A typical day serving with Crisis Response in Louisiana includes the following:
· A dimmer switch sunrise at 6:00am
· Massive hydration efforts during breakfast at 6:30am
· Pitting-out t-shirts while packing lunches and tools around 8:00am
· Hurrying up to sit in traffic on 10E before the Superdome about 8:45am
· Scampering for a bathroom after 9:00am
· Cruising onto the worksite around 9:30am
· Drinking two gallons of water before 11:00am
· Sharing packed lunches with neighbors around 12:30pm
· One on one cage fight with dehydration around 2:30pm
· Bumpy causeway ride home before 4:30pm
· Sauna showers around 6:00pm
· Pitting out t-shirts walking from outdoor shower to Trinity around 6:08pm
· Enjoying dinner at 6:30pm
· Getting seconds at 6:33pm
· Resting eyelids around 6:38pm
· Evening speakers at 7:00pm
· Group chores and free time after 8:30pm
· Light out at 10:00pm
The Basics:
There aren’t many typical days, but today was one. Our first work day ran incredibly smoothly. Four from our team helped Mark Lewis from Crisis Response with their new warehouse. Tyler, Becky, Neal, & Miss we able to hang drywall all day. The rest of the team headed to center city to clean up a vacant lot and remove shingles from a roof. The plan for tomorrow is to possibly rotate drywallers, finish the lot care, and begin laying out new tar paper and shingles.
Some Background:
After running operations out of Trinity Church for nearly four years, Crisis Response will be moving their New Orleans Headquarters to a new warehouse on Trinity’s property. Offices, meeting rooms, supply storage, and tool sheds will all be housed in this warehouse. The structure is up, and the interior is being finished now.
It sounds like Trinity Church will restore the church building to pre-volunteer condition: offices will be returned to Sunday school classrooms and “The Church of the Stained Carpet” will get something new. I imagine the facility will feel empty without the constant buzz of Crisis Response’s worker bees.
In center city, Castle Rock is the only other EFCA church in the state. With her ministry, Urban Impact, they are looking to flip New Orleans in a positive direction. A recreation center is part of their plan, but so is getting their congregation into homes in their target area.
Even now, fifty percent of homes are still vacant. Pre-Katrina, 1 out of 5 homes on our particular street were abandoned. Post-Katrina it’s 2 out of 3. There is massive work to be done! Urban Impact has purchased several lots on one street block to help turn the tide.
A Reflection:
What is the most pragmatic way of rebuilding New Orleans? Should we hire a handful of professionals or find thousands of unskilled but free laborers? Should we pay someone to do a job right the first time or give cash to a dozen people to travel hundreds of miles, stay in hotels, guzzle gas down route 81, and have them do work that needs replaced by another team later on? What makes most sense? When Crisis Response says it’s not about the work, believe them!
This has made me think about how Jesus decided to build his church. Jesus was a far better minister of the gospel than any of the twelve disciples. Peter was a hot-head, racist, fisherman. Matthew was a conniving tax collector. Simon the Zealot was likely a terrorist. These are not the guys I would have chosen to build my most precious possession. These are not the best people to do the job!
Somehow, the JV team pulled it off though! Jesus taught the disciples how to do ministry. When he fed the five thousand, Jesus performed the miracle, but who did the work of passing the food out? Jesus preached, but who did the baptizing? Jesus did not hire a band of professionals to preach grace and peace; he had a rag tag crew of people that couldn’t hack it as full-time religious teachers. Yes, they made mistakes; some were HUGE! Still, they were a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led group of people that were ministers of the new covenant like Jesus.
What surprises me most about Katrina isn’t the amount of water. The city is below sea level; her levees weren’t built to withstand a direct hit from a category four hurricane; she's surrounded by water! Of course water is going to come flooding in.
What I didn’t expect was the flood of Christians to New Orleans. Sunday school teachers teach our kids to avoid places like Bourbon Street. Our parents seek safe suburban neighborhoods to raise their kids away from crime and poor education systems. What’s attractive about New Orleans to a Christian? The short answer is nothing but the opportunity to show people the love of God.
The storm has provided a way for thousands of Christians to flood New Orleans to rebuild. I certainly believe our plan to restore buildings is flawed. We are not a team of roofers. For the amount of time, money, and effort invested, hiring a professional is a much better investment. BUT, if we’re looking to restore souls, then I say let’s draw out this process as long as possible. Let’s let the love of Christ soak into this area for years to come!
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