Where He leads...: December 2015

From October to December I had the opportunity to return to a city I dearly love—New Orleans. It's been over 7 years since I lived and worked in New Orleans as the ministry site coordinator for MissionLab at NOBTS. I still have such fond memories of my time there and many friends who are still living in that unique city.

In May of 2014 I was at a dinner with friends in Haiti and met Roger, a researcher from England who was doing a project in Haiti about the earthquake. He mentioned that his next project would likely take him to New Orleans to research the effects of Hurricane Katrina and lessons that can be learned. I gave him my email address and told him to let me know if I could help him in any way. Fast forward to the fall of 2015 and I accepted the opportunity to be his research assistant for his three month trip to New Orleans.

For the bulk of his research, Roger needed to conduct interviews of those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina and others who played a role in helping communities recover. I helped him make some of those initial connections for the interviews to get the doors to open for his research. It was great to be able to reconnect with several homeowners I knew from my time with MissionLab. I'll always say that my job with MissionLab was one of the most fulfilling I've ever had. I loved the opportunity to drive around the city, learning about what was needed, and then sending in teams to be able to help meet those needs. So it was really special to be able to see some of these individuals and families again so many years later and hear how they have continued to recover and rebuild after the storm.

I certainly can't and won't spoil any of Roger's research findings by commenting much on the project itself. But I will say that it was a privilege to sit with these individuals and hear their stories. I'd heard so many stories before from living in New Orleans and I had certainly seen the destruction firsthand, but to hear dozens more stories at length—the raw emotion that still exists as they talk about what they lost—and even worse who they lost, and to be back in a city that is still very much recovering from such a devastating event, it was a very meaningful three months that I will never forget. I could easily fill my own book with all that I learned from those interviews, but I'll let Roger publish his own and then we can all read it. :)

Some of my 2006 and 2007 photos from the Lower 9th Ward

Photo taken by a resident in the Upper 9th Ward who did not evacuate

Photo taken by a resident of St. Bernard Parish after returning to assess the damage

A memorial on the outskirts of St. Bernard Parish in honor of those who died from the storm and flooding. We heard the heart-wrenching story about three of the names from their grieving family member.

Even now, over 10 years later, there are still homes that bear the mark of Katrina—and homes that haven't been touched since they were gutted out years ago.

Trees on the campus of University of New Orleans that were bent (and stayed that way) from the force of the winds from Hurricane Katrina. We heard several stories about New Orleans' residents who were rescued and dropped off on UNO's campus—which offered much appreciated dry ground (though little else).

Malik Rahim, one of dozens of individuals I had the honor of meeting during my time in New Orleans. Malik has spent his life fighting against racial injustice and co-founded Common Ground Collective, a grassroots organization headquartered in the Lower 9th Ward.

And I also want to tell you about Trachell. This precious little girl is the daughter of my new friend Regina. I was driving around the 9th Ward one day and saw Trachell being unloaded off the school bus. I then watched as her mother carefully dragged her wheelchair backwards up the steps to their house. Obviously this is something the mother does every day—multiple times a day. I felt led to meet this family and talk about the possibility of getting a wheelchair ramp built for them. I visited the family with a pastor from the area and we were able to pray with Regina and encourage her. She has been struggling in many ways. We are in the process of figuring out permits and costs, etc. But I hope this is a project that I can soon share with you so we can come together and provide a ramp for this family. Please join me in praying for Regina and Trachell and their sweet family. This little girl is an inspiration to all who know her!

I will forever admire the resiliency of those who have lost so much yet still find the strength to begin again.

“Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all... As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.” (G.K. Chesterton)

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