Day 3, finished!

Day 3:

Today the Jr. High group returned to the house where we worked yesterday, just to finish some lawn trimming and edging. We made quick work of it, and moved on to another yard before lunch. This house was mostly the same drill, so we were well-rehearsed and prepared to conquer another grass jungle.

We headed back to Christ Cathedral for lunch (meatloaf!) and, after some karate and academic tutoring, we swung by a Snowball stand (the NOLA twist on snow cones... if you've been to Casey's in Austin, you know what it's like). It was a much needed treat, with flavors from Georgia Peach to Ice Cream to Nectar. Also, condensed milk is a possible topping (see below)!

In the evening, we headed over to St. Anna's for a Wednesday night mass followed by shrimp creole and live music. The music was all gospel, with piano, electric guitar, electric bass, and a whole lot of singers. Father Terry preached a moving sermon, telling us that the most important work we do on our mission trip is not construction, paint or mowing, but restoring dignity to the people of New Orleans. By being here, he said, we are sending the message that they matter and are important human beings, not to be forgotten when the media hype has faded.

After we returned from St. Anna's, we briefly recouped and then walked down the street to the Lower Ninth Ward Village Community Center. It was certainly not like most community centers. It was a somewhat rag-tag building, an amalgamation of many different materials and themes, but featured a library, computer lab, open mic/living room area, and several showers for public use. The coup de grace, however, was the whole back of the building: a small hallway opened up to what appeared to be a small airplane hangar, converted into a basketball court, convertible movie theater, and art area. Mack, the executive director of the center, told us all about the birth of the center in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, how it changed his life, and his vision for a new community. He said we must learn to embrace disaster rather than hope to avoid it, and that the way to do that is to invest in the wellbeing of our neighbors so that no one's suffering is forgotten. He told us over and over again that we are his heroes, and invited us back anytime.

Peace,

~Matt

Here are some photos from the day:

Mowing and whackin' at house #2

Mowing and whackin' in the backyard

Enjoying some snowballs of strange and bizarre flavor combinations.

Georgia Peach with condensed milk.

Enjoying dinner at St. Anna's while listening to the band (they're off to the right).