Students from Minnesota State University's Campus Crusade for Christ gather for a spiritual moment while on a spring break mission trip to New Orleans.
It was heartwarming enough to hear that nearly 100 students from Minnesota State University chose to spend their spring breaks helping flood victims in New Orleans.
Now, some of those students are proving their dedication wasn't just a whim.
Two different groups went to New Orleans. One was organized by the Student Leadership Development and Service Learning department and involved 33 students. The other was organized by Campus Crusade for Christ, which brought more than 50 students.
A handful of students from the service learning group are said to be preparing return trips after semester's end, and others say they plan to sign up for the AmeriCorps or JumpStart service programs.
On the Campus Crusade side, at least one student says she's planning a return trip, possibly as long as a year.
Ruth Johnson of the Campus Crusade has traveled to New Orleans twice since Katrina hit in August. During her most recent trip — spring break — she heard about Campus Crusade opportunities to return for a year stay in the Big Easy helping with cleanup and, more importantly to her, spreading the word of God.
"Our goal was to minister to them," Johnson said. "A lot of ministry occurred while we were cleaning."
Most of their time was spent on the job that, even months later, is months away from being done. Hundreds of houses remain untouched by clean-up crews. Legions of college students from around the country — both funded by FEMA and Christian groups — have descended upon the city, but the job is enormous.
Homes need to be gutted of contents. Interiors need to be stripped to the studs so professional cleaners can come in and power clean the mold away or declare it unlivable.
For the service learning students, the experience was eye-opening.
Trip organizer Matt Peterson says the experience was a moving one from the minute their bus pulled into the affected areas. Once there, they began work right away and, as per Peterson's orders, talked to as many community members as possible.
"I really encouraged them to make as many personal connections as they could," he said.
One of the families told about the day the water came in, and how in a matter of minutes it was more than 5 feet high. The family, which included an infant, sought refuge in the upstairs of the only two-story house on the block. They used lipstick to write SOS messages and waited several days to be rescued.
That house was one of the homes they worked on during their trip. Hearing the story of its demise from the people who lived was, for some, very emotional.
"Students started crying at that time. People gave hugs. There was so much more of a human connection," he said. "It wasn't just a city. It was individuals, human beings and children. The students were learning. They were feeling."
Johnson says there was much learning among their group as well.
They learned how much impact a week's worth of work can have. How much the Christian community loves to get together on mission projects, and how important relationships are.
"I've learned to be a lot more grateful for the things I have," Johnson said.
She still isn't sure when she'll return. But it could be soon. She may take a year off from college and spend a year in New Orleans, helping and ministering to as many people as she can. She says it feels right helping others, and she knows it's what God wants her to do.
And Peterson said he's already heard from students who want to enroll in the AmeriCorps service program, which finds community service projects for college students in exchange for a small stipend.
In an e-mail sent to MSU friends back home, Peterson summed up the feelings of the group as they prepared to head home.
"Our work has just begun," he wrote. "It is our job now that we have been here and seen the harsh realities of this disaster to go and spread the word and to recruit more volunteers."
Peterson said the parish, or county, is only under FEMA disaster assistance through the program until June 30. Then the residents are on their own.
"Though we have worked hard, our work is hardly over."
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