Friday was the second day of the ServantLife events–JJJ youth going out into the New Orleans community to help out in countless different ways.  Ms. Pitts, a resident of the Lower 9th Ward, spoke with me yesterday about the impact of just one of the many service-minded groups: “Since we got back here in ’06…we’ve been, you know, trying to get our house together and everything.  And by the grace of God we’re getting everything together, and hopefully we’ll finish soon.”

This house was a part of a broad field of largely empty lots.  Youth Gathering participants spent a muggy morning gathering 4-year-old Katrina refuse that still remains scattered across the Lower 9th Ward, as well as bringing the waist-height grasses under control.

“They’re helping us out tremendously.  They’re picking up a lot of the debris that [was] around, and they’re cutting the grass.  They’re helping us out–that’s all I can say.  It’s been a blessing, and I thank them so very much,” Pitts added.

How do the youth feel about the task they were given?

“We’re cleaning up so the city doesn’t take these peoples’ land away from them.  They say they’re wanting to make this into big warehouses and stuff.  We’re trying to get people back to their homes.”

“It’s hot, but, I mean, it’s good work.  Good to know that you’re doing something to help other people, and it makes you feel good.

This afternoon, I was handed the following letter from the St. Bernard Parish President.  (St. Bernard Parish, just southest of New Orleans, still displays the devastating effects of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina.)

Dear Orange-Shirt Brigade (Youth Volunteers),

I wanted to take a quick moment to welcome you to St. Bernard Parish and to let you know how much we as citizens of this great community appreciate you giving of yourself to assist us in rebuilding our community.

As you arrive at your various work sites, it may seem as though there is less need for help than one may have thought but keep in mind that we have a long way to go to recover our community to pre August 29, 2005 status.  Your efforts today will help more than you know and the true value of your time and energy is your gift of allowing our community to take another step toward uniting and reuniting families, friends, and neighbors.

I do offer one specific challenge to you.  our recovery has been divinely inspired over the last almost four years and the blessing is that the presence of Christ has been overwhelming since Hurricane Katrina.  As you go about your good wo0rks this week, I challenge you to find Christ in the activity that you do and the places and people you encounter- Your time as a volunteer may just turn into something that only He can make happen.

Thanks again for your partnership and God Bless you.

Sincerely

Craig P. Taffaro, Jr.

St. Bernard Parish President

Take a look at this introduction to the Gathering, courtesy of LutherTube by Brett Nelson:

In a variety of ways, the people of New Orleans are truly excited to see the youth of the ELCA arrive and prepare for their ServantLife events. The presence of 37,000 participants sets the stage for much-needed service work to be done on a massive scale.

The city has rolled out a red carpet for the ELCA youth. You may have seen my previous picture of the Welcome banners lining Canal Street and Convention Center Drive, but it certainly doesn’t end there.

Even the Hard Rock Cafe has entered the game with a limited edition Youth Gathering commemorative pin. By the time you read this, they may have already been sold out, because they had sold 90% of their 500-piece printing by Tuesday night.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune ran an article today describing the arrival of all the Jesus, Justice, Jazz youth, who “filled more than 70 hotels to capacity and engaged the services of 300 buses” in New Orleans.

But perhaps most telling are the words of the New Orleanians themselves.  Conversations, blogs, and Twitter are abuzz with comments overheard on the streets of New Orleans: “The Lutherans are here.”

Tomorrow, all the preparatory work begins to pay off in service to the people of New Orleans–God’s work, our hands.

UPDATE:

I’ve been sent two more news articles from Louisiana’s WWLTV:

City Flooded with Teens Giving…

Lutheran Convention (video)

Consider these helpful resources before leaving for NOLA–it’s getting close!

• NewOrleansOnline.com offers these printable coupons good with your out-of town driver’s license.  They’re aimed at more traditional tourists, but a good share of them offer savings at various dining establishments.
• Here’s a quick link to the New Orleans long range weather forecast.  (Hint: it’s going to be hot and humid.  You’ll definitely make use of those water bottles!)
• Get a feel for local cuisine at WikiTravel’s guide to eating in New Orleans, including po-boys, gumbo, and beignets.
• Read Lonely Planet’s tips for life in the Big Easy.
• Take another look at the ELCA Youth Gathering main page–it’s undergone a lot of changes, including the addition of a Twitter feed.  Tweet with the hashtag #JJJ09 to get in the stream.
• Make sure you have all the forms and materials you need, and read the JJJ Guidebook even before you get your printed copy in New Orleans!
• Encourage your congregation to keep up on what you’re doing.  There’s no reason not to, because there are a lot of avenues of information flowing out of New Orleans.  The Twitter feed on the Youth Gathering page is a great way for anyone to add their thoughts, just by including “#JJJ09” with their tweets.  Anyone in your church, family, or friends can also follow @ELCAyouth on Twitter or subscribe on a mobile phone.  This blog will also be active throughout the Gathering, as well as other ELCA and youth bloggers.

And if you’ll be blogging at or about the Youth Gathering, leave me a comment–I’d love to add you to the blogroll.

My last post was on Lost and Found, one of the many musical attractions waiting for Youth Gatherers (still don’t have a technical term for this group of people) in New Orleans.  Next up: one of the speakers lined up for the event, Donald Miller.

Donald Miller is perhaps best known as the author of Blue Like Jazz, a New York Times-bestseller that’s inspired many to reexamine the way they think about religion, Christianity, and the nature of a relationship with God.  The book is made up of Miller’s “nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality,” as well as his invitingly honest tales and his wry sense of humor.  The book is certainly about how Miller learned to relate to God, but his relationship is decidedly outside the bounds of “traditional” Christian perspectives.  He’s the type of person to explain his view of God in terms of metaphors about penguin sex and cartoons  starring Don Rabbit and the Sexy Carrot.

It’s very appropriate, though, that Don Miller is coming to speak at a Youth Gathering called Jesus, Justice, Jazz, because in a lot of ways, the book presents itself like jazz music.  I’m looking forward to arriving in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz, and hearing from a man who reflected:

There is something beautiful about a billion stars held steady by a God who knows what He is doing. They hang there, the stars, like notes on a page of music, free-form verse, silent mysteries swirling in the blue like jazz.

If you want to know a little more about Donald Miller or his other books, you can visit his blog or his official website.

On a slightly different note, I just finished Blue Like Jazz a few weeks ago after having several friends recommend it to me over months and months.  I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it.  What I mean is that I like the book, but I’m not sure how much I agree with it, so I’m a bit torn.  If you’ve read it (or anything else by Don Miller, or heard him speak), don’t hesitate to drop off a comment–what do you think?