Eyes Open.

When you're on a job site, it's easy to keep your eye on the work that needs to be done. 

Sometimes, however, something catches your eye just at the right time, and distracts you from the work. 

On Wednesday, it was Calvin. 

Calvin stopped to ask where we were from so I spent a little time learning more about Calvin and his story. 

Calvin stayed in NOLA during Katrina. He said the water in that area rose 7 feet. He saw things that I can't imagine recovering from.  He saw death. He saw destruction. He and his neighbors lost it all. 

But you know what he didn't lose? 

His faith. 

Calvin is a man of God, and in every part of the conversation he weaved scripture. He was a walking representation of Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Calvin shared that his neighborhood, the 7th Ward, is riddled with evil. This week alone 2 people were killed right by our job site and 2 others were attacked and beaten. 

Calvin, has experienced this violence, first hand. His daughter was shot in the head and killed. His son was robbed and murdered on his birthday. 

If I was Calvin, I would be scared and angry, and filled with hate...but he wasn't. 

He said, " Dani, Jesus teaches us to forgive. His final words were Father forgive them for they know not what they do.  So I forgive, them because I know that it is not them, it's the evil they are filled with."

WOW...

Suddenly, all of those little things I can't get over seem ridiculous. Jesus teaches us to love in crazy ways. 

I'm so blessed I ran into Calvin. I'll be unpacking this conversation for a LONG time. 

Community.

Tuesday was the first day on the worksite and an opportunity to begin building community with new folks. 

The day started out with cloud cover and a nice breeze. However, we turned the corner at lunch and it was blazing, lava, hot. Between the heat and the sand, I thought for a minute I was getting a hot sugar scrub at a spa - minus the spa and the sugar. 

 

The day ended in the rafters marking blocking for the drywall. Nothing says community like commiserating over hard work and sweat!

We ended the night at a new place called the Republic. It was so good to see the Cefalus and Spuddy and the family!  Our FABC family joined us as well and helped us with the annual 2nd Line. 

Heather is coming to Cincinnati in October! Can't wait!

I even got a chance to introduce Spuddy to my college roommates. They face timed me while they were having dinner. So fun to get to see them all!

I am truly blessed by my community and I'm looking forward to adding a few more to it!

Gearing up.

Today started off with Rob Seddon teaching about the Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30. 

He talked about how important it is that we recognize the gifts that God had given us to help us fully experience what God has for us on this trip. 

It was a great message to help set the tone for the week. So I started reflecting on my talents, as well as helping Jakey Baby recognize his talents. One of the gifts that God has given me is the gift of encouragement. The goal for this week is NOT to bury those talents but to use them to multiply the kingdom 100 fold. 

During the bus trip, I noticed that as our tour guide, Nita, talked briefly about the first Jazz Fest after NOLA, she got choked up. When we got off of the bus to learn about New Orleans cemetaries, I felt a prompting to ask her to share her story from the storm. It's been 9 years since Katrina and we have gotten away from understanding the devastation (long and short term) that folks down here experienced. 

*photo by Craig Reesey taken 2013

Feeling a little awkward, I approached her and asked if she would mind sharing her story with our team. I explained that we have been coming down for so long that most of the visible devastation is gone and our new folks probably don't fully understand the impact this storm has had on the people of New Orleans. 

She immediately agreed to share her story.  She then followed up with a statement that left me speechless. She welled up with tears and said, New Orleans wouldn't be the same, without dedicated people like you all who care enough to come down and help year after year. 

Her story was amazing. She was actually out of town when the storm hit. She immediately began trying to get back to New Orleans to help. She said she had no power for 2 1/2 months. During that time she explained that she learned a lot about humanity. That in crisis, we band together.

Isn't that just how God wired us to be? We are designed to be in community to lean in when things get rough and celebrate like crazy in the good times? 

Today, I was obedient. I followed a prompting from the Spirit, that in my head felt nosy or pushy. To Nita, it was the most important think I could have asked. She was honored in telling her story, she wanted us to know how important it is to be in community. We can't go it alone.  God took an incredible moment to speak to us through the everyday normal guy. 

I wrote Nita a note of encouragement and gave it to her after our tour.  Glad to have an opportunity to use my talent. 

No Eye has Seen...part 1

Before I get this blog thing going, I'm just going to say - I'm blogging mostly from my phone. So give me a little grace if the thoughts are choppy. This is my journal for the trip, it's not going to be perfect, but it is going to capture some important stuff. At least important to me :)

REWIND: 

My first GO New Orleans trip was in 2009, just 4 years after Katrina devastated the city.  I had no idea what to expect, but that's really how God works, isn't it?

Even if I had gone in with expectations, He would have crushed them, just by his sheer majesty. 

My sister, Kim, and my brother-in-law, Kyle, decided to send me on this trip with a card to open each day.  Every day, God beautifully crafted an experience that perfectly matched the message in each card. 

During this trip, I had been asked to teach on Wednesday evening. I stressed about what to talk about the entire week. Until Wednesday morning, when I opened my card from Kyle. The verse in that card came from 1 Corinthians 2:9 

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him. 

The message I taught was pretty good...not bad for a rookie. 

However, the lasting impact that this verse has had on my life was far greater. 

FAST FORWARD:

I'm now on the bus headed to New Orleans with my nephew in tow. 

I'm so excited to experience this trip with him...in fact, I can hardly stand it!  

So, last night my colleague, Paige, sent a text with a verse for encouragement. 

Guess what it was? Yup, 1 Corinthians 2:9. Then my sister sent a text this morning with the same verse for encouragement...I think you can see where this is going. 

I believe that when something from God is really important - something that He doesn't want you to miss - He says it multiple times. 

Buckle up buttercup, and hold on. It's about to get interesting!