Welcome to New Orleans Home Build Trip Recap
In the Summer of 2005, a "Timothy" of Southeast - Nate Hawkins, joined the staff of a Church plant in New Orleans with a vision to plant a second campus. Hurricane Katrina changed everything. New Orleans was underwater, the population displaced, and untold numbers were overwhelmed by individual hardship and struggle. In 2006, people from multiple churches in Minnesota and Iowa came together to lend a hand to the efforts to re-new New Orleans. Every October since then, Southeast has led a multi-church crew to partner with Habitat for Humanity and friends in the New Orleans Fire Department in an effort to lend a helping hand to the need for decent affordable housing in New Orleans. To date more than 9,500 man hours have been volunteered through the combined efforts of Southeast Christian Church and like minded congregations in Minnesota. The 2012 crew was composed of teams from Southeast, Andover Christian Church, Howard Lake Christian Church, Cleveland Church of Christ, Worthington Christian Church, Concord Church of Christ, and Hope Summit Christian Church (Rochester).
Monday, October 22, 2012
Our team had opportunity to help a family whose citrus farm was destroyed by Hurricane Isaac and also our friends at Elysian Fields Church of Christ, whose basement suffered water damage from Hurricane Isaac.
Tuesday, Oct 23- Friday October 26
Tuesday through Friday our crews worked on multiple sites in the 7th ward of New Orleans (a part of the city just north and east of the French Quarter). In addition to the finish work our crews did on multiple homes we had a team helping at the St Bernard Community Center. St Bernard parish was deeply impacted by Katrina, holding the distinction as the only county in the history of the United States to have been entirely under water. After Katrina, St Bernard was largely in the shadow of the recovery headlines and has continued to struggle as many were hurt by the "Chinese drywall" which ate away electrical wiring, while others who found their income in the fishing industry found themselves with no income in the aftermath of the BP oil spill...and now recovery from Hurricane Isaac. St Bernard Community Center continues to serve the people of the parish with food relief, computer assistance, clothing store, and partnerships with agencies who regularly come on site.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Our Team worked in three locations. One team painted the interior of a fire station in New Orleans while a second group rebuilt a fence at a fire station in the West Bank. The third team worked with the Community Center of Saint Bernard
Tuesday, October 18
Our team began work on two Habitat homes. One Homes are in the Uptown area of New Orleans. One is in the Central City Neighborhood and the other in Hollygrove. Both homes are being built to reflect the needs of the families who will own the homes and the architecture of the neighborhood. In both cases, these homes are new for us...one being a home that is a four bed, two bath home and the other being a two story home.
Hollygrove Neighborhood
Central City Neighborhood
Wednesday, October 19
Progress on both homes continued while a cold front pushed into New Orleans dropping temperatures to the 60's-great working weather. Our Brothers and Sisters of the Elysian Fields Church of Christ invited the entire team over for dinner and the kind of fellowship only known in Christ was enjoyed by all to the glory of God!
Thursday, October 20
Friday, October 21
With the work week wrapping up, crews finished up with siding at Central City and laying out roof trusses while Hollygrove begain painting siding, laying out floor joists for the second story, trimming out porch and pouring cement for the front entry sidewalk. The end of the day meant a trip to Engine 29 for a visit with Chief Schmitt where those who had volunteered with the NOFD on Monday were presented with certificates of appreciation.
