Another Perspective from New Orleans

by Vaughan (Bubba) Wagoner:

The amount of work remaining to be done in the city, even 2 years after what is locally call "The Storm," continues to boggle my mind, but the faith-based volunteer effort that is continuing in the area is even more awesome!!! I occasionally stop and try to strike up a conversation with local folks that I meet on the street. Sometimes the stories are "downers" like the lady that pointed to a vacant lot and told me that it was where her grandmother's house used to be - the house that her mom, and her, and her kids had lived in until "The Storm" took it away. She was not a happy person, and wasn't even willing to talk much - just saying that her family was struggling to make it from day and telling me that sometimes you just "gotta do what you have to do to keep something in your belly." Her life had been changed drastically, and she did not see a future for her to get out of her misery.

Sometimes the stories are uplifting, like the 60 year old fellow whose front yard looked like it could come from the TV series "Sanford and Son." He was separating some scrap metal stuff that he had collected to recycle for a few dollars. He told me that he had worked for the school system for about 30 years, but with so few schools open after "The Storm" he had been laid off, but with a promise that as soon as he turned 60 he would be officially retired from the school system and get his pension. Well, turns out he had turned 60 a couple weeks ago, and he had a big smile on his face as he talked about fishing, and rocking on the porch, and playing with his grandchildren. His house had been damaged, but was repairable and had been pretty much repaired he told me. He had "kept alive" with the money he had made from recycling the scrap metal, and commented that for him life had pretty much returned to normal. But, in the next breath, he kinda got a faraway look on his face and said, "You know, this neighborhood ain't never gonna be the same." A real mixed bag of triumph and tragedy and emotions.

I'm sure their stories have hundreds of thousands of parallel ones all over the area - and that's why we are here. That's why we are called by God to be "our brother's keeper," and why we are challenged over and over to live our faith through our actions, more than just through our words. I am grateful for each of the mission team members that gave of their time and money and talent to come and help make a difference. I am grateful for the support from the St. Michael's family that makes trips like these possible. I am grateful that there are groups like the Episcopal Office of Disaster Relief that can so effectively coordinate the efforts of such a diverse group as all the volunteers. But most of all I am grateful to the loving and omnipotent God of the universe who has shown us through His son, Jesus Christ, how we should live in this world, even in the midst of sorrow and misery, and that, yes you can make a difference.