DBU students have fun in the sun, building homes in Louisiana and Georgia

Posted: 3/28/08

DBU students have fun in the sun,
building homes in Louisiana and Georgia

While some college students got a head start on their summer tans by spending spring break at the beach, 33 DBU students got plenty of sun exposure of their own, building homes in southern Louisiana and in Georgia.

One DBU team traveled to Columbus, Ga., to take part in Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge Week. Others headed to New Orleans, where DBU students had helped in building and cleaning up two years before.

Dallas Baptist University freshman Jacob Seif prays over one of the condemned houses in the ninth ward of New Orleans.

• See Complete Spring Break Ministry Coverage Here

Although over two years have passed since Hurricane Katrina, many New Orleans residents still are picking up the pieces of their lives. Members of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church have been busy working to rebuild both their community and their house of worship.

In the spring of 2006, DBU students headed to New Orleans to help in the early stages of the clean-up effort. Led in part by Chip Luter—son of Franklin Avenue Pastor Fred Luter—DBU students cleared debris and tore down condemned houses to make way for new construction.

“Two years ago, our students had the opportunity to arrive months after Katrina hit and the flood waters subsided,” explained Jay Harley, DBU dean of spiritual life and sponsor for the New Orleans trip. “It was a wonderful experience to be able to come back and see the progress that has been made. Much is still left to be done, but it was a rewarding time to be able to help a few families restore their homes.”

This spring break, 14 students rejoined members of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and helped complete work on houses and the renovated church building. They built fences, planted grass, demolished walls, moved furniture, picked up trash, repaired porches, painted and did anything else that was needed to help continue the journey back to normalcy.

DBU freshman Kayla Frizzell and freshman Brittany Umber paint the post of the house of a member of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans.

One special moment came as the students gathered together with members of Franklin Avenue for a 7 a.m. Sunday worship service at First Baptist Church of New Orleans. First Baptist has provided facilities for Franklin Avenue during their time of transition.

The service was one of the last at First Baptist, and Franklin Avenue members will return to their own facility April 6. During the week, students had the chance to help ensure that the homecoming would occur as scheduled, putting many of the needed finishing touches on the church’s worship center.

“The people at Franklin Avenue Baptist church were very hopeful for the city of New Orleans,” said DBU sophomore Ben King from Celina. “Their spirits were high while we worshiped with them as they looked forward to the return to their church building after two and a half years. Their excitement and passion for the city was an encouragement and inspiration to our group to serve wholeheartedly while working.”

While some students spent time in New Orleans, 19 others continued further east toward Columbus, Ga. Habitat for Humanity was holding one of its annual Collegiate Challenge weeks in the city, and students from 10 different universities came to build 10 houses, all within five days. An annual tradition, DBU students have participated in Habitat for Humanity Spring Break mission trips for nearly 20 years, building houses in South Dakota, New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, New Mexico, Mississippi and Florida.

Waking up at the crack of dawn, the students took to the houses, pouring foundations, building walls, shingling roofs, all the while interacting with students from places such as Ferris State University, Syracuse, Ithaca and the University of Kentucky.

“Going on a mission trip has always been a part of something I love to do,” said DBU freshman Misty Cotton from Wolfforth. “However, going to Columbus was a new experience for me. Instead of sharing the gospel with them directly, I was able to help provide a home for a family that might not have had one otherwise. This experience reminded me of the importance of putting your faith into practice and allowing our hands and feet to be used by Christ.”

“The Columbus chapter of Habitat for Humanity did a wonderful job of hosting us and turning this into the best Habitat trip I have ever been a part of,” said Chris Crawford, DBU director of apartment life, DBU-Habitat for Humanity campus sponsor, and veteran of dozens of Habitat for Humanity builds. “The students had a chance to bond, and we got so much work done that week. The finished house was something in which we could take pride.”