Mr. Lou’s Junkyard of Dreams
Midway through week 1 of serving with Samaritan’s Purse doing hurricane relief in New Orleans, LA we had the opportunity to meet a man named Mr. Lou. We showed up at his home and the first thing all of us noticed was beat up yellow VW beetle off to the side. Everyone began to ooooh and ahhhh over it, little did I know what awaited us when we cracked open the gate.
Row after row of VW busses and beetles. Thousands of car parts decked out with the iconic “VW” logo as far the eye could see. I stood mesmerized by the sight.
You see, Mr. Lou is a Collector of sorts. It all started with his business, “VOLKSWAGEN HAVEN, INC” that back in the 60s was a thriving, life giving endeavor of buying anything and everything Volkswagen and selling the parts. But over time his collecting expanded to much more than just vehicles. Tires by the hundreds, hub caps and tin cans, bikes of all sizes, coolers in every shape, size, and color. What once was an organized business had become an uncontrollable, chaotic mess and Mr. Lou was stuck in the middle with no place to turn.
The first thing I remember noticing about Mr. Lou was the deep sorrow in his eyes. Eyes that were surrounded by smile lines and yet, the smile was no where to be seen. As we all gathered around he described to us how he had chosen to stay during the hurricane, a decision that had left him traumatized and haunted by fear. Upon asking further questions I found out that on top of so much tragedy from the many hurricanes, the love of his life had suddenly passed away 3 years ago
Suddenly everything began to makes sense and my heart broke.
Mr Lou wasn’t just collecting things because he lacked self control, it was all a desperate attempt to fill the ever increasing void in his life. Maybe, if he surrounded himself with enough stuff, he wouldn’t feel alone anymore.
And so what did we do to help Mr. Lou? We began to organize his collection. We carved a walking path through the chaos, stacked tires back in their place, picked up the hundreds of beer cans and set them aside for recycling. Some might see this as a useless task in the face of the bigger picture but I know in my heart the work we did that day isn’t what mattered. It was the seeds of hope we planted. Seeds that I pray one day will overrule and choke out the weeds of sorrow and pain and bring new life to a broken yet beautiful man.
Amelia – this is a lovely tribute to Lou! Your photos are stunning, but your writing captures the day so well. It wasn’t about the work we did, it was about the hope that was delivered. I’m so glad I was there to experience it with you! xo
Beautiful application, and how sad to realized that he is lost! What he needs most is Jesus! Lets pray that everything that you guys did there that day will sometimes bring him real peace!
Thank you so much! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to tell his story with dignity and honor.
Amen. I pray one day the truth of the gospel and the love of Christ will come alive to him and he will be made new.
Thank you so much!! I miss working with you, looking forward to seeing my CFA family next summer!
Thank you for teaching me so well how to tell someones story with dignity and honor. I am grateful to have the opportunity to do so. Getting to spread the Kingdom through creativity is such a gift!
It was such an amazing time serving with you and your team in New Orleans. Hope you are doing well in Costa Rica
This is really beautiful, Amelia. You guys planted many, many seeds of hope that day (through the power and working of the Holy Spirit in you). I think Lou will always remember the day you guys helped create beauty in heart from chaos in life.
Sometimes all it takes is one little step to help someone get started moving forward again. Your heart for people and ability to see beyond the surface is a powerful force under the direction of the Spirit.
Miss you
See you in a few weeks!!!
Such a beautiful story! Your photography is so beautiful!!!!
Such a sweet story of meeting someone exactly where they are, with exactly what they need. Forever proud of you and your willingness to partner with the Kingdom! 🙂