New Orleans, New Orleans, New Orleans!

(the archives)

Archives:

New Orleans Wrap-Up:

(04/19/07)

I am happy to report that all fifteen members of our group arrived home safely on Friday, April 13th.  By Friday we had gutted four homes; two in New Orleans East, one in the Bywater, and one in Gentilly.  Every member of the group worked incredibly hard.  It was moving to watch them take such care with someone else's ruined home and belongings. 

The members and staff of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church welcomed us with such love, hospitality and thankfulness that it was positively overwhelming.  Katie and Sarah, the Rebuilding Hope in New Orleans (RHINO) staff that we worked with, were organized, knowledgeable and patient with our group, training us and then directing us at the homes we worked on. 

While we accomplished a great deal for the six days we were in New Orleans, I think the group will agree with me as I say that the work has only just begun.  If true change is going to happen in New Orleans, it will require millions of Americans doing what the fifteen of us just did. 

The following is an excerpt from an editorial in Presbyterian Outlook written by Andrew Troutman, a seminary student at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA, who had just returned from a work trip to New Orleans:  

"As the mighty Mississippi River is fed by thousands of seemingly insignificant streams on its way to New Orleans, so can people across the country join together and impact the city with resources, time, and energy, a flood of love to transform the effects of the water 19 months ago.

"Though obviously idealistic about our response to Katrina, I am not naïve. It is going to take time to rebuild New Orleans and even more time to reframe the hearts and minds of those who faced the fury of that storm. But I believe that we are being called at this time and into this place. Our last night in New Orleans, our group closed our worship service with Jeremiah 29:7: 'But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.'

"May the providence of God, so appropriately manifested in the timing of this text, guide the restoration of homes, lives, and hopes in New Orleans."

New Pictures!:

(04/13/07)

Here's a few new pictures of our crew and what they've been up to:

Bobbie manhandles pipes and other construction materials!

"I'm Belle.  I really am!  Hey, where's the orchestra?"

Amandine shows what we treasure most during the workday: icy cool water!

The crew takes a break.  After a day of coolness, we had a day of rain and a couple of days of warmer weather.  Each had their challenges for our hazmat-suited heroes.

Update From Erin:

(04/12/07)

I'd like to thank everyone for your patience waiting for an update.  Things have been very busy since we arrived on Saturday night.  I have broken down what we have been doing by days, so I hope it gives you an idea of what we have been up to. 

FYI - we may have limited pictures of our actual work because we are trying to be sensitive of the homeowner's feelings while we are gutting their homes. 

SUNDAY:
On Sunday morning a few of us headed over to church (at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian www.scapc.org) for their 8:30 communion service.  After that, we had an orientation with the wonderful RHINO staff, Katie and Sarah.  We went to the 10:30 Easter Service as a group.  We were recognized during the announcements at the beginning of the service and the congregation showed their appreciation with a large round of applause. 

We headed to the French Quarter in the afternoon, breaking off into groups and were joined by Penny Crispell, Carl's daughter.  We all enjoyed beignets and hot chocolate at Cafe du Monde, and explored the Riverwalk, French Market, and Holocaust Memorial. 

Dinner at Mulate's was delicious, and everyone in the group can now proudly say they have tasted alligator and crawfish. 

MONDAY:
We worked with a homeowner in the Bywater on Monday who had about eighteen inches of water on his first floor, and a fire in the back part of his house.  We removed most of the belongings and piled them on the side of the street for the city to pick up.  He worked alongside us all day long and was extremely grateful for our help.

We were invited to dinner at a church member's home on Monday evening and had red beans and rice (a traditional Monday meal in New Orleans) and got to get to know several of the members of St. Charles Avenue a little bit better.  Several of them are still living in FEMA trailers and working on their own homes. 

TUESDAY:
We left at 8:00 a.m. this morning to work on a home in Gentilly.  The home had been built by the owner's father in 1945.  The owners are evacuated, so we didn't get to meet them, but Katie (the RHINO Field Coordinator) spoke to them on the phone.  The house had taken on about ten feet of water, and the water in the house was above most of our heads.  We removed all of the family's personal belongings, furniture, appliances and the carpet before ending our day early due to thunderstorms.

This afternoon we went to see "Hurricane on the Bayou" at the New Orleans Aquarium IMAX Theater.  It was about Wetland Preservation and its role in slowing hurricanes before they get too far inland. 

I can't say enough about this group.  They are doing amazing with work with great sensitivity for the homeowners.

(04/09/07)

Hello, all!  Your friendly webmaster here.  For this first entry of our new blog, I'll be making the entry; Erin Schubmehl (our Fearless Leader... and yes, the capitalizations just might be justified!) has been having some trouble connecting to the internet and getting me any text to use for the news.  However, she did get me some pretty great pictures, which you'll find immediately after this post.

Here's what we know so far (and Erin, be sure to correct me!): the group arrived safely in New Orleans, and enjoyed an Easter Dinner, as well as the Easter parade through the city.  They're working in the Bywater, gutting a home in preparation for cleaning and reconstruction.  Beyond that, they're just having fun.  Want to know how I know? 

Well... as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.  I'll let these speak for themselves:

Bruce and Jane, enjoying the parade

Kodjo and Joyce (and Joyce's new friend)

Here's our team, enjoying Easter Dinner

Stay tuned for further updates!

-Eric "Schwang" Swanger, webmaster