(Marcia writing) There was no blogging last night as we finished up at our house and went to the Big Easy for celebration.

In the morning we were able to complete the task set out for us. Everything was painted and cleaned up and the owners of the house said it looked better than it ever had. The head of construction, Tony, was sad to see us go as it's hard to find crews that can really make an impact on a house. He wanted to send us to another but knew we had to leave. In five short days we developed a bond with the people and their home and we were truly sad to leave. We wrote a card and bought some new plants for their yard and hugged good-bye. Milly and Walter hope to be in their house in a month or two and have a feeling of hope for a normal life again.
We had a sense of great accomplishment and gratitude for being allowed to be a small part of their lives during this time of rebuilding. We also know that this is only one house out of hundreds. The building will continue for years.

Back to the camp for showers and than it was off to New Orleans. We took the route that took us across the 30 mile bridge over Lake Pontchartrain. The lake is huge. Easy to see why they fear a breach in the levies. We arrived in the French Quarter just in time for a dinner of Jambalaya and drinks. After dinner we walked around the area to a beautiful cathedral and the Mississippi River as it almost reaches the gulf of Mexico. We stopped in the shops and bought souviners and listened to the many live bands playing all over the Quarter. It was awesome.

We got back around Midnight and went to bed. The camp is fairly empty now as Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, New Jersey and now Washington have left. They have around 100 new arrivals coming in today and tomorrow and the week will begin again. This theme will be repeated over and over again for the next several years until the people here have homes and businesses to return to.

We say so long, good luck and Thanks!
Team Katrina-Grace Lutheran Church, Bellevue