Mission Trips
Twenties ‘n Thirties Mission Trip: Rebuilding New Orleans
All Souls TNT members Christina Branom, Sonny Duncan, Liz Soteros-McNamara, Grace Telcs, and Fr. Phil Brochard returned recently from their mission trip to New Orleans. Over five days, we worked with Episcopal Relief & Development’s Episcopal Hurrican Relief project, rebuilding homes for frail, elderly residents of New Orleans. We were happy to be joined by other Young Adults from St. Paul’s (Walnut Creek) and Church of the Resurrection (Pleasant Hill). We sincerely thank everyone at All Souls for their financial and spiritual support of our efforts, particularly your prayers for our journey.
“I had an extremely transformative experience helping with the hurricane relief effort in New Orleans. As we drove through the hardest hit wards and spoke to the poorest residents who are still suffering from the effects of Katrina, I realized how much work there is left to do to restore social justice and welfare to this region. Upon returning from the trip, however, my eyes were opened to the significant work left to do to improve the welfare of many in our own backyard. Now more than ever, I am motivated to serve those in need in the Bay Area that we might all be better prepared should disaster strike at home.”
— Christina Branom
“Having never been to New Orleans, I didn’t know what to expect. I have no personal friends who lost anything in the storm and signed on to the trip because of its affiliation to All Souls. We were placed at a house that had been left unfinished by a contractor, and set to painting the interior with a radio playing “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away.” The irony was, of course, that we had to do exactly the opposite. The rebuilding experience was not just about our connection to any one city, New Orleans, and our homeowner happened to be the place and person that we could provide the most basic Christian principle of loving another person. Our homeowner made us a wonderful meal, and we had the opportunity to meet her – she truly deserved everything we could give her and much more. This experience allowed me time to reflect on my own personal decisions to work in a community closer to home that has its own specific needs. Whether you choose to work in New Orleans or West Oakland, I would recommend the rebuilding experience to anyone.”
— Liz Soteros-McNamara