photo submitted by Trish Carter

'Katrina was big but God is bigger," read a sign in front of St. Clare Catholic Church in Waveland, Miss.

That message was a reaffirmation of local residents' faith even after last year's hurricane, which killed 236 people in Missisisspi's Gulf Coast region and caused $125 billion in damage.

To prove God's strength over devastating storms, 88 Indianapolis teens made a life-changing trip to Mississippi. For one week in July, they worked to clean and rebuild the community and its citizens' spirits.

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis' Youth and Young Adult Ministry in the Office of Catholic Education and Faith Formation sponsored the summer mission trip, as well as an earlier youth mission trip to the region.

The teens helped demolish homes, clean up debris and re-roof homes in three Mississippi coastal cities -- Biloxi, Waveland and Bay St. Louis.

They learned on the job: There was no training beforehand. To protect themselves, the youth volunteers wore face masks, rubber gloves and even hazardous-material suits at times. But only when they had to: The sweltering 90-degree heat made the volunteers want to stick to T-shirts and shorts. They slept on a high school gym floor and attended Mass every day.

They often had no idea what to expect when arriving at a work site.

Bad smells were everywhere. In one house that a dozen students helped demolish, there were three refrigerators. One was wide open, still full of rotten food. Students started to move another fridge, and brown sludge seeped out.

Throughout the week, the students were struck by certain images they'll never forget, such as Mercy Cross High School -- condemned after the storm.

Matt Ruffing, 16, imagined how he would feel if something like this happened to his high school, Bishop Chatard.

In July, 11 months after the storm struck, Mercy Cross looked pretty normal on the outside. But on the inside, desks were overturned, notebooks were scattered around, and mud was caked on nearly everything.

Often during cleaning, the teens were forced to get rid of people's possessions because they were wet or moldy.

When sweeping up debris, Roncalli High School junior Anthony Hosier stumbled across a portrait of a man in the Army and realized it probably was once proudly displayed on someone's wall or desk.

"To see his face . . . this thing once treasured, and I just had to throw it away," Anthony said, stressing how uncomfortable that made him feel.

The teens observed firsthand how vulnerable survivors can be after experiencing a tragedy. Joe Crady, a sophomore at Roncalli, helped clean up one such woman's home.

"She wasn't emotionally strong enough or mentally strong enough (to clear out her property) anymore," he said. "She just needed to get rid of everything, but she couldn't. It was so hard for her to get rid of stuff."

Upon entering another house, Roncalli senior Caroline Syberg saw how the family's lives had been uprooted, and everything they owned was scattered and ruined. And the family seemed embarrassed that they had to ask for help.

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Yet, there were happy times, too. Elizabeth Patterson, a senior at Bishop Chatard, worked to clean out one home the entire week with several other Indy teens.

"They were so grateful for what we could do. They saw us working so hard, and it made them happy," she said of the home's residents.

Many of the youth volunteers said the trip made them put their own troubles in perspective and gave them confidence.

"Volunteer work helps you see what is truly important and how that really making a difference in someone's life is reward enough," said Caroline.

Added Chatard sophomore David Eaton, 16: "It helps you not to take everything for granted."

One of the most important things that everyone can do for the hurricane victims is to not forget them, the teens said.

"While a lot of work has been done, there is still a ton of work that needs and will continue to need to be done," said Pam Holtz, a junior at Lawrence Central. Residents told the youth volunteers that it could take up to 10 years to get coastal Mississippi back to normal.

Elizabeth said she will never forget a conversation with one resident.

With tears in his eyes, he said that the hurricane may have occurred to show him and other citizens that there's hope for the future because of today's youth.

"He said that all we see of youth on the news is bad things and murders and drugs and stuff, but he really saw the hope of our generation through us, and that was pretty cool."

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Albert Chen, 17, Malachi Carter, 14.

REPORTERS: Alexander Waddell, 11; Ariana Gainer, 11; Jonathan Gainer, 14.

Y-Press member Katie Ciresi, a junior at Bishop Chatard High School, was among youth group members who traveled to Mississippi in April and during the summer to assist with Hurricane Katrina cleanup.

Copyright 2006 Y-Press