Learning Humility (Sketch #4)

When you think of a mission trip, what comes to mind? Maybe you picture a group of missionaries who dedicated their lives to build wells in desolate parts of Africa. Or maybe you think of a group of good Samaritans who head to Haiti for a month to rebuild the entire island. I know for a fact these are the types of things my 15-year old mind pictured when I decided to go on my church’s New Orleans mission trip for the first time. I think I secretly envisioned myself as this big hero who came in just at the right time to help some desperate people. You might be thinking that I had an abnormally large ego for going on a trip to help others, but trust me that is something I realized very quickly as we entered New Orleans after our 12-hour drive.

When we arrived into the city, I began to notice how devastated it truly was. Even in 2007 (2 years after Hurricane Katrina), there was still so much re-building that needed to be done. I couldn’t wait to start painting, tiling, and sheet rocking in order to leave my mark on the city forever. Despite these high hopes, I was crushed when I realized that I was assigned to the non-construction team that would just be serving food to the homeless shelter all day. And all day meant from 4 a.m. until 9 p.m. My high hopes began to sink as my bad attitude began to rise.

The first morning, my bleary eyes tried to stay open as I continuously stirred the giant pot. I looked at my watch: 4:30 a.m., and I had already been awake for 45 minutes. In my head, I kept thinking that this was all-too miserable of a job to be assigned, especially when I could be out there building and making a direct impact. I couldn’t help but keep a giant scowl on my face to match my crummy attitude. When I look to my right side however, I see Loretta. Her smiling face glows as she serves meal after meal onto the trays, talking to everyone in a cheery voice with the pep of the Energizer Bunny. Witnessing her vigor for such a seemingly menial job made me very curious. I decided I would find out her story so maybe I could share in some of her joy.

Loretta began to explain that as a native to New Orleans, her home was completely destroyed by Katrina. Having nowhere to go, she stumbled upon the Union Gospel Mission homeless shelter. “I just felt at home with these people, so I couldn’t just leave ‘em here for some meaningless ole’ job and an empty house,” she said with a humble smile on her face. So, she decided to stay at the shelter as the on-staff cook as opposed to moving to a new place to live. On a normal day at the shelter, she begins by cooking breakfast at 4 a.m. and doesn’t end her day until she finishes cleaning up at 9 p.m. For all of this hard work, she gets free living and food, but no pay. She is essentially still homeless and working more than 100 hours per week, Sunday to Sunday.

Upon hearing this, my mouth began to get very dry as tears began to well up in my eyes. How could I even begin to compare my selfish ‘mission’ to Loretta’s service-filled life? My mind was blurry as it was at that early hour, but I still couldn’t begin to comprehend it.

This small moment is just one out of countless moments in that trip and the 3 subsequent ones I have been a part of that has changed my life forever. My appreciation for my life has grown exponentially as my humility has matured as I compare myself to amazing people like Loretta. I have realized how the homeless are many time just normal people, with normal educations like me, but have experienced some extreme hardship, like Katrina. Another amazing blessing from these trips has come from the incredible relationship I have made with one of the most humble guys I know, coincidentally also named Taylor (but that’s a whole other story).

This picture I attached was one of the little girls that was at the shelter that I became quickly attached to upon meeting her. She is just one of the many examples of an innocent little child that had a normal life before the devastating hurricane.