Hi all!
I miss everyone terribly. I am able to keep my eyes open today, and will soon post more thoughts, but for now, I just want to say that I feel incredibly blessed to know each and every one of you, and have so many memories to share. I hope that we get together soon to gel the memories.
I will attempt to post a photo of myself for the site until I can get my film developed. Have a great weekend. See you soon!
in Christ's peace,
Mary
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Isaiah 65:17-25
While sitting in the waiting area of the New Orleans airport this morning, reading the appointed lessons for morning prayer and reflecting on the past week, I was struck by the profound suitability of Isaiah 65:17-25 as concluding words to this mission trip.
For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labour in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.
We would be delighted to hear your comments on these verses and their relationship to our work in New Orleans.
For I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
the former things shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever
in what I am creating;
for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,
and its people as a delight.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
or the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it
an infant that lives but a few days,
or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;
for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them;
they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat;
for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
They shall not labour in vain,
or bear children for calamity;
for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
and their descendants as well.
Before they call I will answer,
while they are yet speaking I will hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust!
They shall not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain,
says the Lord.
We would be delighted to hear your comments on these verses and their relationship to our work in New Orleans.
Thursday-Friday
All members of our team were at the house re-construction site on Thursday morning. We completed both the sealing of the tile grout and the application of the first coat of exterior paint to wooden siding of the building. We were joined by a team of three men from Atlanta who will take over for us as the primary construction crew on this particular house. Our site foreman invited us to join a Facebook group in which we will be able to view photographs of the house as it nears its completion.
We spent Thursday afternoon packing and cleaning our residence before helping St. George's Episcopal church prepare for its annual Mardi Gras fundraiser. They sell food and provide washroom facilities to parade spectators. We are told that this is their single largest fundraiser of the year.
After enjoying the parade, we returned to our residence to catch a few hours of sleep before our early Friday morning flights.
We spent Thursday afternoon packing and cleaning our residence before helping St. George's Episcopal church prepare for its annual Mardi Gras fundraiser. They sell food and provide washroom facilities to parade spectators. We are told that this is their single largest fundraiser of the year.
After enjoying the parade, we returned to our residence to catch a few hours of sleep before our early Friday morning flights.
Wednesday evening
This evening we gathered at the Tulane University Episcopal chapel for food, conversation and a service of compline with Tulane students, a mission team from Ottawa led by Wycliffe graduate Andrew Stephens-Rennie and interns with the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana Office of Disaster Response (EDOLA). Andrew's mission trip is called the Jeremiah project - not to be confused with the neo-monasticism project at St. Anne's Toronto.
Everyone enjoyed Rich's delicious gumbo and the beautiful candlelight service of compline, which was set to Anglican plainsong.
Check out the websites for the Jeremiah Project and EDOLA here (you'll have to copy and paste the address as I cannot get the link function to work):
http://oayouth.wordpress.com/young-adults/young-adult-events/jeremiah-project-new-orleans-february-14-21-2009/
http://odr.edola.org/
Everyone enjoyed Rich's delicious gumbo and the beautiful candlelight service of compline, which was set to Anglican plainsong.
Check out the websites for the Jeremiah Project and EDOLA here (you'll have to copy and paste the address as I cannot get the link function to work):
http://oayouth.wordpress.com/young-adults/young-adult-events/jeremiah-project-new-orleans-february-14-21-2009/
http://odr.edola.org/
Mobile Loves & Fishes, etc.
While the others were at the house on Monday, Sam, Dave, Sue and Mary went to Trinity Episcopal church to make over one hundred sandwiches for volunteers and homeless people in the city. They worked with ladies of the church who then drove us to the sites. While on the way, they also showed us homes built by Brad Pitt's charitable organization, the houses of local musicians, as well as much of the devastation in the upper and lower ninth wards. One of the crews to which we took food was making screens to sift the construction debris out of the soil so that they could plant a community garden. The men and women we then fed were lined up outside another church and signed a book to be fed.
We then went to the St. George's Church to clean up after renovations there. Dave cleaned the furnace room and barabecue pit while the rest of the group cleaned, one by one, the entire contents of the nursery to make it once again usable after many months of disuse. On the way there we had our first ride on a Louisiana street car, which have wooden seats. At the end of the track, the conductor simply walks to the other end of the car and turns the seats in the opposite direction so that they are facing forward for the reverse trip.
We then went to the St. George's Church to clean up after renovations there. Dave cleaned the furnace room and barabecue pit while the rest of the group cleaned, one by one, the entire contents of the nursery to make it once again usable after many months of disuse. On the way there we had our first ride on a Louisiana street car, which have wooden seats. At the end of the track, the conductor simply walks to the other end of the car and turns the seats in the opposite direction so that they are facing forward for the reverse trip.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
House Construction (Monday-Thursday)
This week we began work on a home in the upper ninth ward - one of the areas that was hit hardest by Katrina. Our site foreman is an intern from North Carolina who is working for the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana Disaster Relief agency. He explained that the home is owned by an elderly woman who inherited the house from her mother. She is the primary caregiver for several grandchildren and is currently living in cramped quarters with another family member. Therefore our foreman is hoping to complete her home in the very near future.
From Monday to Wednesday, we worked with a crew of five men from Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, NY. They had spent the previous week preparing the floor and laying tiles. We scraped the mortar from between the tiles in preparation for grouting. We have mostly finished the flooring - all that remains is to apply a sealant to the grout. Others of us have begun to prime and paint the exterior of the home as well as to apply caulking around the exterior frame of the windows.
We greatly appreciate your continued prayers - they help to sustain us in our daily work.
From Monday to Wednesday, we worked with a crew of five men from Grace Episcopal Church in Brooklyn, NY. They had spent the previous week preparing the floor and laying tiles. We scraped the mortar from between the tiles in preparation for grouting. We have mostly finished the flooring - all that remains is to apply a sealant to the grout. Others of us have begun to prime and paint the exterior of the home as well as to apply caulking around the exterior frame of the windows.
We greatly appreciate your continued prayers - they help to sustain us in our daily work.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday 15 February
On Sunday morning we were up early. The coffee was great and we figured out how to get hot water and schedule showers for everyone. Then we were off to the Lower Ninth Ward by 8:15 a.m. We met Rev. Lonell Wright and his parishioners at All Souls Episcopal Church - which is meeting in a partially renovated Walgreens drug store. We were not the only visiting group. Another group of students from Ottawa, led by Andrew Rainey joined us as did a large number of teenagers from New York, representing Jews for Justice. There were assorted other visitors - a retired Episcopal minister from Madison, WI and the architect who is doing the renovation pro bono. We also met Willis, who is a friend of Alan Hayes and a professor and church historian from a university in Hawaii. He had just sent home the third group of folks that he has brought to New Orleans to help with rebuild. He hung out with us for the rest of the day. Once at All Souls we joined a Bible study group, which met prior to the worship service. Everyone participated. During worship, Peggy read a lesson and John preached. Sam, Dave and Bob joined the musicians and led some of the music. We met in semi-darkness with only spotlights available. The building has not yet met the inspection code for electrical connections, so we could not turn on the lights. But that did not detract from the joy of the service. This was one service where having acolytes really made a difference - helps you understand why they were needed in the first place. It was red-letter day for All Souls. After we left they were meeting to make a decision as to whether they will apply to the Diocese for mission status. They are currently classified as a "mission station."
After church we ate lunch at a Lebanese restaurant. One group toured devasted areas and another group went to the French Quarter - where the "Barkus" parade was in progress - dogs dressed in Mardi Gras costume. Look for a great picture coming another day.
Tonight we met with students at the Tulane Chapel of the Holy Spirit - a beautiful chapel with great sound effects. Our musicians were on tap again and John did an abbreviated sermon which fit the situation. We joined the students for pizza, spinach salad and KING CAKE (HOORAY) after supper. One of the students has helped us get logged onto the net - giving us a tour of the Tulane campus in the process - quite a spacious and lovely place.
Tomorrow most our group will be out at the rebuild site. We do not know yet where that will be. A smaller contingent will go out with the Trinity Church Loaves and Fishes program and then help St. George's church do some cleaning following renovation.
Everyone is enjoying the balmy weather. The impressions are so rich that we are still sorting them out. We feel your prayers. Keep them going!
After church we ate lunch at a Lebanese restaurant. One group toured devasted areas and another group went to the French Quarter - where the "Barkus" parade was in progress - dogs dressed in Mardi Gras costume. Look for a great picture coming another day.
Tonight we met with students at the Tulane Chapel of the Holy Spirit - a beautiful chapel with great sound effects. Our musicians were on tap again and John did an abbreviated sermon which fit the situation. We joined the students for pizza, spinach salad and KING CAKE (HOORAY) after supper. One of the students has helped us get logged onto the net - giving us a tour of the Tulane campus in the process - quite a spacious and lovely place.
Tomorrow most our group will be out at the rebuild site. We do not know yet where that will be. A smaller contingent will go out with the Trinity Church Loaves and Fishes program and then help St. George's church do some cleaning following renovation.
Everyone is enjoying the balmy weather. The impressions are so rich that we are still sorting them out. We feel your prayers. Keep them going!
Saturday 14 February
The mission team travelled to New Orleans in three parties. The first party met up with Rich in the Chicago airport. Rich had been stuck there for 24 hours after missing his connection the day before.
Mary flew alone through Washington D.C. and arrived shortly after the first party. We picked her up at the airport, bough groceries and cleaned our lodging for the week, which is the guest house of the Tulane University Episcopal Chapel. The third group arrived later in the evening. We all enjoyed a light dinner and a compline service before finally getting to bed after a long day around midnight - Central Standard Time. We were thankful for safe and smooth travel for all of our three parties.
Mary flew alone through Washington D.C. and arrived shortly after the first party. We picked her up at the airport, bough groceries and cleaned our lodging for the week, which is the guest house of the Tulane University Episcopal Chapel. The third group arrived later in the evening. We all enjoyed a light dinner and a compline service before finally getting to bed after a long day around midnight - Central Standard Time. We were thankful for safe and smooth travel for all of our three parties.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Welcome
Welcome to the blog for the Toronto Seminarians' New Orleans Mission Trip, 14-21 February 2009. Updates and photographs are forthcoming.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)