back in action Wednesday, Nov 28 2007

Wow!  It’s hard to believe that it’s almost December.  It’s starting to feel like that outside, too.  During the day it’ll be in the 60s for most of the next week or so, but at night it gets into the 50s.  Laugh all you want for those of you that consider the 50s warm during November, but remember that houses in New Orleans weren’t built for cold, so the insulation is pretty non-existent.  It’s definitely never as cold as Virginia, but it’s all relative.

November began our many travels for the next few months… This month we had Texas for our regional staff conference and our respective homes for Thanksgiving.  Then December we have some time off for Christmas before heading to Christmas conferences all over; some of us will be in Dallas, one in D.C., one in Indiana, and one in Boston.  Then it’s back to NOLA for a few weeks before we visit our partnership in Mexico in mid-January.  Then we have just enough to settle back in before the absolute insanity that is spring break ensues.  We’ll be hosting hundreds of students during the month of March, a fact that is both exciting and a bit intimidating!

As wonderful as my time in Virginia was, I’m happy to be back in New Orleans.  I’ve reached that fun stage of life here where I’m always a bit sad to leave.  I love my friends, my job, my church, the French Quarter, the fun restaurants, the constant festivals, the fun of life here.  There’s no place like NOLA. 

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rap battle Wednesday, Oct 31 2007

Today i went to Delgado Community College to help some student leaders there pass out candy and tell people about their Bible study.

i met a lot of interesting characters.

i met this girl Ann, who is autistic and let me know it within the first few seconds of meeting her.  Come to think of it, i met her one of the first days that i was down in New Orleans.  She talked to Kathryn and i for a while and made it a point to let us know that she was both autistic and Jewish and therefore did not care for anything we were about, but she hung out and talked to us for a long time.

Today, Ann made sure i knew she read Star Wars books and that her favorite game is Pokemon and that she could easily spend hours playing it.  She seemed very nice.  Autism is something i know very little about, so i wasnt sure how to act around her, but i did my best.  i have a lot to learn when it comes to being with people (i blame my major in computer engineering).

Before meeting Ann i was finishing up handing out candy with Thecla, our student leader at Delgado, and was able to witness a rap battle.  Which Thecla said happens quite frequently at “Del-ghetto”.

This was actually the first rap battle i’ve ever seen in real life, so it was a new experience for me.

It was beautiful and an experience that left me wanting more, especially after the security told them that they would need to go outside if they were going to continue being that loud.

Awesome!  Thecla better give me a call next time she sees something like that going on!

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Mass prayer letter Tuesday, Oct 30 2007

This is a prayer letter that i sent to last year’s spring break students.  It contains details for the upcoming spring break.  You can either click the link here (or above) to see all that or just read below for the short and sweet version of what’s going on for spring break next year (but you miss all the good stories that way).

Dates
-Week 1: March 2-7
-Week 2: March 9-14
-Week 3: March 16-21
-Week 4: March 23-28

Lodging
-Quality Hotel in Metairie
-Breakfast and lunch provided each day (It’s planned to be much better this year)

Cost
$185;  $30 less than last year

in other news, i’m pretty proud of the graphics on the prayer letter.  i did them myself

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New Pictures up Thursday, Oct 18 2007

i put a few of my pictures on my flickr account.  You can access it on the left side of the screen (James’ photos).

Just a little glimpse of life down here for this crazy Yankee boy.   Hope you like them.

Other than that, things have certainly been exciting.  Last weekend we had two groups in: one from Philly, and one from NC State.  My friend Hannah that i met this summer on project came down with NC State and it was fun working, playing, and catching up with her.

Our groups ran all over the city working on rebuilding with Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, painting at Bob’s house (a homeowner we’ve been working with for a while), and a little bit of cleanup work around Sylvia’s house.

Sylvia was a riot.  She was so happy that we were helping her out.  Tyler (a guy from NC State) and i dug up the concrete blocks under the gutters out of the grass and dirt that had grown over them and she was running around thrilled that we were so knowledgeable!

That’s us.  Just a bunch of regular knowledgeable people.  The New Orleans Relief Team doesnt mess around.

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my monthly prayer letter… Wednesday, Oct 17 2007

The day after Hurricane Katrina hit, Virginia Calvin and her children made their way back home from the hotel they’d evacuated to in Florida.   

The interstate was blocked and police told them that the city was flooded and they couldn’t enter. Virginia and her kids couldn’t believe it, so they set off to enter New Orleans through back roads. Before they got far, they saw water rushing down the road and quickly turned around and drove to Texas where Virginia’s oldest daughter lives. They lived there a year, waiting for life in N.O. to calm down and to allow Virginia’s youngest to graduate from high school. 

A neighbor showed us pictures of him canoeing down their street past roof tops, and Virginia described the shock of turning on the news to see her street completely underwater. Since the storm, Virginia has had her house elevated to prevent such severe damage in the future and to lower insurance rates. Her next step was to have her house gutted, and she was bursting with gratefulness that we’d come. She brought us water, lemonade, sandwiches, and the promise to remember us at Christmas.  While the house was a particularly challenging one to gut, we loved the chance to be with Virginia and her daughters.  

I’ve spent the past month studying the life and ministry of the apostle Peter and have loved the ways I can identify with him. Peter is passionate in all he said and did. He passionately follows Jesus and he passionately messes up, like when he denies knowing Jesus. Days later, Peter sees Jesus again and is desperate for forgiveness, which he receives, along with a command. Jesus said, “Take care of My sheep” (John 21:16). As we see in Acts, Peter, who has finally grasped the depth of forgiveness, follows this command wholeheartedly. When the truth and permanence of Jesus’ forgiveness truly hits home, we lead a different life. We can walk around with the security that we are loved. And as Peter demonstrates, the outpouring of that confidence can be absolutely transformational. 

This truth is so huge in my life. I’ve done a million things wrong and I guarantee that I’ll do another million.  But the truth is, I am forgiven. Every day I have to ask myself if I’m willing to take this assurance and step out in love and boldness. That’s my motivation here. Helping Virginia wasn’t about being a good person or the fun of swinging a crowbar. It was about Jesus’ love for me and the truth that every day I live in New Orleans is an opportunity to share and live out the grace I’ve received.  Jesus calls us to feed His sheep, and here in N.O., they’re hungry.                   

                                                          Loved,                      

                                                               Rebecca

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Hello busy week! Tuesday, Oct 9 2007

Before i describe our hectic week ahead i would like to take the time to say that i hope i never live in a house that uses plaster over dry wall for walls.  It is a horrible thing to remove from a house.  It’s heavy, doesnt like to come out, and the wire in the corners holding it together comes out with the same amount of difficulty as clipping my dog’s toenails.

Thanks for listening to my complaints for a little bit.

This week we’ll be hosting groups from NC State and Philly Metro.  Philly is awesome because they invented the cheesesteak.  Rebecca and Arthur will be running off this weekend with the campus team to help out with their Fall Retreat.  That sounds really exciting.  Western New York is doing their Fall Retreat too, i think this will be the first year i havent gone on a Fall Retreat since starting college.  Funny that eh?

We’ll be keeping busy.

Soon i’ll have some more pictures for you after i get some more developed today.

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Neighborhood cleanup Wednesday, Sep 19 2007

Last Saturday, our team organized a neighborhood cleanup.

Since i’m new here, i’m still not used to seeing houses in neighborhoods with no one in them, which is the case here in Gentilly where we live. Still, the neighborhood is fairly well filled in. But along with having no one live in some of the houses comes lawns that arent kept up. Can you imagine living next to dozens of people that dont take care of their lawns?

My family in Rochester wasnt nuts about keeping things pretty, but we mowed and gardened. That’s not the case here. Ken and Sean (teammate and neighborhood leader) spent some time at one house hacking down 3.5 foot tall weeds with anything they could find. i heard some talk of machetes even!

Coming from a suburban background, it’s funny to even think about sending out roving packs of neighbors to take care of lawns that arent being taken care of, there’s just not much need where i’m from. But here, that’s a reality our neighbors deal with.

We were able to have fun conversations with our neighbors too, it’s so fun to get to know the people we live around and start to place live stories and personalities behind the faces we otherwise would just pass by on a daily basis.

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E.R., NOLA style Tuesday, Sep 18 2007

After spending the last month watching all 22 episodes of season 3 of E.R. (yes, I’m about 10 years behind) I consider myself a fairly good judge of what the emergency room should look like. Crazy traumas coming in and out, weird diseases, romances, extremely talented doctors, and more.

Leave it to New Orleans to blow away all of my previous conceptions.

On Saturday, Megan, a friend who lives two doors down, sprained her ankle and went to the E.R. By the time we heard about this unfortunate incident and made it over there, it was 10 p.m.

Megan had been in the waiting room since 11 a.m. As in, she’d been there for 11 hours already. Eleven hours. We sat with her, trying to distract her and playing UNO, making friends with a local radio d.j. named Ready Teddy, who used to be a dancer for Little Richie. Only in New Orleans would you be in the emergency room and meet someone who knows Little Richie and is famous for his one handed handstands. The doctor finally saw Megan at midnight- 13 hours after she’d arrived- and we headed home with her after 1:30, almost 15 hours after she’d arrived.

What happened? Surely, there must have been some sort of huge, unparalleled accident that busied everyone on staff! Nope. When we arrived, there were maybe 5 other patients, many who had been waiting the majority of the day. Teddy, if you were wondering, was lucky- he arrived at 7 p.m. and was seen around 1 a.m., after only waiting 6 hours. What in the world tied up all the nurses and doctors so much that Megan had to sit in the waiting room for 13 hours, hungry and with a sprained ankle, we may never know.

While I was hopeful, I was disappointed to find that George Clooney or Dr. Greene did not once come to the rescue. Turns out t.v. shows and reality are truly different.

To add insult to injury, the only magazine available to read was a battered copy of ‘Field and Stream.’ You know you’re bored when a magazine with a deer on the front seems interesting. And yes, let me not forget the chairs incident. As Kim and I were sitting, waiting for Megan to get her x-rays and such done, we were trying our hardest to get comfortable, so we slouched in our chairs and pulled up another chair to put our feet on. That is, I mean, until the police officer came in and made us take our feet off of it. People are going to sit where our feet were, you know.

My, oh my.

I have to say that while Megan, whose day at the E.R. was 11 hours longer than mine, not to mention had a sprained ankle and the desperate need to study for exams in several of her grad school classes, may not have found the experience in the least bit comical, I did. It was one of those nights that is so ridiculous that you either throw a hissy fit or laugh. So… we laughed. Because really, what else can you do?

Oh, New Orleans…

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Miss Rebecca Ann(r) Taylor Monday, Sep 17 2007

Okay, so first of all, this is my first blog post ever so I may or may not be a little nervous about this. I will leave that to your imagination. Anyway, I thought that it was about time for me, Danielle, to introduce you, (insert your own name here), to Rebecca. I’ll just start by saying that I love this girl. We just got back from watching High School Musical 2 and we are both so relieved to have finally seen it. It’s good stuff. This gives you somewhat of an idea of what she’s like. She loves things like Disney channel, children’s books, Hello Kitty, and dancing like a five-year-old (you know, uncontrollably jumping up and down, arms flaling, etc.). It’s really quite amazing. Other things Rebecca (or Becs, as I call her) enjoys include reading, Alias, singing, cats, the beach, musicals, children, games, pillow fights…and so much more. Speaking of games, if you ever get a chance to play the card game nerds with Rebecca, you def should, but be prepared. First of all, she’s real good. She’s quick like a cat. Second of all, it will involve screaming, slamming cards on the table, and, at some point, laughter that hinders her breathing. Not only is she good at nerds, but she’s really good at affriming people, speaking up when nobody else knows what to say, and praying everywhere about everything. So, basically, I am so glad she’s my friend. And that’s all I have…so far.

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the Fab Five Tuesday, Sep 11 2007

So, you- meaning the general public that I’m sure is all eagerly reading this- probably should probably get to know our team.  I’ll help.

We have 3 old-timers.  And by old-timers, I mean, we’ve lived here for a year.  I’m one of them, but I’d rather not do my own bio.

I’ll start with Ken.  Ken hails from the most wonderful state, the beautiful Commonwealth that is Virginia.  This is his fourth year working for Crusade, so he’s definitely the grandpa of the team.  Ken is wonderful- he brings this really unique dynamic to the team.  He’s wise and more of an introvert, but then there’s these moments where he gets this impish look on his face and starts freaking out, playing guitar hero or pulling his shirt over his head.  He’s a hard worker, and is not only incredibly organized, he’s also very passionnate and direction oriented about where he’s going in his life.

Next is Danielle.  Danielle is a proud graduate of the University of Kansas and will tell anyone and everyone about her slightly obsessive love for the KU Jayhawks.  She is just so FUN… in the past week we’ve pretended to be giraffes, randomly driven to LSU, eaten at a random little diner, and cracked up about the stupidest things.  Briefcases, eh D?  But there’s this other side of her, too, that’s so genuine and wonderful.  Personally, I’ve loved our long talks, sharing our hearts.  She is so invested in her friends and family and just loves people in a really passionnate way.  Hands down, that’s one of the biggest things she brings to the team… she loves the people that live in this city and it is so evident in her life.

Now, on to the newbies.  This weekend was their official one-month anniversary of living here, which means they made it through our hard core time of hazing and initiation.

James Ross Sconfitto is definitely a character.  He’s from Rochester, New York, as is evident by his Northern accent.  He graduated a year ago and spent last year interning with Crusade at his alma mater, University of Buffalo.  I’m still figuring him out… he’s this crazy mix of introverted and extroverted.  An example of his extrovertedness?  The kid juggles torches.  Like, flaming torches.  Crazy.  He loves photography, slacklining, and cracking the rest of us up.  He adds a thoughtfulness and a perspective to our ministry here that we would sorely miss without him

Then, there’s Arthur.  Arthur Kraatz (clap-clap, clap-clap-clap) moved here from Ohio and is definitely furthering my stereotype of the slightly obnoxious pride Ohio-ans have for their state and for OSU.  He is silly and crazy and definitely easily excitable.  Seriously, this guy could not be more passionnate for the work we’re doing, and he expresses that in everything he does.  He’s working part-time at Walgreens and it’s been neat to see the ministry he already has there.

Alrighty, that might be it for the night… maybe I’ll let one of my lovely teammates post about me? 

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