New Orleans
I got back from New Orleans today. I feel like it's just been one really long day since Thursday. We left Thursday night at like 8:30 and got to New Orleans at 5:30 am, went to the airport and got the minivans and that took like an hour. I got no sleep on the bus-like maybe an hour total, maybe. Then we went to the church (Celebration) then we drove around the 9th Ward. Oh my. We saw big trees uprooted and turned upside down, houses move off the foundation and smashed against another house, cars on porches. Then all the house have an X on them and the bottom number indicates how many dead people were found in the house. We saw several with a one, I saw one with an 8. It's so surreal. And there are piles of crap (garbage, sheet rock, wood, etc) all over the place that haven't been picked up yet. Where do they put all this toxic stuff? I was astonished by all of the piles that are there. And then it's just erie in some parts b/c it would be like driving down McFarland going toward Skyland, but there's no life. There's garbage and piles where the buildings have been gutted, and just nothing.
Then we went back to the church, had a devotional, ate breakfast, put our stuff on our cots, and then got our job assignments, which was a disorganized mess. I actually went to another distribution center that is located in a Wal-Mart parking lot and served lunch to people. I served the fish sticks and ravioli and there was also mac-n-cheese, vanilla pie, bread and drinks. Alot of people were taking a break from working on their houses. They just keep on going each day. I didn't really have a chance to talk in depth with anyone. Then when we closed the kitchen, I helped clean up and got to talk with Becky, she and her husband Dave run the kitchen, and heard about how they came to New Orleans. They've been here five weeks and plan on staying for a couple more months to run this kitchen. She told us that she didn't know what exactly she was doing and that they don't even know like what if any volunteers are coming each day. They have such a servants heart-truly. Like I had a minor part in what went on for only a few hours. They do this every day, maybe not Sundays, but day in and day out that's what they do. I am definitely sunburned!!! My shoulders are so red and my face is finally started to turn brown. Then we helped restock. Then there's a man and his wife that run a counseling center in a trailer across the parking lot and they got a call that morning saying that they had to move all of their stuff back into another trailer by Monday. The guys had helped move the big stuff so we went and moved the rest of the stuff. We prayed together and it was such a blessing to help them and that we were an answer to his prayer. Then we went back and showered and ate and had another devotional.
I slept pretty well that night. =) Then Saturday, I went to work on a house that some people had worked on Friday. I spent the day pulling nails out. Wearing a dust mask and safety goggles is not easy b/c the goggles fog up after about 10 minutes, so I took them off. And I paid for it. I got so much fiber glass in my eyes. I did put them back on when I pull the nails from the ceiling. My area of the house had lots of bugs-mostly silverfish. I tried hitting them with the hammer but that didn't work so well. This house was actually not too far from the seminary. I did find a picture of one of the girls that lived in the house. After we ate, we cleaned up and went to another house and helped there. I got to tear down part of a wall!! That was fun. I shoveled up alot of stuff, swept and of course pulled out some more nails. =) I was so gross. Like all I could smell was mold. My dust mask was disgusting. When things started to wind down, I went to talk to Marie who owned the house and just heard her story. Then we took a group picture and prayed for her and her family. Then we went back to the church and showered.
Then we went to Celebration's other campus for the Sat. night service. Daniel O'Donnell came and it was good to see him. We didn't get to talk for too long. He has spikey hair now. =)
Then we went to eat at this place called Mulate's. It was good but not $20 good. I did try fried alligator. It's like rubbery, bouncy chicken. Then we went to Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets. Good stuff. =) Then we got back to the church at like midnight and were supposed to be ready to go at 6:45. We finally rolled out at 7 something. We got back to Dallas at 4:00. I got some more sleep on the bus. I watched Narnia, did some school work, played some fun card games.
I so wish I could've stayed longer. Part of me is like Lord I will go, send me. But I'm supposed to be in Dallas. I don't generally have a problem with going, it's the staying part that's hard for me. =) I can see more, I think, of how it was hard for Alan to make the decision to not go back. I'm not really directly connected, kind of, but I wanted to stay and help out more. I definitely had a perspective change while I was there. I'm not making light of the stress and struggle that I've gone through this semester but the Lord was like take that focus off yourself for a bit and see how these people are enduring and trusting Me. The Lord could be humbling me and stretching me in alot "worse" ways. And I think the faith He's making me use and stretch is for whatever He's going to throw at me in the future. And it's awesome to see the grace and love He's given me is the same grace and love He's showing to the poeple there. I do feel rested from being there. I know that's kind of crazy, but I"m not overwhelmed or stressed, I might be tomorrow, but right now I'm not. =) It's all going to get done. And for me it's going to happen sooner for some of those in New Orleans, but it's going to get done for them too. That sound alot more eloquent when I told someone about it earlier. Oh well. =)
There's alot more I could write, but I'm started to fade and I need to work a little bit more on some stuff for school.
Peace out!!!
Then we went back to the church, had a devotional, ate breakfast, put our stuff on our cots, and then got our job assignments, which was a disorganized mess. I actually went to another distribution center that is located in a Wal-Mart parking lot and served lunch to people. I served the fish sticks and ravioli and there was also mac-n-cheese, vanilla pie, bread and drinks. Alot of people were taking a break from working on their houses. They just keep on going each day. I didn't really have a chance to talk in depth with anyone. Then when we closed the kitchen, I helped clean up and got to talk with Becky, she and her husband Dave run the kitchen, and heard about how they came to New Orleans. They've been here five weeks and plan on staying for a couple more months to run this kitchen. She told us that she didn't know what exactly she was doing and that they don't even know like what if any volunteers are coming each day. They have such a servants heart-truly. Like I had a minor part in what went on for only a few hours. They do this every day, maybe not Sundays, but day in and day out that's what they do. I am definitely sunburned!!! My shoulders are so red and my face is finally started to turn brown. Then we helped restock. Then there's a man and his wife that run a counseling center in a trailer across the parking lot and they got a call that morning saying that they had to move all of their stuff back into another trailer by Monday. The guys had helped move the big stuff so we went and moved the rest of the stuff. We prayed together and it was such a blessing to help them and that we were an answer to his prayer. Then we went back and showered and ate and had another devotional.
I slept pretty well that night. =) Then Saturday, I went to work on a house that some people had worked on Friday. I spent the day pulling nails out. Wearing a dust mask and safety goggles is not easy b/c the goggles fog up after about 10 minutes, so I took them off. And I paid for it. I got so much fiber glass in my eyes. I did put them back on when I pull the nails from the ceiling. My area of the house had lots of bugs-mostly silverfish. I tried hitting them with the hammer but that didn't work so well. This house was actually not too far from the seminary. I did find a picture of one of the girls that lived in the house. After we ate, we cleaned up and went to another house and helped there. I got to tear down part of a wall!! That was fun. I shoveled up alot of stuff, swept and of course pulled out some more nails. =) I was so gross. Like all I could smell was mold. My dust mask was disgusting. When things started to wind down, I went to talk to Marie who owned the house and just heard her story. Then we took a group picture and prayed for her and her family. Then we went back to the church and showered.
Then we went to Celebration's other campus for the Sat. night service. Daniel O'Donnell came and it was good to see him. We didn't get to talk for too long. He has spikey hair now. =)
Then we went to eat at this place called Mulate's. It was good but not $20 good. I did try fried alligator. It's like rubbery, bouncy chicken. Then we went to Cafe du Monde for coffee and beignets. Good stuff. =) Then we got back to the church at like midnight and were supposed to be ready to go at 6:45. We finally rolled out at 7 something. We got back to Dallas at 4:00. I got some more sleep on the bus. I watched Narnia, did some school work, played some fun card games.
I so wish I could've stayed longer. Part of me is like Lord I will go, send me. But I'm supposed to be in Dallas. I don't generally have a problem with going, it's the staying part that's hard for me. =) I can see more, I think, of how it was hard for Alan to make the decision to not go back. I'm not really directly connected, kind of, but I wanted to stay and help out more. I definitely had a perspective change while I was there. I'm not making light of the stress and struggle that I've gone through this semester but the Lord was like take that focus off yourself for a bit and see how these people are enduring and trusting Me. The Lord could be humbling me and stretching me in alot "worse" ways. And I think the faith He's making me use and stretch is for whatever He's going to throw at me in the future. And it's awesome to see the grace and love He's given me is the same grace and love He's showing to the poeple there. I do feel rested from being there. I know that's kind of crazy, but I"m not overwhelmed or stressed, I might be tomorrow, but right now I'm not. =) It's all going to get done. And for me it's going to happen sooner for some of those in New Orleans, but it's going to get done for them too. That sound alot more eloquent when I told someone about it earlier. Oh well. =)
There's alot more I could write, but I'm started to fade and I need to work a little bit more on some stuff for school.
Peace out!!!