Growing up in New Orleans, Mom made sure that we never missed a year of Jazz Fest. It had then and it has now the best food that Nola could offer and some of the best music that the world could offer. I saw everyone from local bands to Ladysmith Black Mambazo to James Taylor to Juanes to anyone in between while stuffing my face with cheesy crawfish bread, oyster stuffed mushrooms, lemon sorbet with raspberry sauce, and any form of hydrating liquid. It was so hot that you could barely move. It only took a matter of minutes upon arrival before it felt that you had jumped in a pool with your clothes on. It seemed that there was no escape from the heat and humidity...
Or was there? Just when you felt convinced that you couldn't possibly stand another second out in the open heat, everyone's eyes would meet, and you all knew what needed to happen. The Gospel Tent. Oh yes. The Gospel Tent, perhaps as anointed by God, had massive fans. The shade and air circulation in there was clearly blessed by the Lord, and you would find respite within the massive sound of Gospel choirs from all over America and probably the World. The sound and the air would wash over you drying the sweat and preparing you to re-enter the outside world. It gave you the perfect amount of determination to get from the tent to the nearest incredibly large, incredibly iced tea.
Every time a month has a fifth Sunday, East End Fellowship (EEF, my home church here) doesn't hold a regular service, but rather encourages its people to go out into the community and visit another local church. On a walk, Rosy noticed a sign on a church front saying that this Sunday they would have an old fashioned, hand-clapping, foot-stomping service outside. You had me at old fashioned. I spent this morning with my house-mates at Fountain Baptist Church held in the sweet shade of their outdoor tent listening to the massive sound of their Gospel choir. We were greeted and spoken with by everyone we passed. The pastor made a special effort to come and greet us after the service. We were, thankfully, handed fans to try to swipe away the thick, hot air, and we were fed generously after the service. The service ended with the Amen song that I first heard from and will always associate with Sidney Poitier in the 1963 classic Lilies of the Field. This morning was wonderful and life-giving because I was able to connect with my community in a way I hadn't before.
I'm telling you, the Lord has a thing for Gospel Tents.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Chimbo Palace
I had no idea what to title this post, but then I just named it the nickname for my house. I live at Chimbo Palace, which happens to be on Chimborazo street, which is probably where it got its name.
A number of people asked me if I would continue blogging this year, and I do fully intend to. Then, I didn't know what to write for the past few weeks. The truth is that its been a lot of meetings and sessions and learning about the neighborhood and learning about CHAT (Church Hill Activities and Tutoring) and our roles within that. It's been a struggle between me feeling like I already know all the stuff and me realizing that the information is vital whether I've heard it before or not, and I certainly don't know everything and definitely need to pay attention.
The other thing people have been asking me is what I'll be doing. Great question. That's gonna be a moving target, but I also know a few things that I can share with you. I know that I will be working at the 20 Spot, which is the house of one of our staff where tutoring takes place. Monday and Tuesday afternoons, I'll be there initially doing literacy tests and eventually monitoring the volunteer tutors and their students as well as stepping in if there is a shortage of volunteers. Wednesdays, I will be helping out with an outdoors club we do with a partner organization called Blue Sky Fund as well as leading a cooking class. If anyone ever wonders what I'm going to do with my Anthropology major, I plan to make different food cultures and their respective meals. Boom. Anthropology. As my Friday elective with Church Hill Academy (CHAT's high school), I will be again partnering with Blue Sky Fund to do a rock climbing class. I'm pretty excited about that because I haven't been rock climbing since I was a kid, but I remember really loving it.
I'm also a point person for most food things CHAT related, so I will be prepping and cooking a heavy snack for tutoring days. There will be many hands involved, for which I am very thankful. I'm hoping that all the time spent at Holy Family (home church) will have sunk in, and I will be unafraid to cook for high volumes of people.
I'll have more thoughts and reflections later, but hopefully that clarifies some of what I'll be doing and what CHAT is about. Let me know if you have any questions!
A number of people asked me if I would continue blogging this year, and I do fully intend to. Then, I didn't know what to write for the past few weeks. The truth is that its been a lot of meetings and sessions and learning about the neighborhood and learning about CHAT (Church Hill Activities and Tutoring) and our roles within that. It's been a struggle between me feeling like I already know all the stuff and me realizing that the information is vital whether I've heard it before or not, and I certainly don't know everything and definitely need to pay attention.
The other thing people have been asking me is what I'll be doing. Great question. That's gonna be a moving target, but I also know a few things that I can share with you. I know that I will be working at the 20 Spot, which is the house of one of our staff where tutoring takes place. Monday and Tuesday afternoons, I'll be there initially doing literacy tests and eventually monitoring the volunteer tutors and their students as well as stepping in if there is a shortage of volunteers. Wednesdays, I will be helping out with an outdoors club we do with a partner organization called Blue Sky Fund as well as leading a cooking class. If anyone ever wonders what I'm going to do with my Anthropology major, I plan to make different food cultures and their respective meals. Boom. Anthropology. As my Friday elective with Church Hill Academy (CHAT's high school), I will be again partnering with Blue Sky Fund to do a rock climbing class. I'm pretty excited about that because I haven't been rock climbing since I was a kid, but I remember really loving it.
I'm also a point person for most food things CHAT related, so I will be prepping and cooking a heavy snack for tutoring days. There will be many hands involved, for which I am very thankful. I'm hoping that all the time spent at Holy Family (home church) will have sunk in, and I will be unafraid to cook for high volumes of people.
I'll have more thoughts and reflections later, but hopefully that clarifies some of what I'll be doing and what CHAT is about. Let me know if you have any questions!
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