Church life changed by Katrina trip
HAGERSTOWN - At 6 a.m., the morning after Christmas, 15 members of Emmanuel UMC, including the Rev. Ken Hawes, packed up four vehicles and were soon on the road to Kenner, La., to spend a week helping families recover from Hurricane Katrina. None of them had previously been on a Volunteers in Mission trip.
They stayed at Kenner UMC and worked on installing carpet, bathroom fixtures and drywall, and gutting an eight-room house.
'We were struck by the amount of work yet to be done in the New Orleans area,' Hawes said. Many of the homes are in the same condition they were 17 months ago.
Prior to leaving, some wondered if they had sufficient skills to help. 'If you show up with a pry bar or a hammer with a claw, there?s plenty of work for you to do, even if it?s just pulling nails,' said Michael VanNosdall.
'We will rest for a bit, then pack the cars again for another trip south,' Hawes concluded.
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