We were fortunate to go a few days before the gathering officially began, so it gave us time to orient ourselves to the city and have time to do a little touring before all 37,000 of us were there! We flew out of Newark and arrived about 7 a.m., so basically we were up all night...not the best idea. We took a cruise on the paddle-wheel boat Natchez, which took us up and down the river. It's a beautiful city, even with the evidence of Katrina still lingering.
We took a city tour the next day and got a better perspective of the city. The lower 9th ward was a bit shocking. I guess since 4 years have passed, we assumed things would be much better. Many houses are left as they were after Katrina. You can still see the spray paint markings on the buildings that indicated the ID number of the search crew, the date, the direction like North East, etc. On the bottom of the "X" you could see a number. That number told you how many dead were found in the house. We did see a few of those. The particular picture I took indicated that there were no dead found in this house. There are also empty lots where houses once stood that were never rebuilt. An astounding 15,000 families are still displaced. Many have left and will probably never return due to the shortage of housing and jobs lost. Many business owners could never rebuild either. We saw an empty shopping mall, abandoned Walmart and other various shopping venues that decided to not reopen. There is still one hospital that is not up and running. It was also strange to see the Six Flags amusement park abandonded; they declared bankruptcy. But out of the turmoil many people have stepped forward and helped in so many ways. Brad Pitt gave 5 millions dollars to rebuild houses in that area that are environmentally friendly. Particularly touching is a memorial they built in the lower 9th ward. The bars that gradually increase in height represent how high the waters got in that area and is dedicated to all those who lost their lives.
Markings made by rescuers
Memorial in lower 9th Ward
Housing funded by Brad Pitt
Sign from Brad Pitt organization
Superdome where we had worship each night
St. Roch Cemetery
Denise and Ned at St. Roch Chapel
We were also able to do some touring on our own in the French Quarter. St. Louis Cathedral is incredible inside and out! We also were able to hear some street performers and talk to people who lived there to hear their stories of their Katrina experience. Of course, we also passed through Bourbon Street. Poor Ned was approached by a very intoxicated man who insisted we take his picture with Ned. There was no getting away until we took a photo. Well, we did and I guess we can smile about the photo because we weren't the ones kissed! Ultimately, the man wanted money, but we were told not to give money, only food or food vouchers. Sadly, there is a great deal of poverty in the city and so many families that struggle to live. Makes us appreciate all we have. We also had time to tour the aquarium and insectarium and even ate some bugs!
St. Louis Cathedral
Street performer in front of St. Louis Cathedral
Preservation Hall
Ned getting a smooch from "Tiger"--yep, that's his name, or at least what his tatoo said.
Mariah and a street performer. She was actually terrified because she thought he was a statue until he moved toward her!
Aquarium
Swamp Tour on our last day--this gator was right beside me eating a hotdog!
Overall, this was the most friendly city I have ever been to. Everyone was so patient and kind, even with all those "Lutherans" running around. It felt so laid back there. It had the feeling every day that I was walking into "Cheers" and everyone was yelling "Norm!" There were youth from all over the country and each group as we would pass by would ask where we were from. I would say that all of us represented our faith well. One of the speakers in the Superdome said he overheard two women talking about 2 years after Katrina and he heard them talking about who would help the people affected by the storm and they said, "You know, it will probably be those "Christians" who will help." We were definitely there to do God's work!
I can only imagine how hard it was to coordinate all those service projects for 37,000 people. Some of the projects included painting schools, painting murals for schools, having a field day for school children, packing backpacks with supplies for the children, picking up trash, pulling weeds, a book drive which collected over 100,000 books for the schools and libraries of New Orleans, blood drives, Locks of Love and so much more! Our service project was not a "get your hands dirty" kind of project. We went to the new National World War II Museum and spoke with veterans about their service. I guess you could say it was more of a spiritual, emotional service by giving the gift of "listening." Everyone has a story to share! We so enjoyed talking with them. This gentleman in the picture was 91 years old. He was so appreciative of our group listening to his story. Another veteran there was full of stories! He was at Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, was a Doolittle raider, was at Midway, saw Nagasaki and Hiroshima after they were destroyed and witnessed the signing when Japan surrendered and the war ended. I just wish we would have more time to talk to them. I did pick up a Rosie the Riveter doll that now sits under my Rosie sign at my desk:)
We all got orange shirts to wear on our service day. It was nice to see a sea of orange around the city. Several people approached us and asked us questions and thanked us for coming and helping out and listening to their stories. One of the other groups we were with stopped by a police station and interviewed some officers there. They said post-Katrina was a devastating time for them and some of their fellow officers took their own lives because they couldn't deal with the suffering they saw. We filled the Superdome night after night and we can only imagine the suffering that also took place there. Mayor Ray Nagin stopped by and told us that he felt we were the rainbow that the city needed after Katrina and that the Superdome, in particular, reminds the people of the city of the suffering that took place following Katrina. He said it was so healing to hear all our voices lifted in song and praise and he just wished that the hold city could stand and circle the dome and listen to it all. We also were read a letter by Bishop Hanson written to us by President Obama. Most people don't realize that it will take 10-12 years to get the city back to where it was before Katrina.
The kids at WWII Museum
Trinity Youth with WWII veteran Bill Springer
Bill Springer, a 91-year-old veteran who flew C-47s.
Each night in the Superdome we heard some incredible speakers and musicians. The theme of this gathering was "Jesus, Justice and Jazz." The main message to all us is that we need to "Be the Change" in the world and stop injustice. One person really can make a difference! Particularly touching was a young man named Michel Chikwanine. At age 5 he was abducted and made to serve as a child soldier in Africa. They cut his head and into the cut they ground in "brown-brown", which was a mixture of cocaine and gunpowder. It disorients them and keeps them under the control of their captors. This then 5-year-old-boy was blindfolded and told to pull the trigger of a gun. They then took off his blindfold and he realized they made him shoot his best friend, who was also only 5. He eventually escaped and now advocates for those who are oppressed. We also were inspired by an organization called "Free the Children" and they also had stories to share like Michel. It was an eye-opener to realize how much suffering goes on in the world. They said the amount of money we spend on makeup alone in this country could provide all the medication needed in Africa to treat AIDS. One of the founders said he used to ignore the newspaper because he couldn't stand to hear of all the suffering. It was then pointed out to him by Desmond Tutu that he should look at it as God's "to do" list and that was a defining moment for him. We are so proud of our kids. We had some good discussions about what we heard each night and I think they will definitely be more willing to serve others...each one of us can "be the change" that can change the world!
Inside the dome
The youth of our conference
The food and music there were great! We heard a 7-year-old in the dome playing an accordian with a band--Cajun music. This kid was amazing! He played it behind his back and between his legs, over his head! His little brother was there too playing the washboard! He and his brother were also on the Oscar Meyer Weiner commercial singing the famous song!
Another great performer was Amanda Shaw. She played the violin and was also featured in the IMAX film "Hurricane on the Bayou" which was filming before Katrina hit. They were bringing awareness about the alarming rate in which the bayou is disappearing.and how devastating it could be if they were hit by a large hurricane--which then happened. They then picked up and finished filming after Katrina and are bringing awareness about preservation of the bayou and how to build it back up.
This is Viola Vaughn. I only wish I had more video of her. She is executive director of 10,000 Girls, a remarkable education and employment program transforming the lives of over 1300 village girls in Senegal, West Africa.
The kids loved this song, We Will, We Will Love You!"
Letter from President Obama read by Bishop Hanson
One other tidbit I don't think I mentioned. Someone calculated that it would take one person working 4 hours a day, 365 days a year for 98 years to accomplish what we all did in 3 days! Neat, huh?!?
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