"Love Connection" Meditation by Sarah Hardy

God’s love brings people together. He works by creating communities, leading us here to church every Sunday morning, and in bigger ways as well, bringing people together for disaster relief. On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit the Louisiana area. Just days later, volunteers rushed to the area, willing to do anything needed to help the situation. A year and a half later my fellow UCC UConn members and I flew down to New Orleans to see what we could do. There, we met the members of the First Church of Slidell and heard testimony from those who witnessed the disaster for themselves. The widespread grief led too many people to question God. However, based on those testimonies, God’s love was evident in the rebuilding response from the church members and communities we visited. That year, UCC UConn was able to initiate change in two church communities as well as a woman’s life. In my experience, the expression of gratitude has yet to be matched to that of those people whose lives we began to rebuild.

Again, after this year’s trip, my fellow UCC UConn members and I made a great impact in the Slidell area. Among other things, we further strengthened our ties with our First Church of Slidell friends, despite certain Tennessee and UConn fan interactions. We also worked on multiple homes and a homeless shelter for men. All our hard work for one week for our mission. All because of God’s love. It brings people together. The call to help rebuild, the motivation to work hard for one week, the drive to make change. While we worked, my fellow trip members and I met some people of quality character and undeniable faith and gratitude. My personal experience was with four young men, who gave up six months of their time to come down to the North Shore area, more than three and a half years after the storm, and continue the rebuilding process. I continue to be in awe of their commitment to their mission and their faith in the Lord. Their drive to help is proof of God’s love. He truly works in wonderful ways, and the more I witness, the more I believe. God’s love brings people together, especially in the wake of something as destructive as Hurricane Katrina. As the rebuilding process continues, God’s love continues to grow - creating a close network of good people doing His work. The UCC UConn members, along with those who supported us, are part of that network and we will be forever grateful for our experiences.

Thank you.