Genuine Serving Encompasses Body & Soul

“Life is short and there are no guarantees that I will live to be old or safe,” said Joe Darago. “So while there is breath in my lungs and strength in my body, I will do all I can to make the most out of this life that has been given to me!”
On November 17, 2005, Darago, pastor of Journey Church, led a group of 20 individuals on a disaster relief trip to Waveland, Mississippi, in order to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. I accompanied the group on this mission and although we did not know what the trip would entail, we were prompted by the calling to put our love for others and God into action and were ready to serve in any way needed.
Now I have served before in various different ways including donating items to charities and cleaning people’s houses and neighborhoods for “Make a Difference Day”, but I do not think I ever really grasped what actual service is all about. At least not prior to this trip.
According to the Encarta World English Dictionary, service, or to serve, is defined as “providing a community or organization with something that it needs” or “to be useful or helpful for a particular purpose”. That definition is pretty basic, but what going to Waveland taught me, as well as the other members of the group, is that there is really so much more to serving than mechanically going through the motions.
When we got to Mississippi, we were amazed to see total devastation. Even three months after the ravishing storm, the town of about 8,000 people was wiped out. “Most disasters come and go in a neat arc of calamity, followed by anger at the slow response, then cleanup,” stated Cathy Booth Thomas in the November 28 issue of Time. “But Katrina cut a historic deadly swath across the South, and rebuilding can’t start until the cleanup is done.”
These people, even if they had evacuated, have lost everything. Some houses are still standing, but the water reached such a high level that most of them are ruined inside. It is unbelievable that after almost three whole months it still looked completely ravaged. Being there was such an impacting experience because we were able to make a noticeable difference in these people’s lives and it actually affected us as well.
“Marty, Gary, and I helped a guy by the name of Ed clean out his downstairs,” said Bob Walker, a member of our group.
“It was time to leave and we hadn't gotten to his tipped over, full and rotting freezer yet. I said we wouldn't leave without getting it to the street. So after much hard work, we got it out of the house and to an empty lot. Ed broke down in tears, hugged and thanked us because that freezer had been such a huge pressure to him. He said it was so hard for him to ask for help, but he felt like we were brothers because of our efforts. Giving one person a helping hand does more for the soul than writing a hundred checks could ever do.”
The people needed any kind of help they could get and when we helped from our hearts, it really did make a difference.
“I realized how rewarding it is to help others and that others really do appreciate the help,” said Lisa Haley, who went to Waveland with her husband and 13 year-old daughter. “I always thought it would be a wonderful experience to help those in need but never imagined just how amazing and fulfilling it would be.”
Many of the people did not come to the place we were volunteering because they needed only the material goods; they needed the encouragement of smiling faces just as much. Many of them just needed a hug and would reach across the table to whisper, "thank you" in your ear. It means the world to them that there are people that care and want to help them regain their lives.
“People can receive with gratitude,” said Gary Geiselhofer who did a lot of physical labor while on the trip. “The people I spoke with at the compound and homes we cleaned out were just grateful to have someone there. The stories they shared helped me understand why they didn't leave and why they want to rebuild.”
Being in Waveland gave me so much perspective and coming back made me realize I not only want to maintain what I have discovered, I also want to spread that valuable perception to others.
So many of us get caught up in our own lives and material things that we do not see the people around us. We are so inwardly focused that we cannot help those that truly need it. We are so blessed in our situation, we allow ourselves to be blind to others’ needs; we do not even realize how much they really require. People in need will be touched by any form of service if it is given by a compassionate heart and with the right outlook.
“After going to Waveland it's very clear that there are so many people in the world who need someone to help make a difference in their lives,” said Eileen Tolley. “It makes me want to strive even harder to help make a difference for all our brothers and sisters in God's family. Our trip ignited a fire in me to do more everyday for others.”