Finding Joy in NOLA!

This trip helped me realize a lot about myself and my own life. Seeing the hardships these people have had to face for the past few years to try and rebuild their lives was an experience in itself. Today, after we finished our final touches on the house, we spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up various streets in the ninth ward. I know in my group especially one man was extremely impressed with our sidewalk cleaning. He walked up to us, telling us how awesome we were for doing this in his neighborhood and commenting on how fast we worked. He passed us again a little while later when you could begin seeing the sidewalk again and his excitement could've been seen for miles. As he continued back to his house, he waved, sang and skipped for joy. He even knocked on his neighbor's door to let him know of the work happening down the street. If we have as much impact on the homes and people of New Orleans as he did on us I know our trip down here will have been worth while. This trip was unlike any other and overall has changed me as a person. I can only hope I will take these experiences with me to further better others lives in the future. Erin