Yesterday morning we slept in a little and then a couple of us went with Deborah to the grocery store to get some things for our evening cooking adventure. After we finished with that, we piled into the van and went to the African American History Museum where there was an unveiling of the Mardi Gras poster for the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club. Now I am not going to pretend to know everything about all of this, but here is what we learned. First, the Zulus are not just in it to party, and if they were, Mardi Gras is about a lot more than what wasted Bourbon Street tourists think it is. The Zulus, as you can imagine from their name, do a lot of social projects in the community, provide a social club for members, and are one of the most famous krews for Mardi Gras. The event we went to is a yearly celebration where they usher in the carnival season by unveiling their yearly poster. One of the cool things about it was that some of them were there in full dress, which means they are covered entirely in costume and face paint. One of the guys there is the "Minister of Fun" and had the sweetest costume of them all. Now, one of the things I am hyper-sensitive to when I am here is the respect of people's space and cultures. So, at first, I wanted a picture with him, because it is a sweet outfit. On the other hand, I was nervous because I didn't really belong at this event, had no real idea what was going on, and wasn't sure how photo-friendly these events are. I did end up getting a picture with him and a few others and they were glad to talk with us for a few minutes about their club and Mardi Gras and it was cool. And the picture might be one of those I can't get to right now...but thanks to the magic of modern technology and facebook, I can post Tonya's now and then will post my own when I get home: ) Thanks!
The other thing about yesterday's visit that was great was that, since it was at the museum, we got free admission to the museum, which I have wanted to visit since I first came here. There was a main room with artifacts, including an application to the KKK, a slave trade certificate, books by famous African Americans, and more. There were several smaller buildings that had a lot of paintings in them. The paintings had a lot of different pictures of Mardi Gras, slavery, the city, and more. I took a few photos, but also cannot post them right now. If you are interested, google "Ted Ellis Art" and you can view some of his work there.
The second activity of the evening was getting together at Chuckie's (Deborah's sister) to cook New Orleans dinner. So much to say about this one. First, it was great to be in a home again. The hostel is an odd sort of environment, and "homey" isn't really the first descriptor that comes to mind. It was good and needed downtime for a while when everything was being prepared. Right before dinner, the woman I have been working with this week, and her two boys came. I was thinking during the week that it might be nice if they could come, but was really pleasantly surprised to see them last night. I think a lot of times she struggles because she doesn't have a lot of social supports around, so it was great to see her and the boys. that picture, i do have!
The second great surprise to walk in the door was a little boy I had worked with during the summer when I was here in July with the summer camp program. During last year's trip in January, some people from the Binghamton group had worked with a woman who was dealing with all kinds of crap - drugs, violence, poverty, and more. We were amazed to see her this year and to hear her testimony Wednesday. She has been clean for a year, has a better relationship, and recently started a new job. So all of that I had known this week but what I didn't know was that she was the mother of one of the kids I had worked with in July. It is amazing how Binghamton/Ithaca have connected to the people in the city in a way that allows us to work with individuals multiple times and to have work that overlaps to meet needs of different people in the same families. So cool. I ate dinner in amazement last night; amazement of God's orchestration of all of this, of His power, grace, love, and redemption for this woman's life, and what that means for her family. It was just really awesome. So, here he is, first with me. Then, the next picture is a few of the boys with two of the other students in our group.
Dinner was delicious and the company was great. I have talked to people in the group and at home and maybe mentioned on the blog that I have felt sometimes more alone this trip than when I was really alone because the relational part is difficult. Becuase I have experienced the city, and everything that goes with it, in such a different way before, I sometimes feel very emotionally at a different place than the group I am with. It is difficult to explain, and not a bad thing as much as it is an unexpected challenge. That being said, last night I didn't feel alone at all. It was so great. We have a really great group here from school, people with a lot of compassion and heart for others and it is amazing to see those who are on their first trip just fall in love with the city and people. And, in the same room breaking bread we had upper-middle class white college students, an ex-gang banger-turned-Pastor, a woman who has been clean of drugs for a year, children whose potential is so high and who have so much life ahead of them, and two sisters who lived through civil rights movements at a time when all of this never could have happened. Incredible.
We stayed at dinner for quite a while, filled ourselves up, and headed out pretty late. Today is church (WOO!!) then visits with Bruce and Deborah then a group dinner at the famous buffet. I am stoked. Again, thank you so much for your prayers for me and for what is happening here. I have seen God at work in such incredible ways in myself and in others this week and am grateful for the time people take to pray for that each day.
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