Parting Shots

This being my first mission trip, I feel that I have to express what a wonderful experience it has been for me these last 10(ish) days. The friendships I have formed and the feelings I have felt on and off the worksite have been truly inspiring. Being able to find a whole group of such wonderful people my age can seem so hard to find sometimes, yet, here I have struck gold. The kids in this group express a kind of unity and friendliness that I just can’t get over. I have decided that I am officially addicted to the God Squad and all that it stands for: the work, the bonds, and the fun.

To be able to view first hand the destruction here on the Gulf Coast was an eye-opening experience for a “weather-sheltered” California girl. The idea of a huge wall of water leveling everything in its path is almost too much to comprehend, something that should be reserved for Hollywood back-lots. Yet, I assure you, it is very real for the residents of those cities that looked like they had been vacuumed up and spit out again. To hear their stories was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. They went through such a profound experience; to be able to hear them speak about it was such a treat for the journalist in me. Their strength and optimism after all that had befallen them was awe-inspiring. I felt like I got so much more than I gave from every day of work.

Now for the fun stuff…New Orleans was pretty legit I must say. The French Quarter was a little dirty, but otherwise, very similar to what I imagined. I did see a transvestite, and as a result, I feel my experience is now complete. One of the biggest treats for me was when our whole group attended a cooking class/exhibition at The New Orleans School of Cooking. We had this lady Anne, (whom I thought was a major crack-up by the way) who showed us how to cook some of the best gumbo and jambalaya I have ever tasted. Ok, ever tasted, period. As for the pralines, only one word comes to mind: heavenly. They were really some of the best candy I have ever had, and I have had my fair share of candy. I usually don’t go for things with nuts in them, not being a big fan myself, but these were AMAZING.

To conclude, I absolutely loved this trip with all my heart, for reals yo. I am so thankful I decided to come.

Yeah I’m done.

Leslie Corona, signing off.

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Like Leslie, this was also my first mission trip. As someone who has adopted his faith relatively recently, this trip has given me a unique opportunity to both test, and reinforce my newly found faith.

Being in the wake of an ‘act of God’ has this effect on people, and I was lucky enough to experience that effect profoundly over the past number of days.

I am so lucky to have gotten the chance to experience something that most people never will. That said, The Mission Trip has been more than just another story I can tell people, or thumbtack on the map, its become a memory that I believe will truly change my life. Of course as I write this here on the plane, flying over the grand state of Kansas, I am not sure what exactly this trip will do for me, and more specifically - my character. On a basic level, I believe that The Mission Trip has helped to increase my tolerance for heat (I have always enjoyed cold weather much more). I anticipate that upon arrival, the moderate Oakland climate will cause me to long for a jacket somewhat warmer than the paper-thin windbreaker I am wearing right now.

Upon the first day we landed in New Orleans, all of my own personal problems seemed so much smaller. I was surrounded by a place awash with destruction, somewhere where you were lucky to have half a house, much less a car or garden. I began to attack myself internally, realizing how pathetic and inconsequential the classic teenage problems of not finding a date to the prom or breaking up with your girlfriend are. That mentality now helps me whenever I feel like pitying myself, and I believe strengthens my character.

I am so impressed with how the church has reacted to this crisis, a crisis unseen historically. When I say ‘the church’ I don’t mean any specific denomination, Episcopal or otherwise, I mean the people of God as a nation. I do not know why but it seems that secular response to this disaster (federal or otherwise) has been somewhat lackluster and ineffective. The people we helped seldom asked ‘what organization are you from,’ but rather ‘what church’. When people speak ill of the effects of organized religion, I believe that they forget the profoundly influential and beneficial effects of the church community as a whole. As Christians, it is important to remember our covenant with God, to help those less fortunate than us.

The funny thing is that I don’t really know if I want to go back or not. This trip has made me want to change things externally as well, such as the relationship with my family, and I am eager to start that. I miss my friends, my car, and my mattress (one not filled with air) but I am also cognizant of how much work is still left to be done along the Gulf Coast. I guess its time for me to give up the computer. All I really know now is that the way I felt flying west to east was very different than how I feel now, flying towards the setting sun.
California, I’m comin’ home.

Chris Nomura

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An excerpt from a letter that I wrote today to my partner, Colette Mercier:

I sat on one of 36 bunk beds in our tent shaking and crying as I felt this thing in me. Realizing the beauty and radical potential in this amazing youth-led Mission Trip and in my practice. We are a traveling band of lovers & workers living in community, looking at history, struggling for justice, making art, singing, meditating and having serious fun. If things like this can't change the world, I don't know what can.

-The sp Lovin' aka Sean Potts

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I’m sitting here thinking of what to say about this experience. I’m thinking about all the lives I’ve helped change- RJ, Willis, Barbara, Florence, and countless others. I’m recalling all the sights I’ve seen- destroyed houses, piles of debris, foundations of houses that no longer exist, childrens toys covered in mud and flood water, and that’s only to name a few. I’m cherishing the friendships I’ve gained and the ones I’ve made stronger. I’m considering every adjective in the book- amazing, mind-blowing, life changing, binding, incredible, and all the other over-used descriptive words. Still, I don’t quite know how to describe this mission trip to Mississippi. It’s more something that can’t be described. Something that isn’t tangible. Nothing I can hold or show off but something worth way more. But you know what I couldn’t be more okay with that.

-Erin Searfus

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Do know that I am a musician, not a poet….

I have seen God on this mission trip of ours,
Just as sure as you can see Mars.
He’s been with us the whole way,
Just as sure as it rains in May.
His presence was in the people we met,
Who are always so thankful for the help they get.

God was with us each step of the way,
We could see that everyday.
He gave us an air-conditioned car,
When the humidity felt like tar.
His presence was in the places we went,
It was like an agreement that could not be bent.

God was with us throughout the week,
Even if times looked meek.
We were quite surprised to see Him so much,
It wasn’t hard to keep in touch.
Even as I write this poem now,
I look back, and can only say wow.

-Luke Doylemason