Hurricanes Katrina and Rita tried to steal away the peace and the happiness of the city and its people. Only 7 years ago, Louisiana was left devastated by this tragic natural disaster. Although the pain and destruction that were left was immense, and it hurts to look back, NOLA is a city of hope. The people have managed to overcome the problems and move forward.
This trip was a true life changing experience where we faced the reality of life. There is still a lot to be done, even after 7 years, parts of the city are still in ruins, families are homeless and need our support. The experience of interacting with the rest of the team, sharing our thoughts, hard work and dedication created close friendships that will last forever. Working to our potential all day and every day definitely paid off. We were very satisfied with our achievements and we hope to go back soon. We realized how every task requires a lot of effort, every detail of a house or a building requires a lot of dedication, patience and love.
Even if we were tired at the end of the day, on our way back to Camp Restore, we would sing out loud, have fun and enjoy our time together in NOLA. We were always happy that the goal of the day was accomplished. The time flew by! Many tasks were accomplished, and lessons learned--we are sure that our lives have changed from the projects that we helped complete at Trinity Lutheran Church.
The trip was a success thank you NOLA 2012 team for making this the best week of my life, thank you Travis Wain our Student Leader, Jessica Morales and Luke Gregory our moderators, Tiffany DiNome, Iona in Mission Coordinator, and all of those who made this wonderful trip possible! Special thanks to the city of hope, for warmly welcoming us!
-Jaime Marroquin '14
