- International YWAMer

“You’re not just restoring our homes. You’re restoring our lives.”

Over and over again, YWAM New Orleans directors Steve and Bronwen Niles have heard comments like these coming from the victims of Hurricane Katrina, the deadly storm which hit southern Louisiana, USA on August 29, 2005. The most severe loss of life and property was in New Orleans. The YWAM centre was also badly damaged, but with lots of help they were operational within a few months and began using every inch of their available facilities to host relief work teams. To date, they have hosted 350 teams totaling over 7 000 volunteers.

YWAM New Orleans teams have gutted 500 houses: helping to prevent survivors from losing their homes. During one of their jobs, a YWAM team was able to recover some precious belongings for an 87-year-old woman who was relocated to another city after the hurricane.

“Our connection with Miss Hattie began when she contacted our YWAM office about our free house-gutting services.” says Bronwen. “During that initial conversation, Miss Hattie explained that her house had been swamped by ten feet of water during Katrina. She and her daughter were not physically capable of clearing it out.”

“While our team was doing the dirty job of removing all the moldy furniture and belongings from the house, a teenage girl saw something sparkling in the midst of the rubble on the floor. We later discovered it was Miss Hattie’s diamond engagement ring. The other items found that day included silver dishes with gold trim and some silver dollar coins.”

Steve and Bronwen visited Miss Hattie to deliver the diamond engagement ring, the silver dollars, and the dishes. While there, they learned that the recovery of each of these items was a specific answer to prayer.

“Miss Hattie had been praying that God would help our team find these specific items while they were gutting her home.” Bronwen explains. “The ring and the silver dollars had a lot sentimental value to Miss Hattie. And the only thing her daughter had wanted to recover from their house was her wedding dishes.”

“All of us were in tears,” Bronwen says. “When we left she said, “I will never forget you but I know I’ll see you again.”

Hurricane victims throughout New Orleans boast about the Christian volunteers who have helped them during their time of great need. It is said that when people in New Orleans see a van full of young people, they know it is Christians coming to help them.

“You can depend on those church people,” victims say throughout New Orleans. “If it weren’t for the Christians, New Orleans would be at ground zero.”

Find out more about the work of YWAM in New Orleans at : www.ywamneworleans.org