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Wednesday, 23 July 2008 |
By David Deaton
News Reporter
The Upper 9th Ward in New Orleans known for its jazz roots, was uprooted when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Louisiana city in August 2005. It's been nearly three years since the storm, and while much of the city has been rebuilt, many in the Upper 9th Ward feel there is much more work to be done.
Since Katrina ravaged the city it's people have been trying to pick up the pieces and carry on.
Thanks to the many people and communities across the country the city is getting rebuilt one house at a time.
Poteau's Southside Baptist Church wanted to do something to help not only the city of New Orleans, but reach out to the children and people who were effected by the tragedy.
With this in mind 20 members of the church travelled to New Orleans to help a neighborhood in the Upper 9th Ward rebuild their homes. The group also provided a sports camp for children in the Lower 9th Ward.
“There are still areas that have no electricity and some areas have no bathroom facilities available. Thankfully, Lowes was near our construction site” said Monty Thompson, Pastor of Southside Baptist Church.
Susan Hill spearheaded the mission trip and said, “The destruction is all very real and the determination of the people to come back to the homes they love and share fond memories in, is very much alive.”
While spending a week in New Orleans the mission team immediately roofed a home that had stood in six feet of water for two weeks. The team also mowed and trimmed around a home that belonged to a single mother who had no way to mow or even pay someone to mow the knee-high grass and weeds.
At the Lower 9th Ward the LeFlore County Missionaries, provided sport activities for the children of the neighborhood.
“The children really liked dodge ball the best,” Thompson said.
The mission team stayed at Grace Baptist Church, the oldest baptist church in New Orleans. The congregation provided the team with showers and bedding. The Baptist Disaster Relief Team from Texas provided the team with breakfast and lunch.
Besides sharing their skills on construction and athletic prowess, the team also shared their faith and wanted to leave the area with hope. Ten boys from the area made professions of faith while the Southside Team was there to minister and encourage.
Three years seems like a lot of time, but The 9th Ward is not even close to being what it once was. But, with help from churches, communities and people with the determination to carry on, New Orleans will get rebuilt one home at a time. |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 24 July 2008 )
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