Stories from the Malaysian Treehouse: Good to be Back

What an awesome week! It'll be impossible to blog about everything that has happened, so I'll just highlight certain things that we did. Everything that we got to do pushed the kids (and some of us adults) out of their comfort zones, and needless to say the outcome of all that turned out to be rather positive. For the duration that we were there, we stayed in a huge house with almost 60 people in it and partnered with an Episcopal church from Dallas. Among some of the things we experienced were worshipping in an ancient Episcopal church (both Sunday morning and Wednesday evening), gutted out homes on 3 occassions (one of which was heavily infested with all kinds of bugs and mold), picked up trash (some complete with maggots and such), worked at a VBS for kids down in the projects, handed out supplies at the lower 9th Ward, walked around neighborhoods talking to people and 'collecting' their stories and experiences of Hurricane Katrina etc.

We went there to bless and to encourage, but it turned out to be the other way round. Despite all the destruction and pain that still exist there, we encountered people who remained hopeful and joyful through their hardships, with smiles on their faces that were contagious. Most have never returned to New Orleans after the storm and much of the Lower 9th Ward is deserted, but those who came back are rebuilding and are confident that they will get back on their feet. Their faith is an amazing testimony to many! But there is still so much to be done, and it's sad to say that people in the rest of the country are gradually forgetting that there is still a huge need for help there.

I've been changed this week, and so have the kids. Words alone are not enough to explain because everything seemed unreal and unimaginable at first. But our eyes have been exposed to the reality and the pain. It's almost been a year since the storm came through, and New Orleans is still not okay. Certain parts of the city still look like warzones, and many people have nothing left. They still need help from the 'outside world'. They still need to know that there is hope.

*I'm posting pictures in 2 parts. Don't have many pictures from the times when we worked because I was too preoccupied and didn't have my camera on hand.*