Thursday, June 22, 2006

It's late and I am now back at Loyola. It is Wednesday around midnight and all the teens are asleep with their chaperones standing guard. It was a very eventful day. I thought I would start by telling you what the teens are doing on a daily basis. We get up at 6:30am, brush our teeth, comb our hair, and sleepily walk to the chapel area. They bring their bibles and their devotional books, and spend some quality alone time with God. We spread out all over the church and have 15-20 minutes just devoted to Him. (This is one of my favorite times of the day. I think it is harder on the teens because it isn't a normal part of the routine for a lot of them.) Then we get to eat! Today we had french toast and sausage. (Yummy!) We get ready to leave for our work sites. The teens have been split into four groups. Then they got to name their group. We have the Sheet Rockers, the Git-R-Dones, the Crazy Oats, and finally, the Buttercups. (Seriously, the biggest guys in our group are in the buttercups. They did it to themselves. . .I swear!) We patiently wait for the vans to take us to our sites. Each day, one of the groups is assigned to KP and one of them are assigned to help with drywall. This helps break up the monotony of gutting homes every day. The ones who are going to the houses to gut have to put on goggles, hats, breathing masks, gloves, and protective jump suits. (Think Monsters INC.) We look very stylish. (JK) Honestly though, after they saw the work that they had to do, no one has complained about the outfits. It really does protect us. We changed our starting time at the houses after the first day. We moved it up an hour because the heat sets in quickly. We tend to get more done earlier than later.
We get picked up for lunch around 12-1pm. We tend to eat in shifts since the vans don't hold us all at one time. We have a check off list to mark when our group is done, so that the kitchen crew knows when they can stop serving. I'm sure it seems like they are just finishing up from lunch, when they have to start cooking us dinner. It takes a lot to feed 90 people. (Not to mention that the owners of the homes tend to join us a lot also.) It is nice to have some time with them to hear their stories. It's even nicer to put a real face with a home. Everybody is so great and very appreciative of the work we are doing. It's nice to see the tiny difference we are making in this huge area of need. After lunch, we go back to the work sites. It really is hot and miserable there. The temperatures have been running in the low 90's. Unfortunately, that is before the heat index. Today we had a break. It was only 84. . .but it rained buckets! This caused some of our afternoon work to be cut short. I think that was a little blessing from God though, because the teens were working themselves so hard. They could use the hour to get themselves ready to go swimming. We took the bus to Loyola. Richard is our driver. He is amazing. The streets are polluted with trash. Cars are parked where they can. He never even hit a curb. I was impressed. We swam for 1 1/2 hours and then took the bus back. Because of the rec center closing at 8pm, we went before dinner, and the kitchen crew stayed later to make sure we all got fed. (Did I mention the kitchen crew is wonderful???) After dinner, we let the boys shower first. (The girls went first yesterday.) There are always adult leaders standing guard. Not that the teenagers would try anything, but . . . . We have a standing joke that the teens like to repeat back to me. I told them that the boys are blue, the girls are red, and there will be NO purple! So anytime the girls need something from the boys room, or the boys need something from the girls room, we just say NO purple! After the showers, they had a little free time before they had to be back for Club. During free time, the other adult chaperones and I get together for an adult meeting. We discuss the progress made at all of the houses, any issues or concerns that have come up, and what we are going to do the next day. It's nice to get everyone on the same page. We also get to hear other people's stories. It's good. Finally, we have club time. This opens with praise and worship music. We then have Hey Gods, Yeah Gods, and Mad Props. (I know, I'll explain.) Hey Gods are prayers that the teens want to offer up asking for God's help. Sometimes it's for nice weather, but more often than not, its for family and friends back home, or for the people down here. They are very touching. Then we do Yeah Gods. These are prayers that the teens offer up in Thanksgiving for something God has bestowed on us, or others. It could be for a beautiful rainbow, like we saw today on the way home from swimming, or for a heart that was changed towards God. They are fun to hear, and sometimes the teens even explain further. It's a nice springboard for discussion later. Finally, we do Mad Props. This is when the teens get to give Mad Props to their friends for the work they saw them do today. It can be silly (and usually is.) I firmly believe that God smiles on us for lifting up our friends to Him. I know that I can use all the prayers I can get. After the mad props, we move on to our bible message. All of the themes this week are based on water. (Today was on stilling the storm.) One of the teens asked if he could give a witness testimony on trust. Jake did awesome. How much more it meant to the teens to hear it from their peers, than from an adult. They really are opening up about their faith, and sharing it freely. It's been exciting to see God at work through them. After the message and reflection, they get to have a bed time snack, and a little bit of free time to unwind. We say ending prayer around 11pm, and some of the teens actually go to bed. More of them, stay up until lights out at midnight. They still have to get up at 6:30, but so far, it isn't fasing them. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We look forward to sharing our personal stories with you when we get home. God Bless!

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lori and Anna, We just got all your blogs because we had no internet access for three days! I am so impressed by what you all are doing. We pray for you each day and I know many lives are being changed by GOd's work. Keep up the good work. Love to all
Jody

9:14 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lori and Teens-
I am so PROUD of all the hard work you are doing in New Orleans!! I can just see how Christ is working through all of you to touch the lives of everyone involved. You are in our prayers each and everyday. You are all AWESOME!!!
Love,
Maureen(MOM)

9:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Lori Anne and Anna, We miss you. Our prayers are with you all. You are doing the work of the Lord and we are proud of you. Keep smiling. MJ,D&C

9:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bless you Lori Anne, adults, and teens. All of us at SH are watching and praying for all of you. Thank you for the blogging.
--Sue

10:46 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

It is very hot here today and I am thinking of all of you.
May the Lord Bless you all.
Marsha Lear

1:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Lori and teens and adults,
You are all so amazing! Thank you so much for this blogspot to keep us up to date. I was nervous yesterday about the call re the unrest in New Orleans and that you all are safe, but I will trust in God too. I thought of you all too, in the heat yesterday, clearing debris from our back yard from 2 trees we had to take down. At least I have my home to relax in, unlike too many down there. Praise God for all your work. I miss my Jake, tell him I'm so proud of him and please give him a kiss from his Mom!
Peace and prayers,
Dede Potticary

2:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Lori and Group,
It is so great to be able read about how you are doing down there!! Lori Ann you are doing a great job of keep us informed! You guys are in our prays daily and we are so proud of the work you are doing!!

Big kiss to Zac!

Love you guys,

Liana Wilkins

8:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for keeping us posted on how your days are going. God bless you all. Hugs to Jen & Steph. All of you are in our thoughts and prayers.

Mary Jo & Gary

10:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Lori Anne,

Thanks for the awesome updates! The photos are incredible...I ran into some SH parents the other day who told me they are praying for the teens daily with their prayer cards...we miss Michael! Lots of love to all,

The Gerbus Family

8:58 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home