Reflections from the McCormick NOLA Mission Trip: Where Do We Go from Here?

By: Melva Lowry

McCormick Students on a mission (trip): Kristin Riegel, Stephanie Levan, Melva Lowry, and Bonghun Lee.

Question: What do you get when you cross eight students and one staff member with 16 hours of fun in the car (each way)? 
Answer: A mission trip! 
Add in some winter time snow “and we’re drifting…” with an international addition to the team (HyunJae, JungJae's brother) and you might think you’re on a new version of Gilligan’s Island. Well, if this sounds like fun, then don’t miss out on the next McCormick mission trip!
We, the mission trip team, left Chicago as a weary group, having just completed long days of J-term classes, but also excited about the chance to see and experience the warm and culturally-rich city of New Orleans. No one knew exactly what to expect of this city that draws countless tourists to experience its Mardi Gras festivities and vibrant jazz music and cuisine each year. It was our chance to see if the tales of ghosts, voodoo magic and debauchery running freely in the streets were true. 
As a southerner, it was also a chance for me to finally break across the borders to a city that was ravaged by destruction and death. When Hurricane Katrina hit, its residents fled to neighboring states, leaving both positive and negative impressions upon us. This trip allowed me to see the remnants of Hurricane Katrina’s impact on the city and its people first-hand.

Hammer time: Jungjae Lee and Miseon Choi work with a Habitat for Humanity staff member
to add siding to one of the two houses McCormick students helped to build in New Orleans.

On Sunday afternoon, as we crossed the miles of bridges and entered into the city limits, our cold winter tiredness melted into glorious smiles as the warm wind and humid sunshine hit our faces. The excitement to explore and begin the task of rebuilding swelled inside us, pushing down our apprehensions, at least for the moment. 
Yes, on the trip, we had a chance to walk around and relax, but we also spent physically and emotionally challenging days on our Habitat for Humanity work sites and visiting the areas hit hardest by the hurricane. To know that a population of 300,000+ went down to about 150,000+ right after the storm, with about only half of those residents who left returning, is noticeable as you pass blocks of vacant lots. Most residents said the goal was to get the spirit back to the city; the music, the food and the welcoming atmosphere that calls out all.
Our group of 10 missionaries learned that even though we didn’t have to leave the borders of the United States, we were still strangers in our homeland. We also learned that there are many steps one should take before committing to the work of a mission trip. 
We invite those who have done long term missions abroad and who engage in short term missions locally on a regular basis to join us the next time we, the McCormick community, engage in this type of service with our brothers and sisters in Christ. 
From this trip, we learned that it is important to reflect on and discern the purpose and practicalities of a mission trip. Here are some of the things we think are important to discuss in community, before and after a mission trip:

1. What is the goal of a mission trip (for those who go to serve and for those we are serving)?
2. What is the benefit of short-term mission trips? What is the harm of short term mission trips?
3. How can we prepare ourselves mentally for the experience(s) we will face while completing this mission trip?
4. What should we learn about the social location where we will be completing our mission trip? What impact will this have on our attitudes and expectations?
5. How do you follow up after completing a short term mission trip? How soon should you return to the same area after doing a short term mission trip versus a long term mission trip?
6. How does a community prepare for a mission trip both for those serving and for those staying behind in support? What are ways to fundraise to keep the opportunity for mission alive?

We thank our community for the love, prayers and financial support that made this mission trip happen! We learned it takes planning, communication and a willing spirit to meet the demands of mission work. Though we felt lost after returning, not knowing exactly which direction we should go next, we were sure that as Christians called to go out and to serve the world, the one thing we didn’t want to see was for McCormick's mission spirit to die with us. So get ready, McCormick is going on a mission trip (again soon)!