The ELCA had been working really hard to open our eyes and our hearts to identify injustices. And not just injustice in far away places but also in our very own world. While much of Thursday and Friday were spent in discussion about bullying, which seems to apply to just about EVERY youth here at some point in their schooling, today was the day to go out into New Orleans and serve.
So, we teamed up with two other churches, one from San Diego and one from Virginia, to go help with a literacy project. On the bus ride, we learned that 2/3 of NOLA children do NOT live with their biological parents. Furthermore, the average child is 2.5 grade levels behind in their reading skills. A summer of no reading can set a child back an ENTIRE GRADE LEVEL. Needless to say, we were ready to help with literacy!
We arrived at the St.Bernard Community Center and went to work "putting together" a library. Basically, we stamped books and put check-out cards in them and then arranged by category on shelves. The room
Was transformed by the end, enough so that even a 8-yr old that poked his head in could articulate the changes.
So there you go! There would be much more to tell about, but not nearly enough time. We need to get up in about 6 hours for morning worship and then, finally, some free time in the city. For those of us unaccustomed to dealing with 30,000+ teens, it is definitely time for a deep breath. As they say: UFFDA.
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