Day 1 - March 24th

Good Evening....I'm tired so this will be quick and might not make sense!

Gettin' There:
The day started early. We had to be at the airport by 6:45. I met an older couple headed home to Dallas in line and had a chance to talk to the lady for a bit. The subject of our trip came up and she was so sweet and encouraging. We all collected at the gate and prayed together. Our flights were pretty uneventful. We arrived in Nola sometime around 4:00. So, it was a long day of travel.

Celebration Volunteer Center:
We headed straight to the Celebration Volunteer Center and had a yummy dinner. There are only three teams here this week. So, it's pretty quiet. Our team of 17, another Mariners team of about 8 and a team of about 6-7 college studets from Tennessee (sp?). That means that we are all in rooms. The rooms are quite large and are filled with about 15 military style cots. But, it's great to have a warm place to sleep, food on the table and showers!

Sights & Sounds:
After dinner we headed out to see what we could see. We drove around the 9th ward, St. Bernard Parish and downtown New Orleans. WOW. Compared to the pictures that my Aunt & Uncle brought back from their trip a year ago, not much has changed. Whole neighborhoods empty, shopping centers sitting quiet, ghost towns. And then, neighborhoods that are sad and broken down. Houses that are look unlivable. And yet, people are still living in them. It's so hard to see the conditions these people are living in. You feel kinda helpless and at times a little intimidated.

Learnings from the day:
I'm looking forward to getting started. And just getting to spend time with people. One thing I kept seeing in my mind over and over. "Instant Gratification". We are blessed with the ability to fix our car when it breaks down... or upgrade our cell phone... or get new socks when our get holey. But, imagine living in a world where you couldn't do that easily. Where you were forced to live in a house that was falling apart, growing mold, etc. and you couldn't fix it... And that was your only option... or you risk losing your house. At the end of day one, i'm just grateful.

Tomorrow: We will be working at the Bridge house (homeless shelter) and spending a couple hours riding the street cars talking to people/offering to pray. At night we will be headed to Chozen, Celebration's 20's singles ministry.

Side note: Dee, the house with the "Shame on you tourists" is still there. I felt like I was standing where you stood...

Prayer Requests: My voice is almost gone, the cold is back and kicking... please pray for a speedy recovery. Please pray for our adventures tomorrow. Group dynamics.

Love to all,
Christina