This is my first Habitat trip. I have wanted to go on such a trip for years and read in last year’s Luther magazine that alumni had joined Luther students in Mississippi to help with rebuilding after Katrina. I decided this would be my chance to try the trip. I am totally unskilled in the areas of construction so was not sure how useful I would be but had heard that any help was needed. I had also heard that it was a privilege to work with Luther students.
Working with and getting to know the students was truly the best part of the trip. They all worked hard, did not complain about long lines for the showers and meals ,and got along well with the owners of the homes. The first job that I worked on for 3 days involved work with a man who loved to tell us stories. We decided that if he would write a book it would be a thousand pages. We learned about shrimping, how to make Gumbo, and about the history of the area. He also liked to tell us how to do our job, which sometimes was helpful and other times was not. The students listened to him and were so patient. Then they would tell him that the way we were doing it was going well and he would listen to him.
The southern construction workers call women “Miss” and their first name as a sign of respect. Our first day I was called “Miss Carol” and that stuck.
One evening the girls in the dorm wanted to know about some of my experiences at Luther back in the day . . . I told them that women had hours but men did not. Then I told them all freshmen had to wear beanies and we bowed to the Homecoming queen and then threw our beanies up in the air to symbolize that we were accepted as students. They could not believe that we wore beanies and had hours!
I did find jobs that I could do but I don’t think that was the important part. I think meeting the home owners, listening to their stories of surviving Katrina and encouraging our students was useful.
I feel more hopeful about the future after working with these students. They are so service oriented. Many have been on several mission/service trips already. They truly are living the gospel.
-Miss Carol (aka Carol Tack ‘71)
The schedule at Camp Victor. Lights out at ten p.m., lights on at six a.m.
