Inspire, Winter 2005

Inspire 21 On October 19 the first group of 281 students left campus in caravans of four chartered buses and 19 vans, heading to six different sites scattered along the coast. I had the opportunity to travel with one team of 57 students and staff to New Orleans. Collectively, over the next three days our teams gutted nearly 50 houses and logged more than 6,150 hours of labor. Though excited about what God was doing overall, I was nagged with feelings of disappointment about the project that had been assigned to my team. We were being sent to a public school in New Orleans. In my mind, I had envisioned us working in neighborhoods with families affected by the storm. We had hoped and prayed for opportunities to share the gospel, but our team of nearly 60 people was sent to a school where our contact was limited to primarily one person, the school’s football coach. He was a tough former Marine with a Boston accent and a no- nonsense attitude. Little had been done to the school since the storm. The power was still out, the neighborhood was empty, and the high school students were dispersed to other states. We met briefly with the football coach, and he told us what needed to be done. Perhaps the most intimidating project was the gymnasium. The floor was warped so badly that under one basketball backboard students could stand on the floor and grab the rim. The bleachers needed to be dismantled and removed, and beneath all of this there was still standing water left over from the storm. There was no way to clean up the mess other than to smash everything apart and carry it out one waterlogged, smelly armload at a time. Elsewhere in the school building students emptied a ruined band room, moved thousands of library books, and cleaned out faculty and administrative offices. We worked for three long days, and as we worked parents and other teachers began to stop by to see what was happening. Each person who stopped asked the same questions, “Where are you guys from?” and “Why did these students give up their break to come to New Orleans?” Our answer was always the same: “We think Jesus would be in New Orleans assisting those in need.” I have never been prouder of a group of students than I was with this team. They worked tirelessly and without a single complaint. Instead of asking, “How much longer do we need to work?” they asked, “Do we have to stop at 5:00?” Over and over again the coach commented on how shocked he was at how much our students accomplished and at how little direction or supervision they required. The last day of our trip we put away our tools, cleaned up the work site, and gathered for prayer, reflection on what we had learned, and songs of praise. The coach, the principal, several teachers, and a few families watched and listened as the team prayed and sang. There were many tearful eyes. I noticed one family standing in the back, arms wrapped around one another, quietly weeping. Then the coach stepped forward. He cleared his throat and said, “I don’t normally do this, but I have a few comments.” With tears in his eyes and a cracking voice he said, “I don’t know about anyone else, but I have seen Jesus this weekend. He came to this high school in the lives of these students, and I’ve seen Him. Someday my wife and I will be principals in charge of hiring teachers ... the first place we will come is Cedarville University.” Then in what I’m sure was an unusual practice, he said that he would like to offer a brief prayer for us. In the manner of a former Marine and football coach with a somewhat spicy vocabulary, he thanked God for our team and asked God to bless us. It was difficult leaving New Orleans because there is still so much to do. I’ve told just one story centered on one team. There are dozens of stories like it stretching from New Orleans to Biloxi, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama. I have a growing stack of notes and letters from people whose lives were touched by these trips. One student wrote, “God really works in ways that seem strange ... for me to be carrying trash and doing filthy jobs that in turn bring glory to Him. It’s amazing how experiences over just a few days will influence me for the rest of my life.” As I reflect on the past few weeks, I’m profoundly thankful for God’s grace, power, and goodness. I’m thankful for the kind of student that God continues to send us. I’m excited about qualities that I see in the next generation of leaders that we are preparing. They are willing to take crazy risks for God’s glory. They’re willing to get themselves dirty doing His work. And when given a pat on the back, they quickly divert the praise to their Savior Jesus Christ. May people like Charlie the football coach continue to see Jesus in them. I’m excited about qualities that I see in the next generation of leaders that we are preparing. They are willing to take crazy risks for God’s glory. Carl and a student survey some of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina near one of the New Orleans levies that broke.