Hungry Ya'll: First Reflections from New Orleans

Greetings to all back at St. Michael's:

Hungry Ya'll? That was the question asked out the door of the Loaves and Fishes Mobile Feeding Program pick-up truck today as we drove through the neighborhood immediately behind Christ Cathedral Church on the near east side of New Orleans. This is one of the neighborhoods that has been chosen by the Jericho Road project that many from our St. Michael's team have been working on these first two days. The two of us from St. Michael's that were volunteering with Loaves and Fishes had just stopped to offer lunch to the many volunteers at Jericho (first 3 pictures below), and there was extra left over. The out-of-work folks on the street looked somewhat surprised that a truck with free lunch food and other personal hygiene supplies would simply stop in the middle of the neighborhood and ask if they were hungry...but that reminded me of Jesus' feeding of the 5000 and how surprised and overwhelmed the crowd must have been. As we quickly handed out about 10 lunches consisting of ham and cheese sandwiches, fresh fruit, cold water, chips, and chocolate chip cookies, personal shampoo, and a small sewing kit, the look of surprise turned to gratitude as we shook hands with those that were the recipients of what, to them, must have seemed like a miracle.

But this was not the greatest mircale of the day. Not only is St. Michael's providing volunteers to Jericho, but so are several other Christian groups including a large group of youth and adults from Columbus Ohio, and a group of about 12 from St. Stephen's (Episcopal) in Richmond. We have all bonded together to accomplish more than we ever thought possible as individual groups, with 25-30 of us under the direction of skilled house-builder "Rusty" and his colleagues Cliff and Emily from Crossroads Mission -- the organization that has teamed up with the Episcopal Relief effort here to provide an important long-range new home building program similar to Habitat for Humanity. And with all these Christians from different churches and backgrounds working together, denominational and parish differences have been quickly put aside to complete wrapping a house in TYVEK, complete hoisting and setting forty roof trusses, accomplish most of a roof shingling job, paint several rooms, install plumbing and electrical components, ceiling fans, and many other jobs on the way t0ward finishing construction on the first six of a planned 150 new homes!!!

And, that doesn't even tell the story of the crew that has been working on the yard and home clean-up phase of this years mission trip to NOLA!!


As we packed up the van and headed back to St. Augustine's Episcopal where we are living, we witnessed this beautiful rainbow over the Superdome (picture below). It was as if God was using this sign of the covenant to bless His ongoing work of renewal and redemption in New Orleans, and in particular that small part of it we have partaken of these first two days. Hungry Ya'll? God is ready to provide His feast! JohnnyMac