FIRST PERSON: Louisiana trip impacts students

This verse became even more real to me during the final months of 2005. A mission trip to Louisiana for 10-15 students from James Madison University turned into a mission trip for 43 students representing 11 colleges and universities in the state and across the East Coast.

Many of the students that went with our group had no connection to BCM. They responded to a need and that need led to a great week of mission work in Louisiana. Our students had the opportunity to tear out drywall and installation, clean up yards in a local neighborhood, put drywall back up in several houses and add a fresh coat of paint to those walls. We listened to homeowners talk about their experience and we offered a word of encouragement.

Mr. Scott was one family member we were able to help. He not only had the task of cleaning out his own house, but also the house of his mother who had passed away during the hurricane. Then there was Floria, a mother who had not had the courage to go back into her home to clean it out until the week we arrive. Then there was Dean and Libby, a couple who had two houses to clean out because they were in the process of moving when Hurricane Katrina hit.

But most importantly was the time we had to listen to people’s stories to offer a small dose of hope and encouragement in the small menial tasks of the week. We will never know how many different lives we touched throughout this one week of service, but our students left Louisiana with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude having ministered to those in need.