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.
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.
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