Day 6: Imagine

Hello to all you loved ones back home!

The day started off bright and early, as always. We had a really great breakfast of egg and cheese breakfast burritos, which really hit the spot! Nate, our team leader, was sick as a dog, so we were on our own for the morning. We still held devos at 7:30am this morning, and we even made it to our work site 15 minutes early! :D

Today at work was a little different. We were reunited with each other and got to work together all day! To several team members, this day was extremely touching. We started early off talking to a man who had been standing by watching us, and we want you to hear his story....

• Imagine you are a prisoner, on an upper floor of a prison... You hear a hurricane is coming... Everyone leaves you, all the guards abandon you... You are told you are unimportant.... As the hurricane crashes over the city of New Orleans, you are locked in your cell... Water fills the prison... You hear the crys and calls out to God from the people below to save them from the water... Voices ringing, "God save me! Please Lord, don't let me die like this!".... As water rises, you hear the screams as others begin to drown... After 6 days of no food or water, and water continuing to rise, all you can do is wait... All you can do is hope your life doesn't end here... Finally, a group comes to save you, to cut the locks... Fast forward 5 years, you are standing on a corner of the hood you grew up in, watching a group of volunteers clean lots you used to know. You have straightened your life, but you are left with memories you can never forget. You can never erase the feelings that you have no worth because you were almost left behind, you can never get rid of the sound of those voices in your ears, you can never forget what this city once looked like... But somehow, you manage to stay positive... somehow, you mange to make better for yourself... somehow, you mange to meet us.

None of you can ever know how this has touched our lives. Prisoner or not, this man had value, he had worth to the Lord. To be left for dead...imagine.

After meeting this man, a heavy sense fell over those who heard the story and to those we told the story. Our hearts were weighed....

As we work, people watch us...we know this. But we see a woman on her porch. She is older and has a sweet softness about her. Almost our entire crew went to go meet her. She was so thankful for all we were doing for her neighborhood, and for the people of New Orleans. As we sat, she told us her story. Although she did not stay for the hurricane, she lost it a lot-her house, her neighbors, her friends, many things she held dear. As crew members began to get back to work, a few of us decided to stay and talk with her. She never exactly told us how lonely she was, but she never stopped reminding us how empty her street felt. We took it upon ourselves to bless her as much as possible. Emily, Andrea, Amanda, and Melissa decided to treat her to her choice of lunch. After many minutes of deliberation, Flores (the woman) decided she'd like some wings from Rally's (not spicy!) and a strawberry milkshake. We got all her requests and more, and shared in a wonderful meal inside her home with her. To us girls, it was a complete blessing to share sometime with Flores. She was funny, complimentary, and so gracious. As we sat and ate, there wasn't a thing Flores didn't share with us. Our favorites being love stories of her husband whom had passed away only a few years ago. We could tell Flores was blessed to have some ears to listen to her words and stories. At the end of the day, promises of photos and letters were made. With hugs and happy faces, we got back to work.

We have been cleaning lots here in New Orleans, as most of you know from reading previous posts. Each day posses new challenges and new ways we need to overcome. Today, we were dealing with old tricky vines covering a lot. Weed whackers going, hack saws cutting, racks moving, we tackled our assigned lots. God definitely provided strength in this time. And at the end of the day, we even had a little fun and cool down with some help of icy water flying from our bottles onto each other.

After a full day of work, we had another day of challenge circle. Today was nice because the kids really have begun to remember each one of us individually. It is such a blessing to have a small child run up to you, call you by name, hang all over you in the most loving ways, and tell you how much they missed you. This also makes for a sad goodbye when you know this is the last time you will gaze upon their faces as you drive away.... Once again, our hearts were weighed, breaking for these kids...

After challenge circle, we had a block party with each other and with the community we had been serving. Some grilled hot dogs and chips was a change from the hearty meals we get back at the church. We shared our hearts, and our food with the community.

Its hard to believe this trip is coming to an end.... In some ways, it feels like we have been here for a long time. We have begun to build relationships. We have begun to know the community. It feels like we belong here. In other ways, the trip has been like a flash. It feels like just yesterday we were meeting up at Kelsey circle in Greenville to take off. Tomorrow is our last day of work in the city of New Orleans...again, I'm sure our hearts will be weighed...

This week we have learned so much about giving. Giving of our time, strength, funds, emotions, and our hearts. There is no doubt that each member of this team is coming home a different person. God called us all here for a reason...all for different reasons. He has been working individually in each one of us, and the change has been real, the change has been noticeable, and don't be surprised when the change is permanent.

Keep us in your prayers tomorrow as we have our last day in the city. Keep us in your prayers on Saturday as we travel back home. Keep us in your prayers each following day as we enter back into a community. Keep us in your prayers as we try to make a change. Keep us in your prayers.