Hi this is Damian Belt-Smith, one half of the intern
team here at “T-NOVES”, as I like to call it. For
those of you who don’t know who I am…nice to meet you
(see photo). For those of you I do know…. what’s up?
On Saturday October 20th I will be boarding a flight
traveling with a group of volunteers, made up of folks
from Brunswick Presbyterian, to Pearlington, MS. We
will arrive sometime Saturday afternoon, get settled
and most likely start working right away. The details
as to what exactly I will be doing are blurry but what
I do know is that I will be doing my little part in
the week we are there to help reconstruct a city
destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
It seems completely unmanageable when thinking about
the volume of damage caused by Katrina; how many
communities were ripped apart never to be the same
again, how many people made homeless, how many people
had to relocate there entire lives because what was
once home is unlivable. I feel as if I am in way over
my head. Will it really make a difference if I go?
With absolutely no skill in construction what could I
possibly help with besides getting in the way? Now we
are talking about entire neighborhoods?
I will be there for a week with 14 other individuals.
Living in community with these 14 people. We will be
staying in a camp made up of many of these smaller
groups. Alone it would be impossible for any
individual to take on something of this size.
Thankfully I will be going with a group of
individuals, who together in community will be able to
make a difference. Moral of the story, live in
community, its better that way.
I am looking forward to the week ahead, especially
because I will be going with other people and I don’t
have to do it on my own. I will report with another
one of my ramblings once I am back, I’m even thinking
about keeping a daily journal, so maybe I will post an
entry from that, if you are lucky!!!! See you in
week.