- Details
- Written by Sue Gardner Sue Gardner
- Created: June 05 2013 June 05 2013
Thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw. Proverbs 24:31-32
Our assignment for the day was to help out at the Community Center in St. Bernard Parish, in the town of Arabi near the Ninth Ward. Tim, Joel and Eric did handy work around the building, repairing fences, patching holes in the cargo containers used for storage and general “gopher” jobs for Miss Janea. Speaking of Miss Janea … we think she is psychic. She had Eric pegged to a tee when she looked at him and said “You’re the sketchy one, aren’t you?”
The ladies, meanwhile, were staffing the Book Fair. We (six from Saint John's and three others) unloaded several crates and boxes of books that had been donated from a closed library. As a matter of fact, there were over 3,400 books. Yes, we had to count them all! We listened to several Katrina stories about people who had lost everything and were glad to restock their personal libraries in their new homes. This would be a great Community Connection idea for Saint John’s.
One lady we spoke with told us how they waited too long to evacuate and could not drive out. They had fifteen feet of water in their home. They went and stood on the levy, as that was the highest point. The water kept rising and they soon had to let go of their pets so they could hold one to tree branches.
We ended our day at the Center by reloading the books back in the trailer and then driving through the Ninth Ward. This was one of the areas hardest hit by Katrina. Though many homes have been rebuilt, many lots still stand vacant.
Of course, we made another quick stop at the Sno-Ball Shack to explore new flavors—Pink Champange, Fuzzy Navel and Pina Colada—which resulted in a rainbow of tongue colors. Not to mention the hot wings and ketchup! YUM! Take note: future fundraiser!
We skipped camp dinner and hit the town for some great seafood. Elise taught us the proper way to eat crawfish. It was an incredible experience!
Bye from the Bayou!
“Hesed” is a Hebrew word that means “kindness”, “mercy”, “loyalty”, “loving-kindness” or “steadfastness.” It’s the way God intends us to live together—a “love your neighbor as yourself”, active, selfless, sacrificial, caring-for-one-another brand of living contradictory to our fallen natures. The “Heseders” are continually looking to work together to share some small measure of God’s extraordinary love. Won’t you join us?