in only 3 sleeps, i'll be off on my next adventure to a city that holds mystery, exudes culture, and in the midst of its spirit, is struggling to rebuild itself.
this semester has been an extremely eye-opening one in the sense that my world, right here right now, is not all there is, and it's not always going to be safe and stable. at any moment, everything i know could be taken, destroyed, & left in shattered pieces.
in the late august of '05, new orleans experienced one of the worst catastrophes this nation has ever known. within in a matter of hours, the mississippi river, lake pontchartrain, and the entire gulf drowned a city once thriving with culture, haunting jazz melodies, and the big & easy life of the south. residents were stranded, left to drown in their homes, carried away by inescapable walls of poisoned water, or herded into the superdome along with thousands of others. the thing about these disasters, however, is that once they're taken off the front pages and we've moved on to the next big thing, we assume the situation has fixed itself. we couldn't be further from the truth.
six years after hurricane katrina hit, new orleans is still struggling. we fail to realize that in the aftermath of the storm, children suddenly became orphans, families were split up as they were evacuated throughout the country, once proud-homeowners now received a FEMA trailer to call home, students saw their campus disappear before their eyes, along with their future. these situations don't just fix themselves. hurricane katrina isn't "sexy" anymore...we've moved on to the next thing: the swine flu epidemic of 2009. the haiti earthquake. chili. the volcanic eruption in iceland. mass flooding in australia. new zealand's latest quake. and just recently the record-breaking earthquake and resulting tsunami in japan. but all these people, these nations, countless families are still suffering, still hurting, still healing.
we are so privileged to have the ability to pour out our blessings onto others. there is a reason we are where we are. we've been given opportunities to come to the aid of others...& it's not something we should take for granted.
i can't wait to spend a week being pushed, challenged, bonding with my team, physically seeing the hurt, immersing myself in the lives of others, diving into a new city & culture, and serving others...all to God's glory. may He ultimately receive all the praise.
if you'd like to see where the CSULB alternative spring break team will be working, check out the United Saints 1st St. Recovery Project partnering with Habitat for Humanity.
this semester has been an extremely eye-opening one in the sense that my world, right here right now, is not all there is, and it's not always going to be safe and stable. at any moment, everything i know could be taken, destroyed, & left in shattered pieces.
in the late august of '05, new orleans experienced one of the worst catastrophes this nation has ever known. within in a matter of hours, the mississippi river, lake pontchartrain, and the entire gulf drowned a city once thriving with culture, haunting jazz melodies, and the big & easy life of the south. residents were stranded, left to drown in their homes, carried away by inescapable walls of poisoned water, or herded into the superdome along with thousands of others. the thing about these disasters, however, is that once they're taken off the front pages and we've moved on to the next big thing, we assume the situation has fixed itself. we couldn't be further from the truth.
six years after hurricane katrina hit, new orleans is still struggling. we fail to realize that in the aftermath of the storm, children suddenly became orphans, families were split up as they were evacuated throughout the country, once proud-homeowners now received a FEMA trailer to call home, students saw their campus disappear before their eyes, along with their future. these situations don't just fix themselves. hurricane katrina isn't "sexy" anymore...we've moved on to the next thing: the swine flu epidemic of 2009. the haiti earthquake. chili. the volcanic eruption in iceland. mass flooding in australia. new zealand's latest quake. and just recently the record-breaking earthquake and resulting tsunami in japan. but all these people, these nations, countless families are still suffering, still hurting, still healing.
we are so privileged to have the ability to pour out our blessings onto others. there is a reason we are where we are. we've been given opportunities to come to the aid of others...& it's not something we should take for granted.
i can't wait to spend a week being pushed, challenged, bonding with my team, physically seeing the hurt, immersing myself in the lives of others, diving into a new city & culture, and serving others...all to God's glory. may He ultimately receive all the praise.
if you'd like to see where the CSULB alternative spring break team will be working, check out the United Saints 1st St. Recovery Project partnering with Habitat for Humanity.
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