The Levine family finally made it into New Orleans early Monday after getting stuck in Dallas with a broken plane. With a few hours of sleep, a quick devotional with the McCain and Phipps' families, a most wonderful breakfast of eggs, pancakes, coffee, bacon, and yogurt we were off to work doing beutification and clean up for House of Hope Fellowship church in the 9th Ward. We worked mowing, weed-eating and cleaning debris from the neighborhood where this new church is being built.

It's hardly a church by what most of you would think... it is a corner church still under construction but the basic framing, roof and walls are complete and the drywall has been hung. Despite still being under construction the church is still full of chairs and holds regular services for its members-another great example of the spirit of New Orleans.

While we were working at the church a couple of neighborhood kids came by and struck up a game of football with the boys (Bryce, Jack and John) in the area next to the church that we had just cleared. It was a beautiful site and a great example of the small ways you can minister to a community.

After a quick trip over to Stewart's Diner for a potty break and a sandwich lunch in the driveway of the church, we were off to visit John, a surving storm vicitim who lives in the lower 9th Ward. John made his way to safety by climbing through a hole in his roof during Katrina five years ago, and you can still see the hole today.

John, a retired school teacher was mowing the neighborhood yards when we arrived and shared stories of how the government will reclaim the land once it is overgrown and unruley. John has a riding mower that one of his neighbors helped him get and mows several yards (at least 6 that we could see) and takes care of the neighborhood park.

Talking to John, I could not think of anyone I know like him in San Diego that would take so much care and pride in his neighborhood that he would willing spend all day taking care of his neighbors yards. It really made me think about what the world would be like if there were more people like John it.

The streets in the lower 9th ward are full of potholes and ravaged by overgrown lots, water damage and lack of maintenance by the government. As we made our way back we couldn't believe that these conditions still exist here in America today. So many of the homes have been buldozed, from what used to be a population dense area. The remainder of the houses are mostly what we would consider abandoned, although they are occupied by people too poor to fix them.

The distrust of outsiders was evident in the wary looks we received from most of the people we saw, although we never tired of waving to all the people sitting in their front yards watching us. It is a truly wonderful blessing for us to be here, to put in perspective what blessed and abundant lives we really have. Well we are off for now but will try to write more as time permits...