My children inherited a love of jigsaw puzzles from their grandmother.  Over the years they have put together numerous puzzles from start to finish.  I've done that a few times, but most of the time my participation in a jigsaw puzzle is to put in a few pieces and make my small contribution to the finished puzzle.

Our week in New Orleans has been like that.  We worked on houses that were in various stages of completion. Some of our houses were nearly finished.  Some of them were closer to the beginning part of rebuilding and rehabilitation.  In both cases we are participating in putting together the jigsaw puzzle.  We benefited from the work that previous groups did to get projects started.  We also laid the groundwork for groups that will come after us to finish some of the things that we could not complete.  We are all part of the puzzle and perhaps only the homeowners of the houses we worked on will see the complete picture from start to finish.

It was a humbling experience to work in the neighborhoods in the 9th Ward and realize how much devastation still exists nearly five years after Hurricane Katrina.  We are so fortunate and blessed and all of the members of the team have a greater appreciation for their homes than they did when we left home a little more than a week ago.  We will never forget the homeowners we have met; people like Helen and Alvon.

I hope you will attend worship on Sunday April 18 at 10:30 to hear from the team members as we share about how the experience this week has changed lives.

Grace and Peace to you!