Memphis Fellows meet New Orleans

Almost five years after hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans, a large part of the city is still in dire need of repair. Broken homes and broken people make up this city, and everyone has a story—stories, often, of hardship and loss. Deeply rooted in rich cultural history, the people of New Orleans hold fast to their heritage—to the integrity of their city and to their homes where many families have lived for generations. In the midst of brokenness, the sense of community is amazingly strong....

On our first night in New Orleans, we sat around dining tables at the Annunciation Mission and listened as two former Charlottesville Fellows, Mary and Cambria, shared with us about how God had called them to live and serve in New Orleans and what they had discovered about its people, its character and the post-Katrina efforts taking place there.

Though we soon discovered after a short tour of District 9 that a large number of businesses, schools and homes in New Orleans still remain untouched since the storm (big white "x's" marking their front doors with a sense of doom), we were able to experience first-hand some of the transformation taking place in the city as we helped teachers from Andrew H. Wilson Elementary School move desks and chairs, clean and organize classrooms in preparation for students who would be starting classes that week in their new state-of-the-art LEED certified school building.

Seeing New Orleans

Ashley, Kandis, Chris & Thomas step out of the cold and into the Cafe Du Monde for hot beignets and some quality bonding time

During record lows in New Orleans, Ashley,
Kandis, Chris and Thomas step out of the cold
and into the Cafe Du Monde for warm beignets
and some quality bonding time.

During record lows