All the Way to New Orleans for Thanksgiving?

Yes, the McCain's and Phipps made it here today after driving for two days (the Levine's are still in flight!) Thank you for your prayers and your support. Some of you have supported our efforts in New Orleans for the past 5 years, starting with gutting/rebuilding trips to New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina. This year, the McCain, Phipps and Levine families committed to travelling to New Orleans to serve the meal and you helped fund the meal itself. We are grateful. Since some of you are new to this journey, a little background is in order. . . just why do we go all the way to New Orleans to serve a Thanksgiving meal??

It started on March 13, 2006: the first day of our first post-Katrina short term mission trip, some of you were with us. My journal notes remind me that we worked in the lower 9th ward on a brick house. We spent all day gutting this house. Everyone worked so hard and we still didn't finish on the first day. Jeanne and I were happy to take a break to find lunch for the team (we had been instructed to bring our own lunches along, but thought we would just pick up some sandwiches during the lunch break.) Little did we know that the neighborhood had no services, no street signs, no lights, nothing. We kept driving trying to find something, but nothing was there--not even a fast food or a grocery store. Everything had been destroyed by the storm and its aftermath.

We drove up and down the streets to no avail. Feeling frustrated and a bit nervous, we made one right turn and saw a bright and freshly painted red and white, shiny diner named "Stewart's Diner." We walked into Stewart's diner and it sparkled with glossy paint, new tile and new furniture. Praise the Lord that the diner had just reopened for business one week before. We ordered 14 "President's Specials" from the Owner, Kim Stewart. Ms. Stewart shared her Katrina experience with us and told us that President Bush visited the diner just the week before (his first visit to the 9th ward) and ate there too, hence the "President's Special!" (red beans & rice w/ potato salad, smoke sausage and cornbread) ! It was delicious. This meeting was the start of an eternal friendship, one based in our mutual love for our Lord and Savior and a call to serve our neighbors as ourselves.

We would travel to New Orleans several more times to gut and rebuild houses, and to serve and love our neighbors in New Orleans. Each time brought us back to Ms. Kim's. Each time we left, we knew we would meet again. Now, our families serve our neighbors in New Orleans together: the Stewart's and their family and friends; and this year, the McCain's, Levine's, Phipps and YOU, our family and friends. Thank you for being a part of family serve. Please pray that the message of the Lord spreads quickly as we serve in His name.