nola - samaritan's purse - volunteering

it has been four and a half years since hurricane katrina made her mark on new orleans.  that mark still remains.  it was sad to see that parts of the city are still dominated by abandoned houses in such unlivable conditions.

the floodwater line stains still shackle entire blocks of homes.

some of the rescuers' symbols spray-painted on each house after the hurricane kind of resemble crossbones, as though they had sealed the buildings' fates.

some buildings are also severely sagging

so sad.

but i also saw evidence of hope.  some houses had since been restored or rebuilt and painted fresh with various pastel colors, standing in contrast to the mold-consumed ruins next door.  revival is stirring.

ever since the hurricane, samaritan's purse has been one among the many organizations trying to help the city recover from the devastation.

from monday through saturday i had the privilege of working in a group of about 40 other volunteers to take part in the ongoing rebuilding efforts in the 8th ward.  we were set up into four teams to tackle various projects.  the sites that samaritan's purse is restoring are at various stages of demolition and rebuild and final touches.   the work that i helped with included...

assembling sub flooring,

mixing and pouring concrete, and cinder block laying,

putting up siding,

organizing the warehouse,

and other related tasks.  there was certainly no shortage of work to be done.  i'm glad i had a chance to be a part of this huge effort to help get more of the city back on it's feet.  i hope it results in a positive impact on people's lives.

we did a lot of work.  i was happy to get some a good physical workout each day.  i was also happy to have a bed indoors to sleep on for the week, even though our thirty men completely packed the men's sleeping quarters.

this is the baptist church that provides facilities for samaritan's purse volunteers.