%PDF-1.7 1 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Outlines 2 0 R /Pages 3 0 R >> endobj 2 0 obj << /Type /Outlines /Count 0 >> endobj 3 0 obj << /Type /Pages /Kids [6 0 R 20 0 R ] /Count 2 /Resources << /ProcSet 4 0 R /Font << /F1 8 0 R /F2 9 0 R /F3 10 0 R /F4 11 0 R /F5 12 0 R /F6 14 0 R >> /ExtGState << /GS1 15 0 R /GS2 16 0 R /GS3 17 0 R /GS4 18 0 R >> >> /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] >> endobj 4 0 obj [/PDF /Text ] endobj 5 0 obj << /Producer (dompdf 3.1.0 + CPDF) /CreationDate (D:20250907092445+00'00') /ModDate (D:20250907092445+00'00') >> endobj 6 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 7 0 R >> endobj 7 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1205 >> stream xVMs6W1a`zK23JIbM;$$mgP>@-7h: $oow1IYtkדWsex |E۳WJh:mN8|P4buóxM 8ݪ@2 5[JipExx1XyUUMUʲZ9|V奏sNX{sZᴂzi=qo]\eRY"*,k҇Tݍph56-$X|T!Ͱ`I] †y1ΌjPB vw WYgZyOtީ8V^=3lZT3`y1{~+5͎6Bg -vRfeG=2" iDJQ/+enz J/{iU_]z5J-赱~kMur A}pbj":D B Hތ6xV8|Ӵ$1 b@{[J-2*"hn&?X('Z 1<ԿX37ftR .cyUkޯhqq 0a(?B"%9PU3j%!14yx嗼X"wΊ!.ҥDl]BK.{d6=bAt;cXrk`AZ1[ٓyE#QK4'K@OBA ?j)~ f9(m O Rҩ IxX֠"f\\&4ћ7&18҆Q}z8C0F=C@vN6Eb1TK_?@#ǿ$Dd+> endobj 9 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F2 /BaseFont /Times-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 10 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F3 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 11 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F4 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Bold /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 12 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F5 /BaseFont /Helvetica-Oblique /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 13 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 14 0 obj << /Type /Font /Subtype /Type1 /Name /F6 /BaseFont /Times-Roman /Encoding /WinAnsiEncoding >> endobj 15 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 1 >> endobj 16 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 1 >> endobj 17 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /CA 0.3 >> endobj 18 0 obj << /Type /ExtGState /BM /Normal /ca 0.3 >> endobj 19 0 obj [6 0 R /Fit] endobj 20 0 obj << /Type /Page /MediaBox [0.000 0.000 612.000 792.000] /Parent 3 0 R /Contents 21 0 R >> endobj 21 0 obj << /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 1623 >> stream xuW˒6W1[rN&ڕvYT*"AYpe3b-=%戀 E g{fxuݜjwYj\?y-;:t,CE7NyI'i%U^VZucl凞QZ7 o{K,SeMKn$X)Žkٓ?~8<ٯbv+""oH55dICP*6etc:E7C[f)@B,7)! xYՃeMIXD0R+Y}aQUBt kHg;O1`p~2R :[NH#EˏA@-.brZDsQRv,ߤʧU,:\Qkqg 3H g%G8WpDvR^8 {NHSx CaLaYny7 E4R(j((gS'Auga .겔[3\%? Tm1z+HWH%feZeEeq 7JT&DQȞ݊ Q~эx~nƚdQO!i)H|"zy% ܜS`q.2 eOtwՠct1%V>Z4#8gj…>&Loc.:n95<ؐ`0 حuU QWT>LEq7Kd re'POubISDF]~+'QJ^ W)2>gށD M h@ҪȨJ0!> TWDy1F אr(3VPCu ThMy,O*TPb#@UCqD $+.@*)5 ]|=ʸ__?t`y ѠK$HdKMfP 1:,P}ƹKxᏧWD&TQ@7U΃ ڤ)vNKє<6 x)^.1Q-v/׏gpH]Dі؊B`Cj辝zcU'a0SE eLeJ1Z01z'z_Po09<{6_(D6[bݮ_/܄6[djj[>x}uic2c)Ǥk=ai>B1{|]d9X>W{'$;s8l_]\\/.x zy] endstream endobj xref 0 22 0000000000 65535 f 0000000009 00000 n 0000000074 00000 n 0000000120 00000 n 0000000401 00000 n 0000000430 00000 n 0000000579 00000 n 0000000682 00000 n 0000001960 00000 n 0000002067 00000 n 0000002175 00000 n 0000002285 00000 n 0000002398 00000 n 0000002514 00000 n 0000002543 00000 n 0000002653 00000 n 0000002710 00000 n 0000002767 00000 n 0000002826 00000 n 0000002885 00000 n 0000002914 00000 n 0000003019 00000 n trailer << /Size 22 /Root 1 0 R /Info 5 0 R /ID[] >> startxref 4716 %%EOF Building on Faith | Caring Magazine
Read Caring Magazine Volume 29

Vol. #29

Hope in Action

Read Issue

Latest Impact StoriesView All

Popular Topics

PopularView All

Building on Faith

June 15, 2008
3 minute read
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
Listen to this article

Salvationists help with rebuilding efforts in Louisiana.

by Nikole Lim –

Loren Toy hangs siding. Photo by Nikole Lim

Six members of the San Francisco Asian American Yerba Buena Corps—prompted by the still lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina’s 2005 assault along the Gulf Coast—recently dedicated one week to assist Habitat for Humanity in restoration efforts throughout the affected areas. My group—four students, a dentist and an architect from the corps, along with an office manager from New Jersey—traveled to Mereaux, La., from May 27-31, eager to help and to learn from our experiences there.

Joining me were John Tam, Loren Toy, Chris Kim, Victor Lim, Melissa Jones and Jaqueline Fernandez.

Partnering with Habitat for Humanity, The Salvation Army is helping fund the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project to provide safe, affordable housing for needy individuals living across the Gulf Coast (see New Frontier, June 2, 2008, vol. 26 no. 11). As the only Salvationists volunteering that week, we did our best to be examples of faith through our words and actions. Greeting us at our work site were five AmeriCorps members, four other volunteers from New York and three from Maryland. Our duties were to apply shingles to the roof and to nail siding along the walls. Constant pounding, lifting, climbing, and measuring are not easy tasks in 90 degree, humid, swamp-like conditions. However, we were able to achieve much in five 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. working days.

Throughout the week, an elderly man frequently visited the site in his red pickup, and I soon learned that he was the homeowner. Though he was hard of hearing, we were able to communicate through both sign language and lip reading to find a common belief¾our faith in God. Homeowner James Salande, a Louisiana resident for many years, explained to me that the hurricane lifted his home off the foundation, moved it to the side, and crashed it down into pieces. James and wife, Teresa, lost their 12 dogs due to the hurricane, but fortunately, they and their two children were safe. Despite their hardships, James has stood firm in his faith. He views hardship as an occasion to “bring people together to help each other.”

Upon learning that his house was destroyed, James said, “I was devastated but then prayed to God for a miracle.” Soon after, he was accepted into Habitat for Humanity’s Carter Work Project, which has allowed many volunteers, like us, to help rebuild his home. He was thankful that God answered his prayers by allowing him to finally “go home.” Passionately telling his story, James gestured toward the beautiful green trees surrounding his backyard, which he said remind him of God’s abundant blessings toward him and his family.

After a week’s worth of tiring labor, dripping sweat, and pounding nails, our reward included not only the progress on the home, but also many relationships. On our fifth and last day of work, James gave me a hug as a thank you for my efforts. I feel unworthy to be thanked¾instead I give God all glory for allowing us to be used as a tool to build-up his children, be examples of faith, and spread Christ’s love through the bodies he gave us.

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12).

Download this page as a PDF

You May Also Like