Sunday - February 27

We made it safely to JFK - and so did our luggage.  There was considerably more conversation on the bus ride back to FPC than there had been on the ride to JFK last Monday.  No longer strangers, but friends, community.

Be sure to scroll down past the photos for the team members' final reflections.

New Orleans for me was a gift.  It allowed me to reconnect with who I hope to be in this world.  Like many meaningful experiences it involved hand work, patience, trust and love.  It will resonate with me until my next one.

-       Jim Forde

Not even an hour after parting NO and I’m already missing the unified happiness which NO elicits.  It puts me at ease to know that all the work I’ve done will better a city once engulfed in despair, but now a unified place becoming a pedestal for others to look to when seeking encouragement to overcome the hardships of life.

-       Spencer Abel

When we were on our way to New Orleans, I did not think everyone in this group would enjoy each other’s company.  Now, as we leave, it’s like we have all been friends for a while.  Being in New Orleans, building houses, seeing our impact and doing it with all these people was one of the best experiences.

-       Matt Zielinski

I’ll never forget the amazing experience I’ve had in New Orleans.  The trip not only offered great Southern food, but also gave us the opportunity to do something special to help others.  The significant amount of work accomplished on General Ogden and Olive streets gave me a great feeling.  I am very happy I went on this trip to make a difference and help the people of New Orleans who have been through so much.

-       Brett Sottosanti

My experience in New Orleans was very positive.  I learned a great deal about he people I worked with as well as myself and my own abilities that I did not know I had.  Also, I was able to get a more in-depth look at New Orleans; it’s people and culture, as well as finding out more about the effects of the storm and how devastating it really was.  I enjoyed the trip and I am glad I went.

-       Bryant Hill

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the February 2011 trip to New Orleans.  I felt that I learned many new things, not only about building a house, but also how our efforts would affect the lives of those in New Orleans.  If I were able, I would definitely go back again.

-       Will Kesler

This one-week trek has been nothing but an improvement of my character and knowledge.  Helping the future homeowners on streets like Fig, General Ogden and Olive not only betters the lives of the individual family, but also helped build families, not through blood, but through location, through helping inhabitants “love thy neighbor,” as God said to Moses on the mount.  I believe this trip will play a fundamental role in my life and now that I know the amazing feeling I get while volunteering, seeing smiles on faces and the countless “thank yous,” will make me volunteer in my community.  The trip was awesome.  New friendships with my trip mates will forever be installed in my mind.  I love New Orleans.

-       Gerald Morgan

This week was just so much more amazing than I ever expected it to be.  I had no idea what Rachel got me into when I signed up for this trip.  But, I’m so glad I went.  I can’t really even put it into words.  I love knowing how much I helped the people of New Orleans.  I never expected everyone to be so awesome and I never expected to get to know them as well as I did.  I’m definitely not ready to return to the cold weather and rude people of Stamford.  In all, this was an incredible experience that I would do again in a heartbeat.

-       Alex Salvatore

This week I have learned a lot about generosity.  The people of New Orleans were so amazing and did so much for us.  They welcomed us into their homes, neighborhoods and church and they were happy to do so.  I know the work we did in their city was greatly appreciated.  The families we met on the worksite on our last day of work were so excited about everything we were doing for them.  They were grateful for our generosity.  This created a real sense of community for me with our team and the city of New Orleans.

-       Rachel Berkrot

I thought that this past week was amazing.  I was stunned to see that even with all the progress being made to rebuild, New Orleans is still far from complete.  Yet the week was not only an eye-opener in that regard, but I also saw how much work is needed to build one house.  Painting the interior of one house and putting the floor system was a lot of work, but was also very rewarding and fun.  I learned a lot about building a home and had a splendid trip to the City of New Orleans, where the people could not be friendlier.

-       Ryan Beutler

New Orleans – what to say, but Amazing!  Bonding with strangers for a common goal and coming home a changed person, among friends.  The people of New Orleans have been through a lot, but last night at the parades and interacting with them throughout the week you see resilience, a pride in who they are and where they come from.  New Orleans is vibrant and happy and will continue to “come back.”  I thank FPC and RHINO for us the opportunity to help in this amazing journey – for them and for us!

-       Megan Backes

NOLA 10 was time of service, friendship, laughter, amazement, kindness and hope.  I feel that St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church has become a strong force in rebuilding New Orleans.  Church members open their homes and their hearts to those who come to New Orleans to help make a difference.  Their dedication to their community is inspirational.  It was an experience that will stay with me until I return again.

-       Geralyn Plomitallo

Until, NOLA 11, thank you for your support, your prayers, and your interest.

Keep RHINO and the City of New Orleans in your prayers. 

Saturday - February 26

Today's Team Bloggers are Megan Backes, Geralyn Plomitallo and Jim Forde.

We were all excited to start our final day.  The whole group was together to continue the flooring system. 

Our goal was to finish the flooring base before we ended our day, a huge task considering that when we first viewed the site it was a pile of mud.  All we saw the first day were trenches in the ground.

Several of the group were really in awe of the before and after that WE accomplished.  Some of the tasks stretched us and some were totally new.  The ladies in the group used power tools for the first time and kept us on track to keep the work progressing.   Each of us learned something about ourselves that gave us a sense of accomplishment and pride.

There was much lifting of heavy lumber, which gave everyone a great workout.  We practiced hammering in the floor joints and learned new terms.  Now we know that “Toenailing” is not something you do with clippers. 

The crew from Habitat was impressed with the amount of work we accomplished in a half of day.  What a great feeling of accomplishment!  It was inspirational for us to work alongside several Habitat Partner Families today.  One woman we met had a future house which will be located just down the road and is due to start very soon.  The excitement in her voice was palpable when she described being a future homeowner.  She was in awe to be given this opportunity and expressed her appreciation for all of us coming down to help.

After a quick shower and change (except for Jim) we jumped in the vans and headed to the French quarter where we took in the best that New Orleans has to offer; great food, great art, and great music.  The kids took in the sites and bought some souvenirs, while we stood in an epic line at Café Du Mond for beignets.  They were worth it just to see Geralyn go into a sugar coma.  We then regrouped and headed to St. Charles and Napolean to see two Mardi Gras parades: Crewe Pygmalion and Crewe Sparta.  We all got into the spirit and risked life and climbing ‘limbs’ to capture the coveted BEADS!!!  David is worried that we will go over on our luggage charges with the additional paraphernalia.

You would think that after the French Quarter and TWO Mardi Gras parades, nothing could finish out the day….but, we were all over the moon excited to try out Popeyes.  What a feast we had!  Geralyn couldn’t get over the red beans and rice and we all loved the biscuits.

It was the perfect end to a perfect week! 

Go Rachel!

Krewe Sparta and Krewe Pygmalion Mardi Gras Parades.

It's been a long week for Mr. Forde!

Ryan going up a tree for beads.

Friday - February 25

Today’s Team Bloggers are Brett Sottosanti, Matt Zielinski & Spencer Abel:

What do we say about today……crazy, hot, but of course productive!  We started the day reflecting on a story about loving someone for who they are, instead of wanting them to change to fit who you think they should be.   At the end of the story the main character asked “Is that how you love me, God?”

 As we presented ourselves in the Fig Street neighborhood, we saw how the majority of this section of New Orleans lives.  Driving through Hollygrove, we saw the poor condition some of the houses were in - an eye opening experience that showed us the damage Katrina caused and how much these people needed our help.

 Enthusiasm to start a new day’s work was a widespread attitude among our crew.  Whether it’s a paintbrush or a hammer in our hands, we did our best to keep this feel-good attitude amongst us.  

We started the day at a new worksite, teaming up with the Long Island group in a combined effort to build the foundation for this new house.  We began by covering the cinder block foundation with termite shields, then began structuring the base of the house with large pieces of wood.  As this happened, a smaller group of our workers went back to the General Ogden Street house to finish painting and cleaning paint off places where paint should not be.  It was great putting the finishing touches on the house so that it would be perfect for its new homeowner.

After a few hours of work, we enjoyed sandwiches provided by Mobile Loaves and Fishes.  All the hard work we produced was noticeable, seeing as half our group happened to take naps during our hour-long lunch break.  Soon after, we awoke from our blissful naps to find a welcoming neighbor who entertained us with long-lasting, soft cones, and popsicles.

A major highlight of the day was going out to dinner at Smiley’s, an Italian seafood restaurant.  We were joined by Kate, the program director of the RHINO construction this week, who expressed her appreciation for our hard work.  Hearing this made everyone in our group feel really, really good.  The mix of delicious food, pen drawn mustaches, and a delightful setting caused for an evening of enjoyment.

Love,

Matthew, Spencer, Brett