Broken community

After Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, local and national news stations shed light on the disaster. Areas such as the Ninth Ward and Bernard Parish received a barrage of media attention, and in response volunteers from across the country gave their time to restore the communities. Those are two of the communities whose tragedies were highly publicized, yet the streets of many needy communities were scarcely penetrated.

Plaquemines Parish is one on these overlooked communities. On a map of Louisiana, Plaquemines Parish is the tip that hangs off of the boot and extends into the Mississippi delta. I recently took a trip to Plaquemines Parish to help rebuild the community. The area is surrounded on three sides by the Mississippi river. Completely below sea level, it is protected completely by levees. The parish is rural and primarily a low income area. Most of the community was made of trailers set on top of a foundation, wild grass, and various two lane roads. Although four years have passed, much of the community remained in ruins. Looking at this community gives the impression that time has stood still for the last four years.

Our lodgings were humble, a trailer with six individual rooms with no bedding and few amenities. Every aspect of the parish spoke to the devastation the town had suffered. My team worked on three different houses, laying laminate floors, putting up dry wall, and mudding the screws in the wall of another home. All of these projects had been in progress for longer than expected due to limited monetary resources.

Despite all of the misfortune and destitution that permeated the community, there was something special and unique about it. The "something special" was the body of the community. There was not much variance as it pertained to income, possibly all of the members of the community could be considered living in poverty; yet their spirits and commitment to one another were the strongest I have ever encountered. They were all proud to be a part of the Plaquemines community and wanted to return after the storm. They found a company to lay foundations and basic framework for homes for about 9,000 dollars as a starting point; from there they pooled their resources. One of the men in the community who had saved his riding lawn mower in the storm volunteered his time and resources to clear the lots of his neighbors. Two other neighbors, pastors of churches in the area, lead a park building project with local children. Even they helped to breathe life into the Plaquemines community. The community rebuilt together with their blood, sweat and tears. They all pitched in any way they could to aid in the restoration. I would not have believe it if I had never seen it.

In today's individualistic society, a community like this one is utopian. It was honestly the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. The level of faith they maintained in the midst of their struggle pervaded the air in an astounding manner. I asked one of the women why she continued to hope for the best. "I have no choice," she replied. "If God brought me here, I know he will not leave me. He has done it before. All I can do is hope and have faith".

Even though they had nothing to give, they made lunch for my group everyday as a thank you for our service. In reality, they did a far more significant service for me than I ever could have done for them. They showed me the true meanings of community, service, sharing, connectivity, and so much more. Although they had nothing, they made a world of difference in their community, even in the absence of news coverage, or mass waves of volunteers. They occasionally get volunteers to help out, as we did; however even without help the show goes on. They cared for each other when it seemed that no one else did. Even my group's trip was inadvertent. We did not choose to go to Plaquemines; we ended up there through a church connected to my college and the community.

I could not have chosen a more meaningful service plunge to participate in, and it is one that I will always remember. My faith was made stronger through the conviction of the people there. If they could truly believe that God was among them in the midst of tragedy, then I am moved to believe that God will continue to stand behind me as I venture on with life.