Warm Welcomes, Raucous Laughter, & Big Gators by Molly
Our 5th New Orleans team has arrived in the city full of energy and the desire to be a part of the rebuilding effort. While the team is from 2 different churches- St Peters & St James – our spiritual focus this week is ‘We are the Body,’ so the goal for the week is to be one cohesive community.
Our first full day in town was a Sunday, so we filled the day with worship, adventure, and team building. We were warmly greeted at Mt Olivet Episcopal Church by Mercedes, one of the church’s oldest and longest-tenured members. Mercedes thanked the team on behalf of the church and the neighborhood for the work they will be doing this week. A New Orleans City Councilwoman who is a parishioner thanked us on behalf of the city. They made us feel as if we’ve already made a difference and we haven’t even lifted a hammer yet!
If the afternoon is any indication, our week will be full of wonder and laughter. Our swamp tour highlight came when the captain of the boat lured a 9-foot gator ONTO THE BOAT! Amazing! Our evening game of cabbage ball resulted in not many runs but tons of laughter.
As we contemplate the hard sweaty work that lies ahead for the week, we pray for the continuous building of community as we love and serve the people of New Orleans