new orleans part II
so we're here. (here being baton rouge)
we arrived on monday night at about midnight after a 15 hour drive. good stuff. slept about 5 hours and woke up with the sun because we slept outside . . . naturally. had a quick bite to eat for breakfast and then started working on the grounds. we are staying at a vineyard that has 13 acres of land behind it. its actually really cool because they didn't bulldoze the land to make parking lots. they are in the middle of nature. its hot.
There people from the different Vineyards such as Cincy, Philly, Fort Myers, Evanston and a few others sleeping in tents and cots under a circus tent. Our group is the only one that is comprised of different denominations.
here's how some described out tuesday work -
"We set up a few tents the other volunteers slept on cots under a large circus tent.
Our Tuesday started with breakfast and worship. Lots of groups were formed and were sent to different locations with specific task. Our group stayed in the staging ground which is also a receiving camp for supplies coming from different sources. Our group were divided to serve as sorters, loaders of trucks to be delivered to another distribution center. We helped out in the construction of a trailer bathroom for the volunteers. This particular center has their own sets of volunteers to receive and distribute to the local people. The locals line up with their cars and the volunteers load their trucks with supplies. Some people went to Slidell, LA to cut trees and to clean up people's yard.
FHL group provided salad and spaghetti for everyone for dinner.
At 7:00pm, FHL group had a worship service and a few other volunteers from different churches joined us. we shared our stories about our day. We were all blessed to hear different stories and how the Lord spoke to different people in different ways. It was a hot a humid day and we had to take regular breaks. There are about 70 volunteers altogether in the camp."
yesterday(weds) was the big day. we went to kenner to unload trucks full of food, water, toiletries . . . whatever. we unloaded them at another distribution point that people in their cars came up and we gave them what they needed. it was about 95 degrees with 500% percent humidity. they're saying that it is has never been this hot for this long for as long as they can remember. we were in kenner for about 6 hours and then we left to go to slidell. kenner in on the south side of lake pontchatrain and slidell is on the north side. we were able to drive over the causeway, but you could only drive one way on it. they other direction had been destroyed.
we were also able to drive around new orleans on the highway. all of the exits were blocked by officers. it was a ghost town. cars overturned everywhere with a white film on them. buildings torn apart. the devastation was phenomenal. we also saw a wild boar and a gator on the side of the road when we drove through the bayou. that was crazy.
once we got into slidell, there were just piles and piles and piles of trash on the sides of the road. and they weren't all from homes. a lot of it was stuff that was cleared from the road. in slidell, we were able to help a family clear some trees from their property. that was awesome, cos we got to use chainsaws, and i believe that chainsawing is a spiritual gift of mine.
the thing is, insurance covers trees that hit homes, but not those that are on the property. and then tree removal companies come along and charge and arm and a leg to remove the stuff. we were really able to bless a family and pray for them after we cleared all the trees.
spiritually, this trip has been amazing. this is such an eclectic group of people. we got young punks like myself, moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas. it really is like a family. we all work hard together, and well together and there is a true sense of the joy of the Lord among us. we all get along. we all laugh and have jokes. its been amazing.
i've made some great friends, and grown deeper with some that i already knew.
we covet your prayers and thank you for them. be blessed.
be good to each other. look at christ. peace.
we arrived on monday night at about midnight after a 15 hour drive. good stuff. slept about 5 hours and woke up with the sun because we slept outside . . . naturally. had a quick bite to eat for breakfast and then started working on the grounds. we are staying at a vineyard that has 13 acres of land behind it. its actually really cool because they didn't bulldoze the land to make parking lots. they are in the middle of nature. its hot.
There people from the different Vineyards such as Cincy, Philly, Fort Myers, Evanston and a few others sleeping in tents and cots under a circus tent. Our group is the only one that is comprised of different denominations.
here's how some described out tuesday work -
"We set up a few tents the other volunteers slept on cots under a large circus tent.
Our Tuesday started with breakfast and worship. Lots of groups were formed and were sent to different locations with specific task. Our group stayed in the staging ground which is also a receiving camp for supplies coming from different sources. Our group were divided to serve as sorters, loaders of trucks to be delivered to another distribution center. We helped out in the construction of a trailer bathroom for the volunteers. This particular center has their own sets of volunteers to receive and distribute to the local people. The locals line up with their cars and the volunteers load their trucks with supplies. Some people went to Slidell, LA to cut trees and to clean up people's yard.
FHL group provided salad and spaghetti for everyone for dinner.
At 7:00pm, FHL group had a worship service and a few other volunteers from different churches joined us. we shared our stories about our day. We were all blessed to hear different stories and how the Lord spoke to different people in different ways. It was a hot a humid day and we had to take regular breaks. There are about 70 volunteers altogether in the camp."
yesterday(weds) was the big day. we went to kenner to unload trucks full of food, water, toiletries . . . whatever. we unloaded them at another distribution point that people in their cars came up and we gave them what they needed. it was about 95 degrees with 500% percent humidity. they're saying that it is has never been this hot for this long for as long as they can remember. we were in kenner for about 6 hours and then we left to go to slidell. kenner in on the south side of lake pontchatrain and slidell is on the north side. we were able to drive over the causeway, but you could only drive one way on it. they other direction had been destroyed.
we were also able to drive around new orleans on the highway. all of the exits were blocked by officers. it was a ghost town. cars overturned everywhere with a white film on them. buildings torn apart. the devastation was phenomenal. we also saw a wild boar and a gator on the side of the road when we drove through the bayou. that was crazy.
once we got into slidell, there were just piles and piles and piles of trash on the sides of the road. and they weren't all from homes. a lot of it was stuff that was cleared from the road. in slidell, we were able to help a family clear some trees from their property. that was awesome, cos we got to use chainsaws, and i believe that chainsawing is a spiritual gift of mine.
the thing is, insurance covers trees that hit homes, but not those that are on the property. and then tree removal companies come along and charge and arm and a leg to remove the stuff. we were really able to bless a family and pray for them after we cleared all the trees.
spiritually, this trip has been amazing. this is such an eclectic group of people. we got young punks like myself, moms and dads, grandpas and grandmas. it really is like a family. we all work hard together, and well together and there is a true sense of the joy of the Lord among us. we all get along. we all laugh and have jokes. its been amazing.
i've made some great friends, and grown deeper with some that i already knew.
we covet your prayers and thank you for them. be blessed.
be good to each other. look at christ. peace.
posted by marcelliott at 12:50 PM
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