MHCC students give up their break to give one to New Orleans residents

By JANICE TARLECKI

A late drive to Seattle on Friday, March 24, to Lakewood, Wash., to stay in Lake City Community Church was the start of the trip after meeting at MHCC. Sleeping bags rolled out on the floor of the church gave a few hours sleep until the first flights out of Seattle at 6 a.m. Entering New Orleans late Saturday evening, the adventure began.

“Light City” (the camp in a huge empty warehouse) was home to 35 MHCC students and faculty for the week. More than 1,300 people from all over the United States slept on cots and cardboard mattresses, with Portapotties and shower tents. Everyone was up at the crack of dawn every morning to grab an energy bar along with their shovels, hammers, crowbars, masks and gloves.

Heading out in teams of 10-15, they covered New Orleans, ready to gut houses down to the studs to prepare the homes to be rebuilt.

“The experience was amazing,” said MHCC student Lindy Heath. “We saw the lives of people that had been turned upside down have a bit of hope again. They were so grateful and told us how much the help was appreciated, over and over again. We were energized every morning at the thought of how we could make a difference,” she said.

“Everyone we talked to told us how the students were getting things done faster than anyone so far in the last six months,” she added.

Asked why he would give up his spring break to do this, student and Campus Crusade leader David Knepprath said, “I couldn’t ignore the needs of the people when I saw how huge the destruction still was in the pictures we had seen. Nothing prepared us for what we saw when we arrived, and pictures don’t begin to tell the whole story.”

Dan Franklin, college pastor of Good Shepherd Community Church added, “We can make a difference in the lives of people, and these students were so willing to come and help, that we could not ignore the calling. They had willing hearts and hands and that made all the difference.”