Day 7 - Sunday & Beyond

We arrived home safe - though a couple of hours late.  Tired, but satisfied and deeply thankful.  

NOLA 12 was a week filled with hard work, laughter, honest sharing, good food, Southern hospitality, deepening friendship, new skills learned, singing, flexibility, respect, growth and a very real sense of God's love and grace.

And it couldn't have happened without the prayers of a whole lot of folk at the Fish and other places near and far.

Here's a wrap up for the week from the Team.


Morgan Cappetta:

This Second trip to New Orleans was a welcome reminder of what truly matters in life.  The first trip undoubtedly changed me for the better, but I must admit I fell back into my previous patterns and forgot to appreciate the little things.  This time around, I made sure to take in every moment and learn each lesson therein.  I am grateful for the second opportunity, for it has changed my perception of what it means to be happy, and what it means to make a difference.

Cailin Byrne:

I can’t believe that this week has come to a close.  Last year’s trip was amazing, but this year was even better.  I actually really enjoyed working on three different houses.  It was neat to see the different stages of the houses.  My favorite house was the one where we put in their sidewalk and front lawn.  It was such an amazing thing to know that the family moves in next week and will see that lawn everyday.  We not only helped build houses, but gave people homes where they will feel safe and build their lives.  I also grew so close with my friends, who not only taught me about themselves, but about me and the type of person I want to be.  Although I won’t be able to return next year, I definitely plan to return later in life because God’s work is never fully finished.

Hannah Dougherty:

This week has been quite an experience for me.  I didn’t exactly know what to expect – so the entire trip started off as a blank page.  Over the course of these five days, this blank page has been filled – with sticky glue and stubborn boards, messy hotel rooms and bubbling hot tubs, spicy Cajun food and sweeeeeet tea, and most importantly, with fine company in the form of eleven other amazing individiauls.  This page in my life will stay with me always.

Matt Crohan:

Over the course of this week I have had some of the most interesting and exciting experiences of my life.  I could not have asked for a better group to come with.  At the beginning of the week I was extremely nervous about how the trip would go but now I am ver satisfied with how it turned out.  The work I did was new to me and at times challenging, but regardless, I never quit.  I came here with the idea of doing God’s work and what he tells us to do and that’s exactly what happened.  Thank you for keeping this NOLA 12 team in your prayers.

Kyle Hair:

This, being my second trip, I was expecting the same thing as last year.  BOY was I wrong.  This year was absolutely incredible.  The food was better.  I became closer with each and every person here, and most importantly, I feel a sense of accomplishment.  Almost finishing the insides of the house we were working on made me feel like I actually gave someone a home.  It’s the floors they’ll be walking on, the walls they’ll hang pictures on or stub their toes into.  I felt great about the work I did.  I don’t know if it’s because I’m older, but I’ve learned to appreciate what I have more.  I’ve learned to appreciate the city of New Orleans more.  If you love the people you’re with and the work you’ve done well – it’s like you not even working at all.

New Orleans. . . may we meet again.

 George Nemtsev:

I like. . . no, I loved this trip.  Since it was my first trip to New Orleans, I had absolutely no idea what I was in for – except for building a house.  Kyle told me about last year’s trip and I thought it would be awesome.  Plus, I could’ve used a break from the cold weather.  So when I finally got to the house, I was surprised to see how far the previous workers had gotten.  This house was nearly finished.  All it needed was flooring, plumbing and a few exterior things.  Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how much work flooring would be.  But on the bright side, Geralyn and I managed to get quite a lot done and I’m very pleased with that.  I’m also very pleased with the bonds that I’ve built and strengthened over this week.  It’s been a great ride and I hope to make it again soon.

Hailey Parry:

This past week has been amazing.  I can’t believe how much I learned about myself.  I reconnected with my friends and most importantly with myself.  This week has reassured me that I can make a difference.  Putting some of the final touches on a house in which someone will continue their life, touches deep inside.  I was working on a home, a place of comfort, a place of memories.  Working with everyone reminded me how much I love being a part of this church.  Everyone is so kind, and respectful and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else.  Thanks to this incredible experience I’ve had this week, I have given myself a new goal: Spend at least one week out of each year helping Habitat build houses.  I am already counting down the days until I can do it again.

Kelsey Parry:

These past five days have truly been an incredible experience.  I have been a part of changing someone’s life forever and I am so grateful to have been able to do so.  It truly has made me more aware of how blessed I am.  I thank everyone involved in this trip for allowing me to be a part of this incredible experience.  The eleven people I share these days with are so wonderfully kind and caring and I am so glad I was able to get to know everyone as well as I have.  I look forward to more trips in the future, where I might continue the beautiful journey that began this week.

Tim Walsh:

This has been an amazing week.  The thing I believe that I will take away from this week more than anything else is the feeling of how we gave to all of the people we interacted with.  While we did not get to work with any of the homeowners, everyone was so appreciative and happy to see us.  I came into this week wanting to get a new perspective on life and I’m happy to say that I did.

Geralyn Plomitallo:

Mission Work Week 12 was a week full of growth, fun, accomp- lishment, friendship, laughter and team work.

I have been to NOLA 5 times and each week has been different and special.  This experience was, in part, wonderful because of Hannah, Kyle, Hailey, Kelsey, Cailin, Tim, George, Matt, Morgan, Mike and David.  I will always cherish and never forget NOLA 12.

Mike Parry:

Spending a week away from work is always rejuvenating, but spending a week with 9 young adults who are giving the week of their spring break to mission work was very special.  They learned new skills, got up early every day, and showed enthusiasm all week long.

So I got a kick out of just being here and giving my guidance when necessary.  New Orleans is a beautiful city, but still needs a lot of help providing housing to a population still feeling the effects of Katrina.

While the tasks we did may in themselves seem small and trivial, they are all part of a larger effort that makes a big difference, year after year.

That's a wrap from NOLA Team 12  Next up - NOLA 13 - February 17-23, 2014.

Until then, please keep the people of New Orleans & and the Rhino ministry of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in your prayers!

Day 6 - Saturday

Bright sunshine greeted us on our final work day - although the temperature wasn't as welcoming.

Today's bloggers are Tim Walsh and Cailin Byrne.


Tim Walsh

Today was a freezing cold day by New Orleans standards. The day started off normally by waking up at 6:00 and leaving the hotel by 7:30.

Unfortunately because it was Saturday, our awesome greeter at the hospital elevator, Miss Betty, was not there to say hi to us as we left. As we arrived at the worksite it was a balmy 50 degrees outside. My group which includes Cailin, Matt, Kelsey, Mr. Perry and me went to our third house off the week were we were doing odd jobs to prepare it for its framing inspection. The work was light and it was a nice way to end the week working for a half day.













Then in the afternoon we went down to the French Quarter to finnish out this amazing week. We walked around for a couple hours buying overpriced t-shirts and watching various street performers. The highlight of the afternoon was Bourbon Street which is interesting to say the least. Downtown New Orleans is such a unique place which is completely different from the major cities we have in the northeast.

We finished out the day at the New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood restaurant were we stuffed ourselves full of hamburgers, hush puppies, and complementary soft-serve ice cream. We all said goodby to Avery who is the director of RHINO and made our trip so incredible.

It has been amazing week and we are all proud of all the work we have accomplished.


Cailin:

So today was our final day here in New Orleans. It was so weird not having Morgan here with us today. My team (Kelsey, Matt, Tim, and Mr. Parry) went to a third work site for today. We worked on preparing a house for an inspection by doing little jobs around the house. I filled holes with caulk, while Kelsey, Matt, and Tim put up bevels under the roof. I also helped to put a security lock on the doors. We also carried sixteen foot two-by-fours to the work site. The work day went by way too fast because thing we knew it was time to go.









We met back up with the other team and saw how far they had come with the wood flooring that they have been installing all week.




























We all headed back to the hotel to clean up and then headed out to the French Quarter. We were given about two and a half hours to walk around and shop there. We all went to a cute little café for lunch and then wandered the streets looking for cool stores. It was amazing hearing and seeing all the street musicians. Some of the music we heard was incredible and very New Orleans. While the guys stopped to watch a magician, us girls strolled in and out of boutiques. We found the coolest music shop called Peaches full of vintage vinyl records from a whole range of genres. Hannah and I also bought some beautiful handmade jewelry from a street merchant. We of course stopped to buy some beignet mix. For dinner we out to a burger and seafood place with Avery. We all ordered and reordered the crawfish queso dip because it was so amazing.

Sadly, tomorrow we head home. Just like last year, I have built up a connection to the homes that we worked on. I want to stay and see them through to the end when the owners move in. It is the best feeling in the world to know that you are making a difference in someone’s life and not just building a house. You are building a home, somewhere where a person can go to in the evening after work and feel safe and happy. I have had such an amazing time this past week with my friends and wish that I could come back next year for a third time.

Goodbye, New Orleans. It’s been a blast!

Day 5 - Friday

Hailey:
What a day! It started at the usual hour. Up and out the hotel room by 6:30 only to leave the hotel around 7:30. We ended up having a rain delay. We hung out at a coffee shop for a while (I had amazing hot chocolate!) and then went to the youth center at St. Charles' Presbyterian Church where we played pool and fooseball. I am very happy to share that Hannah and I (who are very inexperienced with pool) beat Matt and Kyle (the "champions")!!








Once we got to the work site we got right to work. Kyle and I finished the trim around the house. There is nothing more frustrating than cutting the same piece of wood three times and on the third time you are 1/8 off of where you need to be. I never really understood how such a little measurement made such a HUGE difference till this week. I wish I had paid more attention in geometery....












We went to Popeyes for lunch. I had 3 biscuits! They are by far the best biscuits I have ever eaten.








At the end of the day, I ended up having to help Hannah with the clean up of the glue because Morgan had to go home early. I can definitly say that their claims that the glue is the stickiest thing ever is very true!!!! Luckily for me, I figured out how to get the glue off before too much of it dried on my skin.
Dinner tonight was AMAZING! We went to a po'-boy restruant. Oh. My. Goodness. I had a 5.5" Surf 'nd Turf and sweet potato fries and I ate all of it. The food down here is amazing! Part of me doesn't want to go home because I don't want to leave the food!!!!













I'll finish off by saying today was NOT southern weather. It was cold and in the 50s all day and all we could think of was how we wanted to get AWAY from Stamford's "spring" weather. Luckily, tomorrow will be in the 70s and I will be warm enough wearing my shorts...the opposite of how I felt today.

Matt:

Geez is it Friday already? I guess the old saying is true, time flys when you're having fun. These past couple of days have been very exhilerating. Around 1 year ago I came on this same trip and after that week in New Orleans I fell in love with the city, and the work we are doing here. The work last year was very fun and fullfilling but this year's has been much more diverse.

Throughout the week I have been working with Mr. Parry, Tim, Kelsey, and Calin on multiple tasks and worksites. From putting the siding on a house to laying cement for a sidewalk, moving a ton of dirt and putting down sod to create a lawn for a future home owner. The new skills I have learned this time around are ones that I will work hard to keep and use later in life.



































While working we also like to make jokes and just make the experiance much more upbeat. For me the funniest moment while working was when a car pulled up and the man inside asks me "You re-building a house over there?" so obviously I reply with a simple "yes" and the next thing he says was shocking.. there was a slight pause and he says to me "only in america" and drives off. Now I dont know if its just me but aren't houses re-built all over the world? I'm not to sure how to react to a statement like that other then laugh.

The family who hosted us for dinner was delightful and they had a beautiful house. We also got to witness Kelsey, and Hailey Parry perform some of there remarkable dances. Starting the day off today was slow at first due to a thunder storm delay. David ended up taking us to a coffee shop for some hot coco and then we headed on to the church to hang out in their youth group room. While there Kyle and I became a team in playing pool, we went 2-1 but for the record that one loss was not because the other team consisting of Hailey and Hannah beating us, but actually was caused by me hitting the 8 ball in by accident. So they didn't win the game but infact Kyle and I just lost the game. Once we got back to the worksites we all went straight to our non-stop work attitudes. At the end of the work day we all got to head back to the hotel and shower, then we went to a restraunt where we got delicious po-boys.

To wrap things up, I am extremely grateful for the oppurtunity to return to New Orleans on this awesome trip. David, and all the people from RHINO are the best for making this trip happen every year! I hope you enjoy my entry, I wrote the best I could!

Ill be back next year given the chance!
Thank you!!
GO NOLA12 team!!!


And after all the cold rain, we were blessed with the gift of a beautiful sunset over Lake Pontchartrain.