St. Luke's Loves the "Big Easy"!

Our 1st day of Work - Thursday

2009-09-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

We wake early in order to allow for getting lost on the way to the warehouse where we will receive our training and our assignment. We do not dissapoint and promptly find ourselves wandering the streets of NOLA wondering why we didn't bring along 1 of the 4 GPS systems we packed for the trip. Best laid plans and all!

We find the warehouse and are met by our 2 crew chiefs and the supervisor. We hear that the Episcopal Rebuild program since the storm has gutted 899 houses and with volunteer help only, they have completely rebuilt 59 houses, there is a lot of work to do. Our house is in the Gentilly neighborhood, on a wide street with palm trees and crape myrtles. We work hard all day hanging sheet rock and adding insulation, it is wonderful. The friendly neighborhood Chevron gladly welcomes Rebuild volunteers to use their bathrooms, we plan to bring him toilet paper tomorrow.

After a hard days work we head to a locals house for red beans, rice and chocolate cake. It is a wonderful way to end the day. We could not be more thankful.

Every morning we have a group reflection question to ponder during the day. Our question this morning was, "What is God calling you to do today?" What is God calling you to do today? Reflect with us.

Our 2nd day of work

2009-09-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

We've been working, you would be impressed. We have all been assigned to work on a house in the Gentilly neighborhood. We have been hanging sheet rock and adding insulation (the insulation people get the first showers).
We have two crew chiefs, Mary Bess from Kentucky and Ollie from California. They both came to NOLA as volunteers and came back and few months later and have yet to leave and its been several months for both of them. What's amazing is that both of them are wonderful supervisors full of grace and patience with our startling lack of construction experience. What is also most inspiring and hopeful is that they are both under 25. Not only are they under 25 but the entire staff of the Episcopal Rebuild program are young adults. This well-organized, well-oiled Rebuilding machine is organized and run by young adults, and it is successful and thriving. Seeing these young adults change the world makes us all hopeful for the future. Maybe we should all let young adults do a little more? (Notice, this is being written by a technically defined "young adult")
We drove through the ghost town that is the lower 9th Ward, with a few sparse houses and small shopping area. Brad Pitts modern houses with their solar panels and bright colors are a sharp contrast to the overgrown green of the grasses. But it is also exciting. To be here, doing this work, it is a gift. It is a blessing. We are tired, we are sore, we are bruised, but we are coming back. You should come.

Our reflection question: "Where has God surprised you today?" Some of our answers: a rainbow, a train, the traffic, patience, sheet rock and grace. Reflect with us, Where has God surprised you today?

Farmer's Market

2009-09-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

I went to the Crescent City Farmer’s Market this morning. I love farmer’s market’s, you support the local economy and get better food. They tend to be filled with hard working farmers with tips for cooking their products. I do my best to chat them up because they know of what they speak. This morning I had a wonderful conversation with the sausage lady. She grows, feeds, slaughters and makes her own sausages and other meats here in Louisiana.

I asked her, “What’s the best meat to add to Jambalaya?”

Sausage lady responds, “You’re not from here are you?”

“No ma’m, I am from Atlanta, Georgia. Why?’

“Because if you lived here you would have a recipe, but I can tell you my Andouille sausage is fantastic.”

“Fantastic, I’ll take enough to feed 12 people.”

“Bye they way if no one has said it to you yet, thank you for spending your money in New Orleans. Thank you for visiting and I hope you come back.”

Well, what’s interesting is that several people have thanked me for coming and spending my money. I went on a walking tour of the Garden District yesterday, if you need to know anything about the garden district I will gladly share my knowledge, and we were stopped by no less then 10 people on our tour and thanked for spending our money in New Orleans. I’ve been all over the world and have never been stopped in the street and thanked for spending my money.

Bye the way I bought local and organic Andouille sausage, shrimp caught this morning, peppers, onions, lettuces, crab apple jam and a cantaloupe. We will be enjoying the Jambalaya on Thursday night as a group. Jealous?

Posted by Alexis Chase – who is a tourist.

Plan, What Plan?

2009-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Things really never go as planned.
I arrived in NOLA Sunday night after a rainy, but uneventful drive. (A radio station I came across through Alabama was having a Sunday Back in the Day Buffett dedicated to hip-hop from the 90's. It helped. This is how we do it!) .
Monday morning I was supposed to meet with community leaders in the morning to discuss stewardship of God's Creation (why people of faith should care about the planet) and then do a home energy audit training in a local parish. Well none of that happened.
I met with my local contact this morning who informed me the community center in which the morning presentation was to take place had sustained some heavy rain damage from Sunday's rain. That plan had to be scrapped. The parish in which the afternoon training was to be held was just closed because of a break out of the flu. So I am left to my own devices for the day, oh to be given a day off in NOLA. What to do?
Go out to lunch, go on a walking tour of the Garden District, meet lots of locals who thanked me for spending my money in town and a few minutes to read my book over a cup of coffee. Stuff is not so bad.
So here is looking at tomorrow. Two home energy audit trainings in local parishes and a conversation about Caring for Creation. Stuff still isn't so bad.
Now to go downstairs and enjoy some of the locally made goat cheese brie and gluten-free crackers I bought today. Stuff really isn't so bad.
Posted by Alexis (Myers) Chase - who is excited to try the Gluten Free Beer Dan Parrot-Ashbrook made.

Georgia Interfaith Power and Light with St. Luke's - Combining our Awesomeness

2009-09-03T07:54:00.000-07:00

For those going on the St. Luke’s NOLA mission trip, strong work. For those not going, you’re missing out. But fear not, the goal isn’t just to go this once and never think about NOLA and its awesomeness again. I hope and pray that we go back again and again. So while you are clearly missing out now, wait for it, we’ll go back.

I initially got involved in this trip because who doesn’t love a trip to NOLA? But when I mentioned that I also happen to work for Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and that we would love to do some Home Energy Audit Training and some Creation Care education, let’s just say we were all excited. So now I am going not only as a member of St. Luke’s, but I am also going to share all of the stored knowledge of Georgia Interfaith Power & Light with as many people in NOLA as will listen. My co-worker, Katy Hinman, is also going as a representative of GIPL. She’s not Episcopalian, but we won’t hold that against her.

I would particularly like to thank Alex Sherrill for his help in finding donations for the Home Energy Audit Training. With his help we will be able to take to NOLA examples of energy efficient products to use in our trainings such as; CFL’s, weather stripping materials, wraps for water heaters and other products. It’s pretty amazing what we can do when we all pool our resources and talents.

Katy and I are going down to NOLA on Sunday September 13, three days earlier then the rest of the group. Keep checking the blog for our preparation updates and during the early part of our travel week we will let you know what we are up to as well.

Posted by Alexis (Myers) Chase, Interim Executive Director of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light and 4^th grade Sunday School Teacher

Welcome!

2009-09-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a new blog that will contain impressions and insights about our upcoming Mission Trip to New Orleans, offered by members of the mission team. Our trip is planned for
September 16-20, 2009 - the result of almost a year of planning and discerning. We'll be working in the Rebuild program of the Diocese of New Orleans (more about that later) and working with representatives of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light - who will be doing a whole host of things to help folks in the Big Easy be more energy efficient and more successful stewards of creation in their neck of the woods. You'll be hearing more about that as well, from Alexis Myers and Katy Hinman - who are leading that part of the trip.

We invite you to comment, ask questions - and to offer suggestions, as well as say a little prayer for us and the amazing people of New Orleans who are rebuilding their homes and their lives, with hope and enthusiasm.

Pat Grace