A group of Salvationists from Winnipeg recently discovered that while time may heal all wounds, it doesn't happen fast. In late June, part of the teen Sunday School class at Heritage Park Temple traveled to Mississippi to put their faith into action in a community scoured ten months ago by Hurricane Katrina. Twelve young people and seven adults from the suburban corps drove south for two-and-a-half days to Biloxi, Mississippi to join the massive and continuing Salvation Army effort to rebuild lives and communities shattered by the costliest, and one of the deadliest, hurricanes in the history of the United States.

Quartered in an abandoned shrimp and oyster factory, the Winnipeg team spent five days giving their energy and labour. They cleaned debris from yards where houses were damaged or destroyed. They helped build new lodging for long-term reconstruction teams. With a Lutheran youth group from Minneapolis, they sorted donated goods in an Army warehouse and even spent time working at the intake centre where requests for help first get processed.

'It was an extreme mission on a limited budget,' says Dr. James Read who led the team and who has taught the teen class for the past three years. 'One of the biggest motivations for the trip was to show, in a practical way, that the Christian life is not all about ourselves.'

The young people traveled 3,600 miles (5,800 km) to put their faith to work. 'We saw needs we could address,' says Read. 'It was sleeves-rolled-up Christianity, and we could make a difference.' And while that difference helped hurting people in Biloxi, moving belief beyond words and into action also made a lasting difference in the young lives of the Winnipeg team.

by Bram Ryan

Pictured are:

Josh Armstrong, Greg Jennings and Emily Moulton in the Army warehouse where they helped sort donations to the rebuilding effort.

Jennifer Slous with a battered prayer book she found when cleaning a rubble-strewn lot ' the house formerly there had been swept away by the storm.

Heather Johnston assists Bernice at the case intake desk at Pass Christian, Mississippi.

The Winnipeg team with Mr. Bob Dooley, one of the Salvation Army disaster response leaders, outside a marina destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Members of the mission team from Heritage Park Temple, Winnipeg:

Leader Participants
Kelly Daun
Nettie Deacon
Bruce Neitzke
Marg Neitzke
Jim Read
Laurie Read
Brian Slous

Youth participants
Armstrong, Josh
Bagshaw, Jon
Daun, Adam
Jennings, Greg
Johnston, James
Johnston, Heather
Moulton, Andrew
Moulton, Emily
Nelson, Kassy
Ritson, Eric
Slous, Jenn
Slous, Jon