going going going

i feel like it's been quite the whirlwind since i returned to new orleans after thanksgiving break. seems i've just been going non-stop. i arrived back in town on a monday afternoon, worked three days that week, and then headed to central mississippi for a retreat with the other Gulf Coast Mission volunteers. this was a good time to get away and find some space away from our usual busy-ness, but anyone who knows me knows that i can't really relax in the middle of nowhere for too long. like i said to my roommate emily, spending time in audubon park is country enough for me. we returned this past sunday afternoon, just in time to watch the amazing race!

this week at work kept me busy too. we are working on identifying properties to pursue in the process of acquiring land to develop new affordable housing. i feel like i am in way over my head but i love it. the workdays are heavy on the administrative side, which the organization-freak in me loves, but i do wish we were out in the community more, making relationships with residents. at this point, though, there are just not that many people in the Upper Ninth Ward. Check out these websites, which show the things that we’re working on: www.cdc5812.org, www.unwca.org, www.curenola.org. on Wednesday night we attended a screening for a new documentary film called "Left Behind" about the public school situation in this city. the film was very interesting, as it pointed to the dismal public education system in New Orleans as one of the factors that contributed to a community at its breaking point, as displayed in the aftermath of Katrina. then, i spent the last few days of this week in bed with a cold L winter is real here in the south! there have been freezing warnings this week and it always shocks me when i step outside that it can get this cold in new orleans. not to mention that when you have volunteers do the electrical wiring for your office space, the central heat might not work. and by might i mean definitely. so add that to the adventures of the week.

looking at my calendar, this coming week is going to be crazy!! i have: a meeting monday night, a meeting tuesday afternoon, a meeting all day thursday. wednesday, i need to find a way to be in two places at once because we have a volunteer group coming and also John Perkins visiting. John Perkins is the founder of the Christian Community Development Association, a model on which Mission Year and Desire Street Ministries are based. Mr. Perkins will be spending the day with the CURE pastors on Wednesday and then speaking to a larger group on Wednesday evening. To top all this off, my mom is coming into town and i get to have dinner with her two nights next week! now, i understand that three meetings in one week might not seem like such a big deal, but most of the events and meetings that we go to for CURE or Desire Street are things that myself and my teammate Emily are planning and organizing. so that's why we're so busy!

i've been going through an advent calendar from my church and it has helped put me in the proper frame of mind for this season. it is a time of anticipation and hope and excitement, as we know what will be borne out of this preparation. as i read the words of zechariah, the father of john the baptist, i was reminded again just how revolutionary is this God of ours: "Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us--to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." (Luke 1.67-75)

May you find peace and joy in this season of anticipation!