The Youth of Preston Hollow UMC just got back from a mission trip to New Orleans. I know many of you are curious and eager to find out how big of an impact we made in the community of New Orleans. I have already had the questions: How many people went? What did you build? Did you have fun? So here is a bit of information about the trip.
We played a small part in a very big picture. The organization YouthWorks will be in New Orleans for a total of 10 weeks this summer and host over 500 students to serve the community, as well as other locations all over America. YouthWorks looks at each mission site individually to determine areas of greatest need, which range from light construction to visiting nursing homes. In New Orleans there was the greatest need for relational ministry. Many in the community have gone through more troubles in the past 5 years (since Katrina) than you or I would in a life time. The people are sad, scared, tired, and proud. Post Katrina New Orleans has recovered quite a bit since the storm in many ways; those that struggle the most are the young people. For many children, most of their lives have been lived in a post Katrina New Orleans where Law enforcement and schools are minimally present. Black on black, poor on poor and young on young crimes have established a pattern of hatred and mistrust among the young people. The media has painted a very dark picture of New Orleans that truly does exist. Many of the children cannot even imagine their hopes and dreams at all. In certain neighborhoods you are treated as an adult simply by reaching the age of 16. For these reasons, our students were partnered with ongoing ministries and outreaches in order to provide a more stable and sustainable help to the people deeply in need. The youth of Preston Hollow UMC worked specifically with a youth outreach ministry called APEX in putting on a free day camp for children between the ages of 5 and 13. Each day 100 children would come to APEX for a place to stay safe, and to stay cool, and simply have something to do. The people at APEX know and understand those reasons why the children come yet also do their best to present the gospel, simple morality, and Love to these children. They are doing a great Job! Statistics would show that by the end of the summer some of these children would loose their lives or be seriously injured by gun violence. However, not a single child who attends APEX has found themselves in the path of a bullet.
This mission trip was not easy. Anyone can paint or roof a house with the right tools, but our students built something far more difficult. We built relationships, we planted seeds of hope among the hopeless, and showed love to the proud, angry, and broken.
Some would say that seeing all the devastation that still exists in New Orleans, either in the buildings or the people, is “eye opening,” and I disagree. When we see or hear about the negative things it is easy for that to be our focus, it often becomes all we see and drains our spirit. Parts of the trip were draining and saddening, But the “eye opening” comes when you see more than despair and destruction. In the bigger picture you see change. In the bigger picture you see progress. The French quarter and Jackson Square are alive and well with tourism, and it is truly a fun place to be. Lake Pontchatrain is filled with great fish and provides a perfect backdrop for a community BBQ at Sunset. When your eyes are truly opened to New Orleans, you see that the progress, the hope for tomorrow is aided by the young people. A young man named Shelby Ratliff who grew up in the 3rd Ward and is now attending Tulane University, will be playing Wide Receiver on the football team, while fighting for the improvement of his community every day. Shelby works as the activities coordinator at APEX, He is respected by the teenagers of the 3rd ward because he went trough what they went through. When he talks they listen, and through his work many teens have also been inspired to volunteer their time, not only keeping themselves out of harms way but working to protect their families and friends so that every single tomorrow will be a brighter tomorrow in New Orleans.
For New Orleans to become better than ever before, it will take the hard work and good decisions of those in the community. I have no doubt, after meeting the people, that New Orleans will more than fully recover from the impact the storms have had. With the help of Jesus, and the seeds that are planted by not only our youth but all the work of all the churches combined, there will be new and bright hope for tomorrow. Helping those in need is never the easiest thing to do but I am definitely thankful to have served with our youth in the city of New Orleans.
Jacob Fields
What will you do?
