Hey everybody! I am so sorry that this post is coming to you TWO WEEKS LATE! Yikes!! Our time in Louisiana was really physically strenuous, so most of the free time we had on campus was spent sleeping. On top of that, I am quarantined. Myself and my squad mate Abigail Benedick (check her blog out at abigailbenedick.theworldrace.org!) frequently volunteered in the kitchen at Samaritan’s Purse, and were both exposed to someone who contracted COVID. So, for the next 14 days we will be quarantining together in a house on campus. I am hoping to write a blog post about that situation within the next few days as well!
Okay! Practical updates and apologies aside… WOW. Serving in Louisiana was an incredible experience. Fair warning: this is going to be a LONG post! I’d like to start out by telling you guys what I’ve been learning from our time in Louisiana. If you’d like to know more about the practical side of our day to day schedule, feel free to scroll down and check out the schedule I posted below!
My Major Takeaways
1. We are not meant to work alone
I was on a team of 30 people. Teams Zao, Fervent, and Mesa (my team!) combined to take down some of the toughest total mud-out sites Samaritan’s Purse (SP) had to offer. We were led by a handful of amazing men from SP who have all spent the last few months of their time living and working with SP. I was never alone. Which is a good thing, because there is no way I could’ve done any of the work on my own. Even if I had all the knowledge and strength I needed to get a job done, there is no way I would have accomplished what we did as a team.
We are the body of Christ, and we are not called to work alone. You and I on our own could be strong, we might be smart, we may even be capable, but we can do nothing on our own. Each one of us represents a different, specific, intricate part of “The Body”, with Jesus Christ at the head. I saw this body at work over and over again in the 2 weeks we spent with SP. Where one team member might be best at ripping out large chunks of drywall and insulation, another excelled at digging small pieces out of cracks and corners, and yet another’s strength lay in the repetitive task of pulling staples from a bare ceiling. As the body of Christ, our weaknesses are covered and supported by each other’s strengths.
2. Community means EVERYONE
Beyond just our physical work on the job site, the strength of our community shined in the interactions we had between generations. For my squad, this was the first time we had a chance to spend time with people outside the age range of 18-30 in 2 MONTHS, and the difference was incredible. Our team leaders poured so much wisdom into us, and were amazing models of endurance. In return, we gave all our energy to our work (both on the job site and on campus). Community is stronger, fuller, and more beautiful when people of all generations get involved.
3. God is Sovereign
This is a big one I’ve been learning, beyond just our 2 weeks with SP. The community of Lake Charles was hit with not one, but two named storms within a month. They are both physically and spiritually devastated in the wake of hurricanes Laura and Delta. Driving through the city is honestly quite disheartening, and yet God is STILL sovereign. He’s also still good, loving, healer, comforter, and he is STILL WORKING. It’s easy to forget these things when life is shaken by storms, but when I take a moment to actually look for God at work, I always find him. It’s just a matter of choosing to look. I saw Him in the determined work of my team as we ripped drywall out of moldy houses, in the patient chainsaw lessons Frank (one of our SP team leaders) gave us, and in Ms. Penny’s (a homeowner) voice as she sang hymns for us while we worked. God reveals his goodness in all things.
4.There is still so much work to be done
James 1:27 says “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world”. If we claim to be Christian, we claim this responsibility. I have a responsibility to care for those who cannot care for themselves. I have a responsibility to serve others, just as I know Christ has served me. There is still so much work to be done. If you have time in the next couple of months, I strongly encourage you to sign up to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse in Lake Charles, or any of their other disaster relief sites around the country! One major benefit of working with Samaritan’s Purse, is that they provide food and lodging for FREE. They treat their volunteers incredibly well, and I promise you will walk away from the experience with an incredible sense of spiritual fulfillment. Not to mention at least 20 new friends!
If you don’t have the time or resources to volunteer with an organization like SP, that’s okay! If you can’t volunteer at all, THAT IS OKAY, because your life can become ministry no matter where you are or what you are doing. What truly matters is saying YES to God, and following where he leads. If we do that, we will always be doing the work of the Kingdom.
If you’d like some more basic information on what it’s like to volunteer with Samaritan’s purse, check out the schedule below! You can also feel free to reach out to me with further questions. One way you can help the community of Lake Charles from home is to PRAY. Please, please, please be praying for them! It has been close to 3 months since hurricane Laura hit, and many in the city are still unable to live in their homes due to storm and mold damage.
Part Two: SCHEDULE
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4:45am: Wake up! Get ready to serve in the kitchen
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5:00am: Help Prep Breakfast for Samaritan’s Purse Volunteers
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6:30am: Breakfast/Devotions/Announcements
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7:30am: Cleaning Time
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Every day different teams cleaned the showers and bathrooms on campus.
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8:00am: Head out to Job Sites!
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Every team’s work was different depending on their site. Some common jobs included: Mud-Outs (Clearing houses of flood damaged debris, drywall, insulation, and flooring, Tarping (Covering spaces in siding and roofing that had been torn away by high winds, trees, and rain), Yard Clean-up (Picking up debris from the hurricane, tree removal)
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12:00pm: Lunch at the Job Site
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12:20pm: Post Lunch Nap Time (My favorite time of day!)
- 12:40pm: Continue Working
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4:30pm-5:00pm: Return to Samaritan’s Purse Campus
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Once we return from our job site, we are free to take showers and relax until dinner time.
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6:00pm: Dinner/Share Time/Announcements
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Share time is a nightly practice where volunteers describe ways we saw the Lord at work while on the job site that day.
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7:00pm-10:00pm: Free Time
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During this time, many people actually choose to head to bed right away! Days start early, and the work is tough. If I wasn’t headed to bed, I used this time to get to know the other volunteers on campus, play cards, or spend time with Team Mesa.
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10:00pm: Lights Out!
So there you go! Those were the basics of our Monday through Saturday while living in Lake Charles. In the two weeks F Squad was in Lake Charles, we completed 97 work orders (a campus record!), and were able to lead countless homeowners closer to the Lord. Even though the work was physically exhausting, it was so very spiritually fulfilling.
Thank you so much for reading this post, and stay tuned for my next post coming up this Saturday!
