24 hours+ later… Well this was yet another amazing day! Today we all went to the Martin Luther King Elementary school in the lower ninth ward to listen to Miss Celey do her presentation on the underground railroad. All of the kids helped her with her presentation to the fifth grade kids by holding up the different quilts as she described their significance. After her presentation she took us on a mini tour of the ninth ward and then through the 7th ward – through areas where she had relatives and people she had grown up with. We stopped at her aunt’s house which was in Ponchatrain Park (I hope I remembered that right!) We all got out of the car and was able to go into the house. We saw a small pile of ceramic belongings that I can only assume where the only things that we salvageable from the house. Inside on of the pots was an American flag. It was kind of cool to see. We then wandered through the city about seeing more things on our way to Beecher Memorial church. We met Brenda Square at Beecher where she let us inside and we were able to see all of the sayings on the beams that volunteers had written over the course of time. It was so powerful to finally be able to go inside Beecher. All of the stories that I have heard about the people of Beecher made it a very overwhelming experience. Brenda took us into their sanctuary, which currently is just studs, a temporary alter, and some folding chairs serving as pews. BUT being in that space is a total sense of faith and what I can only seem to describe as the HOLY SPIRIT… I can’t seem to put into words what I felt just being in that space, it brought me to tears. We then continued our tour into the parish hall and ate lunch. Miss Celey then took me on a quick tour of the rest of the building. She showed me the room that was going to store her quilting supplies, the room she would use as her Sunday school room and quilting room. The room that was going to be the women’s bathroom and the one that would be the men’s room – each are to be modified from their original design to be handicap accessible. She showed us the space that would be the kitchen- they are going to enlarge the space so that it is more useful for them. I ate lunch with a women named J. She and I had a great conversation during lunch and before. She told me about how her two sons helped to rebuild her house. The only room that she has left is her den. She needs to fill in a hole (for lack of a better word) in the cement in the floor before the insurance company will insure her house – at least that I was I thought I understood. After we finished lunch I gave her one each of the Target and CVS gift cards that we had brought with us. She was so funny, she kept asking me if I was sure I wanted to give them to her. Like she thought that she wasn’t worthy of getting them or something. I told her that I was absolutely certain that I wanted her to have them. She then hugged me and asked me yet again if I really wanted her to have them and I said that I was 100% positive that I wanted her to have them. So she hugged me yet again and said Thanks and that she would used them to decorate her den one it was finished! What a great moment…
We then went back to MLK where we helped the kids make a quilt. Each of the kids had to pick out 9 squares that they would then sew together. They were each to make a 3x3 square. They each had to sew the pieces together by hand. They did them in strips of three and then would have to sew the three strips together. Michaela, Courtney, Kyle, Nathan, Bryan, Ian, and Ally along with Mary and myself with Miss Celey, Carolyn, and J helped the kids pick out the squares, thread the needles and sew the pieces together. I was able to sit with one girl and help her through sewing the pieces together. The more that she did the better she got! We (she) was able to finish the three strips before they all had to pack up and go back to their classrooms for dismissle. We cleaned up the area where we were making the quilts and then went to a third grade classroom where our kids presented the bookmarks that our (First Church’s) second and third graders made for us to take. Our kids told the third graders about the bookmarks and handed one to each child. The extras were given to the third grade teacher who promised share them with the other third grade classroom. That was lots of fun – the kids were so excited to be getting this bookmarks. THANK YOU – to our second and third graders for wanted to make these for us to give to these kids!!
This group then had some free time before we had to meet Julie, John, Emma, Kaitlyn, Chris, and Kevin over at the St. Bernard Community Center so we decided to head back into the French Quarter primarily because I wanted to get something at one of the shops. We wandered around the area for a little while – the girls shopped for some clothes while the boys and I wandered into a few shops and then went to Café Du Monde for another round of beignets! YUMMY! Two trips to Café Du Monde in one visit – makes up for not getting any when I was here in February. So, I was successfully able to get my secret item from the shop. I had to call Cathy, tho, to have her tell me – yet again – where it was! BUT – I found it and bought what I was looking for! We had gone into a t-shirt shope when we first got into Jackson Square. Ally was looking for a t-shirt that said that we were here to rebuild and to help out or something like that. WELL… She found a t-shirt that said Recover, Rebuild, Re
Oh… We had court tonight. Ian brought charges up against Chris for wearing flip-flops to the school when we had told the kids not to where them to the schools. They named me the judge. Ian was the prosecuter, Chris the defendant, and all the other kids were the jury. Michaela and Julie were called as witnesses for the prosecution. Ian presented evidence that Chris did indeed have flip flops on and not sandals – which would be in violation of our dress code for working in the schools. Well all of the evidence was presented and Chris was found Not Guilty by a 5 to 4 vote. The stipulation tho, was that he was not to wear them at the school on Wednesday or traveling on Thursday. All seemed to be OK with the outcome… It was pretty funny to watch it all play out tho!
We decided that we are all going to go to Hynes charter school tomorrow and that we were going to stay with Carolyn in Kenner tomorrow night – so that we didn’t have to leave Delacroix at 6AM on Thursday. Very generous of her! So, we all had to pack up our stuff tonight. Well… while we were packing I decided that it was the right time to give out my presents – since that was when I had gotten mine from Cathy on our trip back in February. I started with the girls and gave each of them a silver coin with a flure de lice on it and the word “Believe” written on the back. Actually Michaela’s had the word “Celebrate” on hers. They were all so touched by it. It was really cool to see that! I am very proud of all of these young adults. I can’t say enough good things about them. They are always willing to help out and will do anything we ask of them with a smile on. Ally thinks that we should be doing more – or wishes that we could do more. Each of them tonight are all talking about when they can come back and that is what this trip is about. It is not just about what we do – although that is important too. It is more importantly about the people we meet and the stories that we hear. It is about the fact that these kids decided to take their vacation and come down to New Orleans to do mission work when they could have easily chosen to stay home or go some other place. It is about the listening to the people of New Orleans and hearing their stories and them knowing that we in Massachusetts care about them and are thinking and praying for them. That to me is what coming down here is all about. It is connecting with Carolyn and Pastor Gary and Karen. Meeting J and hearing her story and giving her the gift cards. It is about touching and connecting with other people. I feel totally blessed that I was able to come down to New Orleans with these people and experience this week and work with an amazing group of teens and RAs! I am very proud to call the First Church in Bedford my home knowing that you are all a reason that we were able to make this trip. Without your support and thoughts and prayers this trip would not be possible.
Well it is getting really late now and we all need to be up bright and early to leave for Hynes Charter… I look forward to another day and can’t wait to see what it will bring!
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