The Hardest Job I Ever Had

I was watching 3ABN and seeing graphic pictures of the damages from Hurricane Katrina. Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Michigan, United States of America) students had been volunteering, but they had to go back to school.

There was a need for older folks to volunteer.

I said right out loud to my computer, “I could do that.” I called my son, and he encouraged me to volunteer. I was given a two-week assignment. When I looked at the ten-passenger van I was assigned to drive, I thought, I could never drive it.

But I did. I spent twenty-three hours in that vehicle.

Our schedule was worship at 7:00 A.M. followed by breakfast and a brief meeting, and on the floor by 8:00 A.M. Standing on a concrete floor for eight hours was not easy. We had two breaks and an hour-long lunch.

We were served three meals a day. I opened boxes, sorted items, coded them, re-boxed them, and put them on pallets. The warehouse received shipments all day. We processed them and got them ready to ship to distribution centers where people came to receive items. One by one, my nails broke, so I just cut them all off.

Along with forty other volunteers, I used the makeshift shower facilities in the warehouse. The hot water tank held only six gallons, so I learned how to take cold showers. On Sunday, we went to Pecan Island with supplies.

Keep in mind, I was there ten weeks after the hurricane.

Picture this —trailers up in trees, houses upside down, and areas where just the roof of a house rested on the ground.

All the ruined furniture and appliances rested in huge mountains along the side of the road. I witnessed a man lighting a match and watching his house go up in smoke. People lost their homes and jobs, and their deceased loved ones resting in graves were washed away. The people were so thankful for whatever I gave them.

They often cried as they spoke to me, and I held them in my arms to comfort them. I prayed with folks after they introduced God into our conversation.

The experience changed my life and allowed me to serve Him by helping His children who were in need.

Patricia Hook Phyndress Bodi