The following update from the 6th annual Katrina Relief Mission was written by Adam Shapiro, Dean of Students.
December 8, 2011
As
our 6th mission comes to a close this evening, I just wanted to give a
short update about this group, what they've seen and of course what they've
been able to accomplish.
As I
have said to the students time and time again, the beauty of this experience
for me is that I've been able to see each and every one of the groups and they
have all truly been unique. Mission 6 is not an exception by any stretch of the
imagination. They've now completed two incredibly hard days of work with
Habitat for Humanity where they assisted with siding, staircases, porches and
insulation - trust me, that house looked a lot different this afternoon than it
did yesterday morning. Of course, I can't leave out the fact that they have
done all this work in some fairly cool weather. While the sun did come out
midday today and heated the area up, our group persevered and worked tirelessly
to get their jobs done. The one word that came to my mind as we left the site
today was 'pride' - because our group exhibited it at every step of the way.
They didn't just want to get the job done, they wanted to do it right.
While
we were on the bus on Tuesday afternoon I reminded the group that one of the
challenges we faced was that we wanted to 'see' and 'help' while the community
here in New Orleans works hard every day to move forward and rebuild their
lives with an eye to the future. This message was really brought home in our
meeting with Robert Green and subsequent stop at Trinity Lutheran Church - a
place of worship for the lower 9th ward that was decimated in the storm.
Robert couldn't say enough about how he felt about our group, he wanted
them to understand one key thing - the young generation, the generation raised
to help others, is the reason he has hope for the future. He has seen so much
loss in his life, yet he still holds his head up and gets up every morning
ready to move forward.
When
Robert took us to the church, we were then able to meet with Kathy, a woman who
has been instrumental in the rebuilding of the church and surrounding area. Her
message was so simple, yet so profound. She told the group how she has spent
her life working and donating for 'them' yet after the storm destroyed her house,
she realized that for the first time in her life she was 'them' and needed
help. At that point, as she told our group, she understood that all of the work
we do to make the world better is not for 'them,' rather it is all for 'us' -
we cannot exclude ourselves from the world, rather we need to all work together
for the greater good - an incredibly valuable lesson learned while sitting in
what will be a beautiful place for communal gathering, worship and
prayer.
All
in all, this has been a wonderful mission, we've worked hard and seen a lot and
we are all excited for our last dinner tonight at the Tulane Hillel followed by
a real southern experience - Zydeco music at Rock n Bowl.
Before
I close, I do have to take a moment to give special thanks to my two hard
working and amazing chaperones. As I watched both Mrs. Udell and Mrs. Trinker
hang from 24 foot ladders today and work with the students to help them every
step of the way, I understood, once again, how lucky I am to work with such
incredible teachers and role-models. Both of them have given so much more than
their time to this mission and it is with the highest level of praise and
respect that I say thank you to them - this mission absolutely would not have
been as successful without them.
