The following blogs tell the story of a mission trip to New Orleans. While they were written during the trip, they are being posted following our arrival at home, purely because of easier internet access.
Three folks from the Episcopal Student Center at the University of Texas embarked on a journey. The missioner, program coordinator, and another brave member of the community are joining with the Episcopal Campus Ministry from Baylor University on a mission trip to New Orleans. The upcoming blogs will include the tales of our travels. We hope that in sharing these stories, you might be encouraged to intentionally explore your own journey as well.
After a long but entertaining journey on Monday, we arrived in the Crescent City. It was stunning to see the height and power of the water through the swamp lands as we drove in over the bridges between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The tributaries were still very much swollen from the controlled release of water upstream.
We are staying at the Cholstrom Parish House, which is affiliated with St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. It is BEAUTIFUL – as are most things in the Garden district located just off the street car line. We have front porches for sitting, back yards for frolicking, and beds to rest our tired bodies. We are so grateful!
Once the group from Baylor arrived (Yay!!!) we headed to the French Quarter for dinner. I kept forgetting that Hadyn and Jewlez have never been to New Orleans, and was frequently surprised by their squeals and screeches of delight. Although I am overjoyed to be back, it’s also a lot of fun to watch them take it all in for the first time. We had a delicious dinner in the French Quarter – red beans & rice, gumbo, jambalaya, and crawfish etouffee. We have arrived!
We also made a stop at the only Wal-Mart in New Orleans for breakfast and lunch amenities. The Texans in the group were shocked to discover that it was not a 24-hour facility. Truly, shocked. We were later told that it used to be a 24-hour facility, but now closes at 10PM because it was the most dangerous location in the whole of the city. Meaning, crimes occurred more frequently at or around the Wal-Mart than anywhere else in the city.
We are excited for all that this week will bring. Goodnight, New Orleans!
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