New Orleans 1 - Homelessness

Friday, March 30, If you've been faithfully reading this blog (which you should, because it's clearly the best Mizzou ASB blog), then I apologize for the lack of posts the past few days. We haven't been able to post because we've been too exhausted from our service work! We've experienced a whirlwind tour of New Orleans this week, including the honor of working with some phenomenal organizations that are changing the world one small act at a time. On Wednesday we began our day by visiting the Ozanam Inn in downtown New Orleans. The Inn provides a very interesting service: a homeless shelter ran and operated by the people who utilize their facilities. Our team broke off into two groups. The larger of the two helped out with laundry, while the other helped prepare some authentic jambalaya for the tenants to enjoy. Team Laundry was accompanied by Paul, a man on his way to becoming a crew member with the Inn. He proved to be an excellent tour guide (our resident Tour Team member Brynn gave him her seal of approval), and was happy to answer any questions our group had. One thing that really stuck out was how excited Paul was about the personal bed and lamp that came with crew member status. Every time he brought it up his face lit up with excitement; everyone should take a page out of Paul's book and appreciate the small things more in life. This lesson came back up later on in the week.

Meanwhile, Team Kitchen worked with Bruce and Emil while chopping the Cajun trinity of vegetables (onions, green peppers, and celery, in case you were wondering) and stirring an absolutely massive pot of jambalaya (we were told it would serve literally hundreds of people). While the food was cooking, we got a chance to talk these men and hear their stories. Both were in town for Hurricane Katrina. Bruce was a social worker who helped with disaster relief. Fun fact: he's met Mother Theresa. That's right, we're two degrees of separation away from Mother Theresa. Get at us. On the other hand, Emil shared an absolutely breathtaking story of surviving the storm. He was staying in a hotel in the French Quarter during the storm (a room he got from his son who managed the hotel). During the storm his elderly sister fell and injured herself. After the storm had passed, he and a friend drove her to the Super Dome to receive medical attention. He stayed behind to make sure that she was attended to, and had to hitchhike back to the French Quarter. When he got there, his hotel had been evacuated, and he spent days searching for the rest of his family. Working alongside these men to continue to rebuild New Orleans was an incredible honor.

Thursday and Friday were spent helping to rebuild a church for Bishop Corrlen in east New Orleans. The Bishop, as we called him for short, was probably the most colorful character we met on our trip. I'll be honest: no words I write can do this man justice. You have to meet him to understand how hilarious he could be. None of us will forget him chatting us up about President Bush over po boys, introducing us to his not-so-friendly looking dogs Sissy and Robert, or lecturing Tia about the proper names of gardening instruments. Our work consisted mainly of sanding, painting, and yardwork. While it may not seem like much, it definitely helped him get further on his way to restoring his church to pre-storm conditions.

Our last afternoon with the Bishop was probably the most powerful experience of our trip. As a gesture of gratitude for our help, his wife showed us how a real southern meal should go. Sitting at a table right outside the church we spent the day working in, we chowed down on some crawfish and shrimp. They taught us how to pull the crawfish apart, right down to sucking out the juice. It was messy, it smelled like fish, and it was awesome. Afterwards, we were treated to a gospel concert, courtesy of the reverend on keyboard and team member Emily at the mic. Their combined musical talents were insane, and the experience became even richer when the Bishop told us that this was the first time he'd played his keyboard on the church grounds since the storm. You could hear the soul in his voice and feel the heartache of the storm in every note. This was gospel music. This was soul. This was New Orleans.

Our week spent here was indescribable. Everything from the personal connections we made through service to exploring the city in our free time was perfect. All of us will leave Who Dat Nation with memories made, lessons learned, and friendships formed. Through these experiences, we are better people. Seeing the love of New Orleans has helped us understand what it means to be a part of one humanity, a common culture we will continue to share until the saints come marching in.