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Spirit of New Orleans - No longer making front-page news, Gulf Coast residents and dedicated volunteers work tirelessly to unravel Hurricanes Katrina and Rita’s painful legacy and piece together a tenuous But growing hope one house at a time.
By Donna Mulder
Photography By Tamara Reynolds
 The silence in Kathy Wendling’s neighborhood in Chalmette, Louisiana, is deafening. There are no children playing, no lawns being mowed and few cars cruising by. The only sound of life in the neighborhood is the echo of a few lone hammers—hopeful evidence of the slow but determined rebuilding of homes and lives in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
For every home being renovated or rebuilt, countless others stand empty in Chalmette, an eastern suburb of New Orleans. Many look “normal” from the outside, but inside they’ve been gutted down to the studs as the once water-logged walls, floors and ceilings harboring contaminants have been removed.
On block after block in the New Orleans area, the scenes of devastation continue to this day, more than 18 months later. A foundation remains where a house once stood. A house is tipped on top of a garage. Overturned vehicles stand amid the devastated buildings. Debris still litters yards, rooftops and streets.
And every house is marked with an “X” that sorts out the cryptic and chilling details of when it was searched and by whom—and how many bodies were found there.
Despite these daily reminders and the lingering devastation, residents of New Orleans and its suburbs—as well as their neighbors along the Gulf Coast—continue the process of rebuilding their homes and their lives, one at a time.
 “While a feeling of despair remains that we’re still in this, there’s also a feeling of cautious hopefulness,” says Wendling, a Thrivent Financial national Volunteer Excellence Award winner in 2006. Wendling serves as the recovery assistance coordinator for the Southern District of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). “People are not confident of the outcome, but they’re not giving up hope.”
Progress has been slow in coming. There are many reasons for the rebuilding delays, Wendling says, including unsettled disputes with insurance companies, not enough reputable contractors and a lack of affordable housing. “People live in temporary housing while they work on their homes,” she says.
A FEMA trailer sits in front of the Wendling home, along with a cross and a for-sale sign. The Wendlings currently live in Prairieville, about 70 miles west of their devastated home. Most days Kathy’s husband and son make the long commute back to New Orleans for work and school, but they also spend nights in the trailer, a stone’s throw from what used to be home. The decision to sell wasn’t an easy one. Their life is in Chalmette.
“It’s hard to know whether to reinvest in our home. We don’t know about the safety of the levee system for our neighborhood—how well protected we would be,” she says. “But emotionally, I feel a strong attachment to the people of the area, and I wonder if maybe this is where God wants me to serve.”
Restoring Hope
The Rev. Ed Brashier is right where he’s been called to serve. He’s the chaplain/director of Camp Restore, an LCMS camp based at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and School in New Orleans East. The camp is open to volunteers helping to rebuild the community.
 “We are working primarily on Lutheran church buildings, the homes of Lutherans and their neighbors, but we serve anyone,” says Brashier. “We gut homes, clear overgrown yards and lots, and rebuild homes.”
The camp, staffed by Laborers for Christ, also serves as a “hotel” for other volunteer groups. Donations cover their sleeping accommodations and meals. But all who use the camp—it can house up to 200—donate to its work.
The camp will be based at Prince of Peace for at least two years, with an option for a third year. Officials estimate it will take eight to 10 years before New Orleans is back to normal, Brashier says.
In his six months at Camp Restore, Brashier has seen a difference. “The debris piles around the city are fewer because we’re moving from gutting to actually rebuilding more homes,” he says. “But the neighborhoods are still empty.”
By the Numbers
In 2006, volunteers built homes in Biloxi, Mississippi, and Slidell, Louisiana, through Thrivent Builds Worldwide, part of the Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity alliance. Here’s the story by the numbers:
- 10 teams
- 128 volunteers
- 23 houses worked on
- 5,292 volunteer hours
- $88,000 was provided by Thrivent Financial to offset trip costs for benefit members.
- $65,000 in grants were awarded on behalf of participating teams to the Habitat host affiliates in Biloxi and Slidell.
- $153,000 total Thrivent Financial contribution
One hundred Thrivent Builds Worldwide trips are planned in 2007, including 48 teams to the Gulf Coast. Visit www.thriventbuilds.com for more information on these and
other trips planned around the world.
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