Friday morning a few of us went to the above ground cemetery. We saw Homer Plessy's grave, Marie Lebeow (don't know if that 's spelled right), and Nicholas Cages [he is obviously thinking ahead]. The group came back to the hotel and then it started to rain heavily. We were delayed going to the Super Dome for about an hour. During our wait, we all looked at our bibles and read from Genesis. We then shared our interpretations of a few passages and talked to each other about how it related to environmental sustainability. Finally, when the rain started to let up a little, we all headed over to the Super Dome. The rain had flooded the streets and the water was up to our shins. Feet soaked, we then entered the dome to wait to do our service project.
However, the waiting continued. We ended up going to a room where all the other groups were gathered, and we patiently waited for lunch. Soon enough, Subway was brought to us, and afterwards we thanked the lord for our food by singing a few songs. As we waited for the next activity, we had a chance to talk to an old friend, Denis Manson [former youth director at Bethlehem]. Then we were directed to a different room where a band was playing and we waited yet again to start the service project. The day seemed to drag a bit as we hurried up and waited. The rain was falling hard outside and it wasn't until a little after 2 that we finally got out of the Superdome and made our way to the convention center.
At the convention center, we learned the ELCA had run out of service projects due to the rain. Originally we were supposed to improve the environmental stability on a nine block radius by planting flowers and changing lighbulbs, and then there were arrangements made for us to sort books for children who have never own a single book. (In case you didn't know, the average child in New Orleans is 2.5 years behind the rest of the country academically.) Even though both of these projects would have been impactful, we made the best of the situation by exploring the convention center for an hour. After our time at the convention center, we took a shuttle back to the hotel to shower and munch.
As we marched on, the Bethlehem youth walked to the Super Dome. Once we found our seats, the mass gathering started. Last night's gathering was one of the most amazing worship experiences because of the three speakers: Leymah Gbowee (Noble Peace Price Winner/Liberian peace activist), Diane Latiker (mentor of Chicago's youth), and Jamie Nabozny (bully activist from Southern Poverty Law Center). Also, at the end of the gathering, we were surprised by the song "Hallelujah" and giant white balloons that were uplifted half-way into the air. It was a sight you would never believe!
--Andrea, Roshen, and Stacey
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