Mission Trip 14 / Pass Christian, Mississippi
Mission Trip 14 / Pass Christian, Mississippi
On March 28, 2008, twenty three senior students from Assumption College, Holy Trinity and St. John’s College embarked upon the 14th Mission Trip, organized by Dante Dalia, to aid the community of Pass Christian, Mississippi in their recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. It was the second visit to the area. Last year’s trip was so beneficial to the residents of Pass Christian, that our group was asked to return. Although the area had made major improvements in the past year, a great deal is still left to be done.
The group was hosted by the Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), a non-profit organization that assists communities overwrought by natural disasters. Pass Christian is located directly on the Gulf of Mexico and was an area directly in the path of Katrina. The students joined over 120 volunteers from the United States, including a large contingency of Old Order Amish, Amish, and Episcopalians from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania .
Each Mission Trip begins with a prayer service held in the chapel at St. John’s College. After a 23 hour trek from Brantford to Pass Christian, Mississippi, the group finally arrived at “Camp Gospel”, headquarters for the MDS for the revitalization of Pass Christian. Upon arrival at the Camp, the group was given a brief orientation and itinerary for the week ahead. Each member was asked to complete a skills inventory so that they could be placed in areas that best utilized their abilities.
On Sunday, the group participated in a lively and entertaining 2 hour Baptist Celebration. Later, the group boarded the bus and spent the afternoon in New Orleans and had the chance to see the sights along Decatur Street.
Each morning began at 5 a.m. to allow people time to make their lunch for the day. Breakfast ran from 5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. Devotion and job assignments took place from 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Each individual was assigned to a crew; each crew was assigned to 1 of 6 projects that were going on. Work began at 8 a.m. and finished at 4:30 p.m. Dinner was served from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. People then had time to socialize, read, pray, or play games. Each person was required to be in their room by 9 p.m. and lights were to be turned out by 10 p.m.
The work was rigorous. Each home is required to stand 10 ft. above ground. To achieve this, homes are built upon pilings that measure 10” x 10” and are 16 ft. long. An average home sits atop 21 pilings. Our students were involved in erecting the pilings, framing, drywalling, painting, siding, and performing a variety of other jobs such as landscaping.
Students had the benefit of socializing and working with their counterparts in the Amish community. Our students gained insight into the Amish way of life; their values, expectations, aspirations and faith. The Amish teens also had the chance to converse with our students and discover issues that “englisch” students deal with. Our students also discovered that the Amish are not only industrious workers, but also very skilled volleyball and ping-pong players.
The week flew, and by Friday, the weary group loaded their gear onto the bus with the satisfaction of knowing that their efforts went to help those who lost everything. They had participated in setting the footings for four homes, framing of three new homes, and painted the interiors of three homes. Once again, the organizers from MDS were so impressed by the work ethic and conduct of our students, that they requested a return trip next year. Many thanks to Mr.Dante Dalia for his tireless effort in organizing and overseeing the smooth and efficient running of yet another phenomenal Mission Trip.
