From as far away as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and as close as Houma, La., volunteers are giving their time and energy to help restore New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
From as far away as Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and as
close as Houma, La., volunteers are giving their time and energy to
help restore New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
The efforts of these volunteers have seminary
officials convinced many of the campus housing units will be available
as early as April.
Volunteers have completed the initial clear-out on
all but a few second- and third-floor housing units. Groups will go
back through each building cleaning and preparing the apartments for
painting.
Many of the volunteers who are working at the
seminary were motivated to serve in the city shortly after the storm.
Rocky Bishop, who had been trying to get to New Orleans since
September, finally made it in mid-November.
Bishop watched the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
unfold on television from his home in Saskatoon, Canada. He had no
connection with the city, but wanted to help out.
“I heard a nurse being interviewed on CNN. She was
crying, wanting anyone with experience to come,” Bishop recalls. “I am
a nurse, so that really touched my heart.”
Bishop immediately began planning a trip to New
Orleans. He knew God wanted him to go to volunteer but he did not know
where to serve.
He started raising money for a trip, applied for
security clearance with the Department of Homeland Security and waited
for an opportunity.
When Bishop’s pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church
heard of his intentions, he put him in touch with Canadian Baptist
Ministries. The group was planning a trip in October. Bishop signed up
and continued to pray.
“I filled out all the documents and I prayed about
it,” Bishop says. “I asked the Lord to lead me to the people who needed
me the most.”
Just days before the trip, Bishop caught a cold. He was too sick to travel.
Bishop heard of a second Canadian Baptist Ministries
trip and immediately called to reschedule. When he inquired, he learned
that all of the slots on the second trip were filled. He was
disappointed, but determined to go to the devastated city. He searched
the Internet for churches in the New Orleans area, then worked the
phones, searching for a place to serve.
Finally, Bishop heard that First Baptist Church in Mandeville, La., would be happy for him to come.
Bishop purchased an airline ticket and prepared to
travel to Mandeville. Just three days before he left, Bishop received
an e-mail about the cleanup efforts at the seminary.
Finally on site, Bishop said the work at the seminary has been hard -– physically and emotionally.
“You are throwing out people’s lives,” he said.
Tears came to the eyes of the father of three as he described throwing
away damaged photographs, Christmas ornaments and children’s toys.
Bishop plans to return in early spring and hopefully bring his wife.
“I’m coming back because there’s a lot to do not
only on the campus, but everywhere [on the Gulf Coast],” Bishop says.
Working alongside Bishop was Johnny Friloux from Houma, La. The seminary was not his first volunteer stop.
Friloux served in a Jackson, Miss., distribution
center shortly after the storm. While he was in Jackson, Hurricane Rita
flooded his own home. Friloux returned to Houma, cleaned up his house
and spent a few weeks helping his neighbors.
Then Friloux, a children’s pastor at First Baptist
Church in Lockport, La., traveled to New Orleans to help with a
distribution center on the West Bank section of the city. When that
distribution center, located at Calvary Baptist Church closed, Friloux
started helping at the seminary.
“I couldn’t sit still and enjoy life unless I did
what I thought God wanted me to do,” Friloux notes. “To get me here,
He’s ordered every step.”
Friloux has already served two weeks at the
seminary, returning home on the weekends for church. He plans to
continue helping NOBTS recover and get back to campus. (BP)