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2011 Mission Trip- New Orleans Here We Come!
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Day 1
15 Bright smiling faces all ready to go, piled into the cars and left OLL right on time. We drove the 7 1/2 hours to Quincy University in Quincy IL and arrived with no problems at the Holy Cross Friary. What a great place to spend the night. The Brothers were all very welcoming and the girls even spent sometime visiting with a few of them.
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Day 2
Brother Ed made sure we had all we needed. Breakfast was provided and before we packed up to leave, Brother Ed and Brother Bob had a short prayer service with us. During the prayer service Brother Ed gave each of us a "Tau" cross and a coin that says "Lord help me remember that nothing is going to happen today that You and I can't handle together". They also lit an eight day candle that we placed at the Blessed Mary's feet, which will remain lit until we return next Saturday. The Brothers will use that candle to remind them to keep us in their prayers everyday. How special it is to know that people we do not even know will be praying for us, along with all of our friends and family from OLL.
We did a quick loop through St. Louis to go and see the Arch. When we were trying to find a place to park, all of the parking lots that we could have parked the trailer in were flooded. So much water, So we didn't stop but did get to see it. On our way back out of town we also drove past the St Louis Rams and the Cardinals staduims. Both were in a block of each other.
Lots of flooding throughout the Missouri area; many times the girls in my car commented "You mean that water is not normally there?".
When we were about 2 hours from Jackson MS, our stop for night 2, I got a call from Brother Ed,
who was just checking in to see if we had arrived yet and if everything was going okay.
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Day 3
We arrived at CWHC full of excitement. Our entry in to New Orleans took us on the 24 mile bridge over Lake Pontchartrain. How amazing that was!!! It is the second largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States after the great Salt Lake in Utah. We got here just in time to get settled in, and begin our adventure. It's a warm, humid day and we all appreciate that our accomodations are air conditioned.
We formed our teams and got to know each other. We received our work assignments. We had the pleasure of meeting Father Norm whose musical talent amazed and inspired us. The excitement climaxed as we celebrated Mass and prayed for God's grace.
Everybody is tired and ready for bed early but excited for tomorrow and our first day of real service!
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Day 4
It's the first day of workcamp: day 4 since leaving Mound,
Everybody up at 5AM: Breakfast and Mass;
excitement abounds!
We have our assignments and our tools
and we've bonded with our teams,
We take off for our worksites not sure what we'll see.
Scraping and painting are the jobs for many,
Getting to know the residents
keeps us grounded and heady.
We hear their stories of heartbrake and hope
and at the end of the day we are all filled with grace.
We're meeting many nice people and building our faith,
Father Norm inspires us to look for God's face.
Lights out at ten; we are tired, brains numb,
Getting rested and ready for the next day to come.
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Day 5
Hey y'all! greetings from the hot and humid land of our barely air-conditioned rooms. I'm not sure exactly what to write about so i guess I'll tell you about my day and the amazing family I've met. I met Violet the mother of six children including two autistic children. They range from ages three to seventeen. Scottie and Isabella are both autistic and nonverbal, which makes things harder for Violet but the patience she shows with them is amazing. Scottie loves to climb and be active at every single moment. Recently, I taught him how to fist-bump and we are slowly creating a handshake (not sure if I can handle his mad high five skills though), and Isabella will just cuddle with me to our hearts content whenever I'm not working. There's also Andrew, Olivia, Rebecca, and the oldest boy who I haven't met yet because he's been staying at his dad's house. Olivia is the sweetest thing I've ever met. I could actually talk for hours because she's so mature and we have a ton in common despite our age difference. Rebecca is the closest to my age and I feel so close to her even though I've only known her for a few days. Now Andrew on the other hand, is a crazy nutball who will crawl up in your lap and start meowing like he's a tabby cat. There's not a minute that goes by without the house being filled with laughter and joy, and all the children are so supportive of each other especially Rebecca with Scottie and Bella. Violet told us that she used to be picked on because she has autistic siblings, but Rebecca stood up for them and all other children with disabilities because she knew what was right. While Violet was telling us about Rebecca she nearly started crying out of sheer pride for her amazing daughter and I know if I were Violet I would be doing the same exact thing. The past few days have definitley changed for me. At first this trip was all about doing service for strangers, but Violet and her family are not strangers at all to us. They are family.
Shannon G |
Day 6
The experience of a lifetime is what they told us it would be, but they didn't include the amount of labor and hard work involved. At 5:45 in the morning it was already 91 degrees and humid. On little sleep everyone went their seperate ways to their individual worksites. Our worksite consisted of the sweetest elderly couple that one could ever meet. Paul and Mary were our residents, with great stories to tell. Paul was home more often then Mary was, but everyone loved Paul. Paul even has a crush on "boss lady" AKA Beth. Paul was so easy to talk to and such a sweetheart. I am so glad that he was apart of my expierence at CHWC. Plus, he showed all the girls a picture of his nephew- and boy, was he a sight to see. Although he may not ever be able to admit it, we all knew that Paul loved us all. Mary was so greatful all the time. She always invited us inside for breaks and brought us water bottles; along with telling us how beautiful we all are, along with how beautiful her house looks. They are so sweet, and I am so glad that I got to know them, and I wish I would have spent more time with them and less time on the house itself. Yesterday, after a long day of pure scraping, we were ready to prime and paint some of the house. There were many tedious jobs to attend to, for example, painting of an intracate iron railing. Beth, me and a few other group members worked on the railing all day. Did I mention that it was oil-based paint, that is very difficult to get off? Anyway, although our work was very tedious and time consuming, we trucked through it-for 3 days that is. Once we got back from our tiring day, it was off to the showers. After showering, snacking, and socializing, off to program we went. The program was very interactive, like always, but as the program moved along, things got more serious. Adoration was the name, seriousness was the game. For many people, it was a very moving experience, having the heavens on earth. For many of us though, although we didn't know what adoration exactly was, we still felt the experience with those surrounding us. Overall, for me, this trip has brought me closer to God and has given me a chance to see all the love that He has to offer for us.
Christina L |
Day 7
My name is Fr. Norman Fischer, spiritual director for this Camp in New Orleans!!! I have been blessed to have celebrated the opening, daily and closing masses of the CHWC Next Level Camps. I was the rappin' priest that hopefully encouraged and lifted up the campers in their hopes to make an incredible difference in the lives of many households in this Rebuilt City after Hurricane Katrina. Comments by the residents indicated that they needed this surge and power of the teens--a power that was anchored in the Love of Christ Jesus! I know I saw the campers each morning and celebrated the Holy Eucharist--God's love--Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament--the movement went like this: We were given, we received, we were told to, "The Mass is Ended. Go in Peace to love and serve the Lord" and We did!!!" Now that they return, I am encouraged that many were changed and that I am a better priest because of their witness and display of hunger and hope to make a difference!!! Love in Christ--When you Adore Him you See More of Him!!!---Fr. Norman Fischer, Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky
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MISSION TRIP 2011
Day 1
LIGHTS OUT
HANGING OUT
DAY 2
DAY2
The kids are keeping us in line!
Dinner at Pops Pizza
Good eats!
I've been in the car 7 hrs. and still having fun!
St. Louis Arch
State #6 Wow
Tau Cross and Prayer Coin
Day 3 Jackson Ms
Getting ready to move on
Working on web page
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