Mission New Orleans: Monday

Romans 5.3-5 says: "We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

Hello Missed Family and Friends!
Our adventure to New Orleans is well on its way, and the memories of liar's dice, signs, and demolition are already being made. Saturday our 12 hour ride started our journey, and when we arrived at Annunciation church we were pleasantly surprised with how nice our accommodations are-air conditioning and hot showers! Sunday we enjoyed the service at Redeemer Presbyterian, and the lively worship with an oboe was such a positive way to introduce us to the city. The pastor spoke about perservereing in times of despair, something that was particularly notable to me because one of our students read the verse above before the service, and I think it is an appropriate theme to the city of New Orleans. After the service we explored the French Quarter and the lively streets,with a notable part of the evening being the cajun food we enjoyed. The city is obviously full of excitement and bustling with activity, but it also has a brokenness and pain to it that is noticeable when walking down the streets. We ended the night with some fresh hot benets.
This morning we started working at the job sites; one group went to home of one of the locals to do some demolition and the other to a local park to clean up and beautify the park. The home was owned by a couple who have not had a home since the hurricane happened, and theirs was one of the 350+ of the people who's application for help from the government was lost.  Not knowing how to read, this family was trapped without a place to live and gave up on ever being able to reclaim their property. Somehow they were able to get in contact with Redeemer church, who has rebuilt over 500 homes since Katrina. They told us that before the home was theirs, it had been a brothel. It was wonderful to see how God could use our team to redeem such a broken and destroyed place. The house was so devastated and nonlivable- and it has remained untouched since the storm. Our team has already got a great start at hammering the dry wall out and emptying the debris. The entire time that we were there the couple was working along side us, continually thanking us for our help. Our kids worked so hard and got a great start, despite the heat.
     The other team went to the "Bunny Friend Park."  Yes, this name sounds intimidating and dangerous! But fear not! It is only a name passed down to a park which was dedicated to the beloved son of a wealthy family. Upon our arrival here we were ushered into a group of volunteers gathering for an opening ceremony. An older gentleman introduced simply as "Coach" took the mic and the short span of our attention. He shared with the group that the very park we were beautifying was the park he grew up playing baseball in! In 1966!! Working side by side with a historical member of the community was really a treat! Throughout the day we toiled at a variety of tasks including (but not limited to): building benches and picnic tables, planting trees, painting a basketball court, constructing a gazebo, and painting signs for Bunny Friend Park. A few people who lived in the area came out and helped us too. There were two children helping paint the basketball court. Even though they were tired and sweaty, after we finished, they stuck around and hung out with us as we sat in the shade. The little boy, Tyrell, was so happy with what he had done-- he was flaunting his bag full of leftover sandwiches (that they had given away for breakfast and lunch) hanging off of the handlebar of his bike when he told me, "I helped EVERYONE at least a little today!" It was amazing to see that even the kids in the community were excited about what we did at the park.