The coastal town of Waveland, Mississippi, population 10,000, was wiped off the map by Hurricane Katrina. Families still search rubble for remains of homes and businesses. Indiana Academy (IA) invited young men and women, with hearts full of love and a desire to serve people in need, to Waveland during Thanksgiving break. Working through the Center for Youth Evangelism, the students embarked on a life-changing journey.

Upon reaching Waveland, students were quickly oriented and directed by well-trained college students and graduates who painted a clear picture of daily schedules, work options to choose, and cautions to be aware of.

Students soon faced the realities of the destruction and life lessons through the process of helping others. Their first lesson came when they removed debris at Tommy and Ruth's house. There, they were welcomed with smiles instead of the sad, stressed-out faces they expected. Malcolm Niggl quickly realized: “My experience here in Waveland has been life changing. It made me realize earthly things don’t really matter, but the gift of God really matters, His salvation.” People like Tommy and Ruth nearly lost it all, but their faith in God and His love was unshaken.

Another lesson occurred when we realized we came to give, but ended up receiving. Caitlyn Chism participated in debris removal at J.E.’s house. He offered pizza to those who helped. Caitlyn said, “I have noticed that everybody effected by the hurricane gave us encouragement while they said that we gave them hope and encouragement.” Katie Ferguson added, “Pictures and movie clips cannot compare to the actual devastation of this part of the U.S. The people I interacted with have been an inspiration to me. They are positive, polite, and give all that they have left to give.”

Another lesson was the importance of hope for the future in the midst of loss. Sabrina Topp observed, “I kept thinking, how could these people lose so much and still survive, and only recently have I been able to answer that question—hope. That’s the key—hope in God, family, and the rest of the world.”

The final lesson came at Saundra's home, a lady who accumulated many books, furniture, and other things during her life. After a nearly 30-foot surge flooded her house and a massive tree broke through her ceiling, not many things were left undamaged. Surprisingly enough, Saundra was still very attached to the things the students considered useless and garbage. Like Saundra, the students were reminded they often find themselves focusing on the worthless things of life when they desperately need to focus more on Jesus and His priceless gift of life.

One couple survived the hurricane in a boat. They made multiple promises to God as the winds and waves crashed against their boat, and God saved them. Now this couple feels obligated to God for making good on all those promises. I said in my heart, "Yes!"

God even uses hurricanes to lead His people back to Him if need be. God also brought the mission team closer to Him by leading us close to those in need.

Luis Beltre Jr. is the chaplain at Indiana Academy.