from all over the country. And most importantly, we were able to do something wonderful – demonstrate God’s love and compassion for his children.
Yet despite all the efforts made by so many people, one of the stated goals of the project was not met in full: to get Brunilda out of her trailer and into her home before I left for home. It boils down to leaving before all the remaining tasks were completed - I simply ran out of time. I probably could have used another full week, as the remaining tasks (as noted below) were many, yet mostly trivial in nature. Hopefully they can be accomplished in a short period of time by the next wave of volunteers.
Looking back on my time in New Orleans, the weeks truly flew by. Work progressed at a fairly consistent pace and the house began to take shape. Yet as the eighth week approached, I felt it was time to return home for many reasons. First, I had been away from my family long enough. I am indebted to Susan and Max for being so supportive of this project. Yet after their brief visit, it became apparent that I was pushing the limit of time spent away from them. Secondly, I needed to get back to work for obvious reasons. It was difficult to end the project at this point in the project but it really was time.
To everyone who had an opportunity to contribute to this project (whether physically, financially, and/or spiritually), I am so grateful for your support. This project was never about one person, but rather about a community of individuals who together made a decision to do something more - to step into the lives of a family and help restore their home. And along the way, we are all blessed by the opportunities that God has given us to serve. Again, thank you for your commitment to this project.
Back to the house: The final few weeks were understandably chaotic. Between the City of Kenner threatening Brunilda with a summons to appear in court (they really want her out of her trailer ASAP) and my self-imposed deadline on finishing up, there were a lot of late nights spent wrapping up some big things and lots of little ones. Briefly, here’s the state of things at the time I left New Orleans:
So, where does that leave us? Well, we’re (they’re) at the punch list stage. Closet organizers, towel bars – stuff like that. There’s a little bit of floor moulding left to do. And there’s a bunch of miscellaneous trim that needs to be installed. While the house was technically ready for occupancy, Mercy Response would like to keep the house closed for a little bit longer until they can work thru the remaining items. And with all the volunteers that are still scheduled for the following weeks, my guess is that Brunilda should be ready to move in by month’s end.
Before ending, it is absolutely necessary to specifically thank the following individuals (in no particular order (except for Sue and Max – they’re #1!)) for their contributions to this project:
Yet despite all the efforts made by so many people, one of the stated goals of the project was not met in full: to get Brunilda out of her trailer and into her home before I left for home. It boils down to leaving before all the remaining tasks were completed - I simply ran out of time. I probably could have used another full week, as the remaining tasks (as noted below) were many, yet mostly trivial in nature. Hopefully they can be accomplished in a short period of time by the next wave of volunteers.
Looking back on my time in New Orleans, the weeks truly flew by. Work progressed at a fairly consistent pace and the house began to take shape. Yet as the eighth week approached, I felt it was time to return home for many reasons. First, I had been away from my family long enough. I am indebted to Susan and Max for being so supportive of this project. Yet after their brief visit, it became apparent that I was pushing the limit of time spent away from them. Secondly, I needed to get back to work for obvious reasons. It was difficult to end the project at this point in the project but it really was time.
To everyone who had an opportunity to contribute to this project (whether physically, financially, and/or spiritually), I am so grateful for your support. This project was never about one person, but rather about a community of individuals who together made a decision to do something more - to step into the lives of a family and help restore their home. And along the way, we are all blessed by the opportunities that God has given us to serve. Again, thank you for your commitment to this project.
Back to the house: The final few weeks were understandably chaotic. Between the City of Kenner threatening Brunilda with a summons to appear in court (they really want her out of her trailer ASAP) and my self-imposed deadline on finishing up, there were a lot of late nights spent wrapping up some big things and lots of little ones. Briefly, here’s the state of things at the time I left New Orleans:
- The kitchen is done! All appliances are in, cabinets and countertops are in, sink and disposal are in, lighting is in. In, in, in!
- The hot water heater is hooked up and working. The good news associated with that is that the toilets are being filled with cold water. Up until we had hot water, I wasn’t quite sure!
- The bathrooms are done – toilets, sinks, and tubs are ready and waiting.
- The AC is in and is working. Thank you, God!
- 99% of electrical is done. Everything indoor is done – all outlets, switches, lights and fans.
- All flooring is installed (both laminate and tile).
- All painting is done – great color choices (thanks, Janelle).
So, where does that leave us? Well, we’re (they’re) at the punch list stage. Closet organizers, towel bars – stuff like that. There’s a little bit of floor moulding left to do. And there’s a bunch of miscellaneous trim that needs to be installed. While the house was technically ready for occupancy, Mercy Response would like to keep the house closed for a little bit longer until they can work thru the remaining items. And with all the volunteers that are still scheduled for the following weeks, my guess is that Brunilda should be ready to move in by month’s end.
Before ending, it is absolutely necessary to specifically thank the following individuals (in no particular order (except for Sue and Max – they’re #1!)) for their contributions to this project:
- Susan and Max – for being gracious in allowing me to spend so much time away from home,
- Lynn Fleshman – for all the hard work done in coordinating nearly every aspect of this project.
- Bryan and Devorah Grunow – for all the late nights spent putting together and maintaining the OneHome website.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Story from Alex (from MTI)
In the days, weeks, and months following hurricane Katrina, amidst all the devastation and destruction scattered about New Orleans, everyone seemed to be searching for reasons, meaning, and most importantly – God. While the two former are not necessarily mutually exclusive, the latter, God, is. That is, everyone seemed to be asking the usual questions “Where was God?” “Where is God?” and of course “How could God have allowed this?” Unfortunately we don’t know the answers to these questions, but the fact of the matter is God was always here, He never left…you just had to look closely.
One such instance of His supernatural presence and provision was evidenced when a youth group visiting from out west was directed to a home in East New Orleans to do demolition and debris removal. The young group leader was confident that he could get the team to its destination, despite the fact that most of the homes were in structural ruin, street signs were non-existent, and former landmarks were few. And so they set off to their destination, as did I with my team, also doing demolition work in East New Orleans.
As morning turned into late afternoon and the work teams departure time approached, I received a call from my counterpart at Mercy Response wanting to know if I could go and check on the youth group, as he had not been in contact with them all day. I agreed, got the address, and set out to the assigned location. As I approached the street, I adhered to that which had become habit, and began keeping track of the physical addresses, as so many of the homes had none. As I approached the subject home, I immediately became distracted by the youth group who seemed to be celebrating the fact that they had successfully finished the home in one day.
In the midst of the celebration and excitement, a vehicle with a man and woman inside slowly approached the home. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the street, and a man and woman exit the car. The team leader referred back to his work order sheet’s homeowner line, and quickly says “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”? The man respond’s “I am not Mr. Smith, but this is my home.” As the gentleman finishes speaking I realize, the team had demoed the wrong house!
The team leader continues asking the gentleman if he’s ever called the Vineyard church for any assistance with his home or otherwise, each query returning the same answer; NO! Suddenly the team leader and I are thrust into a panic, each of our minds racing, trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation.
The team leader’s repeated apologies did little to stop the couple from sobbing, and saying “I cannot believe this!” What one moment was excitement and jubilation, quickly turned into what seemed to be uncontrollable chaos. Then suddenly the lady, in a moderately loud tone, says “you people do not understand what’s going on here.” The lady proceeded to explain that Hurricane Katrina had taken everything they own. The husband had lost his job, their home was a total loss, and everything they had in life was gone, including hope. The reason they were going back to their home, was to commit suicide. The lady went on to say that, although they were not Christians, they had prayed on their way to the house, and asked God to give them a sign proving that there was hope and a reason to live. She and her husband could not stop weeping, and thanking God, and the team of volunteers for literally saving their life.
One such instance of His supernatural presence and provision was evidenced when a youth group visiting from out west was directed to a home in East New Orleans to do demolition and debris removal. The young group leader was confident that he could get the team to its destination, despite the fact that most of the homes were in structural ruin, street signs were non-existent, and former landmarks were few. And so they set off to their destination, as did I with my team, also doing demolition work in East New Orleans.
As morning turned into late afternoon and the work teams departure time approached, I received a call from my counterpart at Mercy Response wanting to know if I could go and check on the youth group, as he had not been in contact with them all day. I agreed, got the address, and set out to the assigned location. As I approached the street, I adhered to that which had become habit, and began keeping track of the physical addresses, as so many of the homes had none. As I approached the subject home, I immediately became distracted by the youth group who seemed to be celebrating the fact that they had successfully finished the home in one day.
In the midst of the celebration and excitement, a vehicle with a man and woman inside slowly approached the home. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the street, and a man and woman exit the car. The team leader referred back to his work order sheet’s homeowner line, and quickly says “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”? The man respond’s “I am not Mr. Smith, but this is my home.” As the gentleman finishes speaking I realize, the team had demoed the wrong house!
The team leader continues asking the gentleman if he’s ever called the Vineyard church for any assistance with his home or otherwise, each query returning the same answer; NO! Suddenly the team leader and I are thrust into a panic, each of our minds racing, trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation.
The team leader’s repeated apologies did little to stop the couple from sobbing, and saying “I cannot believe this!” What one moment was excitement and jubilation, quickly turned into what seemed to be uncontrollable chaos. Then suddenly the lady, in a moderately loud tone, says “you people do not understand what’s going on here.” The lady proceeded to explain that Hurricane Katrina had taken everything they own. The husband had lost his job, their home was a total loss, and everything they had in life was gone, including hope. The reason they were going back to their home, was to commit suicide. The lady went on to say that, although they were not Christians, they had prayed on their way to the house, and asked God to give them a sign proving that there was hope and a reason to live. She and her husband could not stop weeping, and thanking God, and the team of volunteers for literally saving their life.
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