When Pastor Antoine Barriere left his home 15 years ago as Katrina took aim at New Orleans, all he took with him was a couple of changes of clothes.
It was four months before he was able to go home again. He remembers how it felt to face recovery in the wake of a terrible storm, and that's one of the reasons he was in Abbeville today, handing out supplies to those facing recovery after Hurricane Laura.
Barriere and other members of his Household of Faith Family Worship Church in New Orleans brought an entire tractor trailer full of cleaning supplies, water and personal care items for the people of Abbeville.
"Today we are out here to help people displaced because of Laura. We know exactly what these people are going through," Barriere says. "We want to be a blessing. We are just thanking God that we can be a blessing to the people of Lake Charles, Abbeville, and the surrounding parishes."
The church members started at about 8 a.m., at the Arc of the Covenant Church on St. Belaire Street in Abbeville, with the help of parishoners there. But the New Orleans church members left home at 5 a.m.
"It's been a blessing to be a blessing, and we're so thankful for all the people we were able to help," the pastor said of the long day. "I hope they can take away hope. Knowing if we could recover after Katrina, then they can recover. That there's somebody there willing to be the hands of Jesus to be a blessing. We don't them to think there's nobody there to help them. The best part of today is just seeing the smiles on people's faces and hearing them say thank you."
The church is accepting donations, and plans to return to Southwest Louisiana "as long as there is a need here."
For more information about the church and their work, click here.
