My most memoriable New Year was 2008 when my family and friends took a long trip to New Orleans from Indiana for a mission trip. Our goal: to get a disabled man out of his FEMA trailer and back into his home in Jefferson Parish.

As members of The Journey Church in Indianapolis, we traveled between Christmas and New Year's 2008 to New Orleans and worked on a condo for Jay, a displaced homeowner after Hurricane Katrina. He had lived in a FEMA trailer for close to four years. He told us he had moved from NYC only one month before Katrina hit.

Meeting the homeowner motivated us to work hard every day with the goal to present his condo finished and worthy of his patience.

With a team of 13 volunteers in coordination with a United Methodist Church recovery station, our work included drywalling, painting, mold-removal and some electrical work. From early in the morning to late at night, the volunteers worked diligently and crashed every night at the recovery station.

By the end of the week, we realized we were not going to be able to move Jay back into his home. Due to circumstances beyond our control, the flooring was not available and the cabinets had not arrived for the condo. Disappointed, many of our group wanted to stay to complete the work. But in the end, we knew we had to go back to Indiana. We knew the next group of volunteers would have the pleasure of escorting and "blessing" Jay with a completed home.

The last night of our trip our volunteer group celebrated New Year's at the French Quarter. We took a ferry from Algiers...across the Mississippi River and NOLA, and strolled down the celebrated streets in funny hats and indulged on sips of coffee from Cafe Du Monde.

Standing in front of the St Louis Cathedral waiting for the New Year's fireworks to start, a local resident approached my husband and I. He asked where we were from. We told him we were from Indiana and on a mission trip. Under his coat, he brought out wine glasses and champagne. He thanked us for coming to help rebuild New Orleans; we toasted with him for the success of 2008 as the fireworks reflected over the Mississippi River.

We will never forget our visit to New Orleans, the grateful people who welcomed us, Jay our homeowner and the many still struggling to recover from hurricanes.

As we look back, we wish we could have gone back to New Orleans this year for another mission trip. Financially, it was not possible.

As we move forward into 2009, remember there are still mission groups rebuilding homes on the Gulf Coast whether it is in New Orleans, Mississippi, or Texas. The brutality of Katrina and Ike not only destroyed homes but also lives. We feel the need to go back to the Gulf Coast and complete the recovery that started close to six years ago.

Happy New Year's New Orleans! You are in our hearts and prayers as we celebrate a bright and hopeful 2009!