today

Sorry! I didn't get a chance to post last night.

Yesterday we had our ServantLife day. Here we are at our training session -- a sea of orange shirts.

We went to McDonogh26 Elementary School and read to students there. It was an amazing project. I think that most of us were kind of disappointed that that was our project, but it turned out to be SO rewarding. I read to Ayanna, who is 6. She was so cute and very talkative, once she warmed up. When we reflected on the day, I think that most of us were in agreement that this was our favorite experience to this point.

This was our whole group of 40 who went to that school. Never mind the wheelchair -- I was just having a bad day, after having walked a lot the day before.....

And here is the front of the school.

And then, here OUR kids.... funny thing was, the kids from Mobridge were also at our school! That was fun, too!

We were in the 9th Ward, where the levees first broke. A lot of work has been done, but as you can see from the picture below on the left, there is still much work to be done. This city is a city of contradictions. This morning my daughter came from Baton Rouge and took me to the Garden District (where Loyola University is). The houses there are incredibly huge, ornate, and well loved (see the picture on the right below). This is an extremely wealthy area, where there was virtually no damage during the hurricane. When I contrasted this with where we were yesterday -- and with some places she took me that were closer to the river -- it seems that they could not possibly be part of the same city.

I know that I, for one, am SO glad that we live where we do. I am thankful that we have been able to be here and I wouldn't even mind coming again. It is just that I now realize it is easy to take for granted what we already have.

Keep praying for us -- we are only here for one more day and then will be on our way home. We have felt your prayers and are very thankful for your support.