Day 3: Getting to Work

Today was different. After a 6:30 rise (yawn) we ate breakfast, made lunches, filled water coolers, and split into 5 multi-church teams. One team went to Christ Church Cathedral for a day camp with children. I am told Liam got mugged for cheetos by a 7 year old. A good time was had by all. My knowledge of that group's experience is limited to that.

The rest of us piled in a 4-van-carpool and drove into the Lower Ninth Ward. In case you don't know this was the area which took-on the most water following Katrina. It's population went from 18,000 to 2,000. It looks like pasture now, with the exception of the few homes that have been rebuilt. When we got there, we met Linda Jackson, President of the Lower Ninth Ward Homeowners Association. Her group provides work for volunteers through "Beacon of Hope" an advocacy and volunteer agency which partners with the Episcopal Diocese here. Ms. Jackson distributed 50 rakes, loppers, weed-wackers, and scythes. We were told that relocated property owners who were saving money for a return home have been facing an unjust city tax of $100 per day (!) for "failure to maintain property." In short, that's anything from high grass to completely overgrown lots of scrub vines and brush with waist high vegetation. The mission: clear the lots with handtools, pull the waste onto the road and force the city to follow its own rule by taking trash on the street. A little creative retribution from some of the poorest folks in America. The city surveyor patrolled by and told us the half-acre lots were valued at less than $10,000. It was a really eye opening time for many of our kids. We shed blood, sweat, and tears and cleared 5 lots! I was really proud of the youth and the way they came together around a cause. I watched as neighbors watched our group work and thanked them. I even watched one neighbor come outside and start working on his own overgrown property. We truly embodied hope in action today, and doubtlessly inspired the residents to keep the faith in their home. Their resiliency inspired us.

After showering and eating dinner we had a FANTASTIC and ENGAGING, INFORMATIVE and ENTERTAINING talk about New Orleans' history, culture, socio-economics, and the failures of levees and governments. Pete Nunnally from the Diocese is truly living a calling, and it is inspiring to hear his knowledge about the city and Katrina be fastened together with wit and conviction in a discussion about why New Orleans and the trajectory here really matters for the rest of America. Even after a full 90 minute talk our youth were fully egaged and ready to watch "Trouble the Water" a feature length documentary and winner of the Sundance Film Festival, which contains the only known home video footage of the Storm from the Lower 9th Ward. It also tackles some of the problems of socioeconomic injustice and failed government.

We finished the day with Compline again. It's becoming exactly what ritual liturgy is at its best--a place where the words capture the sentiment of God's people. In this case, it's giving thanks for our time, thoughts on recognizing Jesus in our midst, and preparing for rest. I really feel our kids beginning to identify with their church in a more personal way.

There's so much more to say, but I'll leave you with (As Daily Show host, Jon Stewart would say) your moment(s) of zen:


1. Christian Walsh's 15th birthday. We sang to him in the morning, which inspired a group of girls from the St. Louis church to surprise him with a cake in the evening.

2. Richie Sautkulis working with aviator sunglasses and no shirt. He looks like one bad man.

3. A Kitten Funeral. We found a dead kitten at the work site, so we dug a hole and I officiated at my first kat funeral. We all offered words and I said a prayer thanking God for the awareness to pause from work for the work of recognizing a creature and the gift of life. Goodbye Kitty.

BIG LOVE FROM THE BIG EASY,
Josh