New Orleans 2010 - March 5-11

who’s in the house?

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:12:14 -0600

Today was another episode on our embarkment down to beautiful New Orleans, Louisiana. At dawn, we arose and prepared for the day ahead of us. We then progressed to "work hard, get dirty"- Randy Jackson. Lots of good work was getting done and man power was being exerted, including picking up some sticks and whacking some weeds for 6 (grueling) solid hours; we were even able to use a sledge hammer to break apart a piece of sidewalk; it was invigorating!

As we were leaving the worksite we ran into a very kind hearted women, named Brenda. She was very thankful for us being there and was sharing how she dreams of having a clean and safe community. We then followed this lovely encounter with a beautiful hug sesh between Brenda, Sam, and Kyler. Lee was attempting to enter the hug sesh and was respectfully denied by my girl B, you love to hear that, ya really do!

Following the hefty workload, we voyaged to meet up with Dingo and the crew to participate in some friendly games with the local children. This was an excellent opportunity to connect with the younger culture of New Orleans. The challenge circle experience showed the "kiddos" the Gospel, and thats what its all about right, cause you really love to see that. We developed a strong relationship with our old friends and our new friends, shedding a few tears as we departed.

It turned to dusk as the rain fell upon our cute little faces, and it was time to call it a day. Dinner was eaten with the usual gang at the College Inn, recommended by Toblerone. We ended the day on a great note with ice cream from Baskin Robbins, YUM! The gals came over to our pad for a quick gathering, and everybody headed home to get a good nights sleep for the eventful day ahead of us. Gee wilikers is it late, good night y'all!

- Kyler and Sam

more surprises

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:38:39 -0600

Today marked another day full of challenges and adventures. We started our day a little later than yesterday, meeting at the worksite at 9 o’clock. The weather held up for about an hour and a half before thunderstorms hit. Fortunately, we were able to get a lot of work done! Both of the areas that we ended up cleaning looked entirely different than before.

When the weather got worse, we all had to cram into the cars to avoid the lightening and pouring rain. It was then announced that we had to stop working outside. After a quick stop to chick-fil-a for lunch, we watched a video at the church about poverty. The video opened our eyes to the opinions of how some of the homeless feel and how to treat them.

When all of the other groups working for Castle Rock Community Church had the rest of the day off, Lee announced that we would be doing some demolition work which was joy to all of our ears. Once we arrived at the worksite, we were told that we would be pulling old tiles from the floor. It was hard work! I never knew that pulling tile could be that difficult!! It was also amazing to see that there was still water trapped underneath a lot of the tiles.

After a couple hours of grueling work, Lee and Danielle surprised us by taking us to a lake. We were able to see where the water is in New Orleans compared to the houses. Surprisingly, to most of us, we saw that the water was very much above the elevation of the houses! Before we left the lake, Danielle and Lee surprised us. We were told that we would be going to see “Alice and Wonderland” at a local theatre after dinner.

At 6, we all met at the Church for dinner followed by a game of “mafia”, a favorite of ours, and a game entitled “signs”. The movie was great (we got to see it in 3-D!) and all in all we had a really great day.

It is such a thrill to be in New Orleans. The time has passed by so quickly! It is so incredible to believe that we only have one more working day left until we come home! Being in New Orleans has not only been a great experience for us all spiritually and emotionally, but it has been so rewarding in to be able to serve the people of New Orleans and the surrounding community. The pride we can all see that the people of New Orleans have for their city and town is rewarding in itself.
-Sarah

did he say a Kangaroo?

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 23:03:27 -0600

Today was our first day of work with the Urban Impact ministries. This week, we are working to clean up empty lots, which are covered with garbage and extremely overgrown weeds. This is due to the fact that the prevous owner has not returned after Katrina and nature has completely taken over.

We first went to Castle Rock Community Church, which is the base location of the organization. At the church, we had quite a lengthy meeting, at which we were informed of the details of our work, and we heard many sermons about the city of New Orleans, and how the organization is trying to extend the Hope of Jesus to the surrounding areas.

By noon, we were at the worksite. We were split up into two teams of nine, and we began working on our lots. Although we said that they were empty lots, they weren’t actually, as they were filled with every type of garbage know to mankind. For example, we found many carpets buried in the ground, we found a television tube, some street signs, many empty alcohol bottles, light bulbs, lamps, an umbrella, bed sheets, and much electrical wiring. We picked up all this trash and weed wacked the lot, until the lot actually looked like a reasonable backyard.

We went to Popeye’s for a quick and healthy lunch. Our hard day’s work was complete. Unfortunately it ended early due to bad weather, but we were lucky enough to see a kangaroo. We then went to see the baby kangaroo that was being raised in a woman’s home. Tomorrow, this kangaroo will be transported to a wild area that will service inner-city kids. Needless to say, none of us had every seen and petted a kangaroo. It was so soft, and its tail was incredibly strong.

After that unique experience, we went back to the church for dinner. Tomorrow, we will have a much more brief meeting in the morning, and thus, much more time working to clear the lots. It should be a tough day, working in the rain, but also one that will bring a great sense of accomplishment.

-Jackson and William

oh, look. a parade

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 00:16:23 -0600

Today was another great day filled with so many great surprises! We all enjoyed our extra hour of sleep! After we got up and got dressed we headed out to the Saint Charles Presbyterian Church for worship. The service was a great way to start our day of touring! We went back for a quick change and headed out to the French Quarter for the rest of the afternoon. Everybody loved the beignets and treats.

For the next few hours we got to tour around the French quarter, stopping at the French market was definitely a favorite! It was filled with lots of Saints paraphernalia and cool jewelry, bags, and well, basically everything you needed could be found. It was loads of fun and everyone had a great time!!

Once we had finished our crazy adventures in the French Quarter we drove right into a huge surprise! We were trying to go to Saint Bernard’s Parish to look at some of the devastation that was there, but lucky us we got stopped by a huge parade!! It was so surprising but so fun! Lee let us go and watch some of it! Each float had people who were throwing mardi gras beads and vegetables into the crowd. The people use the produce to have a crawfish boil and make local food. There were beads flying everywhere and some of us got pegged with cabbages and potatoes but all in all it was a great experience!

After the parade we went to Castle Rock Community Church to have our orientation with Urban Impact and learn about what we are going to be experiencing for the next three days. We are all very excited to see what is coming next!

It is so great being here in New Orleans!! Being here is such an honor and one of the most amazing things that we have noticed is how happy and proud people are to live in New Orleans. They all have so much spirit and even after Katrina has hit they are trying so hard to prove that they are still strong and can get through anything!!!! It’s great seeing smiling faces and happiness.

~Caroline

mulch and more

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 22:59:20 -0600

Today our group traveled into the forests of City Park. There we were split up into two groups: wheel barrel drivers and mulch loaders. We had the honor of packing mulch on and along one of the many trails located in the park’s forest. The reason for today’s labor was to provide a much more stable path to walk on during, and after, rain storms. After loading the entire pile of mulch onto the path, the leaders of today’s gathering directed us to another set of piles to load into more wheel barrels.

Later, after long, hard hours at work we went to my (Tobin) aunt and uncle’s house to have a barbeque. After we ate, my aunt spoke about her family’s experience during the hurricane. This gave us a better perspective of the casualties and destruction that occurred.

To finish off the day we took a cruise down to the lower 9th Ward to see for ourselves the devastation that Hurricane Katrina brought to some sections of New Orleans. While looking at all the broken/abandoned houses we realized that what we are going to work for is worth the labor and every little thing can make a difference.

In the end, we’d say the group had a great time serving the NOLA community and could feel good about what we had accomplished. We’re sure everybody is looking forward to the next few days and we’ll keep you posted on what’s to come.

~ Teddy and Tobin

we arrived safe and sound

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 01:04:29 -0600

Except for a backpack left on the rental van shuttle, we have arrived in New Orleans safe and sound and without any major issues. The Saers already had the place set up for the guys and the girls are warm and comfy just down the street.

Work starts at 9 AM tomorrow so that 7:30 wake up call will come earlier than we would like. Thanks for all your prayers - and for the four moms who braved the Friday evening traffic into JFK.

More to come tomorrow.