I-EEE!!! It’s Louisiana!
What do you get when you put twenty people together on a bus for 31 hours, hammers, roofs, tile floors, paint, alligators, a Pentecostal Revival, crawfish, cemeteries, sun, beach, Gulf of Mexico, southern hospitality and a Catholic retreat center?
You get a Habitat for Humanity Trip to Lake Charles, Louisiana.
During spring break last week I went to Lake Charles, Louisiana for what turned out to be an unforgettable trip. Our trip started late Friday to avoid a passing storm. After 31 hours we arrived in Lake Charles.
Our home for the week was the Catholic Diocese retreat center in Moss Bluff outside of Lake Charles. Luke and Leia, the center supervisors, were great. After settling in, our group headed to the beach by the lake. We soaked in the sun and played a little Frisbee. It seemed like a completely different world.
The next day we began work remodeling Habitat homes. If you are unfamiliar with Habitat for Humanity it is an organization which provides suitable housing at reduced cost for families who are in need of a home.
The group I was in worked on re-roofing a house, while the other group put up sheetrock at a different location. Over the next three days we completed a roof, tore out two tile floors, painted ceilings, walls and doors, moved appliances, put up siding and finished another roof on the last day. Our group worked efficiently and our supervisors said we were the best group they had seen in awhile.
Not only was working on a house a memorable experience, all the other activities we participated in were great too. One night we went exploring in the city for a Voodoo cemetery.
Unfortunately, Lake Charles does not have that type of cemetery. The next night we went to a Pentecostal revival at a church about an hour away from Lake Charles. The service was quite different from what most people in our group were used to.
A traveling evangelist named Brother Bart spoke with passion and emotion. He prophesied while others in the congregation spoke in tongues. After the service our group had a great discussion about the experience. Although it was a challenging experience, most people in our group felt like they grew in their own faith and were pleased we went.
On our day without work we traveled to the coast. We saw the destruction of hurricane Rita which hit the area over one year ago. Houses were taken from their foundations, cars were in swamps, trees had turned into missiles and water covered much of the area. It was important for me to see the destruction because I knew we had been repairing homes that were damaged by the storm.
The people there are resilient and determined to rebuild and move on. Later that night we drove to downtown Lake Charles to dance and jam to the music of the Black Heritage Month block party.
After dancing, we filled our stomachs will some hot and spicy crawfish at Steamboat Bill’s. One member of our group got to take a live one back with us. I do not think anyone wanted to leave that night, but the bus was leaving.
The experiences during the trip brought our group together and the stories we tell will help us remember the great times we had in Louisiana.