St Luke Lutheran Church Santa Rosa CA July 13-19, 2008

The assigned task on one house: finish the sheetrock, patch sheetrock, tape, mud, texture, prime and paint along with repairing several sections of the attic’s sub-floor. Things seen in the work area: Windows were broken, houses demolished and there were giant piles of weeds.

Nora and Michelle’s special project. It was truly a masterpiece.

After many work crews and the week SLYIC spent Mrs. Jackson’s house was almost done and that with a few more Churches come to work on her house, she would be able to live there again, hopefully soon.

On Day Five of the Mission Trip the group went to see what was left of the Lower 9 th Ward of New Orleans. “Although this area was one of the hardest hit by Katrina, it seemed peaceful on that day. Yet as we began to find empty foundations and crushed houses, the realization quickly set in that what we were seeing was not a quiet field but the stark remains of a once thriving community.”

Reaction by Fred Karlen The arrival of Hurricane Gustav almost three years to the date of Hurricane Katrina, touched an emotional note among the members of our Mission Team. One unique aspect of this past summer’s trip was, that above and beyond the work we undertook, we connected with many of the people of New Orleans along with the city itself. We got to know a number of the area’s pastors, Lutheran relief workers, and members of sister congregations along with some living in the community. They invested time in us, shared their stories and really made us feel at home in their midst. There really is something about “Southern Hospitality” especially within the family of faith. Knowing what many of them had been through these past three years, as well as what they are still pulling out of, makes one’s heart go out to them. While thankful that New Orleans escaped the magnitude of damage that Katrina brought in 2005, Gustav still hit the Gulf Coast hard and the evacuation of two million people brings along its own hardships. Beyond the Katrina reconstruction, the people living along the Gulf Coast continue to need our support and prayers.