Obviously, we began our car ride catching up on some sleep for a few hours (some more than others, as Catherine Ann, our champion sleeper, got twice as much sleep as the rest of us). But by 8:45 AM, I know my car, which included David, Slayden, and Elizabeth, was awake and chatting.
We were making good time, arriving in Montgomery in about 5 and a half hours. The ten of us had a delicious and much-anticipated lunch at Moe's, as most of our breakfasts consisted of yogurt or dry Cheerios, if anything at all. We wolfed down burritos and chips, which I found interesting because after my dad was halfway through his po'boy last night, he declared he wouldn't "eat anything ever again."
Afterwards we piled into the car, and some people switched vans. I don't know what it was like in the other car, but we passed most of the time playing games of "20 Questions" and "Would You Rather." All afternoon we were laughing to the point of tears and reliving the MANY jokes of the week. (Closer to the end of the drive, a weave/hairpiece/??? from the previous renter of our van was found, which caused some of those teary laughs. We found it appropriate to share it with our sister van by hanging it out of our window speeding down I-20.) I don't think we stopped talking for a good 4 hours. A phrase that was said more than once was "Man, I'm sad this is over."
At about 6:45 PM, we finally pulled into the SMIF parking lot. Unpacking the car was hard only in the fact that we had to finally smell our sweat-soaked, mud-caked, paint-covered tennis shoes once again. (Note to Parents: Dispose of your child's tennis shoes in order to avoid chemical intoxication of your home as soon as possible.)
So this is it. The final blog post from your COLA to NOLA gang. You've gotten a detailed description from a different perspective each day. While those are very helpful for parents and parishioners back home, and alot of fun to write, it is impossible to put into words the experience we've had this week. It's easy to tell you we've dug alot of trenches, and that it was hot, and that we had a pretty unbeatable time even when we were feeling beat ourselves, because all of that is very, very true. However, the journeys, spiritual and otherwise, that we have gone on collectively and individually is something that cannot always be named. I can't speak for everyone, but I think it is very hard to dedicate yourself to a week of service and not come out of it just a little bit tweaked, and if that won't do it for you, getting to know and being inspired by people that surround you will.
Just because a problem is not on the news does not mean the problem does not still exist. It has been almost six years since Katrina made landfall on the city of New Orleans, and while the New Orleanians have dusted themselves off and made a recovery to be proud of, there is still alot of work to be done. I don't know a single one of us who would not be proud to say that we were a part of the rebuilding effort. Even if the foundation work we did will not be seen, it is just that, a foundation, and no house can stand without it. While we were only there for a week, we were still there, and we are coming from NOLA back to COLA a very changed and a very tightly bonded group, and we can't wait to show our congregation who we are.
~ Grace Ann Roberts
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| As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10 |
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