7:43pm- Today has been awesome! Church was great! It was a 3 hour service, but it had so much energy and such a good message that I hardly noticed the time. They had a full choir singing at the top of their lungs over loud drums and keyboards. The way the people here talk and dress is very different. I feel like I'm in a whole new culture. I really enjoy it here. It's refreshing to be outside of my usual routine and surroundings.
10:55 I have been very busy today, so I don't have time to get into all the details even though I wish I could because today was awesome! Church was the bomb. The focus was repairing the breach from Isaiah 58. I will post my notes later. Meals are delicious. The New Orleans tour was intense! Nine years after Katrina, NOLA is still in devastation. Houses are abandoned and literally torn apart inside and out. The city is suffering because of the useless homes, empty lots, and entire strip malls that just sit there destroyed. Beautiful rebuilt homes sit next door to abandoned houses. The stark contrast is surprising. I had no idea that NOLA was in such a hopeless state. They seem to have given up on restoring the city entirely. It was a depressing tour. It made me want to change things, but I know there's only so much that can be done. I just need to remember that my hope and their hope is not in the state of our city or our homes or our situations; it's in Jesus Christ who redeems our souls out of the ashes and makes us new.
After dinner, we had a meeting, followed by worship, Dusty introduced our encouragement bags, and we met with our A- teams (accountability groups). I got to talk with the sophomore girls and the other 2 leaders. It was great discussion and I'm so excited to hang out with all the high schoolers on this trip! Looking forward to our first day doing camp epic and working on the community garden. Goodnight!
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