Hope

I wear two pieces of jewelry constantly, if you don't count my sports watch. The first is a ring my parents gave me when I was 16. It sits perfectly on my right ring finger always reminding me of home. My second is a newer addition. A small silver disk with a simple four letter printed on the side of it. Hope. It is a simple reminder of an idea that can change everything. My necklace was given to me by someone who really taught me how to appreciate that word. They taught me the benefits to always having it and the power of giving it to someone.

This trip more than ever has showed me the powers of hope. My group has traveled close to the three biggest disasters of this year so far. 1) The Brisbane Floods 2) Christchurch Eathquake 3) Japan's recently earthquake and tsunamis. The one thing I have already seen is how hope can get people through.

Today, we were lucky enough to get to volunteer in a neighborhood that was greatly affected by the flood. A little back ground knowledge, most of which I learned today. The floods were caused by increased rains in the beginning of January. The last floods of this magnitude occurred in 1974.  The reasons these floods were not near as bad (shocking that these weren't comparatively bad) was that they had a two damn system. The first dam was in place in 1974 and helped some. The dam ahead of that was put in place after. The floods were better this time because that dam was able to keep back a lot of the water. It was filled to 190% capacity (so 100% is the normal level, but not the real capacity which is actually 200%). At 200%, the dam would have broken and everything would have spilled out. So the water that did get through was no where near what could have actually flooded the area.

The flood affected different areas differently. Some houses were completely covered. While others remained untouched. The area we went to today was a lower class suburb. On one half of the street, the water line was visible cutting across all the houses midway through windows. The other half was untouched. It was eerie. The stories these people have of their homes being washed completely away was devastating. But they all had a smile on when we came to help them. They were just grateful we were there. They had hope that today was better than the last, and tomorrow would be even better.

An interesting fact we learned was the order in which they fixed their homes. Most of these homes from the outside don't appear to be damaged. However, when you walk on the inside of things that is when you can see the bare walls, the water damage, the evidence that disaster struck. At first this seems a little backward. Fixing the appearance of something before the necessities. But when you look a little deeper, it makes perfect sense. They all want hope. They all want things to get back to normal. They don't want to be in a disaster any more. So by fixing their outsides they acheive a couple things. 1) Everyone's house looks the same. You cannot tell the difference between those who have had damage and those who have. Everyone is on the same page. 2) It builds a sense of unity, of strength in numbers. Even in your ravished house, you aren't alone when you walk outside. 3) It is an external sign that things will get back to the way they were. That things are getting better, they are all in it together, and everyone is willing to help.

These people have more courage and more hope than any group I have personally interacted with. They know things will get better, they keep going, and they move on with their lives. They aren't expecting any help, aren't asking for anything, being a burden on anyone. They have hope they will get back to where they were before and be able to move past them. It took me going to a place of disaster to realize it doesn't take much to have hope, but that even a little can work miracles.