Fox Valley volunteers return to help rebuild New Orleans

It was nearly four years ago that Hurricane Katrina demolished and deluged New Orleans, taking more than 1,400 lives and leaving the city in a toxic, moldy mess.

Some 80 percent of the city was underwater. More than 200,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and the $80 billion price tag made Katrina the costliest hurricane in U.S. history.

But where Katrina brought only hardship, steady streams of volunteers have been bringing hope ever since. Among them are nine Fox Valley congregations, all from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, that banded together recently to contribute to ongoing restoration in the jazz-renowned city.

This band of brothers (and sisters) was pretty jazzed themselves about all that's been accomplished in New Orleans since Katrina's wrecking ball changed the face of the city. Many of the 66 who traveled together this year were two-, three-, and even four-year veterans who noticed differences from previous work trips.

"It's neat to see some of the small victories of people getting back into their homes," said Dave Moll, organizer of the weeklong trip. "It felt to me that the residents are beginning to adjust, though it will never be the same.

"But as much as we saw progress," Moll said, "I can't emphasize enough that there are still endless amounts of work to be done."

Lynette Mobley, business manager at Crystal Lake's Immanuel Lutheran Church, enjoyed last year's trip so much that she returned for another week of mudding, priming, and painting walls for homeowners still in need of help.

"Going back the second year, I was moved in two ways," Mobley said. "I was excited to see the improvement that happened in a year and the greater population of New Orleans that came back. Last year was like a ghost town, and this year there was traffic.

"But I was also moved by how much was still completely untouched from the year before," she said.

The Lutherans logged more than 2,000 hours at 14 sites selected by Camp Restore, an LCMS ministry set up in an old church/school building ravaged by Katrina and refurbished by volunteers. Housing and meals are provided there at minimal cost for work crews who provide drywalling, flooring, landscaping, and other services for Louisiana homeowners.

Moll said he considers the one-day insulation of a 2,300 sq. ft. house and the installation of kitchen cabinets donated by Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District to be the week's biggest accomplishments.

Director of mission ministries at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Barrington, Moll has been lining up tools and team members annually since Katrina hit, his own church traveling with just one other that first year. The next year, two more joined in, and by 2008 the entourage had grown to nine churches, same as this year.

Linda Burmeister of St. John's Lutheran, Algonquin, has been on all four Gulf Coast trips. This time around, she organized a housekeeping team to clean up Camp Restore rather than helping every day at the homeowner sites.

"It turned out to be a great gift that we could give to the camp," Burmeister said. "It was a highlight for me to be able to serve those who serve."

Burmeister also organized a "prayer walk" with three other volunteers. They hiked different neighborhoods, stopping at street corners to pray for residents and sometimes asking people they met if they could pray for them.

"We were just marveling at how receptive the people of New Orleans were to that kind of unexpected invitation to pray," Burmeister said. "Only one person turned us down out of about eight or nine."

Tony Mariano of St. Peter Lutheran Church, Gilberts, was a first-timer to the city, but "I would go back in a heartbeat," he said. "I was not expecting to see the devastation that was still down there. All people wanted was to get back into their houses. That really hit hard."

Mariano said he enjoyed meeting the owners of both homes he worked on.

"Everyone on the team made a point of taking time to sit down with the homeowner and just talk to them," he said.

Like so many on the trip, he also appreciated fellowshipping with volunteers from sister churches. Other participant congregations included Holy Cross, Cary; Prince of Peace, Crystal Lake; St. Matthew, Hawthorn Woods, and St. Peter, Schaumburg.

"It was incredible to see the span of ages of the different people involved, and so many people using their skills and talents and treasure to make this happen," said the Rev. Phillip Baerwolf, associate pastor at East Dundee's Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Moll agreed.

"To see an 18-year-old and a 77-year-old working together was one of the neater sights of the week," he said, referring to Zach Goschey and Homer Verseman. The two men, both of Immanuel Lutheran in Crystal Lake, were part of the same crew - one measuring and one cutting tile.

"It brings such great joy to see God's people at work together," Burmeister said. "I just love that can-do attitude. It's not about me, it's not about how I feel, it's about getting that homeowner back in that house as soon as possible."

"I'm hopeful that for our homeowners, both Cynthia and Gladys, that we were able to deliver a message of hope," Mariano said.

And what is that message?

"People still care," he said.