After months of pre-trip planning, inlcuding raising support and attending pre-trip meetings at Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, July 21, 2012, finally arrived. The morning of our departure I awoke excited and nervous for the journey and adventure that lay before me. With no expectations and ready to be God's servant, Michelle and I left our comfort zones and departed for New Orleans. We were joined by 220 Crossroads volunteers and traveled South in 5 buses.
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| Michelle and I--READY TO ROLL! |
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| After a couple slices of Naked Pizza, we boarded Bus #3 and began our 17 hour journey South to New Orleans. |
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| The buses stopped every 2-3 hours and I assure you we shocked more than one person as 220 people disembarked from 5 buses! |
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| As you can only begin to imagine, bathroom lines were LONG! |
After breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Slidell, LA, we arrived in New Orleans. What tugged on my heart strings was the vast array of visible reminders of Katrina. It's been 7 years since the storm devastated New Orleans, but reminders remain constant; like a nightmare you can't escape.
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| Crossroads Church has partnered with Franklin Avenue Baptist Church (FABC) since Katrina devastated the area. FABC suffered significant damage as their sanctuary flooded with nine feet of water on August 29, 2005. Members of FABC displaced from the storm, found themselves in different locations throughout the US. In April of 2008, 4,000 members and guests celebrated the completion of their new sanctuary and worshipped in their "new" church once again. |
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| We were humbled and honored to be welcomed into FABC on Baptism Sunday. The celebration service was incredible--true Southern Baptist style with uplifting music and a rousing sermon. It was a blessing to be able to experience such a service upon first arriving in New Orleans. |
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| After service, we returned to our buses and traveled to the Embassy Suites. Unfortunately, our rooms were unavailable, so we packed everyone's luggage (arranged by Go Group) in two conference rooms and left with our Go Groups to explore New Orleans and visit the Katrina Museum. |
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| Maybe this is a big city sight, but one I've certainly never seen before. This man dressed from head to toe in bronze stood like a statue and attracted all kinds of attention. We were all kind of perplexed at first because, while we knew he was "real", there truly was no indication that he was breathing. Honestly, it was a bit creepy! |
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| Fun Fact: The heat of New Orleans is hard on horses, so all of the carriages are pulled by donkeys. Only the Mounted New Orleans Police use horses in the city. |
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| Chris, Kareem, Michelle, me, Kenny and Alicia--members of Go Group 12 on Jackson Square |
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| The Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis King of France is the oldest Catholic cathedral in continual use in the United States. The St. Louis Cathedral overlooks Jackson Square. |
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| Enjoying the French Quarter--one of the oldest neighborhoods in New Orleans--established over 300 years ago. "The Quarter" extends 78 square blocks and the district as a whole is considered a National Historic Landmark. The ironwork and architechture in "The Quarter" is mesmerizing! |
The Katrina Museum opened 5 years after Katrina ravaged New Orleans. The museum was an emotional tribute through artifacts and actual eyewitness accounts (news coverage, aerial rescue tapes, individual stories) to those that experienced the sheer fury of Katrina first-hand. As a visitor to the city for the first time, the stories shared by New Orleans residents were absolutely heartbreaking. To learn more about the museum and all the artifacts that were salvaged visit:
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| Ruined Steinway baby grand piano recovered from Fats Domino's Lower 9th Ward home. |
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| After visiting the Katrina Museum, our group visited the inside of St. Louis Cathedral. |
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| Outside the cathedral, a band gets us clapping to the sounds of New Orleans |
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| Walking through the French Quarter back to our hotel so we can check into our rooms. |
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Our home away from home for our week in New Orleans. The hotel staff at the Embassy Suites, New Orleans,
was amazing! Sunday evening concluded with a 7pm dinner and worship service in the conference room and then Michelle and I joined a few new friends and ventured to The Howling Wolf. After being awake for 40 hours straight, I expected to be exhausted, instead, I was ready to embrace the week and begin serving. |
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