Louisiana Mission Trip Reflections

I am back in my house now; my house that I can walk into and know that I will not fall through the floor; my house that does not leak; my house that keeps me warm and sheltered. I can go to my kitchen and know there is stuff there for me to eat, and I don't have to worry about my next meal. I wish I could pass that comfort on to all of the wonderful people of Dulac, because I know that for every family we helped, there were ten more who needed help just to get though the day with a degree of comfort. I cannot take what I have for granted any more, and maybe that is why I was called to go to Louisiana. Maybe I was getting just a little bit too complacent about the blessings in my life, for they are blessings, not givens!!

I am tired, all the more tired because of the cold I caught in Louisiana, but I also feel really good about what we did. A friend asked me if the trip was fun, and it took a moment for me to answer. It was fun, not in a Disneyland sort of way, but in a way of knowing, deep down in my heart, that we did the right thing, a good thing. I want to do it again someday.

But there is another side to the story. I keep thinking about what we were given. Sure, we were given things: Mardi Gras beads and home made jambalaya, but we were also given the gift of friendship. I now have friends in the far corner of Louisiana, friends for whom I will be praying, friends who have touched me in indestructible ways. I have friends about whom I will worry when the storms come and friends in whose contacts with me I will rejoice. I have been eternally gifted by their grace, and for that I am very, very blessed.