Naw'leans

Hey! Well since we work on Saturdays, Mondays are our fun days. So today we went to New Orleans, which was great. We walked mostly around the French Quarter, which wasn't affected so much by the hurricane, but we talked to two people who told us their stories of how they were affected. It was a very sobering day in that respect - to hear how lives were so drastically changed. And the second man we talked to was so lacking in hope. He has known ten people since last september (Katrina was on aug. 28-29) who have commited suicide because they don't have any hope - nowhere to go, nothing to look forward to. When you think about it, why not? Without God and with all material possessions gone, what would they have? It was really sad. He mentioned that the suicide rates in the city have skyrocketed and his friends are losing hope. He asked us to answer the same questions his friends keep asking him: Why would God do this? If he had the power to stop the hurricane, why didn't he use it? This man said that the "He did it because we have to learn to rely on him" seemed like a cop out answer. It was really hard, and there's really nothing to say. He mentioned that Katrina has turned so many people away from their faith because they don't believe a loving God would do such a thing. He's paying 20,000/month for rent, but there is no business in the city as only half of the people are back. So he's going to wait until September to find out if he can financially support himself anymore and if it doesn't work, he'll have to move to Charleston, SC which is the closest city that is most like New Orleans. But he's also torn because he doesn't want to pack up and leave the city he loves and has been in. But it's so mentally hard on him. He stayed during the storm and told us that he had to walk over dead bodies in the streets. But he and the other man we talked to also thanked us over again for coming down to help them out. They both mentioned that if it wasn't for the help of people coming down, these cities wouldn't have come anywhere. That's so encouraging to hear that they honestly appreciate us.
In church yesterday, the pastor recognized us, prayed for us, and they all stood up and clapped for us, some of the ladies were crying. These people are so nice and appreciative and it's so great to be able to work alongside and for them.
I'll be working construction this week, so it'll be hot and tiring. Pretty sure i'll sweat more than I ever have, but that's ok. Today was a great way to put it all into perspective.
Anyway, I have more I could write, but I need to get to my 95 degree bedroom (we still don't have air conditioning + 20 people in one room sleeping = ridiculously hot). G'nite!
lys