March 2, 2009 issue
The look of hope
In Mississippi and Louisiana, MDS builds wherever needs remain from Hurricane Katrina
By Paul Schrag Mennonite Weekly ReviewPASS CHRISTIAN, Miss., DIAMOND, La., and NEW ORLEANS — Some Mennonite Disaster Service clients gush with thanks. Others find just a few words are enough.
Leonard Penner of Millsburg, Ind., who served with MDS for a year in New Orleans, holds Jermanie-Saras Duplessis, granddaughter of Charles Duplessis, on the porch of the house MDS built for Duplessis in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. At right is Penner’s wife, Lorena. — Photo by Paul Schrag/MWR
No matter how they express it, Hurricane Katrina survivors know the difference MDS has made in their lives. They have homes again, or soon will — and better ones than before.
From a Mississippi coastal town to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward to a fishing village on the bayou of southern Louisiana, MDS is still active — three and a half years after Katrina — building houses and forming friendships.
“The blessings that the Mennonites have brought to the community here are unreal,” said Arthur “Billy” Morgan of Pass Christian.
Last year Morgan moved into an MDS home less than half a mile from the coast, on the same spot where Katrina lashed his old house into three pieces on Aug. 29, 2005. Morgan’s new home stands on 11-foot concrete pillars, raising it 19 feet above sea level. It’s one of 27 new houses MDS has built in Pass Christian.
“The Lord has allowed them to give life back to the people here,” Morgan said of the MDS volunteers. “What was once a disaster has turned out to be heavenly.”
Morgan, a Vietnam veteran with two Purple Hearts, suffered disabling injuries in a 1994 shipping pier accident when eight tons of lumber fell and crushed his legs.
After Katrina devastated Pass Christian, Morgan coordinated assistance projects for his church, Goodwill Missionary Baptist.
“Billy was too busy helping other people to help himself, so we said it was time for him,” said Al Kroeker of Inman, Kan., MDS construction foreman in Pass Christian.
After living in a trailer for three years, Morgan is proud to have a house again.
Comment on the article The look of hope
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
