End of the week

It is the end of the week.

Our work these five days is done.

Years of work remains for those that stay and live in New Orleans.

It is now time to go home to our families and the work we have in and out of the home.

This week, this 7th mission trip to New Orleans for LCR, has again taught us a lesson:

"It is times like these that you learn to live again

It is times like these that you give and give again

It is times like these that you learn to love again

It is times like these time and time again."**

Every trip we learn and realize something new. Our work, our time, our decision to be here together has changed our perspective, has changed us. We have been shown that the way we were living needs to change, how we give needs to change, how we love each other has changed and that, again, we have answered God's commandment to love our neighbor as God loves us. I expect that the 8th trip to be no different.

So long from Slidell, LA and Peace Lutheran Church.

Love,

Jason, Ken, Dave, Chris, Dave, Mark, Jerry, Jack, Matt, Larry and Jerry

** "Time Like These" by the Foo Fighters

Ribbon Cutting

Today we were able to experience a "ribbon cutting", which is a ceremony officially completing a project that turns over a house to the recipients. Today was also Veterans Day and the Secretary of Energy did some "mudding" and was able to see the ribbon cutting. He spoke along with others about the work that is occurring in New Orleans. One of those asked to speak was the home owner. I apologize for not remembering her name but she stated that she liked to sing and invited us all to sing the following:

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!


What hit me in this song is the following: "America! America! God shed his grace on thee and crown thy good with brotherhood".

I have been working with the same family all week and have had the chance to get to know and love them. I am not going to get a chance to see their ribbon cutting which should occur in the next month and a half but I could imagine it with today's festivities. So much happiness and love and joy between everyone that one family is resurrected, all manifested in one song.

Today we had all of th St. Bernard Project staff and volunteers, the Secretary of Energy, United Way representatives, the home owners and veterans volunteering with St. Bernard Project and from the area celebrating the resurrection of a new home and family.

We are America; we are God blessed; we are a brotherhood; Today I saw God's work manifested in a single house, made real by a song. Tomorrow it will occur again by me picking up the paster, bucket, and mud and continuing that work which I am called. Whether we are working in Gods master plan for New Orleans or in Cincinnati or Youngstown or abroad; we are all God's children, one brotherhood, doing our best from sae to shining sea.

light and darkness

Tonight we gathered for worship with Pastor Barb of Peace Lutheran. We followed the Evening Vespers service with Communion service included. The evening service in the "cranberry" book spoke to the Light and the Darkness.

A couple blog posts ago, I spoke to the light and the darkness. How, we coming to New Orleans and working, doing what we can, are bringing the light back to New Orleans. Last night we talk about how much work remains and that we won't get a chance to see the end product. If you think about God as the master foreman, we each are doing the step in his master project plan to restore full light and resurrection to New Orleans. Sometimes, I feel like all the work I do is a single stroke of a paint brush to restore the picture of creation of this city and surrounding community.

Here is Jason stapling wire. Jason has been on electric work all week. Jason can actually say he has brought light to the houses he has touched.

Morning of the third day, some of us are off for new work assignments, others to finish what they started.

Fellowship last night was great! Seafood and beer at Camilla's:

from the bottom left: Mark, Larry, Dave,

Ken, Matt, Jason, Jerry, Jerry, Chris, Dave Jack

What is love

Many on mission trips we are told to keep an eye out for Jesus in those we are helping, the needy. I have found Jesus in those I work for, the long term volunteers, representing Jesus with a compassionate heart that can't turn away from helping those in need. Today I saw someone looking at me and my friends as Jesus. The couple we are working for are so thankful we are there and working that they made us lunch. We say in the end that we get out of the work more than they will but it may be a draw. Although weighing a warm turkey sandwich against pork chops, hamburgers, sausage, all of which was barbequed, is not fair. The four of us were so happy for the homemade lunch; the couple and their son were so happy for us being there working; love was all around.

Neighbor

"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

11 men set out this morning to follow the commandments as outlined by Jesus (Matthew 22:38-39)

Mud Boys

Jerry, Jerry, Ken: aka the Mud Boys.

The spirit has given everyone specific gifts, to some the ability to speak in tongues, to some healing the sick and to some mudding !?

Sunday November 7th. 8:00pm CDT.

All 11 of us have arrived and settling into the Peace Lutheran Mission Center, our home for the next week. Below you can see our accommodations. Heavy sleepers needed, nice echo for the snorers.

The great news is that all of the driving was uneventful and boring. 12 hours in the car has made us all antsy and ready to work. The time change and time zone shift has also got us a bit of schedule and anticipating a very early morning.

For me, I am always reminded of John 1:4-5, "through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." Over 5 years ago, a great darkness washed over this region of America. Tomorrow I get a chance to use my hands, my back and hopefully my wits to help bring a little more light to New Orleans.