Hello friends! I am so sorry it has been absurdly long since I last posted, but I am determined to catch y’all up and post more from now on!

Back before we headed overseas, the whole squad loaded into vans and we drove from AIM base in Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana. I never had imagined I would be in New Orleans, but this God I serve seems to rarely obey our expectations!

We set up our sleeping pads in a church that was hosting this years Samaritan’s Purse outreach team. We spent 2 weeks here joining forces with volunteers from across the country to help relieve families from hurricane Ida’s damage to the community. Samaritans Purse (or affectionately called SP) is an incredible organization that mobilizes volunteer teams to respond to natural disasters and poor conditions across the world. It was incredible to join in their mission of “helping in Jesus’ name”.

I had always heard of hurricanes effecting this far-off city called New Orleans, and seeing drone footage and photos on the news. But it is a completely different experience walking through a demolished house as you speak to the family who is recalling childhood memories from that place. Seeing it on T.V. is not even comparable to driving through neighborhood after neighborhood of broken, tortured houses and patches of tarps waving in the wind.

As we gutted houses and cared for homeowners, I learned that we(SP) was the very last group to be working relief for Ida. 

We were literally many people’s last hope. 

We began every visit with a prayer with the owner, assessed the damage to the house, then pulled our tools from the truck and started tearing out compromised parts. As a bunch of previously untrained teens, we learned all the tool names and how to use them and much more involving demolishing work. One time a contractor came in after and said that our time at a house had saved the owners over $6,000. It was incredible to be able to help and serve people in such a tangible way.

Something else that I learned during my time in Louisiana wasn’t involving houses at all. During our time at a house, our team made sure we worked efficiently and thoroughly, but we always prioritized the homeowner above all else. We did our best 

to comfort them, be with them, and most of all, listen to them. I had naively assumed that we would solely be the ones helping others, but these people had so much to teach us through their stories and perseverance.

One homeowner, Valerie, sang with us as we worshiped while we worked. She had bought her home mere months before the hurricane, and it was now reduced to a skeleton of wooden bones and a cracked concrete foundation. Yet she stood there with tears slipping down her face in thanksgiving to God. Yet she raised her hands and voice in awe in front of a dozen strangers. Yet she never let go of the unchanging anchor of Christ, even in the wildest seas. She humbly accepted words and prayers from people 5 decades younger than her, and showed me what faith really looks like.

We were put on this earth to love, so that’s what we do. 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” [Mark 12:29]

Since knowing God, my definition of love has been turned on it’s head. One thing I always remember is that love is a verb, an action, not a feeling. So we really do have the ability to love everyone and everyone that we meet. Oftentimes, true love simply looks making sure a person feels seen, worthy, and listened to. 

Spending a whole day at a home working with the homeowner was just so sweet. Oftentimes these ordinary people stuck by something out of their control were just seeking anything to hold onto. Any hope. Sometimes our team and the homeowners had spontaneous dance parties as we pulled out (endless) nails from the studs and swept. Sometimes we exchanged life stories and testimonies over sack lunches. Sometimes we took out a guitar and sang their favorite hymn in worship and praise to God. 

While we could see the result in our physical work in a house, we could often feel the result of Jesus working in their minds and hearts through us. What an honor to be used! To build a house out of so much more than planks and drywall. To build a community that can never be torn down. To put our treasure in a place that thieves will never break into, moths will never eat away at, and natural disasters can never touch. [Matthew 6:19]

This what we live for.

Thank you for reading! We were in New Orleans in the month of October. And currently, our squad is living and working here in Guatemala. We have had multiple route changes due to COVID and closed borders, but our route right now is: Costa Rica, Guatemala, eSwatini/South Africa. Stay tuned!

All the Love,

Grace