if you watch only one tv show...

...make it something other than "K-Ville."

i was actually looking forward to watching the premiere of the new Fox cop drama last night since it is being filmed in New Orleans and supposedly would have post-Katrina New Orleans as a main character. i'll just save you the suspense and tell you now i was pretty disappointed. admittedly, i'm not a big fan of the crime-drama genre to begin with, so perhaps i should have prepared myself for some of the artificial drama they would cook up. but i was under the impression that it would be more like a show reflecting the actual problems and crime that are a part of the city's reality today. but instead, the first episode was about a conspiracy theory involving a downtown casino and a private security company. maybe this is typical crime-drama fare but i didnt think new orleans was represented well.

first of all, the cop played by cole hauser supposedly came to serve on the nopd from cincinatti, after having spent time in the military. but as we find out at the end (attention, spoiler alert) he is actually a convicted criminal from new orleans. he was in prison during the storm and when it flooded, he escaped and somehow ALL the records were lost. apparently they were so thoroughly lost that he had no problem becoming a new orleans police officer. what!? thanks for adding to the image of corruption. second of all, daytime shootings in the french quarter? no. and that wont help the image of a tourist-friendly place. drive-by shootings with machine guns? no. the writers even had the nerve to suggest that you can still smell "toxic sludge" throughout the city. i'm not sure what kind of scent that is, but i have a feeling that if it was still an issue i would be able to smell it. but no. and the topper was this: in the beginning the cop played by anthony anderson said he was attending a neighbor's gumbo party. now, i am not a new orleans veteran but i have talked to some and none of us have ever heard of a gumbo party.

now i understand that it adds money to the local economy to shoot the show here, so i think that is a great thing. but will it really add sympathy (and more importantly, compassion-driven action) to new orleans' cause? will it become just another backdrop for just another crime-drama? imagining new orleans is like "k-ville" is like imagining that life in new york is like "nypd blue." if you want to know what life is like, come visit.

and if you want to know what other new orleanians had to say, check this out.

august 29: a day (un)like any other day

I wondered what today would be like. There were not as many memorial and commemorative ceremonies planned today as there were on this date a year ago. I didn’t know how it would be for the people in my life who are native new orleanians, people who waded through flood waters and were displaced thousands of miles from home. How does one commemorate an event whose effects are still being felt, an event that, in essence, has not really yet ended?

As I was in the car with patricia, with whom I have been working in the CURE office for the past several months, I asked her if she had any plans to commemorate Katrina. No, she said, she doesn’t want to give any more time or energy to thinking about it. And I realized in that moment that not a single day goes by here where the storm and its effects are not remembered, blamed, looked to as an explanation for current conditions. There is no one here whose life was not effected by the storm. Even I, who moved here just after the 1-year anniversary of Katrina, can see the noticeable results in my life of a storm that hit a city I did not yet know.

So, today proceeded like a typical day. We had a birthday party for stacy, who is indicative of another way my life has changed in the past two years since Katrina. It was Katrina and her damages that brought me down here, yet it’s the relationships and community that have developed around me that kept me here. Stacy is a part of that. Stacy’s birthday originated before Katrina was a curse word in these parts and in true new Orleans fashion, celebrations for stacy will continue long after Katrina’s sting has eased. I went to a hardware store and overheard a man talking about several other hurricanes he had lived through in new Orleans. Not something unusual for any day in this below-sea-level city.

Later I drove around taking pictures of houses to present the juxtaposition of aug 29 2005 to aug 29 2007. it would probably be more accurate to document September 15 2005 versus September 15 2007, since it took that long for most of the water to be pumped out of the houses it had long destroyed by then. As I snapped some photos to point out how little has changed, it occurred to me that that’s not the impression I want to give. Yes, new Orleans is still very very broken. Yes, there are many parts of the city that look like the storm just passed yesterday. Yes, there is still years and years of work to be done. But yes, this city is being rebuilt. Yes, families are living here; normal people are actually getting on with their lives. Next to a leaning, overgrown house is a newly painted one with a “for rent” sign. There are some blocks with maybe one house still needing to be gutted; there are other blocks with maybe one house that is habitable.

I think this city has always been one of great paradox. You can choose which parts to see and revel in and which parts to hide or deny. All I ever knew of new Orleans before I came was mardi gras and the French quarter. But there is so much more. And in relation to Katrina, we can hide in those parts of uptown and the garden district that didn’t get flooded…or we can scan more widely and accept that large parts of the city still have yet to begin healing. I think the only just view is one that encompasses both. Because, in the moments I am honest with myself, that is just like my life. I am a person of great paradox. I can choose to boast of my strengths and those parts of myself that show little damage or I can expose those parts of me that are broken and dark and in need of serious repair. To deny the full picture will only bring partial healing. But to accept and bring to light all that is destroyed is the only way to address all that hurts.

no-la

today i had a truly unique new orleanian experience, and the type they don't tell you on the visitors' tour...

thunder and lightning woke me up about 2:30 am and it rained hard on and off all day. well apparently what happens in a city built below sea level when it rains really hard for several hours is that the roads begin to look like rivers. and so it was, when we tried to go back to work after lunch, we looked around and all we could see were cars trying to swim by, water coming up to the tops of the tires. it was craziness!!! it's a combination of being below sea level + sewers that are clogged (because the city is below sea level) + pumps that might not always be working at full force. i got even more of a taste when, in our attempt to drive home, we hit a low spot and (only by the grace of God) just barely made it through. however, not without some questionable effect to the engine--i'm getting that checked out tomorrow morning.

the weirdest part to me was how this was accepted as just a normal thing, the attitude of "this is just what happens." in my mind, coming from chicago where if the snow on your street doesnt get plowed within an hour of its landing there, you're ready to boot your representative from office, this just seemed ridiculous. as our friend from work said though, if it's 2007 and it's always been this way, what's gonna change it now? good point. and it also opened my eyes to what may have been going through the minds of some residents during the build-up to hurricane katrina. if spring and summer storms are a common occurrence, and people can normally just stay inside and shrug them off, then perhaps that is what kept so many people from taking the threats seriously...

and i realized something else, something bigger. if i was in africa, i would have far more compassion for the potentially slower pace of life and fewer modern conveniences. and thats because i am willing to embrace that culture for what it is, instead of trying to impose my standards on what i think it should be. now maybe it's harder for me to do that in relation to New Orleans because we are still in America, after all, but i think it's only fair that i extend grace to this city, as well as to its people...as well as to myself, trying to make sense of this crazy place. New Orleans has a culture all its own, as does every place on the map, and when i abandon my standards and expectations and particular cultural lens, i am freer to embrace what i see before me and celebrate the eccentricities all around. so that's what i want to try to do, flooded streets and all.




note: for the most part, i'm talking about convenience-related cultural quirks. there are clearly various cultural practices around the world that have serious moral failings. that's not what i'm addressing here.

out like a lamb...

and just like that, the month of March was gone. here's a quick recap of the past 31 days of my life...

CCDA institute, where Desire Street hosted several speakers to teach on Christian Community Development ministry; a visit from Rachel, which included a trip to the gumbo shop & hammering at a warehouse; a visit from Karrie & Chelsea, which included a parade with kissing italians, ice cream, beignets, and a pedicure; a sojourn into the all-consuming phenomenon that is the ncaa men's basketball tournament. now i can see why it's called March Madness. i had never been into this before, but living with a college basketball junkie has brought out the competitive spirit in me. i was compelled to make a bracket and now there's a chance i can beat danny wuerffel in our office pool. go buckeyes!!; many beautiful afternoons in audubon park--the average temperature here this month has been approximately 75 degrees; a friend's emergency appendicitis (don't worry, he's fine now); mardi gras indians--this is a long-standing new orleans tradition where grown men don elaborately hand-made feathered & beaded costumes and parade through the streets to commemorate the efforts of native americans in assisting blacks who were escaping slavery; a visit with some Tufts friends, here volunteering for their spring break (some other friends in the city are part of a long-term relief team that coordinated close to 2000 student volunteers during the month of march. college basketball was not the only reason for madness!); various musical performances including switchfoot, rebirth brass band, and ryan and the rhythm-makers at fritzel's european pub; dinner with Mission Year president Leroy Barber; second CDC 58:12 board meeting, which is exciting considering the CDC didn't even exist before i came here; lunch with our favorite former-new-orleanian- now-north-carolinan jeff killebrew; and tonight the month caps off with a fiesta to celebrate the engagement of a friend from church.


prayer requests:
-future steps. the program that i'm in technically ends in august. right now the choices i am looking at are: stay in new orleans to continue working with Desire Street Ministries; move to Milwaukee to live with two of my Mission Year teammates from last year and find a job; move to South Africa to live with one of my chicago friends and work for an organization that she is helping to start. i'm finding that i am very indecisive when it comes to large decisions, thus i dont know what to do. please pray for wisdom and peace and calm in this process.
-our work here & the general recovery of the city. the latest "plan" for the city's recovery was released late this week. that's plan number 5 for those of you keeping score at home, all this a good 19 months after Katrina. and this plan does not include all neighborhoods as priorities. the Desire neighborhood is one of those not included, though it is unclear what exactly that means. we will continue to fight the good fight, believing in the rights and justice of bringing people back home. it is easy to get discouraged, so please pray that we would keep a good attitude and not lose our focus.

there is much to be thankful for, including the above-mentioned details of the past 31 days. although i didn't pick one specific thing to give up for lent, i am looking forward to easter, which represents the reason for my hope--the only sense i have in believing that good will triumph, injustice will end, and love will ultimately win.




p.s. and if you are in the "young adult" demographic and you want to spend some time in New Orleans, apply for the DSM summer internship! you can get information at http://www.desirestreet.org/new/urban.php or ask me for more details

Life on the Oregon Trail

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the computer game "Oregon Trail." Not only because I miss those old Apple IIe computers, but also because it reminds me of my life here in New Orleans. Let me explain...

In May, when Leroy Barber, president of Mission Year, came to visit our team in Oakland, he talked about the new opportunity being developed for Mission Year alumni to live and work for a year on the Gulf Coast. Short on logistical details, Leroy hooked me with his talk about the need for pioneers--this would be a year for people ready to lead the relief work. Whereas Mission Year is a pretty well-oiled machine, complete with an extensive handbook, this opportunity in the Gulf had far fewer details worked out. Normally, this would be a rather unattractive prospect for a potential year-long commitment, but the idea of being a pioneer and helping to shape history on the Gulf Coast inspired me to go. However, in a recent Unified New Orleans Plan district meeting, we sat around the table with City Councillor Cynthia Hedge-Morrell as she explained to the group that really we are not pioneers, but in fact we are trailblazers. The trailblazers make a path where there is none, and pursue what may seem to others like nothing more than a pipe dream. Trailblazers see hope and a destination where others see only wilderness and barriers. Pioneers, you see, may be the first ones to follow the path towards the destination. Pioneers are brave and courageous for going in new directions but someone had to come first to set out that path. The real pioneers will be the residents of New Orleans who are in the first waves to return in light of the progress that has been made. They will come not knowing what to expect, but hopeful in the path that has been tentatively laid out. The settlers are the residents of the city who will be returning for years and years to come. They will return to homes and neighborhoods rebuilt. The return of these families might skip a generation, but this city will be re-settled.

So you see, all this explorer-lingo got me thinking about my days playing "Oregon Trail." A lot of times I feel like I am traversing the wild west in nothing but a covered wagon and trying to plot new ways to get to the destination. While the description of a trailblazer may seem glamorous, most of the time it has been anything but for us. There are certain unique challenges that come along with being the one to clear away the branches when you can't quite see what's in front of you. While we are not needing to hunt buffalo for our meals or cure Susie's typhoid, the current trailblazers in New Orleans have their own set of difficulties to overcome. It looks like hundreds, if not thousands, of people in this city struggling to keep their homes heated when the droplets of storm water still gathered in the gas mains around the city block natural gas flow into their homes. We experienced this last week, though fortunately we have electric heat. However, we went without hot water and stove/oven power for 7 days. We whined and complained, and we were only among the many of others who face this everyday in this city. The energy company is understaffed and overworked and the whole system is messed up. It looks like sitting around a table for months to come up with a "plan" for recovery, and then waiting even longer to know if there will be an implementation strategy. It means adjusting to New Orleans culture while at the same time figuring out which parts of tradition will need to be foresaken for the cause of rebuilding this city in an effective and healthy way. It means often not knowing what each day will bring, attending meetings that may prove fruitless, and soldiering on in light of a lot of unanswered questions.

Just having been here for a few months, I feel like a small cog in the whole trailblazing process. I was fortunate enough to spend the weekend with a group of passionate, committed pastors from several local churches. I was at the CURE retreat not as a leader but as a listener. What a privilege! I felt like I was just along for the ride as these pastors talked about what's really important to the recovery of their churches and the community. The conversation turned to how we really define Christian Community Development. It was so neat to see these leaders, the real trailblazers, talk not just about what their individual needs were or how many personal struggles they had but actually discuss what their vision was for a community re-born. I've read books and heard speakers on this topic, but none were quite as encouraging as sitting around the table in this conversation. These leaders are not subscribing to someone else's view or just following tradition. These trailblazers are asking the difficult questions and challenging themselves to come up with the answers that will bring hope and new life in the community.

On the first night of the CURE retreat, we watched a CNN special about the situation in New Orleans. It seems weird when the news of your city is designated for a special on a cable network, although of course we wanted to watch. It kind of reminded me of all the CNN I watched during the days immediately after the storm, wondering how it was possible that the plight of people in New Orleans was being broadcast nationwide while those people, so cut off from the rest of the world, screamed for help, wondering if anyone out there could hear them. People on rooftops waving for help and me sitting on a couch, thousands of miles away, feeling powerless to help. Watching it this time, though, made me glad to be a part of New Orleans. So many times I can watch news like that and then, when I'm sufficiently uncomfortable, I can change the channel to something more pleasant to watch. But here is a city that is crying out for help and I get to be here to be a part of the solution!

As people gathered to protest the violence in the city, many remarked that it feels like the "same old story," same as usual, and that nothing has really changed with all the promises and rhetoric that have proven empty. People are asking the same questions: Where is the accountability? Where is the money? How can we stop the crime? Many of the systems and routines of this city were broken long before the storm and the aftermath of Katrina is exposing all that. It is a testament to the amazing power of God to counter darkness with light. He brings light to bear on the darkest of situations, in order to bring healing and truth to pain and deceit. And that light also shows that there is an alternative, there is a different way. As we clear away the dust and debris, we have nearly a clean slate. As a trailblazer, we don't have to follow the routine that has been set before. We don't have to go down the same old road. And the Kingdom of God provides us a detour. The Kingdom is a whole different story and its vision of restoration and hope is what keeps me here and committed to the trail. We can choose to look at what is directly in front of us or we can keep our gaze set beyond what our limited eyes can see. There is something deep within us that calls out for something more. There is something we can't deny, some power that has brought all these people back here already yearning for their city to be brought back to life. And as blazers of a new trail, we are in pursuit of not the same life that this city once had but a wholly new life of love, truth and justice. We say we are blazing a trail, but truly we are trying to cling to the path that God has set out before us. Some days the way is clear, others we trip over our own feet. But if we are to reach the end, we must get up, dust off, and keep pursuing the city of light and promise of which we dream.

Letter to Santa

December 20, 2006
Dear Santa Claus,

I hope you don’t mind that this is my first letter to you ever. As you probably realize, your relevance in my life was very minimal for the first 19 or so years and at this point I think I’m past the point of hoping you will slide down the chimney. Besides, I could never keep someone straight who is supposed to look like Tim Allen, Billy Bob Thornton, and Jimmy Durante all at the same time. At any rate, ‘tis the season to write you a letter.

First, my wish list. These are the things that I hope you can attend to, Santa. Now I realize that most of them can’t be wrapped and carried in your sleigh, but I have faith that you can work something out. You seem like the resourceful type.
--Financial and prayer partners for the work being done in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. So many people gave so much right after the storm, but this is a long, slow process of recovery and rebuilding and we will need sustained resources for a while. Plus as you know, Santa, being a volunteer ain’t free!
--Peace from crime and violence in New Orleans
--Justice restored to local government
--New affordable and safe homes for thousands of still-displaced residents
--Families to come back and live in those homes
--Bureaucracy-free dealings with FEMA and the Road Home Program
--A healthy and effective school system that provides a just and quality education for all New Orleans children

Now is my gift list. Since it seems you have a tireless workforce and unlimited supply of goodies, here are the things for which I am thankful this season. I’m counting on you to make sure these people get the gifts they deserve.
--The CURE pastors who work tirelessly to serve and shepherd their congregations (many still far-flung), while also repairing their own homes, churches, and lives. I’m so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with these men, who understand the idea of church-led community development and the importance of that being facilitated by indigenous leaders. Santa, please give them extra time to do what they need to do, since many of them are working an additional job besides their pastoring. Please also give them people who will care for their needs and also some rest!
--The warm and generous people who have opened their homes to me and my team. Santa, I know you’ve made a list and checked it twice, but just in case you forgot some I’ll remind you who I’m talking about. Our friends at Desire Street Ministries who have welcomed us into their extended circle of friends. The friends we have made at Redeemer Presbyterian Church who have shared meals, stories, laughs, and wisdom with us. Please grant them a peaceful and joyful holiday season. Please bring some gifts for the kiddies as well as the grown-ups.
--All the people that have come to New Orleans to be a part of the rebuilding of this great city. I have found friends in unexpected places and never thought there would be such a strong community of dedicated people with a heart to see this place restored. I think they would like some rest and relaxation during the holidays and also some good quality time with their friends and families. For the people who have been doing manual labor, I think you could throw in a massage or two, eh?
--The encouragers and supporters who have reached out to me from all over the globe. I couldn’t be here without realizing that my work has more widespread effects than I can see, and these people remind me of that everyday. Please give them a safe and happy holiday season. And a gift-wrapped token of my appreciation. Maybe a fruit basket?
--Of course, baby Jesus. (You know the holiday is about Him, actually, not you Santa. Sorry!) It’s because He left the comforts of heaven, dressed as a baby, to come down to Earth and relate to the joys and pains of human beings that I have the opportunity to relate to the joys and pains of the people in New Orleans. The biggest gift goes to Him since He sees the world and chooses to love, and from that flows grace, peace, joy, faith, and truth. There’s really no gift that would match what Jesus has given so Santa, do whatever He tells you to do!

Thanks Santa!

Yours Truly,


Emily

P.S. You can donate to my support fund by clicking on this link!

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!

at home in broadmoor

first, it started with the trucks. these big, huge trucks parked right in front of my house. i knew this was a bad sign. you see, i've seen the trucks before...just not in front of my house. i see the trucks all the time, in fact, since living in new orleans right now includes demolition and construction as facts of life. but there they were, right in front of our house. now logic told me that they would be focused on the house next door to mine, which has not yet been gutted. on my block, there are about seven or eight houses. i think there are four on my side of the street. besides our house and the house to the right (occupied by construction workers) the other houses are all empty. directly across from us is a house with a FEMA trailer directly in front. it took me a while to realize but there is no one living in that trailer, or that house. next to that house is a double shotgun that appears to have been gutted, but no one living inside. two houses down from us, we saw some people about a month ago loading up a storage container in front of the house. oooh, action! we tried to meet these people but they were very intent on continuing the process. the house immediately to our left was never gutted. i could stand on our back porch and see the house's back door open with things sort of tumbled out (a stove, clothes, a big wicker basket, etc). we didnt know what was happening with the house. and then, there were the trucks.

i wanted to ask the demolition-ish looking men which house was gonna go, but i saw another guy come over and so i asked him. he confirmed my suspicions, that it would indeed be the house to our left. the owner of the house has a medical condition and she was too concerned about the mold to just go through and gut it. so she's having it torn down and will re-build. she's living now in kenner (a suburb about 10 miles west of here) and i guess she plans to come back.

so just like that, emily and i watched the house come down. it shook our house and prevented me from taking a nap. it's taking up most of the block with the trucks and crane/claw machine. and where there was once a house, there's a house no more. the years and sweat and money and love that went into turning that house into a home--gone. crazy to think about. i ask that you would pray with me for a greater sense of thankfulness for the homes which i have been blessed to be a part of and also for the homeowners in this city who have had to go through the emotionally draining experience of having to re-start a life.

for more information on my neighborhood, check out this link.
this experience is different because the neighborhood where i work is not the neighborhood where i live. the two neighborhoods are facing some of the same issues since all of new orleans is in storm-recovery mode. but there are some stark differences. more than 60% of the pre-Katrina population of broadmoor is back, while less than 1% of the people from the Desire area are living there now. in my section of the neighborhood, there are mostly construction workers living around us. but the dynamics change from block to block. as one family comes back and rebuilds, it motivates their friends and neighbors to come back and do the same. there are some blocks that look completely rebuilt and then there are some like mine, half abandoned, buildings being torn down. please pray with me that i would learn what it looks like to love my neighbors when they are scattered all over the place.

Let us hold unswervingly to the faith we profess, for the One who promised is faithful.

(Hebrews 10.23)

This is a story about a man named Jeremiah. Jeremiah was not a very happy man since the call that God had put on his life put him in an unfavorable position with many people. He felt pretty socially awkward, you see, because he always had bad news to share with the people who lived around him. And it was bad news that God had told him to share. It made Jeremiah sad and mad and frustrated. He regretted the day God gave him life. However, God showed great compassion to Jeremiah. He allowed Jeremiah to complain and whine and cry and never once revoked His call from Jeremiah's life. God showed Jeremiah great faithfulness by reminding Jeremiah of His great promises for the people that He loved (including Jeremiah and his rebellious neighbors).

At one point, God told Jeremiah to share with the people the upcoming destruction of their land. This did not make Jeremiah happy, but he knew what his job was. God was deeply saddened and angered by the disobedience of the people, especially since He had tried to show them the way to real life and true joy but they had chosen other pursuits instead. Jeremiah was being sent to all sorts of nobles and royalty and important people to tell them God's plan for the city. No one really believed Jeremiah or heeded his advice.

In the midst of all this, God told Jeremiah to buy some land in the city. Jeremiah was a little iffy on this but he recognized God's voice when he heard it, and he didn't want to be among his disobedient neighbors, so he did what he was told. Just then, Jeremiah's cousin came to him, offering to sell him some land.

Jeremiah went through with the purchase and felt confident as he heard God reassure him. "Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. Life is going to return to normal. Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land."

Now, just because Jeremiah was an obedient and faithful worker for God did not mean that he always understood why God did what He did. Jeremiah understood that displaying faith often meant acting even in uncertainty. But that didn't stop him from confronting God with this uncertainty.

"Dear God," Jeremiah prayed, "You created earth and sky by Your great power—by merely stretching out Your arm! There is nothing You can't do. You're loyal in Your steadfast love to thousands upon thousands—but You also make children live with the fallout from their parents' sins. Great and powerful God, highest above anything else that is worshipped, determined in purpose and faithful to see Your plans completed, You see everything that men and women do and respond appropriately to the way they live, to the things they do.

"'You performed signs and wonders in the country of Egypt and continue to do so right into the present, right here in Israel and everywhere else, too. You've made a reputation for yourself that doesn't diminish. You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders—a powerful deliverance!—by merely stretching out your arm. You gave them this land and solemnly promised to their ancestors a bountiful and fertile land. But when they entered the land and took it over, they didn't listen to you. They didn't do what you commanded. They wouldn't listen to a thing you told them. And so you brought this disaster on them.

"Oh, look at the siege ramps already set in place to take the city. Killing and starvation and disease are on our doorstep. The Babylonians are attacking! The Word you spoke is coming to pass! And yet you, God, the Master of the universe, even though it is certain that the city will be turned over to the Babylonians, also told me, Buy the field. Pay for it in cash. And make sure there are witnesses.'"

And God responded to Jeremiah, “Stay alert! I am God, the God of everything living. Is there anything I can't do? No doubt about it, I'm handing this city over to the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He'll take it. The attacking Chaldeans will break through and burn the city down: All those houses whose roofs were used as altars for offerings to Baal and the worship of who knows how many other gods provoked me. It isn't as if this were the first time they had provoked me. The people of Israel and Judah have been doing this for a long time—doing what I hate, making me angry by the way they live.

"This city has made me angry from the day they built it, and now I've had my fill. I'm destroying it. I can't stand to look any longer at the wicked lives of the people of Israel and Judah, deliberately making me angry, the whole lot of them—kings and leaders and priests and preachers, in the country and in the city. They've turned their backs on me—won't even look me in the face!—even though I took great pains to teach them how to live. They refused to listen, refused to be taught. Why, they even set up obscene god and goddess statues in the Temple built in my honor—an outrageous desecration! And then they went out and built shrines to the god Baal in the valley of Hinnom, where they burned their children in sacrifice to the god Molech—I can hardly conceive of such evil!—turning the whole country into one huge act of sin.

"But there is also this Message from me, the God of Israel, to this city that is being ravaged by Babylon. Watch for this! I will collect them from all the lands to which I will have driven them in my anger and rage and indignation. Yes, I'll bring them all back to this place and let them live here in peace. They will be my people, I will be their God. I'll make them of one mind and heart, always honoring me, so that they can live good and whole lives, they and their children after them. What's more, I'll make a covenant with them that will last forever, a covenant to stick with them no matter what, and work for their good. I'll fill their hearts with a deep respect for me so they'll not even think of turning away from me.

"Oh how I'll rejoice in them! Oh how I'll delight in doing good things for them! Heart and soul, I'll plant them in this country and keep them here! I will certainly bring this huge catastrophe on this people, but I will also usher in a wonderful life of prosperity. I promise. Fields are going to be bought here again, yes, in this very country that you assume is going to end up desolate—gone to the dogs, unlivable, wrecked by the Babylonians. Yes, people will buy farms again, and legally, with deeds of purchase, sealed documents, proper witnesses—and right here in the territory of Benjamin, and in the area around Jerusalem, around the villages of Judah and the hill country, the Shephelah and the Negev. I will restore everything that was lost.”

Jeremiah was feeling very encouraged by what he heard from God. God’s promises never fail and here He was promising to bring His people back to their land and back to their lives. Jeremiah didn’t see it on the horizon and he couldn’t figure out the how of God’s plan, but he chose to trust.

A little while later, God shared more with Jeremiah. “Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own. This is what God, the God of Israel, has to say about what's going on in this city, about the homes of both people and kings that have been demolished, about all the ravages of war and the killing by the Chaldeans, and about the streets littered with the dead bodies of those killed because of my raging anger—about all that's happened because the evil actions in this city have turned my stomach in disgust.

"But now take another look. I'm going to give this city a thorough renovation, working a true healing inside and out. I'm going to show them life whole, life brimming with blessings. I'll restore everything that was lost to Judah and Jerusalem. I'll build everything back as good as new. I'll scrub them clean from the dirt they've done against me. I'll forgive everything they've done wrong, forgive all their rebellions. And Jerusalem will be a center of joy and praise and glory for all the countries on earth. They'll get reports on all the good I'm doing for her. They'll be in awe of the blessings I am pouring on her.

"Yes, you're going to look at this place, these empty and desolate towns of Judah and streets of Jerusalem, and say, "A wasteland. Unlivable. Not even a dog could live here." But the time is coming when you're going to hear laughter and celebration, marriage festivities, people exclaiming, "Thank God. He's so good! His love never quits," as they bring thank offerings into God's Temple. I'll restore everything that was lost in this land. I'll make everything as good as new. This coming desolation, unfit for even a stray dog, is once again going to become a pasture for shepherds who care for their flocks. You'll see flocks everywhere—in the mountains around the towns of the Shephelah and Negev, all over the territory of Benjamin, around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah—flocks under the care of shepherds who keep track of each sheep.' God says so.

"Watch for this: The time is coming when I will keep the promise I made to the families of Israel and Judah. When that time comes, I will make a fresh and true shoot sprout from the David-Tree. He will run this country honestly and fairly. He will set things right. That's when Judah will be secure and Jerusalem will live in safety. The motto for the city will be, "God Has Set Things Right for Us." God has made it clear that there will always be a descendant of David ruling the people of Israel and that there will always be Levitical priests on hand to offer burnt offerings, present grain offerings, and carry on the sacrificial worship in my honor.

"If my covenant with day and my covenant with night ever fell apart so that day and night became haphazard and you never knew which was coming and when, then and only then would my covenant with my servant David fall apart and his descendants no longer rule. The same goes for the Levitical priests who serve me. Just as you can't number the stars in the sky nor measure the sand on the seashore, neither will you be able to account for the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who serve me.

"Have you heard the saying that's making the rounds: 'The two families God chose, Israel and Judah, he disowned'? And have you noticed that my people are treated with contempt, with rumors afoot that there's nothing to them anymore? Well, If my covenant with day and night wasn't in working order, if sky and earth weren't functioning the way I set them going, then, but only then, you might think I had disowned the descendants of Jacob and of my servant David, and that I wouldn't set up any of David's descendants over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But as it is, I will give them back everything they've lost. The last word is, I will have mercy on them."

Sometimes I feel like Jeremiah, looking out on a land that often seems desolate and destroyed. I see this place and I wonder what good can come out of it. But then I turn and look with faith. Look to the promises that God has made and I feel comforted and reassured. God is calling us to rebuild, to buy land and make this place new. God is moving and using His people to bring restoration to this place. He is a God of restoration and faithful promises.

how could i not post about this?

so, today i had a meeting with mayor c. ray nagin of new orleans. well actually, it wasnt just a one-on-one meeting between little emily and big ray. it was a meeting organized by ACT (All Congregations Together) which is a PICO-modelled group (much like OCO in Oakland). this is a collaboration of faith leaders from throughout the city who have been working together for years and years to bring attention to various issues in the community. i was at the meeting because i and my co-worker emily ling were representing Desire Street/CURE and Carver Desire Baptist Church (the church that Pastor Willis, executive director of CURE, leads). so again, as emily said afterwards, i found myself in a position wondering how in the world did i get here?? we watched the devastation of the storm, the levee breaches, the flood with the rest of the world and stayed glued to the tv over a year ago. and now, here we are, in the mayor's office, pressing him on the issues of housing, health care, crime, education. craziness. God uses the weak to confound the strong, huh?

the work we are trying to undertake is gentrification with justice. because, you see, this city is like a developer's dream right now. all this land, barely any homeowners in sight, and so much that needs to be demolished and rebuilt. so in the land of capitalism and the free market, why not make a profit off of it? well, i'll tell you why not. because there were people who've lived here for generations and they will be shut out of the only homes they know. because profit is not more important than people. because housing with justice will create a better community than the highest-end lifestyle around every corner. i could go on.... so many of the faith communities here are trying to pursue this and it's a tough road to go down, especially since so few have had previous experience. but there are others around the country who have done this stuff and we're just trying to learn from them. each day, as we do seemingly small administrative tasks, i can catch glimpses of the bigger picture.....that afternoon 7 months from now when we're standing behind a ribbon with unrealistically large scissors, opening the door for the first family to move back in to their new home. almost gives me goosebumps. so we keep moving along...determined to not lose hope.

if you want to partner in this work of gentrification with justice and don't know how best to use your talents, please consider donating to my support fund. the money enables me to be here and contribute to the rebuilding of the beautiful Crescent City. click the link on the left that says "donate..." thanks for your prayers and encouragement!!

A week in the life

Life here is now measured in pre-Katrina and post-Katrina terms so I thought you might like to catch a glimpse of my post-Katrina life down here in New Orleans. Here is a rough sketch of what this past week was like for me.

I get to work around 8:30ish am with Emily, one of my teammates and we have a brief check-in time with our supervisors, Ben and Pastor Willis. We're reading through Bob Lupton's book "And You Call Yourself a Christian" together and talking about what it really means and looks like to love our neighbors. It's not as easy as it might seem, especially in the complexities of today's urban communities. I really appreciate this opportunity to spend non-logistical/administrative/"work" time with Ben and Pastor Willis since they have different perspectives from which I can learn a lot. Plus, it shows that they are really committed to helping us grow into our work here, instead of it just being a long list of things-to-do. As for what we else we do during the work day: meetings, making contact with groups who want to volunteer, helping Ben and Pastor Willis stay organized, and furthering the vision of helping to make the Upper Ninth Ward a desirable place to live.

On Monday and Tuesday afternoon, we went with Ben up to Baton Rouge to visit Desire Street Academy in its new home. The school was started in 2002 by Desire Street Ministries after the staff realized that after-school tutoring within the current public school system would still leave the students lacking in necessary skills and education to succeed beyond high school. So this school was formed. It had been housed in a large multi-purpose ministry building right in the neighborhood, but the storm changed all that. Last year the school held classes and boarded students at a camp in Florida. This year, it has more permanently relocated to Baton Rouge. It will probably stay here for a while, though there are hopes to bring it back to New Orleans eventually. Since the DSA sports teams are still technically part of the New Orleans sports league, all the home games must be played in New Orleans. So we get to watch the high school basketball games this winter!

On Wednesday night, we were invited to a bar-be-que with a year-long relief team from Campus Crusade for Christ. I have been surprised to meet so many other young people who have committed a year to helping New Orleans rebuild. It is so encouraging to us to see how the efforts to rebuild this city have really been driven by volunteers. And, it’s encouraging to know we'll have another group of young people we could hang out with this year who might be able to understand some of the struggles and frustrations we will face. We hope to spend more time with these friends throughout the year.

Thursday night we got a real sampling of New Orleans cuisine. Leroy Barber, president of Mission Year, was in town for some meetings and wanted to hang out with my team. We found a great restaurant/grocery that served authentic Creole cuisine. On the table for dinner were po-boy sandwiches, etouffe, red beans and rice, and of course jambalaya. (Every time I say that word it still reminds me of George on Seinfeld when he wants his "jam-ba-layyaaaa") That was deeeelicious. Then, to top it off, we had dessert at Creole Creamery. They have some crazy ice cream flavors like sassafras-chicory, lavender-honey, cucumber-dill, Creole-cream cheese. They also have some more normal flavors and I presume this will be a spot that is frequented by my team this year.

We knew we would be hosting our first volunteer team this coming Monday, so on Friday we checked out a house that still needed to be gutted. This house belonged to a family in the Desire Area that had just moved back into the city from Houston the previous week. We ran into them when we were driving around, mapping out the status of the neighborhood. Being in their house was CRAZY! They had just gotten their FEMA trailer (over a year since the storm) and nothing has been done in the house. As we walked in, stepping over carpet and mattresses and TVs still caked in a thin layer of dry mud, I wondered about this family. I wondered about the people who lived here, who called this place home. The woman we met that day driving through the neighborhood, she owns this place. I wondered what those moments during the storm were like for them. I wondered if they had scrambled up to the attic when the water began to flow into their street, their block, their house. The freezer and fridge still sit in the living room where they had undoubtedly floated. I saw a kid’s bike covered in mud and dirt in a back room and wondered about the little person who used to ride it. The water line was still visible on the wall, I even wiped a little of the dirt off the wall with my finger. And now, everything needs to go. The walls, the carpet, the furniture, the TVs, the computer, the fridge. Everything. This house, that used to be a symbol of rest and place to come back to—going to be wiped out down to the framing. It just made me wonder about the memories and moments and lives those walls had seen.

Saturday was the District 7 planning meeting, hosted by ACORN. (Now just for some background about the planning process in New Orleans…Over 80% of the city was flooded during the storm. That's a lot, but it's not every neighborhood. Initially, individual neighborhoods were making recovery and rebuilding plans, hoping to make their section of the city better than before the storm. Then the city decided that instead of just updating the neighborhoods that had been flooded, they wanted a plan for the entire city. Hence, the Unified New Orleans Plan (www.unifiedneworleansplan.org) In the Unified plan, each neighborhood is represented by some planning group. District 7, which includes the upper ninth ward, is being represented by ACORN (www.acorn.org)) So, this was actually the FIRST District 7 UNOP meeting. Yes, that's right, over a year post-Katrina and they're having the first meeting. As I sat in the back of the meeting, I thought about what I had written previously about the spirit of the people in New Orleans. Yes there’s a spirit of wanting to rebuild but its stemming from a frustration and exhaustion from having no answers, getting the run-around, still not having their houses fixed—no place to sleep! People are sick and tired of not being given answers, not given help, not given hope. This is a planning meeting (which is far from the implementation phase), and they were showing boards and notes from all sort of community planning that had been done pre-Katrina. And we’re trying to do all this with neighborhoods that maybe didn’t even talk to each other before the storm. Now they’re supposed to suddenly be united? People want their liiiiiives back. we’re at this planning “vision” meeting and the facilitator is asking them to imagine what they could have in their community by 2010—2010?!?! Some of the people here don’t know where they’ll be sleeping TONIGHT! And years and years and years of crooked New Orleans politics have taught residents not to trust anything that comes from the government. So there’s so many complex layers upon layers. And to be honest, the work that’s been done for the most part is because these people were fed up of waiting for someone ELSE to help them and they just decided to help themselves. They found someone to gut their houses, they harassed the energy company, they stayed all day, everyday on the phone with FEMA. They’re tired of waiting.

But my new friend Paulette reminded me, as we sat in the back listening to the meeting, "I know where my help comes from." Our hope and our help will ultimately not come from the government or politicians. There is a limited amount of resources and the interests of running a city are unfortunately not always dictated by the interests of its most vulnerable citizens. I have been encouraged to remember that God stands by with a heart that breaks for the oppressed and mistreated. God provides a hope that doesn't promise immediate results, but does promise a sovereign force in control. When we have no one else to look to for help, we can still go to the One who has created us all and holds us in the palm of His hands.

After the meeting, we drove around the neighborhood to continue in our mapping efforts and someone stopped us. We were driving slowly and taking notes, really not making any attempts to blend in. The man came over to see what we were doing and when we explained that we were with Desire Street and Pastor Willis, he immediately gave us the scoop on the neighborhood. I realized this was the husband of a woman in the meeting who had shared her own story of trying to get back to the neighborhood. The energy company refused to turn on her power since there were no other customers. But she kept bothering them to turn it on and finally they did. And then, the neighbors returned. This man pointed out to us each of the houses and the status of the residents. This was a real true community before the storm, and it is making steps towards regaining that form. He invited us into their home and showed off the handiwork of a house completely remodeled. It was remodeled by necessity and he had done such a nice job with it. The visit with this man was a taste of that light and hope amidst so much frustration and despair.

There is so much yet to do and I am excited to see how the upcoming weeks and months pan out. Desire Street and CURE are taking on some big projects to fulfill a vision for the neighborhood that had been home to so many. I am reminded of a visit to San Francisco earlier this year, around the time of the 100 year anniversary of the great San Francisco earthquake. The image that came to mind was a phoenix, rising from the ash. And I hope and I pray that that will be said of New Orleans in the months and years to come.

One Month Down in the Big Easy

Periodical update #1

Before I came here, the buzzword for preparation was FLEXIBILITY. We heard it in june when we came down for a round of interviews in Mississippi and we heard it many times between then and the beginning of September, when we arrived for training. And I have found that FLEXIBILITY really is critical to maintaining balance and sanity down in the gulf coast these days. It manifests itself in a variety of ways and the effects of the storm show up differently each day. We see it when we drive down the major road near our house and see what used to be a taco bell now turned into a new Orleans seafood fast-food restaurant. We pass by many other fast-food places whose signs either seem trapped in time because of no change since the storm or advertise wages over $10/hour just to attract enough employees to serve customers again. We see progress in construction, or deconstruction in some cases, every day. We drove up to our house last night, coming back from a 5-day training in new mexico and we noticed a new portable storage unit in front of one of our neighbor’s homes.
Life here also looks like long lines at a restaurant and at the bank because, as the hostess at Olive Garden told us, open tables don’t mean available staff. There are staffing shortages everywhere, even while the businesses have to re-open to stay afloat. The 24-hour sign on the Walgreens across the street is not lit up, and the store is only open now from 7am to 9pm. The spray painted symbols which remain on nearly on every house, from when the search teams went through to identify potential hazards or dead bodies. You can hear it in the stories…oh the stories that everyone wants to tell! Flexibility also means that wherever you’re trying to go will probably lack street signs along the way. Having a map doesn’t really help if you don’t know the name of the street you just passed.
Flexibility also shows up when I realize how our jobs will be effected. desire street ministries has been split up between three cities—the school is in baton rouge, the main administrative offices are in destin, florida, and the office where I’m working is located in what used to be a pediatric medical clinic leased by the ministry. The multi-purpose ministry building is up and running, but only the part with the basketball court and not the section with office space. Thus, the renovations of the office that I will share with my teammate Emily are just being finished…over a year since the storm. When I start to get frustrated that the documents I’m trying to fax through just wont seem to connect, a small voice reminds me to be flexible. The fax machine is on a table in a back room, and just a few days ago it was buried under a pile of ladders, tile, light bulbs and other construction materials du jour. Is it hooked up to the phone line? Is the phone line working? Do other people know the fax line number of the new office? We are in the midst of creating the illusion of a fully functioning office, but there are kinks in nearly everything we try to do. My response could be frustration but a small voice reminds me to be flexible. The storm that has thrown a wrench in all our smooth operations is the reason I am here. So I take a deep breath and commit to trying the fax machine again tomorrow.
The recent Saints football game a few Mondays ago nearly brought the city to a standstill—it was like a holiday! It represented so much for the city. It brought so much hope for the city to be revived. It was a transformation of the superdome, which had become a representation of all that was horribly wrong about the aftermath of the storm. It meant national attention for people to see how much has been done, and the fact that we still need more help! It showed that people were willing to invest in this place once again, something that is so needed for the city to become even better than it once was. The spirit of the people here is committed to rebuilding and renewing this beloved city.
My teammate Emily and I are working in the upper ninth ward, a community that used to have about 5,000 residents. Now there are probably only about 50 people living there. The neighborhood is pretty unlivable though. For the most part, it looks like the storm hit last week. There are some trailers scattered here and there, but other than that there are few signs of life. There is at least one house with the outside wall gone where you can see a couch still precariously balanced on the second floor. Many of these houses have not yet been gutted and probably will not be before the city decides to tear them down. There is a bright side in all this, though. For a community that may not have been a healthy and desirable place to live previously, this is a great opportunity. This is a fresh start to redevelop the neighborhood in a way that makes a good place to live again. The city needs its residents to come back, but in neighborhoods like this, there is not much currently to come back to. When I lived in Oakland, there were so many things that my teammates and I observed and lived through that we wished we could change. There was so much of the culture that was ingrained in the rhythm of the place. Even if we made changes in the life of an individual, which I am not discounting, there were so many structural injustices and hindrances that had, over time, developed an iron-grip on the community. But here, all that was wiped away with the storm. It is exciting to think about the changes that can be made in the structure of the community, and in the lives of its residents who will hopefully come back when they see these positive changes beginning. For now, we are still in the planning stages.
As for the house and community where I am living, things look a little different than the upper ninth ward. Broadmoor, my neighborhood, is a part of Uptown, an area just west of the Garden District and French Quarter. Desire Street Ministries is about 5 miles to the east of us, but many things make it feel much farther away. Across the street from our house, there is a FEMA trailer in a yard, though we have never seen anyone go in or out of this property. There is not much other activity on our immediate block and I’m pretty sure that the houses behind and next to us have not yet been gutted. Standing on our back porch, we can still see a pile of clothes and washing machine strewn out the back door. There is a house located kiddie-corner from us where 4 middle-aged guys are living. They are from Kentucky and they came down here earlier this year to take advantage of the construction opportunities.
The Broadmoor neighborhood association is one of the oldest in the country, as opposed to the upper ninth ward community association which CURE and Desire Street had a role in forming recently. Residents of Broadmoor mobilized very soon after the storm, especially since the city initially planned to turn the neighborhood into a giant green space. This area is one that has one of the worst flooding histories in the city, but a drainage plan that has been in effect since the 1990s has proven very effective. Except, of course, when your storm defense systems collapse and are overtopped and your whole city becomes a fishbowl. My teammates and I attended a meeting of the neighborhood association and it was highly organized and well-attended. They announced that night that an initiative to generate private funding for the rebuilding efforts would be announced the following week at the Clinton Global Initiative summit in New York City. No word yet on the pledges that were garnered. It’s exciting to be a part of such an active neighborhood, one that is mixed in nearly every way. I’m excited too to get to know more of the neighbors who are back here, trying to rebuild. As for our house, if you know anything about Mission Year, you would think this place was a palace. Now, if you have “normal” standards, then the place we’re in is just fine. But for me, I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. It’s a shotgun house so it’s long with the rooms connected to each other, and no substantial hall way. There are hardwood floors, ceiling fans, and even a DISHWASHER!! We have air conditioning and new furniture and plentiful cabinet space. It’s great.
My teammates and I are getting along well also. I’ve actually been surprised at how quickly the differences between having 4 roommates and 2 have become apparent. We’re still figuring out each others’ habits and quirks and getting into the process of digging out the deeper stuff.

I plan to be posting updates periodically, perhaps, when I am feeling extra ambitious, more often than once a month. Thank you all for your prayers and support and birthday phone calls from afar!! If you would still like to contribute financially, you can send a check to Mission Year, 2520 S. Western Avenue, #304, Chicago IL 60608 (indicate Emily Rhodes--Gulf Coast) or donate online through www.missionyear.org/donate. I love you all and look forward to sharing the ups and downs of this year with you. Please do not hesitate to post your comments or questions, or even contact me directly by email (Emily.rhodes@alumni.tufts.edu) to talk more about your life or mine!