18 Hours of Good

6 AM came early yesterday. 1:30 AM came late. Therefore, I'm late. We had a service project in the 9th ward (the heaviest hit area from Katrina). Our job was to clear a city block of shrubs, grass, reeds, vines, and litter. The land owners here are fined if they do not control the vegetation on their properties; most do not have the funds, time, or man power to do so. That is where we came in.

We weren't well equipped, but what we lacked in machine we made up for in numbers. 120 of us used shears, rakes, and our hands to knock down the growth...even when the rain came, we kept moving forward. Actually, the downpour was welcomed. It was much better than 95 degrees and scorching, like the day prior.

Afterward, wet and exhausted, we drove to a park along the Mississippi and had a Bible study over sections of the book of John, correlated with Ephesians. Ephesians 2 points out that our life is to be a part of God's overall plan: To show the immeasurable bounty of his grace and mercy. WE are a part of that grace and mercy being fleshed out in the community here in New Orleans. WE are to be the grace and mercy of God to the people in our own community.

After mandatory showers, the youth scattered to their preferred sessions in the convention center. Concerts, life stories, painting and the like were offered throughout the afternoon. I went to see a gentleman dubbed, "The Jesus Painter". His talent is his ability to splatter and swab paint on a blank canvas, tell a story with only brush strokes, and ultimately generate a picture of Jesus. He has created over 60,000 paintings.

For dinner, a few of us convinced everyone to return to a hole in the wall called "Corporation Bar and Grill". The food is the best we've had, and the price is even better. I think we'll run into them again before we leave :). The small group meeting was moving, as we continue to discuss what we truly believe about God. The Skit Guys, a magician, and finally a mother who lost her 18 year old daughter all shared in different ways about the challenges we have in believing what God says about himself. You would think the day was over, but it wasn't. A riverboat cruise called the Natchez took the Kansas District up and down the Mississippi. The skyline views were spectacular.

Question for the kids: What happened to Ray's place (the corporation bar and grill) after Katrina?