So now, cruising toward home above the clouds, I'm thinking about some of the people we've met.
The lady who called out her car window at an intersection, "Thanks for being here!"
The hotel maintenance man in the elevator who was so grateful that we acknowledged their work to keep the place clean. "You folks are mighty nice."
The young man (9th grader) on the streetcar who was the only member of his family to return to NO from San Antonio and was doing the best he could after having lost everything during Katrina. As he disembarked the streetcar, he stopped on the steps, turned back and offered his hand to me. "It was nice to meet you. Thanks." I'm still not exactly sure what he was thanking me for.
Every day in the Convention Center at 4:24 pm, everything would stop for a minute of prayer (based on Acts 4:24). We noticed that, by the end of the week, even the Convention Center employees were joining in that moment of silent prayer!
People on the street, servers in restaurants, workers at the zoo all asked, "Are you with the Lutherans?" When we replied in the affirmative, we heard gratitude and thankfulness in response.
Of course, it wasn't unanimous. It never is. There were a few less than complimentary remarks tossed our way by drivers trying to navigate through 37,000 pedestrians by the Dome. One blogger on the local news website called us "geeks and nerds" who would've gone to Florida for vacation if we "were at all popular." :-)
Still, the expressions of gratitude were numerous and summed up by the mayor of NOLA on Saturday night. Even our swamp tour bus driver commented that she had heard that "someone figured it would take one person working 4 volunteer hours a day over 98 years to do what you kids did in 3 days. Thank you."
And, as we have discerned in our group, this is just the beginning for us. We are to be advocates for those God loves and God has shown through Scripture that He has a special place in His will for the poor and needy. We have members of our group who have deep concerns for the environment. We met a young lady on the street campaigning for the wetlands of the coast. Her words came as a challenge to us in a broader way than she could have intended. "Y'all did some great work while you were here. Can you continue to care about us after you've gone home?" She was thinking coastal restoration, of course, but in her own way she echoed the words of Bishop Hansen who challenged us to be the wave of change back home.
Our students will have some energy and enthusiasm to "be the change" when we get home. I'm not sure what direction (or how many directions) they'll go but know that they will be seeking to dive into our creative God's imagination and find where they can serve. I hope that you will stand with them and encourage them in their endeavors. Even if you don't find yourself caring about the same things they do, please pray for them that God will bless their efforts to use the gifts he has given them in service to his people and his world.
A fire for justice has been lit. Fan it.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
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