Youth News at Nativity

Mission Bay St. Louis, MS
Winter Break 2008

L to R Mark Henault, Anna Tucker, Donna Pasto, Julian Pasto, Mother Rita Henault, Jessica Scarborough, Elvis Scarborough,
Kimisha Scarborough, Heidi Bergs, Cathy Stikes, and Katie Beth Lusk.

Youth Mission Trip ~ Heidi Bergs

As we pulled into town, it was clear that many businesses were still closed and boarded up two and a half years after Katrina.  The ferocity of the storm was apparent in a lot by the water that was empty except for the battered but still standing steel square that was once a bank vault. The closer we got to Christ Church, where we would be staying, the more trailers and RVs we started to see just sitting in the middle of empty plots of land.  Some were next to the last remnants of the houses that once stood there – a deck here, some steps there.  Many of these temporary houses had lights strung up, outdoor furniture around, and other signs that they may not be as temporary as their owners had originally hoped.  Most of the street signs were just hand painted pieces of wood. 

There is much work still to be done in Bay St. Louis.  In the midst of the frustrations of dealing with an overwhelmed local government, a federal government that is slow to help, and the unbelievable red tape of the insurance companies, there are so many who step up to help.  There is the woman who has turned her home into a maze of supply tents and trailers, volunteers, and those who have no other place to go.  She tirelessly helps to navigate through the politics and get things done.  There is the owner of the construction company who came to help for a few weeks after the storm and never left.  There are the volunteers who come and do what they can, year after year.  And of course there are the people of Bay St. Louis, who are unbelievably optimistic and refuse to give up hope that their home can one day be what it once was. 

I left this mission trip humbled.  I saw God in everyone I met and in everything I saw.  I was incredibly moved by the people at Christ Church and Mission by the Bay, who work day in and day out to help so many.  I was overwhelmed by the kindness of people who step up to help those that need it.  I was touched by all of the donations we received to get there and the prayers the Nativity congregation sent with us.  And I was grateful to be with our Nativity group, who sacrificed their winter break or vacation time and worked incredibly hard. I was proud of them, and I am forever changed by the experience.