Today I spent most of the day getting fundraisers together to get a group of teens back to New Orleans to do more relief work. We were there last summer, and I saw 12 teens have their lives changed as they changed the lives of others. True, the task of rebuilding a city and people's lives is a feat that takes years, decades, and seems impossible. But I am excited about the fact that we can take a week to make life better for one family. I'm ready to go back.
Getting ready for more relief work in New Orleans has had me thinking about the experience that I had last year with our group of students. One of the things that has stuck with me from that week is an experience we had serving a hot meal to a community in the Elysian Fields area of New Orleans. The guy that was over it (his name was Aaron) was in his early 20's. He responded to the need one summer while in college...and decided to just stay. He started his releif effort in a back yard with a charcoal grill - feeding about 25 people at a time. He now leads a team of people, feeding over 800 in the community weekly.The image that has stuck with me: We pull up to a vacant lot. It's just an empty space. Nothing special about it. Within a few minutes though, it is bustling with people setting things up and scurrying around. Before we know it, hundreds of people appear, forming lines and waiting on a hot meal. People are served, kids are playing. There is a lot of conversation and laughter. And then, just as quickly as it came...everything is packed up once again. The crowds head back to their FEMA trailers, the workers pack up and pull away... And before you know it, the scene returns to the empty lot it once was before.We were some of the last to leave. We sat for a few minutes taking it all in. It went back the quiet and stillness it was before. Like something out of a movie, it began to rain... almost like God was adding a little extra dramatic effect for us. Looking at that vacant lot, the thought really hit home that with a little vision and determination...a huge difference can be made. What seemed like an empty and neglected place turned into an active sanctuary for the hurting. It left a big impression. I think many times we look for the perfect time, situation, resource, etc... And all along, God is saying "I'll work with whatever. Just give me what you've got..."
