It's been how many months already?

Four months have gone by so quickly. It's December and I'm in my hotel room in Oklahoma City, the one I used to work for before I moved to New Orleans. That part seems long ago. Truth be told I have missed the place but I don't honestly know if I'll come back. I don't know the plans God has for me. But that's okay, he will reveal them in his own time. 2 months before I left here (OKC) I had no money raised toward the $6,000 I needed, but when I arrived in New Orleans, I had almost $4,500. How that happened exactly I don't know. God took my efforts and turned them into 2/3 of what I needed. These past four months, I've become more vulnerable, more open and also more secure that I don't need to figure these things out. I just need to work. "Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy." 1st Corinthians 14:1. Through my actions God will bring about the changes in me that will lead where I am meant to go. I can't wait until all my roommates and I get back. We're a family, and we do cool stuff together. They've helped me see how community shapes who we are. With their help and in their presence I'm learning more about who I am. It's been an amazing four months.

Ten Seconds of Snow

It’s snowing in New Orleans, and somewhere pigs are flying. The Christmas lights are out, the wreath has been hung by the door, the tree has been drawn on construction paper and the presents are all stashed underneath. Yes, it is Christmas time in New Orleans. We have white elephant gifts and Dirty Santa parties where you can steal your neighbor’s gift if you do not like your own. I will be making New Orleans Pralines to take home to friends, and we will all say goodbye for a week or two as we return home to our families to celebrate another miracle of the holidays.

If only...

This morning I suddenly wished I was going home for Thanksgiving if only so that I could have a hot shower and a good cup of coffee. I could ask for nothing more. Being a volunteer you get used to certain realities. Our shower has never had very good heat or water pressure. Now that we have remodeled it, thanks to our co-workers at the office, it definitly has better pressure but still manages never to be more than just above lukewarm. I haven't been drinking coffee since Spring of last year. Usually my stomach won't tolerate it, but I have been feeling better lately, and I have a terrible craving for my Dad's good coffee. I left my French Press at home, and I've never been been able to make good coffee out of a drip coffeemaker. Alas, I would do anything for a hot shower and a good cup of Phill's coffee. It's like it relaxes you, but yet it keeps you alert!

Productivity of Ministry

It seems like oftentimes ministry is not productive. You visit people, you eat lunch with someone, you sit and you talk with them and at the end of the day you have nothing in your hand to show for it. This is such a foreign concept to me. There are no items on your to do list or they get pushed aside. They explained the ministry of being in the interview saying it might be hard to get used to. I actually feel guilty for it sometimes though. It’s not productive so I don’t feel like I’m doing any actual work. I’m paid a stipend for ministry. So, I feel like I’m paid for not being productive. After I swam around in this idea for awhile, I came out of the water with this notion that ministry is as much about being as it is about doing. So I listen and they feel understood; I eat with them and they feel less lonely. To let people know they are cared for is a big accomplishment. I’m just not used to these kind of accomplishments. These types of things are new to me. They are different from completing a set of reports, making a set of business calls, restocking a shelf or a cold case or even finishing this week’s inventory list. Yes, ministry has a less productive face, than jobs I’ve held before, but it is teaching me a whole new set of skills. I’m learning how to talk to people, and how to listen better.

Crescent City Dreams

I saw this the other day when we were at the BBQ and Blues fest in Lafayette square. I was suddenly so overcome with emotion that I had to photograph it. I walked the narrow street four or five blocks until I was close enough that I could capture it. Whenever I see this building from the highway or down in the CBD it makes me wonder when it will ever be re-built and what it would be like to work in a hotel that size. Here in New Orleans, the city lives on through dreams. Everyone has one, mine is to have a good salaried position working for Hyatt one day. It is the one unifying theme that has become our official language. I suppose that’s part of what drew me to this position. Being part of a team that helps people to come home and have a home. Is there any simpler dream?

New Mexico or Bust!

My roommate Alicia and I left NOLA on Wednesday Sept. 22nd bound for Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico. On our first flight we met some other YAV’s from Miami. We then went through Dallas before reaching Albuquerque. From there it was a two hour drive to the ranch. When we got there, it was supper time; which was good because we were all tired and hungry. After supper, we had the first of many amazing worship services and then unpacked and went to bed. Thursday was so busy I can hardly remember what we did. It seems to have all blurred together. We had a guest speak for part of the morning. His name was Buddy and he talked about race relations inside the church; why they are important and how to resolve them. He was a good speaker. All of the meals we had there were phenomenal. We had French toast one morning, and pancakes the next. They served us prime rib and shrimp alfredo for dinner. My favorite was the mashed potatoes with brown gravy, whole mushrooms, and chunks of tender sirloin. Oh yes, we ate very well. The scenery was utterly breathtaking. The Mesas were gorgeous and we took advantage of them at every opportunity. One evening, after it got dark, we took a night hike. Let me tell you, New Mexico has starry skies bigger than anything Van Gough could have imagined. Friday, during our free time a group of us choose to take the Box Canyon trail. It was a fantastic trail full of river crossings, cairns, a climbing rope for a near vertical slab of rock, and huge big boulders in our way everywhere. We lost the trail for a bit twice, but that’s okay, we found it again each time. Once we got to the end, we sat for awhile; all reflecting on the beauty of the place in our own way. After awhile, we all decided to leave and we made our way out of the canyon. The next day, we discussed discernment (vocational and otherwise) which I rather liked because it was present through a historical perspective. I love history! Later we shared what we had learned about our own lives in small group discussion. Saturday night, we had a fire, and some s’mores. Someone started playing music and the result was an awesome dance party!!! Sunday was our last day. We had a complete church service before heading of to the airport to say our goodbyes and fly home. I can’t wait to see all my friends at the end of the year and hear all their incredible stories of progress and change.

Living in New Orleans

I was discussing with a friend the other day what it means to live in New Orleans. Here’s what I’ve discerned so far. It’s a more relaxed way of life. People take hour and a half lunch breaks, there are to-go boxes at church socials and, the cops don’t care if you want to take you drink outside a bar onto the street. The city is very multicultural but is made up of people you seldom see elsewhere. The Quarter has a lot of Creole influence, down toward Houma you’ll see more of a Cajun vibe and St Bernard’s Parish has the highest concentration of Canary Islander’s in the U.S. Food is sacred here. Most places food is just something to eat except on special occasions when it really counts for something. In Kansas City this would be barbecue, In Oklahoma it would be the perfect steak. Everything else is just something to eat. Here everyone talks about what they ate, what they’re going to eat, who has the best, the last time they ate there, how they make it at home, etc, etc. Again it does exist in other places; only here in NOLA it is not a special occasion it is Theophagy.

First week

It seems so strange to be coming to the end of our first week of work. It seems like we've been here so long already. Done so much already. Especially fo those of us who evacuated to Feliciana. I'm still trying to get a steady routine going. It's weird for me to stay up late , get up late and work late. I'm used to being in bed by 10 or 10:30, out of bed by 5:30, and home by 3:30. Working until five seems to be the hardest part. The afternoon doldrums hit at 2:30 and I still have to work for two-and-half more hours. I miss my 7-3p shift and I miss my friends. "I've never been to heaven/ but I've been to Oklahoma"

Military Presence

It’s amazing how quickly you become used to the military and police presence around here. I remember when I first arrived at the airport and I saw a National Guardsmen with a big gun that was practically longer than I am tall. I was so shocked. Less than a week later and it doesn’t faze me a bit to see them on the corner or walk past them as I go into a store, or as they drive past our house. I’ll wave at them and sometimes they’ll wave back or smile or even talk to us. The other day on Bourbon Street we noticed a few Guardsmen were carrying to-go cups with them as they were on patrol. I have also grown accustom to all the Cop cars. The first night we were back, it was a little distracting to have the flashing blue lights go past our window every 20 minutes or whatever, but after that it didn’t bother me. It is so strange to live in a city where every third house or business is boarded up, closed, or abandoned. Some were boarded up for Gustav and are or will be open. Some were lost to Katrina and have been abandoned for other places; while a few others will be lucky enough to come home. So few people have returned it is always important to wave at the police or the Guardsmen so that they know we are here.

Speaking of Hurricane rations…

The bottled water we’ve all being drinking during and post-evacuation is labeled City of Fountains which is Kansas City. I remarked to one of the other volunteers that I found it so strange that everyone down here would drink that brand. I didn’t think it be so popular here in NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana). He said that actually it isn’t. “It is three year old water left over from Katrina. It was donated to us and we have cases upon cases of it stacked up in the warehouse.” That’s why we all drink it, we have so much of it, we keep using it. “Oh, I replied. “is that why is has a certain gen-a-say-qua to it?”

Etouffe? God Bless You!

My fellow Yav’s and I live above one of the other volunteers. Her name is Susan and as she keeps telling us, she is old enough to be our mom. She cooks for us sometimes and yesterday she told us she’d make Crawfish Etouffe for dinner. “I think we have enough stuff that we can make it without anybody havin’ to go to the store,” she said. The concern being that lines for some grocery stores stretch way out into the parking lot. We did actually pick up a few things while we were out but Monica, a Delta Service Corps volunteer, found one with a short line. When we got back Susan had already started on the rice. As we sat down to dinner, we all remarked about how good it was. “So this is called Crawfish Etouffe, right?” “NO, she said, “it’s called Susan’s wonderful mix of hurricane rations.” We all laughed. Wonderful, indeed! God Bless you Susan for being our house mother.

Correction

I need to go back and correct something I said in an earlier blog. When I said there was little property damage incurred by Gustav I was referring to the Greater New Orleans area including Jefferson Parish. There are some Parishes near Houma, none of which I know how to spell, that sustained great damage during Gustav. There are great needs in that area. There is a PDA (Presbyterian Disaster Asistance) group down here now, and I will let you know when I find out more.

Gustav and our Amazing Governor

When we arrived back in New Orleans we were happy to discover that there was little property damage. It was mostly fallen limbs and trees. This caused massive power outages throughout the New Orleans Parish. We were able to hook up a generator to power the fridge to keep our food supply safe. We took all the boards off the windows and we all gathered together at Mark’s house for dinner as he had a gas stove and was still able to cook. Although, Gustav brought many inconveniences, we basically had everything we needed. We were well set. The storm left different places in different shapes, although the common thread is that most places saw little damage to property. The evacuations went very well. Almost 2 million people were evacuated from eastern and southern LA. The largest not only in the history of the state but also the largest in the history of the nation we were told by our AMAZING governor Bobby Jindal who spearheaded the evacuation plans. He negotiated with all the major oil companies to get us the gas we needed to power our generators and our cars to return from wherever we evacuated to. Late Wednesday afternoon, our power came back on and we heard our other two teamates are coming in this weekend.

Shampoo and Dark Showers

We drove back to New Orleans this morning and we stopped at a gas station. They didn’t have gas but the inside was open. I bought some shampoo and deodorant. As I stood in line to pay cash, because they had no power and they’re coolers and lights were powered by generators, I started to think “my hairstylist back home would kill me if she knew I was using Pert Plus.” It was the only kind they had and they were the only place open. For a two minute cold shower in the dark I think it will be just fine.

The Sitting Place

Being evacuated is much like the waiting place in oh the places you’ll go by Dr. Suess. It’s the sitting place.
People sit here
People sit there
People sit everywhere.
They sit to watch the news about the storm.
They sit to play board games or cards.
They sit to read.
They sit to have meetings and updates.
They sit to have worship service.
They sit to watch movies.
They sit to share computers to e-mail they’re families.
They sit to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.
They sit in wet clothes because they don’t know how long their clean clothes have to last..
They sit with their animals.
They sit and try to make phone calls.
They sit because they can’t go outside.
They sit and eat snacks while they talk to their friends.
And they sit because they don’t know what else to do.