Doug, an estimator for a large paving contracting firm in southern Oregon, told Session 10A of the Leadership Development Lab:

"In June and October of 2006, I traveled to Pascagoula, Mississippi with our Rolling Hills Community Church to help in the relief effort for hurricane Katrina victims. On the first day of our first trip down, we had the chance to visit the Ninth Ward and see the devastation for ourselves. It was far worse in person than what any of us had expected from what we had read in the paper and watched on television. The real surprise was how little that seemed to have been done in the nine months since this devastating hurricane had hit. We spent the next six days working on various families’ homes that were all in major need of different types of repair. The destruction ran anywhere from starting from scratch at the bare stud walls to re-roofing. While we were there we stayed at the New Testament Church, part of which had been converted to a dorm-type living arrangement. Prior to Katrina, the church had a congregation of 350. Now it was down to just 35 people. The faith and positive attitude of these wonderful believers is inspirational considering what they have all been through. The one thing they do know is that if it wasn’t for the churches like ours coming to their aid, they would not have any hope. They have felt completely let down by the government. This made me realize what a small sacrifice it

was to take a week out of my life to lend a hand to those in deep, distressed need. The personal reward I received in a sense of contribution far, far outweighed the effort and small sacrifice I made.

Every day of my life since I came back home, when I think I have a problem, all I have to do is think about the people still living in the FEMA trailers who have lost everything and have very real problems.

The lesson I learned from this experience is to not be afraid to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to people in need. The action I call you to take is check with your local church or community service organization to see where you could possibly volunteer to those in need. The benefit you will gain is a reward that will be a blessing in disproportion to the effort you extend. The sense of contribution and reward really cannot be described. It can only be felt when you reach out to someone in need and see the hope it brings to them. Your confidence, selfesteem, and sense of personhood will take a big turn upward and you will experience a greater sense of personal purpose."