Summer Trip - Day 10ish

"Where did all the pictures go?"

If you're one of the dozen people who have asked me that question in the past few days, consider this your answer.

The last few days of the trip were jam-packed with events...and it's unsafe to blog while driving...and one of our cameras broke...and the dog ate my homework.

Choose whichever excuse works best for you.

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Now, on to the pictures:

Waiting at the Superdome for our bus to arrive

Loading the bus - ready to serve!

Andreas Hoffmann, Executive Director for Green Light New Orleans


Being the light of the world, one bulb at a time


More light bulb installation in Kenner


We have our clipboards, light bulbs, and fancy orange t-shirts


Our nightly group meeting at the pool side


The fabulous crew of adult leaders


The sign as we departed Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston, MO
(our overnight stay on the way home)

Summer Trip - Day 9

Here are some more reflections from our amazing young people:

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Lost... that was what I was at the start of this trip. As some have noticed we started our trip a few days before the Youth Gathering started. We were doing our yearly trip to Jackson, Mississippi. The trip was going wonderfully... until a few particular hard questions came up in discussions. While I was trying to think of my answers I realized I didn't know what to think and I found that I didn't know what to think because I didn't know who I was.

It wasn't amnesia. I knew my name, age, address, family... everything about me... everything but my face. I couldn't picture my face in my mind... I started to get scared and even more confused. When I thought of the others around me I could see their face, remember their actions, hear their voice... but when I thought of myself I could only see my hands and feet, my arms and legs. Only the portions of me that I don't need a mirror to see.

As I was trying to muddle my was through this confusion I didn't want to be alone, but I started to become more distant from the group... the group wouldn't let me go. As we arrived in New Orleans the sleeping arrangements were different from those we had in Jackson, so I had new roommates. Due to the new roommates I got to know people better than I did before the trip, but I still didn't completely know myself. And the simplest of actions held me together, holding hands as we traversed the crowded streets around the dome and convention center, hugs (even when they were to comfort another), late night talks, etc.

I knew I was lost before I came on this trip. I was hoping it would help me find my way back to the light... it did. Even though the people around me didn't know what I was trying to deal with they were helpful by just being themselves. The goofy guys who provided comical relief, the girls who know how to hold deep and meaningful conversations, and the leaders who kept us all together. While we were in the interaction center we interacted with one another as well as the other groups with us. We kept mixing up the groups depending on what we wanted to do. The gathering helped us break down some of the walls in the group.

The Gathering provided an opportunity to worship with 36,000 people... that is an experience I would jump at the chance to do again. My epiphany came as we were worshiping. The Bishop told us a story about how his daughter had a time in her life were she was being torn by two halves, her white friends and her black friends, she was scared too. He then told us that we needed to remember our baptism, for in our baptism God claims us as his children. It was after this that my eyes started to get watery. I realized that what I had been looking for wasn't a face that I could see in a mirror. What I was looking for was a new path to God.

I remember that in the faith statement I wrote in ninth grade I wrote something like: I know God will always be with me in my times of doubt, and will welcome me with open arms when I find him again. Today at worship he welcomed me with open arms that I gladly accepted.

The Gathering has been so much more meaningful to me than I had ever expected it to be. From the interaction center to our day of service, the dome events to talking with the people of New Orleans, and the final gathering to worship.

Before the Gathering I was waiting for God to find me, but now I know he never lost me, I was the one who lost myself. Now as I picture myself in my mind I don't see images only of my hands and feet. I see a child of God who lost her way, but now she is wrapped safely in his arms. She is no longer lost, wandering on unknown paths. She has found God's grace.

Anon...

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Letting our light shine, one light bulb at a time

The Servant Learning day made the most impact on me at the ELCA National Youth Gathering. The first couple days, I loved experiencing the huge, mile-long interaction center, 37,000-person Superdome, and abounding city, but I felt like those events were mostly geared for my enjoyment, to build me up. Speakers continually thanked us for being here, and our group of 12,000 had not yet done any service. I anticipated Saturday.

Our service project was with an organization called Green Light New Orleans, which provides free CFL light bulbs to lower-income neighborhoods in order to be more energy efficient and produce less carbon dioxide. This saves people a great deal of money on purchasing light bulbs, as they last 5-7 years, and on their monthly electric bills. As the name alludes, these compact fluorescent lights also preserve the environment by contributing less to greenhouse gases and climate change.

On Saturday, our group of 23 youth and adults from Windsor Heights Lutheran combined with two other groups and took a bus to Kennan, LA. Then we were sent to different apartments in small groups. I really enjoyed entering people’s houses to change all of their light bulbs, because not only were we making an immediate difference in a pretty simple way (especially because I’m tall J), but we were literally immersed in Southern culture in a new way. Each home we visited was friendly and welcoming. One woman expressed her view of the dangers of New Orleans, while her two-year-old son showed us all his cool toys one by one. Another lady was simply amazed at our openness to change her light bulbs, asking questions such as, “Oh, can you maybe do my bedroom too? Oh you can do the kitchen too?”

They were all very appreciative, and I thought it was pretty fun work anyway – we got to be in nice air-conditioned apartments, meet people, and change their light bulbs. As easy as that. They were glad that we traveled from Iowa to make a difference around New Orleans. The friendliness and hospitality caught my eye. Most of them knew that the neighbor to the left did not get home from work until 3, and many opened their doors and asked, “Oh are you here with the light bulbs? We got some too!”

Think about it – not many people I know that live near me back home would be open to four teenagers and two adults walking through every room of their houses, seeing how they live, even if it was to give them free stuff. (We install the bulbs). We can tend to be self-conscious about messes or overprotective of our material belongings. We’d rather take the easy way out sometimes, rather than make a change, even if it’s for the better. My house in Iowa still has regular incandescent light bulbs, either because we did not know the depth of the benefits of CFLs, or we were just not willing to spend the extra dollar to make a positive long-term change. Overall, this fun experience helped us bond with the people and each other while directly benefiting them and the environment. It also taught us to be open to improvements and support of others.

In the spiritual sense, it was cool to literally spread God’s light to the world. Along with the physical help of the new light bulbs, I hope the people can respect the kindness of our Christian group and know that we truly want to help. I hope they can feel the love, which is first the love of Christ shining through us. Slowly we can hopefully take away the hypocritical Christian perspective that some have and bring them to Christ too. “May they see your good works and praise your Father in heaven.” –(Matthew 5:16) Works also grow us, as Christians, because we must act selflessly for others and we therefore become more like Jesus. Philippians 2:1-8 were some theme verses for the Gathering, continuously scrolling across a screen in the dome, reminding us to live humbly like Christ, placing others before ourselves, in order to live for God.

Saturday night’s dome event, (singing worship songs, listening to speakers and music, and learning) and Sunday’s sermon were especially moving for me. A couple speakers talked about God working strongly through our work. We may be just one person, having a little light, but God binds us all together in one body of Christ to be powerful. Saturday night, we each took out our cell phones and cameras in the dark dome, and watched it light up all around us. 37,000 little lights. It was an amazing sight! Later, we also sang some well-known worship songs with the band The Katinas, which got people really excited for God! You could feel the energy and joy in that huge room, which once held the homeless people after Hurricane Katrina! We were helping God bring good out of the pain! I really liked the song “I Am Free”: “through you the blind will see, through you the dead will rise…I am free to run…I am free to live for You!”

On Sunday we heard the story of Jesus’s miracle of Feeding the Five Thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Andrew and Phillip did not give up, and Jesus worked a miracle through the little they had. In the same way, God still uses us today. No talent or effort is too small for God to use to serve His people for His glory! Isn’t that awesome? If we come to Him with the little we have, such as one day of service in New Orleans, He can make more great things happen as a result, encourage more people to act, or change lives forever!

So let’s go out, with our one light bulb, shining with the everlasting power of Christ, not only for 7 years, but for eternity.

Stephanie

P.S. The “Found” blog touched my heart – I’m so happy for you!! God is amazing! He is Life! Amen!

Summer Trip - Day 8

Our young people have some marvelous stories to tell from our Servant Event day with Green Light New Orleans!




How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?... How many times have we all heard that one before... but what I want to know is how much does the simple act of changing light bulb affect people?

Today during our day of serving we were told that we were going to change light bulbs in apartments for Green Light New Orleans, not many of us were completely thrilled with the idea, but we soon warmed up to the task after the realization hit that changing light bulbs can help a home owner with the amount of energy they consume but also help the environment.

The small group I was a part of met a very kind elderly lady. Our team adult sat with her chatting, while we busily scurried around changing her lights. We changed a total of 32 lights in her house. We replaced the old bulbs with new ones that would last for five to eight years. Over the period of five years those seemingly insignificant bulbs will save her a little over $1400 ... 32 bulbs that would cost an owner around $80 to purchase would save so much more. Those bulbs won't only save money, they also cut down the amount of energy that is wasted by normal bulbs and the amount of carbon dioxide produced. But what was most meaningful was the kind lady's face after we told her what those 32 little bulbs would do.

Becca


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I never thought that by changing a light bulb could make such a difference in the world, and change the lives of others around me.

So when my church group found out that our service work was going to be screwing in light bulbs, we were like, "what the heck!?!? What can we accomplish by screwing light bulbs?' But sitting here now I have never been happier to screw in a bunch of light bulbs.

Because by screwing in those light bulbs myself and many other people were able to meet and connect with some really amazing and giving people. Also by screwing in those light bulbs we were able to help alot of people save hundreds of dollars.

I just don't know how to express the emotions that I felt today by bonding with those people. I just want to thank Green Light New Orleans so much for bringing the group together to meet new people. Also by having this non-profit organization donate the free light bulbs, and help thousands of people save a lot of money.

Thank you so much Green Light New Orleans!!!

Nicole


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38,000. That’s lot of Lutherans! You’d think that that would be overwhelming right? But it’s surprisingly the opposite, it’s humbling. When you live in your own little town of Des Moines in my case you feel powerful and important, but when you enter the Superdome and see all those people singing, dancing, and praising you feel so small. You feel powerless and unimportant. You feel like nothing. But then I remember that God doesn’t care where you come from, who your with, or how you praise. All he cares about is you, good old Iowa living corn picking you.

These past few days have been unexplainable. I’ll go home on Sunday and try to explain this week but I know I will be unsuccessful. You can’t feel what we’re feeling unless you are here which is a shame because the love and the security that I’m sure everyone is feeling (although I can’t speak for them) is unimaginable. Everywhere you turn there are kind hearted, loving Lutherans who welcome you with open arms. But I think this city would be this amazing with or without the Lutherans. Before the disaster they were residents of the same city, afterwards they are an extended family. They welcome anyone and everyone. Walking through the streets of Des Moines you feel welcome, but when has a complete stranger stopped you and thanked you for coming to their town? People will tell you their life stories in the middle of the street, and to most people that would seem distracting and just another thing that slows their busy selfish life down. But I have not found one selfish person here or in Jackson. This town has literally made us their own, and that is the most amazing feeling. Coming into a city for 4 days and becoming practically a citizen.

Not only is this city amazing but this convention is amazing. They have gathered the best of the best (and I’m not just talking about the Lutherans). The speakers that we get to hear every night are truly amazing. They are changing the world every day and getting everyone to join them city by city. They have made me believe that I can do the impossible. I can change the world, even if it’s with small acts. I don’t have to be old or powerful or even have to live in a big city. I can change the world from Johnston, Iowa. I can change the world at 17. The world can be good one day, I truly believe that. The world can be at peace. There can be justice in the world. And most important of all… everyone can love each other. I can say firsthand that I have been in a room where I felt love coming from over 38,000 people. How many people can say that?! (I mean besides the more than 38,000 people that were in the room).

God has made an amazing world, and amazing people to be in it. And I hope and pray that the almost 7 billion people in the amazing world we live in will one day come together and make this world a place of justice, peace, and above all else love.

Kendra

Summer Trip - Day 7

We spent the day in the Interaction Center, exploring issues of Wealth & Poverty. There are so many amazing things to do in this space! The young people in our group are growing increasingly enthusiastic about being the change they wish to see in the world. They're also inspired by the witness of the other young people they're meeting.







The highlight of the Dome event was the Skillet concert. Four of our boys had an opportunity to "rush the stage" and be up by the stage. The speakers were solid once again - each sharing their stories of overcoming adversity and using the negative events of their life to make a positive impact on the world.

We're also enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of New Orleans. It will be fun to see a different part of the city tomorrow on our service project.

Summer Trip - Day 6

Today was our first full day at the ELCA Youth Gathering. As with any event of this magnitude, there were a few speed bumps in our day, but our group was patient and understanding...they are truly an amazing group of young people and adults!

We spent some time in the Krewes Learning Center exploring workshops and integrators that caused us to reflect on the way we live out our baptism.




I even ran into my folks (again) while we were exploring. We discovered (via a JJJ09 nametag) that my dad's first name is no longer Steve, but instead it has been changed to "Bishop". Oddly, it can be both a male and female name...and there are 65 other Lutherans with the same name. Who knew!


A special treat for the group was lunch at Mother's. The food and the service were both top-notch. Lots of Ferdi's and po'boys with "debris" were ordered. As for me, the jambalaya and bread pudding sufficed.



We spent some time wrapping up a few learning events and hanging out in the Interaction Center. From there, we visited the offices of the Louisiana Bar Association. One of our adult leaders has a friend who works for there. We went to hear the stories of a few employees who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina. They showed us unprecedented hospitality (sandwiches, chips, candy, soda, water, etc.) and let us sit in their amazing conference room with leather chairs. It was a profound event for all of us. Certainly a highlight for many!!!



We sang, listened, prayed, and danced at the Dome event later that night. Many enjoyed hearing from Jay Bakker (Jim & Tammy Faye's son) -- an excellent articulation of God's love. If only he could have spoken longer! The hip-hop group Group 1 Crew rocked the house and sent us into the evening of Community Life events in several of the hotels. It was truly an inspiring and joyful day!

Summer Trip - Day 5

We left Jackson in crowded vehicles and drove through the rain into New Orleans. Somewhere along the three hours on the road, the heat index increased 25 degrees. Ugh!



The young people were astounded by the size and scope of this ELCA Youth Gathering.

One of our adults put on Facebook "I'm in the Big Easy with 36,000 young Lutherans. The Big Easy is looking pastier and whiter than I remember it." A tidal wave of predominantly northern-states folks have washed over the city that was ravaged by hurricane and flood only four years ago.

We are a part of the largest convention in the city of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

The Associated Press is calling Jesus ~ Justice ~ Jazz the "largest service ministry event ever attempted in three days".




It's a joy to be part of such a significant event - both in the broad impact 300,000+ volunteer hours will have on this city AND in the intimate impact it will have in the lives of individuals.

Summer Trip - Day 4

It was an emotionally moving day for many in our group. A couple of youth have asked to share a few reflections from our last day in Jackson, MS.

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When I got up this morning I was ready to do any work that God was calling me to do. I thought that I was going to be doing more yard work like we did the previous day. But God had a different idea for me. When we arrived at the church we were told there were some spots around the church grounds that people (homeless) were using as a bathroom, and that it needed to be cleaned up. I volunteered because i thought i could handle getting my hands dirty, and i thought i could handle the smell. But boy was i wrong. I had no idea that these places that were being used as a bathroom were also places were people were sleeping and living.

The first spot we (Kendra B, Haley, Naomi, and myself) cleaned was a stairwell leading to the basement of the church. This was the major spot where people were relieving themselves. In the stairwell were also blankets, clothing and news papers. The smell was like the smell of a hog house, i couldn't believe that anyone would go down there, but we did. The next place we were told to clean out was a covered stairway leading into the church.

What we did next has forever changed my outlook on life, and the lives of the people around me.




On the stairway we found scary things like condom wrappers and rusty nails, but we also found clothing and unopened cans of food, basic things that people need to live. It was so shocking to realize that someone(s) was living here, and slept on dirty wet cardboard every night, and had to wear dirty clothing. But was the worst thing we found were Baptist devotional guide to life, and a workbook on how to read the Bible. So what was so sad was that this person was trying to have a relationship with God and Jesus, and yet they were living like they were. And what made me feel even worse was we were taking it all away. We were just scooping it up and throwing it away.



I couldnt stop thinking "what was this person going to do when they came back and realized it was all gone?" I cant write anything to make anyone realize how emotionally draining what we did was. I just wanted to break down and cry. I just pray that whomever was living there, has moved onto a safer and cleaner place. And hopefully by us cleaning up there 'home' they went to a homeless shelter or somewhere with a warm dry bed, and a warm meal.

~ Nicole





Going into this trip I didn't expect what I am feeling. I ignorantly expected it to be just another work trip. But through the sights I've seen, the people I've met, and the conversations I've had my thoughts are not what I went into this wanting to feel. But life isn't always what you want is it?

Throughout my christian education since I was young I have always been told that it is okay to doubt your faith, but I have never really liked that. Although I really wouldn't call what I am feeling doubt, I would call it questioning. I'm questioning if my faith is enough. I'm questioning if I'm doing enough to help.

The people here are amazing. The sights here are amazing. The south looks like Iowa but doesn't feel like Iowa. When the group took a walk throughout the neighborhood people would stop what they were doing just to say hi to us and to have a genuine conversation with us. After spending 4 days in Jackson I know I have had an experience that I will never forget. I will never forget the people, the sights, the thoughts, or the God that sent me here.

~ Kendra G.