The base of operations for Convoy of Hope was in a strip mall parking lot. We set up our camp in the parking lot of a Popeye's franchise. The light of day revealed the extent of the damage around us. Many of the storefront windows had been blown out. Where one window had been, two dresses still hung from a display lattice suspended from the drop ceiling. Between racks of clothing in the dim interior, styrofoam cups and other trash littered the floor.

For the volunteers, there were two major tasks. First, to organize the countless boxes of donated supplies into categories: bottled water, canned goods, cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. The generosity of the American people was tangible here and, at times, overwhelimg*. Once the supplies were organized, they went to a distribution tent. From 9 AM to 4 PM, a constant stream of cars, trucks, and vans would come by and volunteers would load water, ice, food, and other supplies into the vehicles.

The people coming through the line were a cross-section of society. I saw beat-up pickup trucks with the beds rusted through, as well as a number of luxury cars. A natural disaster is a great equalizer...no matter how rich people are, we all have the same basic needs for survival. Almost universally, the people were very thankful to us, even after spending 20 minutes or more waiting in line. Many expressed that they did not know how they would have survived if not for us and the volunteers who came before us. This was the most rewarding part of the work--seing a smile cross the face of a weary person. It's remarkable how much happiness a bag of fresh fruit can bring to a person who's been living on canned and dried food for weeks.

It was also sobering to meet these people and hear their stories. I'll never forget one particular man who came through the line to pick up supplies for his family. He was smiling and polite as we loaded up his blazer, and seemed like an ordinary guy who was doing just fine. As he prepared to leave, we asked if there was anything else he needed. He paused, then replied "No. No...just...just prayer," and began to weep. Several team members stopped what they were doing to pray with him, then we eventually sent him back to his family with the strength to make it through another day.

As for us volunteers, most of us slept either in the RV or the trailer. We also had one tent for extra room. A HAZMAT-style portable shower room and a couple camping shower tents were provided by Convoy of Hope. There was also a kitchen tent which provided hot meals for breakfast and dinner, and a freshly-prepared lunch. (This was an unexpected blessing, as we had prepared to subsist on cold cereal, sandwiches, and other supplies we'd brought with us.) I'd like to thank all those who prayed for our team. Throughout three days of hard work in hot weather (the temperature topped 100 two of those days), we had no injuries or cases of heat exhaustion. Everyone was able to do more work than they expected they'd be capable of in their own strength.

In addition to Convoy of Hope, we were joined in Slidell by a Christian organization called Night Runners. As well as generally helping with the relief efforts, they provided the mobile kitchen facilities for feeding the volunteers. Night Runners is headed by Rev. Gilbert Abrueo. His ministry is currently in need of funds, so if you can help, send a tax-deductible gift payable to Night Runners at the address listed on his web site.

*A couple things I learned about donating items to relief efforts: Although it's natural to want to pack a bag with an assortment of items, it makes it easier on workers if you send boxes or bags that contain only a single type of item--and label the boxes. Second, do not send anything that is not requested. The Burger King parking lot next to our camp was littered with mounds of clothing that were hardly touched and were most likely ruined when the rain and winds from Hurricane Rita hit the area.