48 Hour Countdown

In less than 48 hours, our group will be on our way to New Orleans!  We have been meeting since early December in order to prepare for this experience, and it’s finally here!  It’s amazing how much I have learned about the issue of natural disasters, specifically Hurricane Katrina.  This was a topic that I thought I knew a decent amount of information about.  I would soon discover how incorrect I was.  Through the speakers we have heard, articles we read, and videos we watched, we witnessed personal stories of families and how they were affected.  One in particular that stood out talked about a man and his family that relocated after Hurricane Katrina.  In their new city he had found a job, a nice house, and he was with his family, but yet something was still missing.  He yearned for his old neighborhood setting he no longer had.  New Orleans was not just where he lived.  It was a part of him.  Without it he felt lost.  The same story resided in so many people we heard from.  Everyone I speak to talks about how unique the culture of New Orleans is compared to other parts of the country.  I am so excited to be there, and be able to experience the culture with my own eyes. 

As we met for our last meeting, we share our hopes and fears that we have for this Destination trip. During our experience we hope to: gaining a greater understanding of the social issue, developing a better appreciation for service, get to know others, create hope, and hope that we are impacted through our experience. Some of the fears our group has are: that we will not get enough sleep, allergies/sickness are brought on, homesickness occurs, that we leave the spirit of service in New Orleans, and don’t change when we return, and that we will not make an impact.  

We will be blogging during our week to give all of our readers a sneak peek at what we are up to. Throughout the week we will be sharing about the agency we are serving with, taking note of inspiring individuals we have met, sharing what it’s like to be on a service trip, and what about this experience has been the most impactful to us individually. Check back in to get a sneak peak of what we will be doing all week!

Peace, Love, and Destination