Sunday, April 6, 2008
Ten of us arrived in Metairie after dark yesterday. Five came on an airplane, and five by motor vehicles from Wyoming and Montana. The other eight are trickling in this afternoon or later tonight. A modest, blowing blizzard escorted some of us to the airports yesterday morning, but warmth and mild humidity greeted us in New Orleans. Today, we learned that we should put the blanket under us last night, to keep the cold air from seeping up through the floor and air mattress. At the 9:30 church service we celebrated communion with a lot of very nice people, and enjoyed a lovely service, complete w
ith a beautiful final song that we plan to introduce in our home churches. During the post-service coffee hour, some told us about the staggering devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the later impact of Hurricane Rita on their communities, homes, and lives.
After church, a short stroll led us past a peaceful dove nesting on a new car’s window and on to a gigantic bookstore. An hour wandering the aisles was just enough to prepare for lunch. The afternoon required erection of lawn chairs and soaking in the sun, or relaxing in the dappled shade of enormous trees. Instead of late tea, we snacked on oyster po’boy sandwiches. Our cooking crew is now preparing a chicken feast for supper, and maybe we’ll go out for ice cream later. Our mission trip may resemble an eating tour of New Orleans at this point, but that will change when we get our work assignments tomorrow morning. We all feel quite welcome here, and look forward to earning the “thanks” that have already been overflowing upon us.
Ten of us arrived in Metairie after dark yesterday. Five came on an airplane, and five by motor vehicles from Wyoming and Montana. The other eight are trickling in this afternoon or later tonight. A modest, blowing blizzard escorted some of us to the airports yesterday morning, but warmth and mild humidity greeted us in New Orleans. Today, we learned that we should put the blanket under us last night, to keep the cold air from seeping up through the floor and air mattress. At the 9:30 church service we celebrated communion with a lot of very nice people, and enjoyed a lovely service, complete w
ith a beautiful final song that we plan to introduce in our home churches. During the post-service coffee hour, some told us about the staggering devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and the later impact of Hurricane Rita on their communities, homes, and lives.After church, a short stroll led us past a peaceful dove nesting on a new car’s window and on to a gigantic bookstore. An hour wandering the aisles was just enough to prepare for lunch. The afternoon required erection of lawn chairs and soaking in the sun, or relaxing in the dappled shade of enormous trees. Instead of late tea, we snacked on oyster po’boy sandwiches. Our cooking crew is now preparing a chicken feast for supper, and maybe we’ll go out for ice cream later. Our mission trip may resemble an eating tour of New Orleans at this point, but that will change when we get our work assignments tomorrow morning. We all feel quite welcome here, and look forward to earning the “thanks” that have already been overflowing upon us.
1 comment:
Elinor and Crew,
Thanks for the blog info. We will use some of it for a "Mission Moment" at our two churches on April 13.
GW Bill Warren
Pastor, Judith Basin Parish UMC
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