Sometimes I forget what the breezes felt like on my long rambles in Wisconsin. More than anything else, it scares me most when I can't remember the joy of those rare southerly winds blowing wildly across the farmlands and over the hills.
Sauntering seems to not exist in this city. Aside from the safety issues of zoning out while you are walking by yourself, the city doesn't give itself to the wildness of the world like it does in Wisconsin.
We are coming home soon for a short while and when we do, I plan to take in my fill of the snow covered hills and the still quietness of the snowfalls at night. It seems like a dream, the night that 3 of us went wandering into the woods to cut down a Christmas tree, and as we did, lost each other and didn't seek to find one another. We just played alone amidst the trees and the bright darkness that comes with the moon reflecting off the snow.
How I miss the seasons changing and marking the years and time as it passes! There is nothing but the same down here. And though I know this is where I am for a while, I can't help but wonder if that part of my heart that I left with the Wisconsin land will ever return to me, for there are many beauties and wonders here also, but they seem to not replace the sanctity of the Falling leaves or the floating snowflakes or the bubbly clouds right before a storm.
Return me to that place someday, I can only pray.
...I've been reading way too much Thoreau.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The patterns in the trees
I decided to take some time to write. It's been a very long time since I've been able to just sit down and do this, but I'm taking the time to do it. I wish it hasn't been as long as it has been. I'm sure you all have had great changes within the time: it seems that everyone is popping out babies or getting married up there! I try to keep up with it a bit on Facebook, but would really love to hear what is new with all of you!
Life as a teacher in a classroom all on my own is proving to be a challenge. My class is amazing, though. I love them, though I am pretty sure that I fail to show that a good chunk of the time. There is absolutely NO time, however, to yourself when you are a teacher. I eat lunch standing up, I spend my nights writing lesson plans and tracking data that my students have produced through assessments based on standards they need to know. I develop systems that make my classroom run more smoothly. And then I redevelop those when the 1st set fails. I work at least 10-14 hour days. To say the least, it is a lifestyle...not a job.
Marriage is wonderful. We had a rough go of it for the first few months, but we seem to be hitting a stride now that we are almost 6 months in that is comfortable, yet still challenging. It's amazing to think of where we were and where we now are and I can't imagine what our relationship will be like in 25 years, God willing. :)
We were able to take a trip recently to Savannah, GA to see the lovely Delaina Paasch (some of you know her from Madison) become Delaina Hooks. It was an 11 hour drive there and back that we had to make in a 3 day weekend, which made it not quite a vacation, but the drive time left me with ample enough time to reflect and think on the things I have not been able to think on often. All through northeaster Florida and into the coastal areas of Georgia, there are reforestation projects happening. I love reforestation; not just because it's good for our environment, but because of the aesthetic beauty of the young wildwoods. As in any forest, the chaos of the trees sporadically placed is reminiscent of the beauty and power of our God. But when reforestation is looked at from multiple angles, a pattern emerges. The trees are actually planted in rows...and there is comfort in the order of the rows of trees that were planted with a purpose. Stepping back from that thought, really, all trees are planted in their place with a purpose. Nothing goes unseen by the omniscient God we serve.
It is in those forests that I so long to wander through again that I see the good and perfect plans of God. And I am comforted by the seeming disorder.
In other news, please be praying for us. We have decided to hold off on continuing with the implementation of our nonprofit for at least a year. We feel it is the wise decision for now, as we feel like we need to reassess the development process of the neighborhood. It's not like we can just plant a church, like you can in so many places. We have to invest in our neighbors more than we have and God is really challenging us right now to strive to know Him more, to know each other more and to know our neighbors more.
I am nervous to get out there and unsure of what is going to happen now.
But I guess I just need to get back to those thickets and trees...
I love you all and miss you very much. I hope you are doing well and that I will hear from you soon.
Life as a teacher in a classroom all on my own is proving to be a challenge. My class is amazing, though. I love them, though I am pretty sure that I fail to show that a good chunk of the time. There is absolutely NO time, however, to yourself when you are a teacher. I eat lunch standing up, I spend my nights writing lesson plans and tracking data that my students have produced through assessments based on standards they need to know. I develop systems that make my classroom run more smoothly. And then I redevelop those when the 1st set fails. I work at least 10-14 hour days. To say the least, it is a lifestyle...not a job.
Marriage is wonderful. We had a rough go of it for the first few months, but we seem to be hitting a stride now that we are almost 6 months in that is comfortable, yet still challenging. It's amazing to think of where we were and where we now are and I can't imagine what our relationship will be like in 25 years, God willing. :)
We were able to take a trip recently to Savannah, GA to see the lovely Delaina Paasch (some of you know her from Madison) become Delaina Hooks. It was an 11 hour drive there and back that we had to make in a 3 day weekend, which made it not quite a vacation, but the drive time left me with ample enough time to reflect and think on the things I have not been able to think on often. All through northeaster Florida and into the coastal areas of Georgia, there are reforestation projects happening. I love reforestation; not just because it's good for our environment, but because of the aesthetic beauty of the young wildwoods. As in any forest, the chaos of the trees sporadically placed is reminiscent of the beauty and power of our God. But when reforestation is looked at from multiple angles, a pattern emerges. The trees are actually planted in rows...and there is comfort in the order of the rows of trees that were planted with a purpose. Stepping back from that thought, really, all trees are planted in their place with a purpose. Nothing goes unseen by the omniscient God we serve.
It is in those forests that I so long to wander through again that I see the good and perfect plans of God. And I am comforted by the seeming disorder.
In other news, please be praying for us. We have decided to hold off on continuing with the implementation of our nonprofit for at least a year. We feel it is the wise decision for now, as we feel like we need to reassess the development process of the neighborhood. It's not like we can just plant a church, like you can in so many places. We have to invest in our neighbors more than we have and God is really challenging us right now to strive to know Him more, to know each other more and to know our neighbors more.
I am nervous to get out there and unsure of what is going to happen now.
But I guess I just need to get back to those thickets and trees...
I love you all and miss you very much. I hope you are doing well and that I will hear from you soon.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
whoa been a while
It has been a busy summer. The day I got out of work for the summer, I also started summer institute for TeachNOLA. I will be starting in just 2 weeks as an official 1st grade teacher with my own classroom. I want to say that I feel ready for this, but when push comes to shove, I can't believe that they're putting me in charge of a classroom. I guess we'll see what happens.
I was digging through some ollllld photos tonight. Pictures from the Garf and the summer after graduation. Pictures of old lifegroups and my internship at Blackhawk. Pictures from Brewers games and weddings. Pictures from running through the Arboretum in winter, spring, summer and fall.
We will be returning to Wisconsin in just a couple of days for a little vacation before I start school. I feel like every time I go back, I go back to a different world. People have gotten married. People have had babies. People have moved away. I sometimes pine for the old life...for those days that used to be so easy. I miss friends who were always there to piss you off and support you. I miss chilling at the Terrace and on the porch. I miss runs to Trader Joe's and playing pranks on Becca in the office. I miss a lot. Sometimes, I miss it so much that it actually physically hurts.
But there's no way to go back. My life is not what it was. And even if there was a way to go back, I'm sure it wouldn't be better. I wanted to get away, remember? I wanted my life to be uncomfortable.
Well, I got that wish. Don't get me wrong, the life I have down here is very fulfilling. But sometimes I long for the ease of those days.
In Wisconsin, I was Rae. I knew everyone. I did everything.
In New Orleans, I am Rachel. I am married. I have a real career.
What the heck happened???
In a year, I made every huge transition possible. I am not sorry. I am still, however, a bit overwhelmed.
I was digging through some ollllld photos tonight. Pictures from the Garf and the summer after graduation. Pictures of old lifegroups and my internship at Blackhawk. Pictures from Brewers games and weddings. Pictures from running through the Arboretum in winter, spring, summer and fall.
We will be returning to Wisconsin in just a couple of days for a little vacation before I start school. I feel like every time I go back, I go back to a different world. People have gotten married. People have had babies. People have moved away. I sometimes pine for the old life...for those days that used to be so easy. I miss friends who were always there to piss you off and support you. I miss chilling at the Terrace and on the porch. I miss runs to Trader Joe's and playing pranks on Becca in the office. I miss a lot. Sometimes, I miss it so much that it actually physically hurts.
But there's no way to go back. My life is not what it was. And even if there was a way to go back, I'm sure it wouldn't be better. I wanted to get away, remember? I wanted my life to be uncomfortable.
Well, I got that wish. Don't get me wrong, the life I have down here is very fulfilling. But sometimes I long for the ease of those days.
In Wisconsin, I was Rae. I knew everyone. I did everything.
In New Orleans, I am Rachel. I am married. I have a real career.
What the heck happened???
In a year, I made every huge transition possible. I am not sorry. I am still, however, a bit overwhelmed.
Monday, April 26, 2010
New Sounds New Trials
I'm sitting as we speak at the desk that my husband (yes. husband. weird.) built for us to have. After digging out a little space from the paperwork of name change papers, bills and a mish-mash of other things, I think I may have a nice little spot for writing. I need a better chair, but this one will work for a bit.
I've got the new home-recorded sneak peak versions of the next Over the Rhine album that has yet to be recorded and it has put me in a mood for chatting with myself and the pinkish-grey version of the sky this evening.
I've often thought recently about how weird it is to have this mid-summer weather in the middle of April. I guess that's the perk of moving to a tropical region (though I pay for it in July). But Over the Rhine and the kiss of a cool breeze after a hot day has always been one of my favorites of a Wisconsin summer--only now it is marred by the sound of angry men, police sirens and the view of deteriorating houses outside my window instead of the accent of the scent of peonies wafting in my windows and the sight of lighting bugs dancing across the front lawn.
I miss home...
As you can see, New Orleans has still not completely become "home" yet to me. Some days I resent it and other days I rest in its weary arms, but we have not built up a relationship enough yet for me to truly love it here. I feel pressure to love it. But you can't force love, can you?
Marriage is interesting. There are days that I love it and days that I feel completely baffled by every aspect of it--and some days that the bafflement is the exact reason why I love it. It is not at all what my idealistic imagination had envisioned it to be. It is more work than I have ever done. I don't know why no one talked to me about this before I got married. I mean, it had to be out there. Are people really so afraid to admit the bad with the good? Yes, marriage is beautiful. It has exposed things in me that diminish me everyday to be less of Rachel and (hopefully) more of Christ...though I know on most days, I am just a really ugly version of me and not anything like Christ.
But really, why do people not talk about this? Are we really so afraid to admit that our marriages are hard? That we communicate poorly? That sex is an odd thing and nothing like it is in the movies? That we hurt each other without even knowing it and are so self-involved to even notice? That some days we would find it easier to be single?
Because the reality is that this IS reality. Marriage is not pure bliss. It is hard. It is flippin' hard.
I do love him, though, so it makes the work worth it. He is the best man I have ever known. He is the most difficult-to-understand man I have ever know, but he is also the best man I have ever known. We all knew I'd end up with someone that was a puzzle.
Anyway, in more tangible news:
School is winding down. I will be teaching 1st grade next year and will have my own classroom. It should be hard, beautiful, insane, and amazing all at the same time. I am excited and nervous.
We got the paper work for our non profit.
We are officially urban farmers. We have 4 adorable little chickens and all sorts of vegetables and flowers growing in different spaces around the yard.
I think that about sums it up for now. Leave me a little message if you find the time. I miss you all greatly. :)
Love y'all!
I've got the new home-recorded sneak peak versions of the next Over the Rhine album that has yet to be recorded and it has put me in a mood for chatting with myself and the pinkish-grey version of the sky this evening.
I've often thought recently about how weird it is to have this mid-summer weather in the middle of April. I guess that's the perk of moving to a tropical region (though I pay for it in July). But Over the Rhine and the kiss of a cool breeze after a hot day has always been one of my favorites of a Wisconsin summer--only now it is marred by the sound of angry men, police sirens and the view of deteriorating houses outside my window instead of the accent of the scent of peonies wafting in my windows and the sight of lighting bugs dancing across the front lawn.
I miss home...
As you can see, New Orleans has still not completely become "home" yet to me. Some days I resent it and other days I rest in its weary arms, but we have not built up a relationship enough yet for me to truly love it here. I feel pressure to love it. But you can't force love, can you?
Marriage is interesting. There are days that I love it and days that I feel completely baffled by every aspect of it--and some days that the bafflement is the exact reason why I love it. It is not at all what my idealistic imagination had envisioned it to be. It is more work than I have ever done. I don't know why no one talked to me about this before I got married. I mean, it had to be out there. Are people really so afraid to admit the bad with the good? Yes, marriage is beautiful. It has exposed things in me that diminish me everyday to be less of Rachel and (hopefully) more of Christ...though I know on most days, I am just a really ugly version of me and not anything like Christ.
But really, why do people not talk about this? Are we really so afraid to admit that our marriages are hard? That we communicate poorly? That sex is an odd thing and nothing like it is in the movies? That we hurt each other without even knowing it and are so self-involved to even notice? That some days we would find it easier to be single?
Because the reality is that this IS reality. Marriage is not pure bliss. It is hard. It is flippin' hard.
I do love him, though, so it makes the work worth it. He is the best man I have ever known. He is the most difficult-to-understand man I have ever know, but he is also the best man I have ever known. We all knew I'd end up with someone that was a puzzle.
Anyway, in more tangible news:
School is winding down. I will be teaching 1st grade next year and will have my own classroom. It should be hard, beautiful, insane, and amazing all at the same time. I am excited and nervous.
We got the paper work for our non profit.
We are officially urban farmers. We have 4 adorable little chickens and all sorts of vegetables and flowers growing in different spaces around the yard.
I think that about sums it up for now. Leave me a little message if you find the time. I miss you all greatly. :)
Love y'all!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
:)
And we're married :)
Thank you to everyone to came down, who sent cards and letters and emails, who made phone calls and who helped make our day incredibly special.
We're off to relax in Asheville, NC for a few days.
:)
I'll write a better update when we are back. Hopefully with some pictures!
Thank you to everyone to came down, who sent cards and letters and emails, who made phone calls and who helped make our day incredibly special.
We're off to relax in Asheville, NC for a few days.
:)
I'll write a better update when we are back. Hopefully with some pictures!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Just like the Hydrangeas
Hello friends,
Again, it's been a while. You will have to excuse my tardiness of my updates. As I'm sure you all can guess, life has been insane. Michael and I are officially down to 18 days until we will be Mr. and Mrs. Wong. Go ahead. Laugh. My name will be Rae Wong. Say it 4 times fast...bet you can't do it! We've gotten a good number of laughs out of that new name, but I am very excited to obtain it.
In the midst of wedding-madness, I got into a teaching certification program, so that's made life extra interesting. Life in the church plant business is picking up, as we prepare to do our hard launch as Harbor Community Church. Systems are taking form and teams are being built. It's a good thing and exhausting to know what work goes into building a healthy church. All of you who are in an established church, BE THANKFUL. You will never know how it happens until you see it happens. You can hear the stories and see the ramifications of early decisions, but you will never know the toil and work that goes into building it until you do it.
As for me personally, I am overwhelmed with transition. Seems to be the story of my life lately. While it's a good thing, I find that I lose hope easily, which is hard for me to admit. Tonight, I am discouraged (though somewhere deep in me knows that joy will come in the morning.)
Let me try to relate this...
A previous roommate and friend of Michael had a dog named Abita. This past Fall, excited for the ability to grow flowers in November and December, I purchased a bunch of pre-established flowers from a gardening organization in the city that was practically giving them away. I purchased 4 hydrangea plants, beautiful in color, and hurried home to plant them in bigger pots to get them started. Abita, though a wonderfully dog, did not know that she should not eat my lovely new hydrangeas. And ate she did. The barely formed new plants were snapped off here and there, gnarled from her teeth. I thought that they were done for, but Michael convinced me to hold onto them, as he thought they would bloom again.
So I waited for their inevitable death.
A few weeks later, I noticed buds starting to come off of their still mangled branches.
The next night, we had a hard freeze, which is pretty rare for the tropical climate of New Orleans.
Surely the brown, withered leaves were tell-tale signs that these plants were done for.
Again, Michael convinced me to hold on a bit longer.
And then, this past weekend, I walked past my hydrangeas... And they were full of new buds and leaves. Sprouts of color were popping out on even the mangled branches. A new hope filled me. Those branches would see beautiful blooms yet!
It wasn't until tonight that I realized the likeness between the hydrangeas and myself.
Since I have arrived in New Orleans, I have felt like it has been one thing after the next, making me give a bit of myself up. A snapping of a twig here, a bite off a leaf there. Little by little, I have given up my creativity. I have given up my time. I have given up the things that allowed me to worship fully.
The eaten hydrangea. The frozen hydrangea.
And then tonight, whilst in the middle of a breakdown that resulted in a discussion with Michael about the possibility of having to give up the one last thing that connects me to my old self, playing music, I realized how wrong I have been all along and the perspective that I have viewed the hydrangea from.
Since I have arrived in New Orleans, it has felt like a constant battle to not give up who I am. The transition to a full time job. The transition to a boyfriend to a fiance to a husband. The transition to a church plant. It has all left me with the remnants of what was once, sure, a lovely little flower. But through the work of the Gospel and the promise that He works for the good of those who love Him, we are assured that the eaten and frozen hydrangea will once again grow. But not only will it grow. It will flourish. Through the mystery of the resurrection and the promise that those who lose their life will gain it, I will live life more abundantly than anything I could have imagined.
Though I do not feel like myself right now, what good was myself? What good was what I knew of myself? What does it matter...when the life I lead is not my own, but the taking up of a cross.
Through the brokenness comes restoration and through that restoration comes the hope of a good and fruitful life that will be more than my creativity or ingenuity or time could have ever produced.
But that doesn't mean I won't suffer growing pains to get there. It just means that I will need to learn to be joyful in the affliction of the freeze and the pruning by the dog.
Again, it's been a while. You will have to excuse my tardiness of my updates. As I'm sure you all can guess, life has been insane. Michael and I are officially down to 18 days until we will be Mr. and Mrs. Wong. Go ahead. Laugh. My name will be Rae Wong. Say it 4 times fast...bet you can't do it! We've gotten a good number of laughs out of that new name, but I am very excited to obtain it.
In the midst of wedding-madness, I got into a teaching certification program, so that's made life extra interesting. Life in the church plant business is picking up, as we prepare to do our hard launch as Harbor Community Church. Systems are taking form and teams are being built. It's a good thing and exhausting to know what work goes into building a healthy church. All of you who are in an established church, BE THANKFUL. You will never know how it happens until you see it happens. You can hear the stories and see the ramifications of early decisions, but you will never know the toil and work that goes into building it until you do it.
As for me personally, I am overwhelmed with transition. Seems to be the story of my life lately. While it's a good thing, I find that I lose hope easily, which is hard for me to admit. Tonight, I am discouraged (though somewhere deep in me knows that joy will come in the morning.)
Let me try to relate this...
A previous roommate and friend of Michael had a dog named Abita. This past Fall, excited for the ability to grow flowers in November and December, I purchased a bunch of pre-established flowers from a gardening organization in the city that was practically giving them away. I purchased 4 hydrangea plants, beautiful in color, and hurried home to plant them in bigger pots to get them started. Abita, though a wonderfully dog, did not know that she should not eat my lovely new hydrangeas. And ate she did. The barely formed new plants were snapped off here and there, gnarled from her teeth. I thought that they were done for, but Michael convinced me to hold onto them, as he thought they would bloom again.
So I waited for their inevitable death.
A few weeks later, I noticed buds starting to come off of their still mangled branches.
The next night, we had a hard freeze, which is pretty rare for the tropical climate of New Orleans.
Surely the brown, withered leaves were tell-tale signs that these plants were done for.
Again, Michael convinced me to hold on a bit longer.
And then, this past weekend, I walked past my hydrangeas... And they were full of new buds and leaves. Sprouts of color were popping out on even the mangled branches. A new hope filled me. Those branches would see beautiful blooms yet!
It wasn't until tonight that I realized the likeness between the hydrangeas and myself.
Since I have arrived in New Orleans, I have felt like it has been one thing after the next, making me give a bit of myself up. A snapping of a twig here, a bite off a leaf there. Little by little, I have given up my creativity. I have given up my time. I have given up the things that allowed me to worship fully.
The eaten hydrangea. The frozen hydrangea.
And then tonight, whilst in the middle of a breakdown that resulted in a discussion with Michael about the possibility of having to give up the one last thing that connects me to my old self, playing music, I realized how wrong I have been all along and the perspective that I have viewed the hydrangea from.
Since I have arrived in New Orleans, it has felt like a constant battle to not give up who I am. The transition to a full time job. The transition to a boyfriend to a fiance to a husband. The transition to a church plant. It has all left me with the remnants of what was once, sure, a lovely little flower. But through the work of the Gospel and the promise that He works for the good of those who love Him, we are assured that the eaten and frozen hydrangea will once again grow. But not only will it grow. It will flourish. Through the mystery of the resurrection and the promise that those who lose their life will gain it, I will live life more abundantly than anything I could have imagined.
Though I do not feel like myself right now, what good was myself? What good was what I knew of myself? What does it matter...when the life I lead is not my own, but the taking up of a cross.
Through the brokenness comes restoration and through that restoration comes the hope of a good and fruitful life that will be more than my creativity or ingenuity or time could have ever produced.
But that doesn't mean I won't suffer growing pains to get there. It just means that I will need to learn to be joyful in the affliction of the freeze and the pruning by the dog.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
WHO DAT NATION!!
Hello, Old friends!
It's been an incredibly long time since I was able to write. Here is a newsletter that I just wrote for RefugeNOLA. More to come soon. And pictures!
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is In Her, and our land, Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. Isaiah 62:1-4
Hours before the Saints won the division championship game, sealing their spot in the Superbowl, I was able to participate in my first Second Line. (For those of you who don’t know, a “Second Line is a tradition in brass band parades. The "main line" is the main section of the parade, or the members of the actual club with the parading permit; those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the "second line."—Thank you Wikipedia!)
The experience left Michael, Dan and I with a newfound love for this city. All of the elements of New Orleans culture combined into one migrating city block—dancing, brass bands, gold and black, and apparently, Heineken beer. For me, being there FINALLY gave me a glimpse of my capacity to love this city. Prior to this experience, I had a hard time really finding anything good about this city that was worth fighting for, aside from a very non-personal conviction to be here. But something struck a chord deep within me while I marveled at the smells of bbq’ed chicken, saw the incredible dancing, and watched grown men climb up stop lights on one of the busiest streets in the city. I felt like the Grinch when his heart grows 3 sizes too big. Where else would one ever find this kind of celebration (for something that hadn’t even happened yet…)
I knew that this was not something to be taken lightly. After 8 months of living in this foreignness, I finally felt a draw to the city I am living in now. I finally felt the desire to fight for it and not just nonchalantly care for it. I had been praying for this desire for months, and now it stared me in the face.
destruction and devastation. In what other city do people dance in the street and celebrate for any given reason. No where in the world is like New Orleans in this respect—and the way that Scripture describes what our heaven on earth will be like is very similar to the way people celebrate here; it will just be without all of the bad.
My heart explodes with excitement to see God work in this city. My joy is overwhelming when I see one of my kindergarteners truly grasp a concept at school that makes them proud of their ability to learn, despite a failing school system that tells them that they will never amount to anything. My happiness is indescribable when I see Michael take a couple of kids fishing, which leads to their uncle coming by to talk to us one day, opening up other opportunities in the neighborhood to have an impact.
This life that we live is not our own. And this City that we want to see built on our Earth is within reach. We are hopeful and we know that day is coming when He will return and we will all be second lining in the street.
It's been an incredibly long time since I was able to write. Here is a newsletter that I just wrote for RefugeNOLA. More to come soon. And pictures!
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate, but you shall be called My Delight Is In Her, and our land, Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. Isaiah 62:1-4
Hours before the Saints won the division championship game, sealing their spot in the Superbowl, I was able to participate in my first Second Line. (For those of you who don’t know, a “Second Line is a tradition in brass band parades. The "main line" is the main section of the parade, or the members of the actual club with the parading permit; those who follow the band just to enjoy the music are called the "second line."—Thank you Wikipedia!)
The experience left Michael, Dan and I with a newfound love for this city. All of the elements of New Orleans culture combined into one migrating city block—dancing, brass bands, gold and black, and apparently, Heineken beer. For me, being there FINALLY gave me a glimpse of my capacity to love this city. Prior to this experience, I had a hard time really finding anything good about this city that was worth fighting for, aside from a very non-personal conviction to be here. But something struck a chord deep within me while I marveled at the smells of bbq’ed chicken, saw the incredible dancing, and watched grown men climb up stop lights on one of the busiest streets in the city. I felt like the Grinch when his heart grows 3 sizes too big. Where else would one ever find this kind of celebration (for something that hadn’t even happened yet…)
I knew that this was not something to be taken lightly. After 8 months of living in this foreignness, I finally felt a draw to the city I am living in now. I finally felt the desire to fight for it and not just nonchalantly care for it. I had been praying for this desire for months, and now it stared me in the face.
destruction and devastation. In what other city do people dance in the street and celebrate for any given reason. No where in the world is like New Orleans in this respect—and the way that Scripture describes what our heaven on earth will be like is very similar to the way people celebrate here; it will just be without all of the bad.
My heart explodes with excitement to see God work in this city. My joy is overwhelming when I see one of my kindergarteners truly grasp a concept at school that makes them proud of their ability to learn, despite a failing school system that tells them that they will never amount to anything. My happiness is indescribable when I see Michael take a couple of kids fishing, which leads to their uncle coming by to talk to us one day, opening up other opportunities in the neighborhood to have an impact.
This life that we live is not our own. And this City that we want to see built on our Earth is within reach. We are hopeful and we know that day is coming when He will return and we will all be second lining in the street.
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