We woke up this morning and had to pack up everything and move it into storage. Our bedroom doubles as a sunday school room and they don't appreciate sleeping bags and dirty clothes left in their room. Go figure.
John Vautier decided we needed to start the day out right...and took us to IHOP. Unfortunatly, Ilene was not our server. That would have been real funny. It was a great breakfast and was also a learning experience for our Lincoln youth. "You mean people actually use this garbage" speaking about the "maple syrup" on our table. There was only one thing to do...I ran out to our van and grab a can of the pure Vermont Maple Syrup we brought to give as gifts. (Chuck, I owe you money for one log cabin because we used it for our own consumption)
We drove over to Jim and Nancy's to pick up Ally and Sarah. They too had an amazing breakfast. (And a good sleep...in real beds) The boys caught a wild duck and Josiah hit a turtle with a rock. We spent a little more time chatting with the Thompson's before we left for church.
We hit the road and headed for downtown New Orleans. And it was downtown. The church was in a poor area that had been hit hard by Katrina. New St. Marks Missionary Baptist Church, welcomed us very warmly. We were escorted toward the front of the church by the ushers. We were their guest of honor. The church had three feet of water in it after Katrina and needed to be completly gutted. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Disaster Relief group was key to getting the church back. New St. Marks has two other church congregations using the building for worship.
It was a small congregation today, about 30. BUT they were loud and lively-vocal in their praise to God! There was a lot of music (provided by the band) and alot of "AMEN's" and "preach it pastor"
Pastor Ike Mayfield invited me to sit with him on the platform. I was honored, but a bit uncomfortable. (Forgetting my razor and showing up with stubble didn't help...but it was great because the provide water and orange juice on the platform....Dave, take note!)
Ike was gracious. He had the group stand up and the folks applauded. He wanted to make sure we knew how thankful they were. "Sometimes people around here don't show thankfulness...but we are very thankful" he said.
Pastor Ike is now my hero...he has a monogrammed preaching rag. "Pastor Ike Mayfield, Jr" Very cool!
After worship, we drove to pick up Nancy Stevens. She took a shuttle to the French Quarter and we met her there. We took Mary Lou Hardings advice and went to "Mother's" for lunch. It was certainly a local favorite and had many local options on the menu. Ally, Ahmin, and Ben opted for salad. Josiah and I were brave and went with seafood. Karl Krahn "Hoover" cleaned everyones plates.
After lunch we took a self-guided walking tour of downtown. It was fun, but kind of sad too. We saw a lot of drug, sex and alcohol abuse. I came away feeling that Katrina was only one of there problems. There was, however, a street jazz band playing that was fun to watch.
Then we drove through the lower 9th ward. The houses looked very much like they did when we all watched the TV coverage. The spray painted symbols left by groups clearing the houses days after the storm, were still very visable. FEMA trailors seemed to be on every other driveway. Locals say it will take 10 years to get back to "normal".
The day was really an emotional roller coaster. But one we felt was preparation for the work we are getting ready to do. "For our growth, others good and God's glory!"
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