Nine Area Churches Partner on Mission Trip to New Orleans
January 21, 2009
On Sunday, January 11, a mission team of 66 people, ranging in age from 18 to 80, convened at Camp Restore in New Orleans, Louisiana for a week of construction work on homes that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005. Camp Restore is operated by Recovery Assistance, Inc. (RAI), a non-profit organization affiliated with the Southern District of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.
The team was a partnership of nine area Lutheran churches, including: Immanuel Lutheran Church (Crystal Lake), Immanuel Lutheran Church (East Dundee), Holy Cross Lutheran Church (Cary), Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (Crystal Lake), St. John’s Lutheran Church (Algonquin), St. Matthew Lutheran Church (Barrington), St. Matthew Lutheran Church (Hawthorn Woods), St. Peter Lutheran Church (Gilberts) and St. Peter Lutheran Church (Schaumburg).
During the weeklong trip, the team logged more than 2,000 hours of labor at 14 different job sites throughout the New Orleans area. The work primarily consisted of hanging & mudding drywall, laying ceramic tile and wood flooring, painting, insulating, landscaping and cleaning of Camp Restore. In conjunction with their manual labor efforts, the team members also brought a message of hope to those they encountered along the way.
A few highlights of the week’s activities:
- The installation of kitchen cabinets in the home of Lillie Jackson. These cabinets were donated by the Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District (BCFPD). Additional cabinets from the BCFPD were delivered to the home of Troy Fourtunia where they will be installed in the coming weeks.
- The Prayer Walk that four members of the team embarked on Wednesday morning. This group prayed with several New Orleans residents and felt God’s presence in a very real way.
- The insulation of a 2,300 square foot home in a single day by a “mega-crew” of 27 volunteers.
“It was wonderful to see God’s hand at work in each of the mission team members,” commented Dave Moll, Director of Mission Ministries at St. Matthew Lutheran Church (Barrington) and trip coordinator. “While there is still MUCH work to be done in the Gulf Coast region, every day provides small victories as homeowners get closer to returning to their homes. It seems that the residents have begun adjusting to the ‘new’ New Orleans, knowing that it will never be the same as pre-Katrina. Our prayers continue to be with the people of this region.”
The team returned to the Chicago-area on Saturday, January 17. This partnership of churches is already making plans for future mission trips together.
