Five years ago today, it was a Monday morning. I was twenty years old, a senior in college, and classes had begun just a few days earlier. But I sat in front of my t.v. in a quiet, empty house. I didn’t move. I prayed. I asked God, “What is happening?” Something moved deep within my soul. I sat still that day, barely speaking a word. But deep, deep within, I knew that would only last for a day.
As soon as dawn broke on Tuesday, I knew I could not be still. My restless heart would not be confined. I did not know where. I did not know what. But I knew one thing: soon.
It took seven weeks of prayer, planning, and persistance before I returned to New Orleans, many years after I first experienced the city as an eight year old. For four days, I toured the city, assisted teams of volunteers, recorded their experiences, and documented the devestation in every corner of a city drained of life and spirit. At the end of those four days, I celebrated my 21st birthday, realizing that my life would never be the same.
I look back on that time having spent the past five years dedicating a big part of my life to bringing hope and life to the Crescent City. My first day back was October 14, late at night, as we drove through darkness for miles into the city that eerily welcomed us into the unknown. As light began to shine the following morning, it was absorbed by the gray dust that covered the entire landscape, as if a volcano erupted and covered the entire city with its ash. Now, there is again light to be found. But it is not everywhere. The gray dust may be gone in places, but I still gaze out onto patches of the city that still are dark as the day I first saw them after the floods receeded.
In five years, I’ve spent over thirty weeks in New Orleans. My poor Honda has over 200k miles on it now, thanks to dozens of trips up and down the Southern interstates from SC to La. My wife and I have met people we call family, who celebrated our marriage with us, and who will soon be able to introduce our first child to. Just as it was for me seventeen years ago, it again is my second home.
The ministry we formed on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s landfall has facilitated over 5,000 people’s journey to the city to help rebuild, recover, and bring rebirth. Together, we have served over 1,000 families throughout the metro area. At first, we were just Clemson Tigers heading to the land of LSU Tigers, with many locals thinking we should be called “Tigers Geaux”. It very quickly became so much more than a Clemson thing. In fact, over three-fourths of those 5,000 volunteers were not Clemson Tigers, though some were Memphis, Princeton, Auburn, and Tuskegee Tigers – and a few LSU alum too. But we’ve always been Ready, Willing, and Going – hence our new, long overdue name of “ReWiGo Ministries”, that we hope will welcome thousands of more people to serve others in need with a hopeful Christian spirit.
New Orleans is a city of rebirth. I’ve witnessed a revival in the city over the past five years. I’ve been inspired by churches embracing missional, Christian service to their brothers and sisters in need. I’ve heard story after story of people witnessing the hands and feet of Jesus exhibited in the actions of others – more so than I’ve seen or heard back home!
Believe it or not, there is still more growth to come. There are still families in need – many of whom are still suffering the effects of Katrina. The disaster we have witnessed along the Gulf Coast is the worst our generation has ever seen. Nobody was prepared for it. Likewise, we’ve never had the opportunity to respond to a catastrophe of this caliber in a place so close to home.
May we continue to pray for those living in need of hope. May we continue to reach out and love our brothers and sisters no matter how much we may be tempted to forget events of the past. I pray that God will use the experiences of serving and loving people in New Orleans continues to open the eyes of His children to the poverty in their own hometowns. May we use this horrible disaster as an opportunity for rebirth – not just of homes, but as a time of rebirth in our own hearts to be the hands and feet of a risen savior in our own world, bringing the hope, love, and joy of God Almighty to the least of these, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Grace and peace to you,
Chris
