All work and no play …

Top: A card game (and some magic tricks) breaks out in the dormitory common room. Bottom left: Lester LaBruyere shucks some oysters he found in the Community Center refrigerator. Bottom right: Pastor Kirby Verret had a holiday from school (he is a counselor for at-risk Houma Indian students) to get in a little fishing. It was a success.

Donna S. writes:

It’s not all work. Sure, there’s a lot of work, but there’s also a fair amount of fellowship.

Fellowship with homeowners and neighbors. Fellowship with people in local establishments. Fellowship with the people of Clanton Chapel and Dulac Community Center. With Pastor Kirby and his family.

And, above all, fellowship with each other. We’ve made new friends from different Henderson County churches. We’ve had devotional time. We’ve broken bread together, and we’ve snored together. We’ve cooked together and washed dishes. We’ve gone in search of alligators, and eaten at Schmoopy’s, a local seafood restaurant with a killer shrimp, crab and corn bisque. There’s even been a game or two of euchre now and then.

Dulac has been a special place to bond as fellow Christians and to spread God’s love.

More words from the team:

From Bud Hill: We have been able to help more families on this trip than all the other Henderson County Methodists trips combined. That’s one advantage of bringing such as big group.

From Gene Crowley: There are lots of people in this world that are worse off than we are. Through God’s grace, we can come down here and work and make someone’s life better. I enjoy coming down. I enjoy taking what time I have left to try to help people.

From Jan Siedelmann: It’s really been a good experience. It’s devastating to see the poverty. That part is as bad as the storm.

From Julie McDonald (a naturalist in her real life who would like to set the record that she is not the Pied Piper of mice in Dulac): I enjoyed trying to identify the wildlife that we did see down here (including a Roseate Spoonbill.) I guess I was the Spider Queen. People kept asking me: “Is this spider OK?” I think I was the sacrificial blood donor for the Louisiana state bird: the mosquito. I have a dozen bites even with all the bug spray. Yes, I attract mosquitoes. We also had adventures with fire ants. I have enjoyed having an opportunity to have the fellowship, which is as rewarding to me as helping people rebuild their lives.

From Maria Raleigh: Mark Herron and Maria went out after regular work hours to finish the grout at a home where the owners hadn’t been home earlier in the day. “It was neat tonight when we went to do the tile. The people were making crawfish and corn for dinner.” They invited Mark and Maria to eat with them. “Just to the see the different culture was an awesome experience.”

From Rodger Swatzell: We had been prompted as a group to make an effort to speak the native language (French) if possible, or at least to make an effort. Today at Rodger’s site, a relative showed up to visit. “Bon Matin,” Rodger said, using his newly learned phrase for “good morning.” “I don’t speak French,” the relative replied.
Stay tuned for more from the team members as we wind down the week …