Hello everyone!  I hope you all have had a great first week and are settling well into your classes!

I know this title probably surprised some of you, but for all of you avid readers of my blog (thank you by the way) I had mentioned that over Christmas break I was going on a 1-week service trip along with 30 some other Walsh students to New Orleans to assist Habitat for Humanity rebuild homes destroyed during the hurrican disaster. Going into this trip I had no idea what to expect, I knew that I would be surrounded by so many great friends, and I was looking forward to meeting many people I hadn’t had the chance to before…but there was so much more that I never could have expected.

I can’t tell you every single detail of the trip, because there were so many good times and activities we did that there is not enough room on my blog to tell you everything but I will give you some highlights and I’ve got pictures for you too so look below!

Well we departed Walsh early Sat morning after finals packing our lives into 4 vans–with 11 of us in our van we were ready to get down there!! 17-18 hour drive sounded like an eternity, but it was split up into 2 days so it was’nt too bad at all. The time began to quickly fly by as we traveled through several states and made several stops for food and breaks. Before long we arrived at the La-Quinta in Tennessee! Our first impressions were not the best but when we found the pool and that it was in close proximity to Steak and Shake we we grew to love it!!

The next morning we awoke to continue on our final way to Camp Hope in New Orleans! We arrived later in the night and didn’t know what to expect…it turned out to have all the essentials that our group needed to survive the couple days that we would be working. It was definetly no Hilton, but it sure beat what we could have had, so we were very thankful! We quickly got the rules that we were expected to follow. 4 minute showers, and limited computer usage, kept everyone on their toes. They did however, provide us  with plenty of food and comfortable beds–so we couldn’t complain.

The next morning was an early one and a group of us who hadn’t gone last year went on a tour of New Orleans to better understand the impact that we would have while helping. A Priest from the Youngstown Diocese, guided us around and explained many important landmarks. We also were able to attend mass in town and visited a family that had their house rebuilt by our Walsh Students last year. This was such a rewarding experience to see the finished product that last years group had worked hard on. If there was nothing else I came away with, was that the people in New Orleans were so greateful for all of our help….any help that we could offer for that matter. No matter where you were if they saw Camp Hope, or Habitat on your clothing they immedietly Thanked you, the feeling was undescribable, to know that we were helping to get so many families lives back on track–giving them a second chance.

As days went on, each van group worked on a different site. We would arrive early in the morning, get our job assignments, recieve intructions by Habitat workers, and then work until about 4 in the afternoon.  Between the 4 vans we were able to get so much accomplished–in fact we were putting paint on the walls on our last day, and the finishing touches on most of the homes.The weather was great the first 2 days of work, but of course even down in New Orleans, us Ohioans couldn’t escape the snow…becuase It went from 70 some degrees to 20 degrees and a blizzard our last day of work (go figure right?)

Overall, the actual hands on work was the best in my opinion, as we were able to work together for a good cause, and  still have a blast!! Check the pictures for proof!!

When we weren’t on the job site the drivers (our leaders) would take us around the town where we were able ot take in some of the sites and learn a little more about the city and all that it had to offer. Our faithful driver Beth (who we all grew so close to) drove us all over, we were so thankful for her and all the wonderful leaders we had around us while on our trip.

We even made it to Bourbon Street one night, and Cafe DuMonte to take in all the sights and sounds of the city and enjoy all that New Orleans had to offer! We were treated to several great meals, including a great dinner at Bubba Gumps (Forest Gump themed restaurant) with our whole group! We grew so close, and I can honestly say that this mission trip was one of the best times of my life. I no doubtly would do this again next year, and I thank everyone who volunteered their time for making this happen!

Heading back home after all the great memories and thinking about all that we had accomplished in such a short time really put life into perspective for me. The timing of this service trip could not have been better as we were going back home into the Christmas season–so much more grateful for everything we had. It was truly a moving experience knowing that while you are opening your gifts on Christmas day there are still people in New Orleans shuffling through their disaster.

Well I hope you will enjoy the pictures and please let me know of any questions you have about New Orleans, Camp Hope, or Habitat for that matter! I’d love to share more, but I better get my rest!

Until I blog again, take care!

–Chris