While waiting at the downtown convention center, a group attending the 2009 Youth Gathering plays cards.
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While waiting at the downtown convention center, a group attending the 2009 Youth Gathering plays cards.
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Julie Swan’s group worked in the Lower Ninth Ward today.
That’s a predominantly African American area not far from one of the levees that failed. The death and destruction was so massive that many people have not been able to return.
Swan, 48, is a youth adviser on the trip. She’s a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Goldsboro, N.C.
Her group spent much of the afternoon clearing an empty lot where a house stood before Hurricane Katrina. The house was destroyed. The group didn’t learn whether the homeowner survived.
Tall weeds covered the lot. The group discovered several household items among the weeds, including a pile of old record albums: the Eagles, Van Morrison, White Snake.
One teen wondered aloud about the possibility of finding an album of Michael Jackson’s, since his death has dominated headlines recently.
“Not only did we find a Michael Jackson album, we found ‘Thriller,'” Swan said.
Thriller holds the record for albums sold.
Tom Powell (left) and Patrick Allen (right) were of different minds after their work project Friday.
Allen’s disappointment was obvious. His group had spent the day clearing litter and weeds from a neighborhood still recovering from the wrath of Hurricane Katrina four years ago.
The 18-year-old from Richmond., Va., had hoped to work on a project that would change someone’s life, such as repairing a home. Weeds, he said, will grow back.
“I’m the dissenting voice in my group,” said Allen, a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Richmond. “I didn’t think it was worth our time and effort. But I’m told that it will help even though it’s just cosmetic.”
Powell, 48, a youth leader, said the day contained an important lesson about community service.
“The youth today come here with high expectations to help the impoverished,” he said. “But those aren’t the only communities affected. God’s plan is for the work of the church to be done everywhere. In these times of reduced government services, this was an important outreach.” (more…)
Brittany Christensen, 19, of Pipestone, Minn., was among the 12,000 ELCA teens sent out on work projects in New Orleans today. Here she’s digging a hole for plants in the front yard of a homeowner in the Lower Ninth Ward. The temperature hit 91 degrees, with humidity at 44 percent.
On on the opening night of the 2009 Youth Gathering, Lutherans streamed into the New Orleans Superdome.
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They tried various ways to keep from getting separated.
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ELCA teens love the masks of New Orleans .
(Left) Devin VanBibber, 16, and Austin Bates, 15, are headed to the downtown convention. They’re both members of Grace Lutheran Church, Bandera, Texas.
Oakly Zinc, 16, of Hillsboro, N.D., turned out at Youth Gathering opening event in the Superdome with his horned hat.
Click below to see what they look like unmasked. (more…)
I wanted to know who was doing the dirty work.
The teens that’d volunteered for a July outdoor assignment in New Orleans.
The teens that worked up a sweat because the labor was intense and not simply because the weather was hot.
The teens forced to endure all of Louisiana’s elements.
Those are the teens I wanted to highlight in Youth Gathering stories. If they were going to do all that hard work, the least I could do is watch them. (Tell their story, too!)
Today was the day I met up with Youth Gathering teens an hour south of New Orleans. We drove as far as we could. Then we were taken on a 45-minute ride by other means to the work site. (more…)
Headed to a work project now with youths. Below is a brief summary of ingredients from last night’s Superdome event. More later.
Big purple crossMusic starts at the Super Dome at 6:30 p.m. Will we make it?
At my hotel, it’s pure Lutheran madness (in a good sense). Lots of teens still arriving. Four busses are parked outside and more are lined up down the streets.
The lobby is a sea of hyperactive teens wearing backpacks and carrying luggage. It’s loud — the sounds of laughter and storytelling everywhere. The excitement is palpable.
But the elevators are impossible. If I go back to my room, will I make it to the Superdome on time? Probably not. My floor is in the 20s.
The restaurants are packed, too. I didn’t bother with breakfast or lunch. The youths were smarter. They ordered pizza and had it delivered.
Outside, along Canal Street, the sidewalks are every bit as packed as the main drag. Lutheran teens are walking in groups, each wearing distinct T-shirts. Drivers patiently allow the red group pass, then the neon-green group and, finally, the group wearing horned viking helmets.
I’m guessing they’re from Minnesota. In fact, I’m convinced that there are no Lutheran teens left in Minnesota. They’re all here this week. Three out of four times I stop a teen for an interview, it goes something like this: (more…)
Meet Emma Sieling.
She’s 17 years old and from Alexander, Minn. She’s attending the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans with about 30 other teens from her town.
They’re hoping to do volunteer work on Saturday at a health fair being held for the people of New Orleans.
Emma arrived in the city last night, wide-eyed and hungry. While her friends ate pizza, she shared the sobering things she’d learned on the ride from the airport to the hotel.
“Our bus driver gave us a little history of New Orleans and the big hurricane,” Sieling said. “I couldn’t believe how bad things looked in some places. It surprises me. It’s been four years. It just makes you want to work all that much harder to help the people.”
