In Stony Point, small groups and some training sessions were divided based on the location of our service (international or national). After being in New Orleans for a couple of months I think they might have made a mistake with the New Orleans YAV placements! New Orleans definitely feels more like like a foreign country!

This weekend has been one of the most eventful in my life, and without a doubt the most eventful of my time in Nola. Thursday night our house was broken into. The man wanted money and was surely disappointed that we had none! You can say a prayer of thanks because we are all okay and the man is in jail. Friday we helped at the food bank, and went to a home dedication ceremony. Saturday I had my first marathon training (ps. I am training for a marathon--more on that another time) and presbytery meeting at which we were commissioned for service. Sunday was a typical day. I drove through the rivers in New Orleans (previously known as streets) to go to bible study. I came home to find my roommates pouring buckets of rain water from their cars. Oh...we also had three visitors from out of town this weekend!

In the midst of all the emotion, tension, and stress I also experienced the best moment (so far!) of my time here in New Orleans. On Friday we attended a home dedication ceremony in the lower ninth ward. For those of you who haven't seen New Orleans since Katrina here are some pictures of the area...

The first picture is taken from on top the levee that broke. This area used to be filled with houses. This picture (which I stole from google) is musicians village in the upper ninth ward. This is just to give you an idea of the architecture and layout of the neighborhood pre-Katrina.

Back to the story...The house dedication ceremony was for a women who remodeled her house just before Katrina hit and then suffered many set backs on the road to recovery, including being hit by a car. In the beginning of the ceremony, Christina (the house's construction assistant) sang the song At Last by Etta James. I have heard this song a hundred times at karaoke but I will never hear it the same again after listening to it the context of the home dedication ceremony. At the end of the ceremony the home owner had the opportunity to speak. Through her tears, all she could say was "I Give Thanks to God." It was an incredibly touching moment that I will not soon forget. In the midst of a crazy weekend it was also a great and much needed reminder of why I am in New Orleans.