Day 5: Homeward Bound

Today we finished packing, and we headed over to Cafe DuMonde', a restaurant well-known for its French doughnuts. The service was slow and the waitresses were hard to comprehend, but the doughnuts were amazing! After exploring the French quarter for a while and digesting our sugary breakfast, we got  in the bus to All Soul's Episcopal Church. The church is located in the Lower 9th Ward, a poor area of New Orleans that had some of the worst flooding in the city during Hurricane Katrina. The church held a morning prayer service instead of the Eucharist service that we are all familiar with at St. Luke''s. Now, we are driving home, stopping along the way at The Shed BBQ restaurant in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. It has been a great trip! We all enjoyed repairing houses that were devastated from the ravages of Hurricane Katrina. We also have enjoyed spending time with our friends and experiencing the wonderful city of New Orleans. -Callen

After a long week on working hard, we started the process of traveling home this morning.  For breakfast, we stopped by Cafe DuMonde in the French Quarter and enjoyed French doughnuts and coffee.  We walked around Jackson Square by the Mississippi and then headed for All Souls Episcopal Church.  Instead of a normal Eucharist service, All Souls held a morning prayer service.  It was interesting to participate in a service that was not like the ones we experience every week at Saint Luke's.  We are now on our bus ride home, which will be very long, but we are going to make some fun stops along the way.  Overall, this entire week has helped us to grow closer to God and each other while making a difference to the people of New Orleans.  -Carter

The morning began perfectly - when I opened the door to my room, my secret buddy had left a cup of piping hot coffee for me outside my door, fixed exactly the way I like it! One of the most meaningful parts of the trip for me has been getting to know our wonderful St. Luke's folks who've set aside time to work in hot, muggy New Orleans with the hope - the expectation - that the time and effort spent here has made a difference, and I believe it has. The group has had fun, worked hard, and become good friends. Importantly, we have left behind two homes that are much closer to being completed, awaiting other groups who will finish our work. Our lives have been changed, and with God's grace, we have made a difference. -Liz

After a long night exploring the French quarter in true tourist fashion, I woke up extra early to pack and tidy up my room. Fortunately, we still had enough time to say a final goodbye to UNO. We headed over to Cafe DuMonde to get some breakfast. The only thing they served was bengiets and beverages. After that we went to an Episcopal church in the lower 9th ward. The lower 9th is a neighborhood near the industrial canal, which caused some of the worst flooding in the city. The church opened up after Katrina, in what used to be an old Walgreens. It was a really interesting service, because their priest wasn't there, so the made it a morning prayer instead, we finally got on the road after church, leaving New Orleans for home. -Leslie

Today we did not have to go to the work site, instead we went to church at All Souls in the Lower 9th Ward.  It seemed so strange to not head out to the work site as I had become used to painting Mr. John's house.  Suddenly something was missing.   Believe it or not I had grown accustomed to the pelting sun and humidity, but more so to being a servant of God in a new way to me.  Each morning Nan and Knox had charged us to use our hands to do God's work- my constant motivation as I painted Mr. John's house.  Today my challenged is-for what will I use my hands, my mind and my might to serve God? -Flavia

Day 4: Final Push

Today was our last day working at the houses. I really wanted to finish painting the house, but we didn't have enough time. Though we did paint the majority of the house by the time we left. Our homeowner, John Joseph, was sad to see us go and got us to stay longer by giving us watermelon. That evening we went to the French Quarter and did our tourist-y shopping (which also included a brief stop on Bourbon Street, a place that reeks of vomit, sweat, and alcohol and scared us off drinking for a good long while.) After we got back, we prayed and packed, ready to go home, but not quite ready to say good bye.
-Catie


Today was our last day going to the worksite. After two long days of working, you would imagine that everyone would be tired and groggy. This wasn't the case however, as everyone was working harder than ever and we had a very productive day at the site. Our energy was fueled by the authentic jambalaya  provided by our house-owner, Jon. After cleaning up the site, Jon was even kind enough to cut us up an entire watermelon, and boy was it tasty! After we retired to the dorms, the whole group went out to "Frankie and Johnny's", an authentic Cajun restaurant. No trip to New Orleans is complete without a trip to the French Quarter, so naturally, we took a trip there. We were amazed by the plethora of tourist shops and restaurants. And yes, we went to the one and only glorious Bourbon Street, with al of it's alcoholic temptations. After that trip, we headed back to the dorms and packed for the long trip home on Sunday.
-Ike

On the last day everyone was really trying to get the whole house painted. We went able to finish the job we left it so when more people come they will be able to help John Joseph. He was really nice to us and fed us great food, the jambalaya was awesome. After we left we went to the French Quarter we went to bourbon street. then we walked around some more. after the French Quarter we went to the dorms and packed and prayed even though we were all almost in a coma.
-Elijah

Lots of words and images floating in my head from today: pop-tarts for breakfast - a treat for me - satisfaction over what we had accomplished in three days - pride, and thankfulness for the gifts of the young people we worked alongside - I saw amazing maturity, thoughtfulness, common sense and compassion- the energy of youth - the mysterious work of the Holy Spirit alive and in living color - white, yellow and a wonderful shade of orange - unreal heat and humidity - insightful and moving prayers, the incredible human waste of Bourbon street and the amazing insight of the young people as they took it all in.  I have been blessed to be a part of this trip - and feel it's a wonderful way to start a summer -with a shot of mission inspiration and seeing the Word made flesh all around me.
- Pat+

Day 3: Status Updates

After a long day's work, I was tired, not ready to listen to a presentation, and definitely not ready to pay attention.  But when Rebecca, a woman with the group Bayou Grace told us about the disappearing land in Lousiana, I was taken aback.  She said that Lousiana's coastline lost around a football field-sized piece of land every 32 minutes. My attention was immediatey on her, and after our talk, I was already asking her about volunteer opportunities.  When an issue as important as this is brought to my attention, no exhaustion can keep my mind off of fixing the problem. -Kate D

how do these days pass so fast? it's hot and humid. the kneeling, bending, stretching in one position to paint results in muscle and joint discomfort. but we laugh our heads off and sing weird songs (with or without the actual lyrics) and are lavished with the gratefulness of our homeowner, pat, who just happens to be a wise veteran of the civil rights movement. we accomplished a lot at the worksite. every section of the large two-story house is coated by primer, at the least. i think we've also been doing some intangible work with results that we can take with us even after we return from this (brief) NOLA adventure.   -Hannah


We had just finished a hard day of work out in the beating sun when we decided to throw in the towel and go to a local snowcone shop for an early treat. Arriving at the snowcone store the owner was so happy to see us she gave our group a large amount of souvenir cups to take home with us. Upon receiving this gift i was filled with a feeling of happiness and the fulfillment of actually being able to help.
  I felt as if GOD had put us here for a purpose other than just to paint a house, but for a much deeper meaning. It is as if the whole meaning of this mission trip wasn't just to bring a house back to life, but to keep that flame of hope still lit for all those new Orleanians who feel they may have been forgotten not just by the world but by GOD. Today, not only was i proud of my handiwork in painting a house orange, but also maybe being able to strengthen people's faith and letting them know that GOD and the world has not forgotten about them.  -Luke

It's hard for me to imagine whether or not I would have given up hope if I was in New Orleans during Katrina.  After hearing some of the stories and spending time in historical places of tragedy, I have to wonder.  What surprised me most about the trip was the response we received from individuals - ones we didn't even know.  The homeowner of the house we painted, Pat, was truly grateful.  He told us we "painted with love" and would not be forgotten.  Minutes later, an unknown New Orleanian refreshed our ice cooler with a 20 lb. bag of ice.  A lady across the street from Pat offered us her harvest of limes and peaches.  Every place we looked, we could feel hearts weeping with joy for knowing that we had not forgotten.  -Callie

God visited us today during our lunch break.  He ducked into the shade of his front porch and shared a sandwich with us.  He said he was "Mr. Pat".  He's a homeowner here. He told us about his work in the civil rights movement, and at one point he started to sing: "Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on freedom".  Ten tired teenagers found themselves singing along. Laughing. Good to see God's still in the miracle business.  -Andrew

Day Two: paint, heat, home depot, levees and a nun

Breakfast! (It was good) Waffles! The work begins! We started at St. Pauls homecoming center, where we got the assignments for the rest of the day. The heat and humidity was shockingly harsh but we knew that there was work to be done. We Divided into two groups and traveled to our worksites, and started the work. We were assigned to paint the exteriors of the house starting with the window frames. Out came the ladders, buckets, brushes, and hoses! Neill has paint in his ear but no one else has a mark but that's just Neill.

The hospitality of the homeowners was very surprising as they were not expected to give, we were. They supplied us with ice cold water, and some snacks to keep the energy going. It was hot hot hot HOT. With a dash to Home Depot we resupply and keep going and continue the work until 3:00. Nothing makes you appreciate a clean shower more than a day in the hot sun. After some rest, we got  presentation about the effects of Katrina on New Orleans and thanks to Pete Nunally, the mission volunteer coordinator for Episcopal Community Services in Louisana, we learned that New Orleans is, in fact, NOT a "bowl" surrounded by water (we'll talk later). Dinner was good, with pecan pie for desert. IT WAS GOOD GOOD GOOOD. With the help of M&M's we arranged groups and discussed faith and Abraham and then gathers to sing some songs for compline. Some of us went to take a look at one of the levees that were breached with "Sista" Catherine Riggs, a nun with a sense of humor, and to take a look at her convent that weathered the floods. We are happy that God watched over us and will continue to watch over us and New Orleans for the rest of the stay.

Peace,

Kate Bryan
Nadia Schenck
Evan Gillon
Neill Lester
Elise Harris

First day in the big easy

Today we left the Church at about 715 AM. Along the way during the nine hour drive we stopped at numerous gas stations for restroom and food breaks. Upon arrival in New Orleans we received a wonderful orientation from Naomi, the director of our home for the next few days at the University of New Orleans, a uniquely equipped dorm facility and training center for people with disabilities.  After taking a rest period after the long drive, although the last thing most of us wanted was time to sit down, we got back on the buses and drove to Saint Anna's Episcopal Church. Greeting us at the door was the "Murder Wall" ,St. Anna's Murder Wall a continuous memorial to the many, many deaths in New Orleans. This list was a tribute to all, most of which had been shot although some had been stabbed, beaten to death, or committed suicide; the list stated the persons name, their age, the date of death, and the manner in which they were killed. After moving inside, in contrast to the tragedy of the "Murder Wall", the service was very lively and uplifting incorporating a mix of Catholic traditions with the more modern Episcopal services, but what topped it all was the amazing jazz music. The three man band that performed was excellent, invigorating the groups listening, and just having fun. Moving on the church was freezing. People in New Orleans feel the need to overcompensate for their hot, muggy, humid air by paying excessive amounts of Air Conditioning Bills. We are pretty sure the church was all of 14 degrees fahrenheit, yet for some strange reason some people were still fanning themselves with the provided Buddy Christ fans. Along with the music and the service, dinner was provided by the church, and it was an excellent traditional first meal here in New Orleans. We were served red beans and rice with some sausage thrown in for protein (although certain vegetarians did in fact pick it out politely). We also received bread and water. We also made a new discovery…Kevin is actually funny, and quite entertaining.  Dear Caleb's mom, he says he "loves you, and that he hopes you are reading this every night". Dear Mr. Gunter, Adria wanted to convey to you that all is well. Dear Anna, I miss you.
Dear Papaya, hi. We will get you a gift for Father's Day don't worry.
Anyway, Adios for now!
Typed by Julia Johnson

Sincerely,
 Julia Johnson
Kevin MacHarg
Adria Gunter
Christopher Kennedy
Caleb Shorthouse

Bye.