Friday, July 24, 2009

 

Day Five

 

Front and Center

 

 

On this fifth day of the gathering, many of us are feeling the full effects of being away from home.  Lack of sleep has accumulated.  Aches and pains from many miles walked are real.  And, of course, we sincerely miss the families and work we are absent from.  BUT, it is a good day to be at the Gathering as God continues to do a whole new thing in all of us… today especially through learning.  Each of the three full gathering days (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) has a theme.  Day 1 for us was our service day.  Today, Day 2 is our learning day.  And tomorrow is our day to play (and so much more) in the interaction center. 

Our learning day (from 9-noon) was in the incredibly large New Orleans Convention Center.  Each participant was encouraged to complete 3 learning experiences which were rewarded by a pretty snazzy bandana.  We had dozens of workshops to choose from.  I heard Psalm 139 in a whole new way in terms of discernment.  Then I watched the PBS “American Experience” movie about the history of New Orleans.  Finally I did 6 activities that pertained to AIDS awareness.  There were workshops on keeping churches green, making Mardi Gras masks, and how to share your story through drama aong with many others. 

After our learning experience we ate in the New Orleans Riverwalk on the Mississippi.  I must say the jambalaya, red beans & rice, crawfish and hush puppies are all really tasty – especially when you have a little of each all at once.  (It’s a good thing I’m walking so much with all these extra calories).  Later our group went to an IMAX movie near the Riverwalk called, “Hurricane on the Bayou.”  This was a great way to be reminded of the devastation that occurred here from Katrina.  And it is actually necessary to be reminded, especially as we walk around this fully functioning city.  It is difficult to imagine, believe it or not, that 8 feet of water flooded out much of this area and that people literally died in the convention center and Superdome in the storm’s aftermath.  Remember the chaos that followed the storm?  Remember how there was an actual national debate as to whether we should rebuild this city?  And now we are here, walking its streets and experiencing its culture.  The movie brought it all back to our hearts once again. 

After relaxing in a dark air conditioned theater we made our way into the hot muggy New Orleans afternoon so that we could trek to the Superdome for tonight’s worship service.  The goal: floor seats for tonight’s mass gathering – which aren’t easy to get.  We arrived at 4:30, a full hour before they would even open the doors and 2 ½ hours before the 7:00 start time of the event.  That meant that we had to sit outside the Superdome’s closed doors for a full hour in the hot sun before we could get in.  And trust me, that wasn’t easy or fun.  But when those doors opened, and after we rushed inside we got the best seats in the house.  We sat on the same floor where thousands of people lived for a few weeks after Katrina.  Only this time where we sat was front and center at the foot of the Gathering’s enormous cross.

The theme of the worship service tonight was Hope.  We heard from  Spencer West and Michel Chikwanine.  Spencer had his legs amputated at the pelvis as a child and now advocates for all who are too easily bullied.  He knows Hope intimately as he has had to overcome seemingly hopeless social obstacles his whole life.  Michel was abducted as a 5 year old boy in the Republic of Congo so that he could serve as a child soldier.  If you have never heard a child soldier’s tale it is more awful than you can imagine.  After being forced to kill his own best friend, Michel (5) was made to assault a village for its food.  There – just 2 weeks into his new soldier life – he ran for three days and three nights back to his village.  He now advocates for change in Africa, believing Hope is real.

It was a good day, but everything requires patience and extra time.  Going to the bathroom, waiting for a shower, and even getting ice requires time.  Lunch had a 45 minute line at every restaurant.  The water fountain in the Superdome had a 35 minute wait.  IMAX was a half hour and well… patience wore thin at times today.  But it never left us completely, and I truly consider that a gift from God.  We should be more cranky with each other and ourselves.  But God is putting himself front and center in our lives through these experiences and when God is being so overwhelmingly powerful, it’s hard to be crabby.  Even when I write this blog at 1:00 AM after a long day.  Thanks be to God!