Our very own “on the scene” reporter, Megan Benfield, shares her report on the New Orleans Youth Gathering:

In 2005, many communities along the Gulf Coast were hit by two monumental weather events, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. New Orleans was one of those many communities that suffered from this disaster. Since these hurricanes struck, volunteers across the country have gone down to help with the rebuilding of this beautiful city. Now, four years after this tragic event, 37,000 Lutheran youth and adults, joined together for the 2009 ELCA Youth Gathering to help take part in this reconstruction. Twenty-four members of our church participated in the gathering. The 37,000 Lutherans that came just went out there and got the work done. No procrastinating or complaining was done. We were glad to be able to take part in this work and be a part of the solution to this tragic event. Thanks to all those who helped perform God’s work, this rebuilding process has been sped up. Though a lot still needs to be completed, this city has come a long way in these past four years, since the storm hit.

 

Tuesday, July 21^st: Today was our travel day to New Orleans. We met at six in the morning at the church to get to the airport in time for our flight to Denver. From Denver we flew to New Orleans after a two-hour layover and one-hour delay. We checked into the Hampton Inn Hotel by the New Orleans Convention Center and ate “Poor Boy Sandwiches” for dinner at the famous Mother’s Restaurant.

 

Wednesday, July 22^nd: Today was our first full day in New Orleans. We spent the day walking around the French Quarter and enjoyed beignets and coffee at Café du Monde. Today was also the first Youth Gathering night. All 37,000 youth and adults gathered in the Super Dome for the start of the ELCA youth gathering. Each night there were different speakers and musicians. That night the speakers were Liz McCartney and Marc Kielburger. Agape (Dave Scherer) and Peter Mayer and the House Band were some of the musicians who performed. Liz McCartney is a lady who immediately came down to New Orleans after the hurricane to volunteer with her boyfriend Zack Rosenburg. They ended up never leaving and formed the St. Bernard Project. This project works on quickly rebuilding homes and quickly resettling people into neighborhoods in the St. Bernard Parish. Marc Kielburger is an accomplished advocate and leader of the “Free the Children” organization. This organization has built 500 schools in marginalized regions worldwide providing a daily education.

 

Thursday, July 23^rd: Today was Day #2 of the Youth Gathering and was also our day to be in the Interaction Center. They divided the 37,000 of us into thirds so everyone could better participate in three different stations. The Interaction Center was a place for us to donate blood or hair, learn about the different ministries of the church, and participate in many fun activities such as sports, a zip line, and crafts. That night at the Super Dome the speakers were Jay Bakker, Becca Stevens, and Viola Vaughn. The musicians were the Group1Crew and Celia Whitler. Jay Bakker is a pastor who grew up witnessing the good and the bad of the church. He felt like God had rejected him, but when he realized that God was an understanding God, offering the gift of love and grace, he was floored. Now Jay wants to share this God with everyone, especially those who feel rejected by traditional Christianity. Becca Stevens is the founder of “Thistle Farms” and “Magdalene,” an organization that helps women with a criminal history of prostitution and drug addiction. Viola Vaughn is a woman who devoted her life to education. One day a young girl asked Viola to help her finish third grade. Now Viola is the executive director of a program called “10,000 Girls,” a remarkable education and employment program in Senegal that is transforming the lives of over 1300 village girls.

 

Friday, July 24^th: Today was our Service Day. Job assignments for the day were based off of what Interest Area we chose, ours was housing. Together with a group from South Dakota we were bused to the St. Bernard Parish to work in a neighborhood that had flooded around 15 feet. We mainly focused on a community park there. We planted trees and shrubs and filled in areas where the earth had sunk with dirt. Some people also cleared debris from one of the neighboring abandoned houses. That morning around eight people walked through the neighborhood picking up trash, that afternoon half of us cleared debris in alley ways. As we walked through the neighborhood we could see exactly where a house once stood before it was torn down. The concrete footprint made it easy to see where the different rooms once were.

 

While we were working at the park, some of the residents that were outside helping us told us their stories of coming home and having to gut out and rebuild their homes. One of the ladies even brought out a picture album of the entire rebuilding process of her home. Aleah Bergeson, one of our youth, said, “I enjoyed the stories. It was sad, happy, and very interesting. It was sad because they lost everything. It was happy because they didn’t let it bring them down, they kept pushing and didn’t give up. It was inspirational because that’s the way people should live, always thinking with the glass half full.”  When we were done with our work one of the ladies brought us on a tour of the area around the lower ninth ward. In certain areas you could see straight through four to six blocks because the houses there had been torn-down and never rebuilt. To give us an idea of how much had been destroyed she told us that “Where ever there is now grass, there was once a house.” There were also a lot of buildings that were still in need of gutting out. It was depressing to see that even after four years there is still so much left that needs to be done.

 

The speakers at the Super Dome that night were Spencer West and Michel Chikwanine. Spencer West had overcome bullies and stereotyping after having lost his legs at the age of five. However he never lost the hope and courage he needed to overcome obstacles of all sorts. Michael Chikwanine was a former child soldier and refugee by the age of eleven. He told his story of when soldiers came in to his village and took away him and his friends. The first night there they blindfolded him and cut his wrist to put in the mixture of gun powder and cocaine. They told him to shoot, and he ended up killing his best friend. After that the soldiers had told him that he was a killer now and that his family would never want him back, that they were his family now. Even after hearing that he managed to run away while they were traveling to another village. Michel believes that we can change the world for the better and has hope for his native Africa. Peter Mayer and the House Band and the band Skillet performed.

 

 

Saturday, July 25^th: Today was the final full day of the youth gathering. We spent the day at the Convention Center in the Krewes Learning Center. In the Learning Center there were many different forms of learning experiences for us to visit. The majority of them fit into three different types: Workshops, Learning Centers, and Integrators. They were all organized under three broad areas: Bible Study, Church in Society, and Spirituality. We were supposed to do at least one activity that was a workshop, learning center, and integrator.

The speakers at the Super Dome that night were Donald Miller, Anne Mahlum, and Venice Williams. The musicians were The Katinas, Guyland Leday, and Amanda Shaw. There was also a group of performers called The Flying Karamazov Brothers. Donald Miller is a disciple of Jesus who feels that our religion has been reduced to principles and ideas that can be mass marketed. He challenged us to think about God and Jesus in a new light. Anne Mahlum is a runner. She started running when she was younger and she continues to run. As she was running the streets of Philadelphia she saw homeless people everyday. Eventually they got used to her running by, they started to smile and talk to her. One day she invited them to run with her and they did. She ended up starting the organization called “Back on My Feet.” This ministry promotes self-sufficiency of Philadelphia’s homeless population by engaging them in running as means to build confidence, strength, and self-esteem. The organization also provides a community of equality, respect, discipline, teamwork, and leadership. Venice Williams is the program director of the Hockings Heritage Garden and Alice’s Garden Children’s Garden. These are programs that serve children, families and local food pantries by focusing on traditional African American and Native American gardening methods. Venice teaches courses that help women understand their life’s journey by exploring the cycles of the four seasons.

 

 

Sunday, July 26^th: Our Closing Worship Service was held in the in the Super Dome. The service was led by Bishop Mark. S. Hanson. Guyland Leday, Rachel Kurtz, and Agape, were some of the musicians who performed. For many gathering participants, this was also their last day in New Orleans.

 

That afternoon, our group went on a Riverboat Lunch and Harbor Cruise. We had a traditional New Orleans meal for lunch and took a two hour cruise on the Mississippi River. 

 

Monday, July 27^th: Today was our second Service Day. We partnered with the Operation Nehemiah Project and worked at the Holt Cemetery. Half of us got to work with raising the head stones that had sunk into the mud, while the other half of us continued the work of digging a drainage ditch. When finished, this ditch will provide drainage around the cemetery and will prevent water from flooding the cemetery. Our group followed others who had worked in this cemetery during the Youth Gathering.

 

That evening we received a tour of the New Orleans Naval Air Station in Belle Chase. Navy Lieutenant Jack Stewart led our tour, shared stories of his career in the Briefing Room, walked us through several hangers and showed us his Hornet Fighter Jet. Our evening concluded with a traditional Cajun dinner at Little G’s Restaurant. We enjoyed Jambalaya, Crawfish, Gumbo, Muffalets and some “dressed” Poor Boys!

 

Tuesday, July 28^th: We enjoyed ourselves at the Blue Bayou Water Park and Dixie Land Amusement Park in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Several thunderstorms rolled through in the afternoon, causing some brief ride closures. For dinner, our group got to choose between eating at Sonic or at the Waffle House. The group was divided about half and half. Roger and Bob got to have their picture taken with the crew at the Waffle House. It was the only way Roger would leave!

Wednesday, July 29^th: Today we went on three tours. One of the tours was a swamp tour. The other two were plantation tours. A trapper took us on his covered boat into a bayou. We saw an alligator’s nest, and three alligators. Our plantation tours were at the Oak Alley and Laura plantations. At the Oak Alley plantation we took a tour of the mansion there that was built in 1839 and also walked the grounds. At the Laura plantation we got a tour of the grounds and of one of the houses there. At both we learned some of the history of the area and how the plantations worked, more so at the Laura plantation that at Oak Alley.

 

We celebrated our last night in New Orleans with a dinner at Mulate’s Restaurant.   Our group sampled fried gator, grilled gator and other delicious Cajun and Creole food. Some of our group took to the dance floor as the local band played Cajun and Zydeco music. What a great way to celebrate our trip to New Orleans!

Thursday, July 30^th: We visited the New Orleans Audubon Aquarium. After the Aquarium, there were still a few hours for some last minute shopping, the shuttle to the airport left at four in the afternoon! Our flight to Denver left New Orleans at 6:45 PM. There was a one hour layover in Denver and then we flew back to Seattle. Our group of traveler’s arrived at the church around one in the morning on Friday, July 31^st. .

 

Perry ~ “It was a good experience and we had an opportunity to help a bunch of people in different ways.”

 

Brianna ~ “By going on this trip and by participating in the work that we did we showed God’s hands at work.”

 

Ryan ~ “It was fun and very enlightening.”

 

Aleah ~ “It was amazing! And a wonderful trip to feel like you make a difference.”

 

Matt ~ “Everything was well organized.”

 

Michaela ~ “I thought that the trip was amazing and I had a lot of fun. I wanna go back because it was a wonderful experience. J”

 

Caileigh ~ “It was fun and an experience I’ll never forget.”

 

Mariah ~ “It was amazing to see God work through so many people and it felt so good to let the city of New Orleans know that they are not forgotten.”

 

David ~ “It was really hot out.”

 

Megan ~ “This was an amazing trip for our youth to participate in. It was amazing to be a part of the 37, 000 that came out to help a community in need and to see God at work.”

 

Karlie ~ “I would have to say the impact we made in those three days would have taken three years. That is crazy.”

 

Brianna ~ “What I found to be most shocking was that so many people abandoned their homes and decided never to return to them after Katrina.”

 

Matt ~ “That old lady that invited us to her house for sodas while we were cleaning up the neighborhood.”

 

Sarah ~ “That it still needs work after four years. Inspirational was all the stories we heard. Whether at the super dome or out in the community.”

 

Kaaren ~ “Seeing the devastation that was still there after almost four years and then being told by Jessica that it is progressing and getting better everyday, her optimistic attitude towards the rebuilding, and the appreciation by all of the local people.”

 

Megan ~ “The most inspirational part was hearing all of the stories whether it was at the Super Dome or in the community. And then just being able to see what was still left to be done after four years saddened me. On one of the days I remember asking if there was anything more we could do. I felt like we had done so little those two days when we actually got a lot done.”

 

Aleah ~ "My most inspirational part of New Orleans was helping with the grave yard, because it was there where I felt like I made a difference.”

 

Michaela ~ “When there were blocks and blocks where there were no houses just slabs.”