| Cathedral of the Incarnation News By The Reverend Constance Lorenz, Deacon PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR MISSISSIPPI TRIP PHOTO ALBUM 10 teenagers from the Cathedral of the Incarnation’s “Journey to Adulthood” (J2A) Program set out on February 16, 2008 for a week to Mission On The Bay located in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi to do Hurricane Katrina Relief Work. Yes, the need still exists 2 ˝ years later. Martin Adams, Anna Bricken, Elizabeth Cavanaugh, Brittany Dara, Ryan DeMarco, Gerard D’Aversa, Robert LeSueur, Jessica Lombardo, Emily Werner, and Emma Siegel along with Fr. Joseph Pae and Deacon Connie Lorenz saw first hand the widespread devastation that Hurricane Katrina left. From the airport, we drove on the road which runs along side the Gulf of Mexico – the now quiet Gulf of Mexico. However, as we pulled into the driveway of our destination, the campsite of Mission On the Bay, which is located on the grounds of Christ Episcopal Church, we saw what was left of Christ Episcopal Church – the bell tower. This congregation now worships in a Quonset hut. We were warmly welcomed by Erin Dyson and Butch Jones, the directors of the camp, Mission On The Bay, which is affiliated with Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi. During our stay, we were housed, fed, & worshipped in military style Quonset huts, which resemble Army barracks, along with two other volunteer youth groups – a group from Georgia and one from Westchester, NY. Our major work assignment for the week was to work in the town of Perlington, a small community of 2,200 people, which is located in Hancock county, Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina brought widespread devastation to Hancock county with 40 confirmed deaths and millions of dollars of property damage. Nearly 70% of the county’s homes were left uninhabitable. The town of Perlington was particularly devastated, as nearly every home was either completely destroyed or severely damaged. The only hurricane other than Katrina to flood this part of the country with such force was Camille in 1969. Hurricane Camille only brought 2 feet of water into town; Hurricane Katrina brought 20 feet. We worked under the supervision of contractor Glen Locklin who is the Ministry Director & Project Coordinator of a company called One House At A Time. Their motto is “Restoring Hope, Reuniting Families, Rebuilding Lives.” Under Glen’s supervision we learned to lay cable and phone lines; to install electrical wiring; nail support braces; paint trim and doors; sand and stain kitchen cabinets. Some of the other work we did during the course of the week was real back breaking work -- like clearing debris from a lot, digging a drainage line. We listened to the incredible stories of survival from those whose homes we were working on. On our last day working with Mr. Locklin, he congratulated us - saying that in the 2˝ days of work with him that we helped 6 families. Although the work was difficult at time, the teens were enthusiastic. They brought their joy into places of great sadness. And, perhaps they even brought a smile and lifted the spirits of those who came in contact with their singing, their laughing. They were there to help, to rebuild, to give hope – all because they care. Kids do care – just give them a chance. |
