Seeing the Americorps girls last night and knowing that today was my last day was a very surreal experience. All morning I felt a little bit out of it as I worked in the dorms, talked to staff, and to the clients as well. We have been sending so many people home in the last few days and it was weird to be the one who would be leaving the next day instead of one of the clients.
I spent time yesterday and today talking with a man named Stefano. He is an older guy who has to be pushed around in his wheel chair. He smokes, so he goes out in front of the building quite often. He has cancer, but I don't think that he has the money for any kind of treatment, or if any is even available for him. While I was talking with him he said that he felt like he was better off dead because he has nobody, nowhere to go, and he really can't do anything. It was hard to hear him say that. I told him that if nothing else he needed to be here to make a difference for the people here in the shelter. Everyone, both the staff and the clients, know him and have talked to him. The gratitude that he shows for everything that we do is incredible and has meant so much to so many people. He began to tear up as I told him how grateful everyone had been to him. He always called the girls "doll" or "sweetheart" and shook our hand and thanked us individually whenever we took him outside, opened a door, or brought him food. He is an incredible guy who has really lived life and it was an absolute pleasure to talk with him.
Elisha, the shelter manager for our staff shelter arranged for the staff who were interested to go on a "tour" of some of the disaster sites. As shelter workers we don't usually if ever get to see the damage that was done and have more of a glimpse into what these people that we are caring for have been through and seen. One group left this morning and the second group, which I was in left this afternoon. We headed down to Breezy Point, which was hit harder than almost any other area. In addition to the hurricane that came through, flooded basements and main floors, knocked down power lines and trees, and even moved homes off of their foundations, there was also a fire that burnt to the ground around one hundred homes. Seeing the damage that had been done was one of the most humbling experiences of my life. These people lost everything. There were houses that literally had nothing but their foundations left. Other had bikes, cars, wagons, books, stoves, chairs, tables, and clothes that were almost unrecognizable. As we walked through the area there were very few items that hadn't been burned completely, including a stack of photos, a few movies, and some old records.
We were able to talk with one woman who had lived in the same house here her entire life. They had evacuated for the hurricane, but had left many of their belongings in their house. Her son was the last one to leave and be grabbed rosary beads and placed them on the back door of their house. When they returned they found that the back of their house had some fire damage, but that was where the fire had stopped. They considered it an incredible blessing and she was extremely grateful. She told us that during the first part of the day she cries and then for the rest of it she gets to work and tries to repair the damage. Before she left to get back to work she thanked us for what we were doing. She told us that even if we just picked up one thing or only gave out one meal, she was still so grateful for us and all that we do. I was so humbled by her gratitude and have her hug and said "God bless you" before she left. There are some incredible people there.
Just before we left a group of firemen came up and we talked with them for a few minutes. Sada, one of the drivers told me to get a picture with them, so I did. And then Carlos from security convinced one of the firemen to let me take a picture in the truck, so I did. It was pretty cool and they were all super nice. I was grateful for good friends like Sada and Carlos who look out for me like that. Such good guys. I also got a picture of Carlos and Alex next to the firetruck. They ended up holding hands because someone teased them about looking cute.
I also had a performance evaluation today with Leila who was my supervisor while I was in logistics and Frank who was basically my supervisor the last couple of days while I didn't have a specific position. They both said nice things about me, which I appreciated. I also received recommendations from them of what to do next and where to go from here. It was a good experience and I was really glad that I could receive support and guidance from them.
We said goodbye to several more people this evening, and I took down a lot of cots. I was able to talk with Stafano and others more, and then started to clean things up and get ready to leave. I was able to get a picture with Stefano and just before I left I told him that the Red Cross is not affiliated with any political party or religious organization, but I could not leave without giving him something. I pulled out a Mormon.org card that had the phone number to call to talk to a missionary. I also wrote my name and phone number on the back of the card and told him to call at any time. I explained that he could call the phone number for the missionaries if he wanted to learn more about the church, or even if he just wanted a spiritual thought for the day. He thanked me multiple times, I gave him a hug and then left. I probably won't see him again, but I have been praying so hard that something good will work out for him so he can really enjoy the time that he has left.
After our shift ended I went with a group of staff to Famous Dave's for dinner. I had the Georgia Pork with a side of mash potatoes, fries, and a corn muffin. It was delicious and was such a nice change from the shredded ball park franks flavored chicken (Ya. Weird) that we have been eating for lunch and dinner the last 2 days. Alisa and Gerry came late and weren't able to order dinner, so when we got back I offered to take her somewhere so she could find something to eat. We drove around for a while but everything was closed except for a CVS pharmacy so we went in there and she found something to eat and drink.
While Alisa and I were out we had a chance to talk about life, family, and church. She was amazed that I was the 10th of 16 children and had a lot of questions about the LDS Church. We stayed up until 2:30am talking about our beliefs and sharing experiences with one another. I have never had an opportunity to share the gospel like that and I was amazed at how much I learned in return. She is a really good person and will do great things in her life time. We closed our conversation with a prayer which was really cool. She said multiple times that she wishes we had started having talks like that earlier so that we could have had more time. I wished that we had too because it was an incredible experience.
I finally went to bed and that was marvelous. In the morning, I leave to the airport.
WHAT AN AWESOME ADVENTURE THIS HAS BEEN FOR YOU !! IT IS WONDERFUL THAT YOU GOT THIS OPPORTUNITY !!
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