We love Nawlins!

Today was our second day of working in Nawlins! Some of our group went again to help out a school that's hasn't been opened in two years because of Katrina.The principal of the school (Carmel Mires) and Sister Elizabeth told us that because of our hard work, the school will be open in time for the new school year! They were super appreciative of our work and made us fell warm and fuzzy. The second of our groups was involved in cleaning out a house and working on some landscaping with the Beacon of Hope organization. Today they also scoured Nawlins for postcards to send to our share holders. The last of our groups went to help refinish a house that belonged to a quiet but nice older lady in the Lakeview District. In the house they installed doors, caulked walls, put in shelves, painted window molding and put up trim. For the first time for a lot of this group, we got to use power tools and learned a lot of handy tricks! Our week is getting increasingly fun, and we love helping out the people of Nawlins! Tonight we went to a public pool, but sadly there was a thunder storm = [ so we couldn't swim. The three new people we celebrated tonight were yours truly and KIM! Woot Woot! We miss all of our families dearly. Hope everything is well, be safe!

Love,
Corey and Joanna

P.S. What did Alyssa eat and where did she eat it?!?!?!

ZATARAIN'S in NAWLINS! = ]
hahahaha

PEACE!

First Day of Work

We all got up really early and ate breakfast and then left for work. And guess what? We didn't even take showers until AFTER we worked. We split up into three groups to go different places to work. There was a construction, landscaping, and a school group. The construction group installed three cabinets and two doors and some trim.

The landscaping group cleaned up a yard and a sidewalk to make it look more like a neighborhood again.









The school group helped take textbooks to another school for the sixth graders and also moved desks and computers up and down three flights of steps.








After we worked, we took showers, had devotions, and got ready for a baseball game. And oh man! The game was a BLAST.









Now Matt and Brittany are here writing this blog and need sleep because we are really tired. So, good night! =)

Lazy Sunday

Waking up at 7:30 is not eveyrone's favorite thing to do, but it was made up for by an excellent breakfast of cereal and bagels. Soon after a long waiting line for the showers was formed by the ladies of the trip. About an hour and a half later we loaded up into our vans and headed out to Christ Church Cathedral where we were warmly welcomed by eveyone in attendance. Alyssa walked the wrong way back from communion, she was recieved with odd stares from the regular members. Much to our surprise a "coffee hour" had been set up, but it was much more than just coffee. The hall was filled with delicious food that everyone seemed to enjoy wholeheartedly. A few chats, and a few wrong turns later we were off to lunch at The Praline Connection. We all ate some real "soul food" if you could call it that. And Alyssa actually tried some gumbo! Exploring the French Quater in half and hour is not the best way to really enjoy the city, but we all still got a little taste of the excitment that is Nawleans.
A few wrong turns after that, half of us were off to the airport to pick up Scott, while the other half were on our way back to use the bathrooms. Some hours went by with the girls passing the time by playing some games (which Heather won). Dinner was delicious thanks in part to Joan's posse. Klondike bars were served for dessert, and after that we "flooded" the queens with some words of encourengment. Now it's off to bed for all of us, wish us luck on our first day of work tomorrow!

Alyssa and Nicky

We Made It!

Hey Y'all!
We all got to Newark, made it through check-in in record time, and got a workout dragging our luggage through the airport. Our flight left on time and arrived on time, with very little turbulence. Hooray! After meeting Demery at baggage claim, we boarded our vans, and tried to recuperate from our major jet lag (an entire hour difference!).
St. Augustine's is a great place to stay-we love air conditioning! We all moved into our very spacious rooms with no problems. Retta and Ray are our hosts while we are here. They gave us a lovely tour of the facilities here, and we are thankful for their generosity. At devotions, a great time was had by all. Jensen, Rachel, and Ellen were celebrated tonight, and tommorow they will be treated like queens.

Our mission team wanted to immerse ourselves in New Orleans culture as soon as we arrived. Consequently, we went out for Chinese food!

Some High Points of the Day:
Meeting up in the airport
Finally taking off!
Fortune cookies
"Moving In"
Finally learning everybody's name
Playing light-up frisbee
Recieving our awesome shirts-
has anyone noticed that it has Brian's likeness on the front?

Now, it's time to sleep... we have a busy day tomorrow!
Love,
Lindsay and Torrey

i will sing, sing a new song

this is our trip theme. it's even on our t-shirts. this way, we can say, "been there, done that, got the shirt!"

it comes from psalm 40. each day of the trip, we will be delving into the first eight verses of psalm 40, looking for its significance in our experience, listening for the whisper of the spirit upon our lives, opening ourselves to the transforming power of Jesus as we follow him on this journey.

we will be singing a lot, too - including the song "40" by U2, and "praise you with the dance" by casting crowns

saturday - verse 1: i waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.

sunday - verse 2: he drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

monday - verse 3: he put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.

tuesday - verse 4: happy are those who make the Lord their trust. who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.

wednesday - verse 5: you have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.

thursday - verse 6: sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.

friday - verses 7,8: then i said, ‘here i am’ in the scroll of the book it is written of me. i delight to do your will, o my God; your law is within my heart.

saturday - all of verses 1-8