A Trip to Change Lives...Including My Own
____
A Brief and Candid Account of My Trip to New Orleans with ISNA and Islamic Relief.
Disclaimer: These are unedited journal entries. Please excuse any convoluted matter or technical errors. Jazak.
____
Bismillah
In the Name of Alllah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Friday December 30th 2005
This morning I met the team for the first time at the local masjid, Masjid Abu Bakr As-Siddiq.
It was wonderful to see a dedicated group of young people who’s intentions were fisabililah.
Sisters and brothers from all over the country came together to do good and work for the betterment of people they’d never even met before.
Pilling into a bus with a group of people I had no acquaintance with made for an interesting ride but inevitably an enlightening one.
Our first stop was the Islamic Relief Distribution Warehouse in Baton Rogue, about an hour and fifteen minutes from where we started, in New Orleans.
I couldn’t help but notice that as we drove through the cities and the surrounding areas, the appeared to be ghost towns. No life. No after Christmas craze.
Subhan’Allah. I knew I hadn’t seen anything yet.
We entered the warehouse stocked with food, pallets full.
Our first assignment was to make boxes and then fill them with various care items such as detergent, canned foods, toothpaste, etc.
We created a very efficient, and constantly changing, system of filling and closing the boxes.
A simple job it seems.
Subhan'Allah. It was crazy and far from simple but with creative and motivated minds working together, we had an amazing amount of fun.
May Allah bestow his barakah upon all of those who contributed.
This was the first time our team had really worked together and it was an amazing experience as everyone remained open-minded and willing to bend a little to accommodate the changes and ideas of others.
Allhumdulilah.
We spent all day making 400 care packages to be distributed to trailers (provided by FEMA).
What we didn’t realize at the time was how those packages were more than simply providing basic necessities to people in need, they were essentially helping to change peoples lives for the better, Insha’Allah.
We returned to New Orleans that night and went straight to the Abu Bakr Masjid. The community was nice enough to supply us with dinner, Allhumduilah.
Our host families as well as the community has been so welcoming and warm.
May Allah bless them and give them the same reward that those who helped hands on for they made it possible for us to be here.
After dinner we made our way back to our host families houses and slept for the night.
Their hospitality will surely not be forgotten.
___
Saturday December 31st 2005
We started today out early as well.
Having all met up at the Masjid again, a sure reminder of why we were truly here, we piled back into our vans and made our way to Baton Rogue and to the Islamic Relief Warehouse.
We made a stop at a soup kitchen and distribution site set up by a few free-spirited individuals with amazing hearts, Masha’Allah.
May Allah reward them for their selfless devotion to helping those in need.
If only we as an Ummah were as admit and willing to do such things I truly believe that we would be a changed people.
We spent our time in different ways, but all just as valuable as the other.
I started out serving food to locals who no longer had the means to provide for themselves.
One question we had to ask for the sake of keeping a tab on how many people where being served was “Are you a resident or volunteer?”
When asked if they were a resident, all the victims gave us an almost standard answer along the lines of, “I was, I’m not sure what I am now.”
Subhan’Allah.
Astagfurallah. May Allah forgive me for any and every moment I have shown ungratefulness.
After serving food to very thankful and friendly locals I moved towards the distribution point for clothing.
A few sisters and I spent some time folding clothes and placing them neatly for the connivence of those in need of them.
Across from me was a young man from Canada who came to help on his own. He’d been working at the camp for two days.
I asked him what he thought and he just smiled and said, “I absolutely love it.”
His sincerity is something I will never forget.
May Allah reward him.
After working at the clothes distribution site I made my way into the kitchen to help prepare a meal.
I found that my tears from the sting of onion scent were mixed with tears of my soul, for even after leaving the premise for fresh air, the continued.
A sign from Allah that purification begins with the inward.
Subhan’Allah.
We also helped set up the new dining area for the camp and Insha’Allah increased their productivity in helping thousands of people eat with more ease and comfort.
Insha’Allah.
After we left the camp we had what was possibly the most profound part of our trip.
We drove through the most heavily hit area. Where the levies broke. Where, now, there is nothing but ruble.
A normally vibrant and entertaining van full of dedicated youth was now turned silent.
All in awe, I can’t find words to describe the feeling.
Subhan’Allah.
Astagruallah Wanna Thubu Illah.
Oh Allah forgive me my sins.
On the doors, in red spray paint, rescue workers marked numbers of people found, rescued or dead.
We passed the library.
I glanced at the door out my window and saw the paint.
Nineteen dead.
At that moment, amidst overturned vehicles, destroyed houses, lost lives, complete and utter catastrophe, seeing it all with my very own eyes....I realized then how potent the fact that life is constituted by death.
Allah at any moment, by any means can change the state of a people, for better, or for worse.
May Allah make us amongst those who remain steadfast and strong, putting our trust in Him before all, even in the darkest of circumstances.
Hasbun Allah wa ni’am al-wakil.
(Allah suffices me and He is the best guardian).
Ameen.
Again, words can’t describe how I felt when I was at that site, but I can assure that never, never will I ever forget what I saw and the impact it had on me is one that will be lasting, very possibly, Insha’Allah, life altering.
I spent that bus ride back to the warehouse, amongst all the other bus rides, in deep contemplation and each dua after with several more repetitions of “Astragruallah Wanna Thubu Illah,” only hereafter, with much much much more sincerity in my heart.
Allhumdulilah.
After our tour of the destruction we headed back to the warehouse to pick up the care kits we had assembled the day before and made our way to a trailer park where we were to distribute them.
This trailer park was exclusively for victims of the hurricane and each unit was given to them by FEMA.
We walked around in pairs or small groups and knocked on the doors of the trailers.
We introduced ourselves as Islamic Relief workers and offered our care packages to the individuals.
Their reactions were ones that touched the heart and soul.
We’d seen the site of sheer devastation and now we were interacting with the people who’d lived it and lost it all.
All they had was a small trailer and as for supplies, little more than nothing.
Some we encountered were bitter over their situation.
Others were so proud of what they’d done with their tiny one room that they invited us in to show us all their hard work and give us a taste of their life stories.
All were eternally and sincerely grateful.
Never have I handed someone a necessity such as a toothbrush or toothpaste, or a can of beans, and seen them so incredibly and honesty thankful.
“God bless,” they’d say.
Ameen to that.
Ameen.
May Allah guide them through their hardship by his mercy and love.
It was New Years Eve, I was talking to a few of the sisters and brothers I was working with at the trailer park and discussing the fact that a few hours later we were to be heading off the the FEMA warehouse to spend the night....the night before the start of the New Year.
We all came to the conclusion that there was no better way to begin our new year than in the service of Allah. Fisabilliah.
May Allah make this year one devoted to His service and make our hearts crave for contentment that only He can quench through our dedication to Him.
So we set on our ways to New Iberia to the FEMA warehouse.
We arrived around 11:00 PM had a short introduction with the facilitators and then headed to our cots to sleep.
We situated ourselves in the fairly large room, on our individual cots and rested our heads.
At 12:00 AM, where others were celebrating with their families, friends, partying the night away, one sister said in a whisper, “Happy New Year everyone,” and we slept.
Allhumduillialh.
___
Sunday January 1st 2006
We were awake bright and early this morning.
Many of us barely slept as cots are not the most comfortable of beds, but we’re lucky, others have had to spend months sleeping with only a simple sheet and a hard bed, if they’re lucky enough to have a cot to sleep in at all.
Allhumduillialh.
My first assignment for the day was cleaning up the bathrooms and showers.
That being done in conjunction with much more able bodies went fairly quickly.
Afterwards a group of us got on top of stocking two very large pantries full of food.
Hard work comes in many forms, esp when it came to separating canned foods.
Upon completing that we made our way back on to the warehouse floor and started reorganizing and sorting packages to be sent to people in need.
Though tiring work, our teams had immense fun as we kept in mind our intentions and worked Fisabililah as true brothers and sisters.
More warehouse work proceeded us and we worked till our departure.
This was to be the last collective effort our group would make on this trip.
May Allah accept our good deeds and actions...Insha’Allah.
We arrived at the masjid and had dinner provided by a beautiful family Allhumduillah.
We ate in virtual silence.
Our trip had come to and end and our Salaams were nearing.
We spend a little time, precious time, discussing what we all got out of our trips.
Subhan’Allah.
Words cannot describe.
The bottom line is that we all got something profound, something amazing and most importantly, Insha’Allah, something lasting.
Never will we forget what we saw, did, experienced, who we talked to.
Never will we forget who we experienced it all with.
May Allah bless and cherish with his mercy all of those who took part in this trip, who’s sweat and sometimes blood were proof of their dedication, who’s tears were proof of their beautiful hearts and who’s time so readily and happily given in the service of others was proof of the depth and wonder of their souls.
May Allah help all of those in needs, and help our Ummah to truly live and emulate our deen so that we may be more ready to give our time and comfort to those who have neither.
Inna lillahi wa inna illayhi rawjee'oon
(Truly we belong to Allah and truly to Him shall we return).
Ameen.
-Wafa
A Brief and Candid Account of My Trip to New Orleans with ISNA and Islamic Relief.
Disclaimer: These are unedited journal entries. Please excuse any convoluted matter or technical errors. Jazak.
____
Bismillah
In the Name of Alllah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Friday December 30th 2005
This morning I met the team for the first time at the local masjid, Masjid Abu Bakr As-Siddiq.
It was wonderful to see a dedicated group of young people who’s intentions were fisabililah.
Sisters and brothers from all over the country came together to do good and work for the betterment of people they’d never even met before.
Pilling into a bus with a group of people I had no acquaintance with made for an interesting ride but inevitably an enlightening one.
Our first stop was the Islamic Relief Distribution Warehouse in Baton Rogue, about an hour and fifteen minutes from where we started, in New Orleans.
I couldn’t help but notice that as we drove through the cities and the surrounding areas, the appeared to be ghost towns. No life. No after Christmas craze.
Subhan’Allah. I knew I hadn’t seen anything yet.
We entered the warehouse stocked with food, pallets full.
Our first assignment was to make boxes and then fill them with various care items such as detergent, canned foods, toothpaste, etc.
We created a very efficient, and constantly changing, system of filling and closing the boxes.
A simple job it seems.
Subhan'Allah. It was crazy and far from simple but with creative and motivated minds working together, we had an amazing amount of fun.
May Allah bestow his barakah upon all of those who contributed.
This was the first time our team had really worked together and it was an amazing experience as everyone remained open-minded and willing to bend a little to accommodate the changes and ideas of others.
Allhumdulilah.
We spent all day making 400 care packages to be distributed to trailers (provided by FEMA).
What we didn’t realize at the time was how those packages were more than simply providing basic necessities to people in need, they were essentially helping to change peoples lives for the better, Insha’Allah.
We returned to New Orleans that night and went straight to the Abu Bakr Masjid. The community was nice enough to supply us with dinner, Allhumduilah.
Our host families as well as the community has been so welcoming and warm.
May Allah bless them and give them the same reward that those who helped hands on for they made it possible for us to be here.
After dinner we made our way back to our host families houses and slept for the night.
Their hospitality will surely not be forgotten.
___
Saturday December 31st 2005
We started today out early as well.
Having all met up at the Masjid again, a sure reminder of why we were truly here, we piled back into our vans and made our way to Baton Rogue and to the Islamic Relief Warehouse.
We made a stop at a soup kitchen and distribution site set up by a few free-spirited individuals with amazing hearts, Masha’Allah.
May Allah reward them for their selfless devotion to helping those in need.
If only we as an Ummah were as admit and willing to do such things I truly believe that we would be a changed people.
We spent our time in different ways, but all just as valuable as the other.
I started out serving food to locals who no longer had the means to provide for themselves.
One question we had to ask for the sake of keeping a tab on how many people where being served was “Are you a resident or volunteer?”
When asked if they were a resident, all the victims gave us an almost standard answer along the lines of, “I was, I’m not sure what I am now.”
Subhan’Allah.
Astagfurallah. May Allah forgive me for any and every moment I have shown ungratefulness.
After serving food to very thankful and friendly locals I moved towards the distribution point for clothing.
A few sisters and I spent some time folding clothes and placing them neatly for the connivence of those in need of them.
Across from me was a young man from Canada who came to help on his own. He’d been working at the camp for two days.
I asked him what he thought and he just smiled and said, “I absolutely love it.”
His sincerity is something I will never forget.
May Allah reward him.
After working at the clothes distribution site I made my way into the kitchen to help prepare a meal.
I found that my tears from the sting of onion scent were mixed with tears of my soul, for even after leaving the premise for fresh air, the continued.
A sign from Allah that purification begins with the inward.
Subhan’Allah.
We also helped set up the new dining area for the camp and Insha’Allah increased their productivity in helping thousands of people eat with more ease and comfort.
Insha’Allah.
After we left the camp we had what was possibly the most profound part of our trip.
We drove through the most heavily hit area. Where the levies broke. Where, now, there is nothing but ruble.
A normally vibrant and entertaining van full of dedicated youth was now turned silent.
All in awe, I can’t find words to describe the feeling.
Subhan’Allah.
Astagruallah Wanna Thubu Illah.
Oh Allah forgive me my sins.
On the doors, in red spray paint, rescue workers marked numbers of people found, rescued or dead.
We passed the library.
I glanced at the door out my window and saw the paint.
Nineteen dead.
At that moment, amidst overturned vehicles, destroyed houses, lost lives, complete and utter catastrophe, seeing it all with my very own eyes....I realized then how potent the fact that life is constituted by death.
Allah at any moment, by any means can change the state of a people, for better, or for worse.
May Allah make us amongst those who remain steadfast and strong, putting our trust in Him before all, even in the darkest of circumstances.
Hasbun Allah wa ni’am al-wakil.
(Allah suffices me and He is the best guardian).
Ameen.
Again, words can’t describe how I felt when I was at that site, but I can assure that never, never will I ever forget what I saw and the impact it had on me is one that will be lasting, very possibly, Insha’Allah, life altering.
I spent that bus ride back to the warehouse, amongst all the other bus rides, in deep contemplation and each dua after with several more repetitions of “Astragruallah Wanna Thubu Illah,” only hereafter, with much much much more sincerity in my heart.
Allhumdulilah.
After our tour of the destruction we headed back to the warehouse to pick up the care kits we had assembled the day before and made our way to a trailer park where we were to distribute them.
This trailer park was exclusively for victims of the hurricane and each unit was given to them by FEMA.
We walked around in pairs or small groups and knocked on the doors of the trailers.
We introduced ourselves as Islamic Relief workers and offered our care packages to the individuals.
Their reactions were ones that touched the heart and soul.
We’d seen the site of sheer devastation and now we were interacting with the people who’d lived it and lost it all.
All they had was a small trailer and as for supplies, little more than nothing.
Some we encountered were bitter over their situation.
Others were so proud of what they’d done with their tiny one room that they invited us in to show us all their hard work and give us a taste of their life stories.
All were eternally and sincerely grateful.
Never have I handed someone a necessity such as a toothbrush or toothpaste, or a can of beans, and seen them so incredibly and honesty thankful.
“God bless,” they’d say.
Ameen to that.
Ameen.
May Allah guide them through their hardship by his mercy and love.
It was New Years Eve, I was talking to a few of the sisters and brothers I was working with at the trailer park and discussing the fact that a few hours later we were to be heading off the the FEMA warehouse to spend the night....the night before the start of the New Year.
We all came to the conclusion that there was no better way to begin our new year than in the service of Allah. Fisabilliah.
May Allah make this year one devoted to His service and make our hearts crave for contentment that only He can quench through our dedication to Him.
So we set on our ways to New Iberia to the FEMA warehouse.
We arrived around 11:00 PM had a short introduction with the facilitators and then headed to our cots to sleep.
We situated ourselves in the fairly large room, on our individual cots and rested our heads.
At 12:00 AM, where others were celebrating with their families, friends, partying the night away, one sister said in a whisper, “Happy New Year everyone,” and we slept.
Allhumduillialh.
___
Sunday January 1st 2006
We were awake bright and early this morning.
Many of us barely slept as cots are not the most comfortable of beds, but we’re lucky, others have had to spend months sleeping with only a simple sheet and a hard bed, if they’re lucky enough to have a cot to sleep in at all.
Allhumduillialh.
My first assignment for the day was cleaning up the bathrooms and showers.
That being done in conjunction with much more able bodies went fairly quickly.
Afterwards a group of us got on top of stocking two very large pantries full of food.
Hard work comes in many forms, esp when it came to separating canned foods.
Upon completing that we made our way back on to the warehouse floor and started reorganizing and sorting packages to be sent to people in need.
Though tiring work, our teams had immense fun as we kept in mind our intentions and worked Fisabililah as true brothers and sisters.
More warehouse work proceeded us and we worked till our departure.
This was to be the last collective effort our group would make on this trip.
May Allah accept our good deeds and actions...Insha’Allah.
We arrived at the masjid and had dinner provided by a beautiful family Allhumduillah.
We ate in virtual silence.
Our trip had come to and end and our Salaams were nearing.
We spend a little time, precious time, discussing what we all got out of our trips.
Subhan’Allah.
Words cannot describe.
The bottom line is that we all got something profound, something amazing and most importantly, Insha’Allah, something lasting.
Never will we forget what we saw, did, experienced, who we talked to.
Never will we forget who we experienced it all with.
May Allah bless and cherish with his mercy all of those who took part in this trip, who’s sweat and sometimes blood were proof of their dedication, who’s tears were proof of their beautiful hearts and who’s time so readily and happily given in the service of others was proof of the depth and wonder of their souls.
May Allah help all of those in needs, and help our Ummah to truly live and emulate our deen so that we may be more ready to give our time and comfort to those who have neither.
Inna lillahi wa inna illayhi rawjee'oon
(Truly we belong to Allah and truly to Him shall we return).
Ameen.
-Wafa
posted by Wafa at 5:51 PM
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