The final full day and wrap up...

Saturday was our day for culture and learning. We planned for a day of sightseeing, touring, and just exploring New Orleans. Most of us went to the French Quarter and explored the sights there. Our kids are, let's face it, small town kids with small town experiences, and seeing their eyes light up at all the things that makes New Orleans the town it is was a real trip for me. For some, it was their first experience away from home or at least Illinois. Many had never seen the amount of "life" that is there to meet in a city like New Orleans. But what I found so amazing was how the city opened it's arms to the 38,000 Lutheran kids that had decended like a swarm upon their city. Everyone was so friendly, helpful, and kind. They knew we were there to help rebuild and renew their town, but we were also there to erase the bad memories of a horrible event that had beaten and bruised their beloved home. We spent our money there, we ate there, we ran and played, and we laughed and loved there. As Bishop Hanson said in his on Sunday, we came into the Superdome, a place that only hold bad memories for the people of New Orleans, and with our celebrating, our music, our dancing, our praising and worship, we chased those memories out of the Superdome and restored it, and many parts of the city to a happy place once again.

While out and about on Saturday, we took trolley rides, carriage ride tours, toured museums, ate some fantastic local cuisine, and we just got to know and get comfortable with New Orlean. I think that many, if not all of the LYO fell in love with the city.

My thoughts on the week came to me when talking and watching the kids from our LYO. Throughout the 5 days, they laid down their walls and let the emotion, excitement, and spirit of the conference wash over them. Some of them who you might describe as having shells around them, left those shells and blossomed. They talked with probably hundreds of other Lutheran youths and adults, spoke with people they would never normally even look in the eye, and made deeper and stronger connections with each other as a group.

All of them benefitted from the conference. I think each of them has a deeper and better understand of what it means to serve and what affect it can have on others. What we did as a group of 22 was the equivalent of doing 2 weeks worth of work in 6 hours for an organization that was incapable of doing what we did in that one short day. And with the 37,000 other students working around the town for 3 days, it was the same as if one person working 4 hours a day, for 7 days a week, 365 days a year for 96.8 years to be able to do the same amount of work. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, said in a speach to the gathering on Saturday night that there has never been a group that has come to New Orleans that has done as much for his town as the 37,000 Lutheran youths did those 5 days of the conference. Our efforts even reached the ears of the White House, with a letter from President Obama thanking us for the work we have done for the city of New Orleans. I can only hope that this experience stays with our kids and they bring that excitement back with them to Paxton.

Personally, I benifitted from the experience. Never in my life did I ever see myself participating in a event like this. I do not wear my religion on my sleeve, and am not a overly zealous celebrator in religious services. I learned something this week. I felt something this week, and I think I grew this week. I hope that I can bring something out of this experience and strengthen my family, my LYO organization, my church, and my community.

It was a fantastic experience and one I hope to repeat many times over. I grew stronger in my faith and my fellowship with those who went with me, and you know what, I grew closer with all those other thousands of people who attended the conference with me.

It was a fabulous time and I thank you all for making it possible for us to go and a huge thank you too all the LYO kids. I felt like a teenager again being with you, and think you guys are the best!

There is so much more that I could tell you, but I learned something there in New Orleans... why don't you come to me and ask me what I did or saw. Come talk to me like we talked to others in New Orleans. When we talk with each other we learn about others and we begin to understand them better and get closer with them.

Thanks!

Deane

Deane