Greetings from a very unseasonably cool New Orleans (which made for a great and comfortable day of work…sans mosquitos & humidity)! We all arrived safe and sound yesterday, with only one minor glitch, which we were able to take care of by the evening. It really was nothing short of a miracle that it was a gorgeous day yesterday, that neither rain nor sleet nor snow figured in any of our travel plans (we just missed Rochester’s snow), that we made all our airline connections, and that we actually arrived in NOLA when we were expected to. These days, such events are tantamount to miracles. And we thank God for them!
We are all tad bushed and bewildered after yesterday’s day of travel, a late-night Cajun dinner at Frankie & Johnny’s, orientation, and our first day on the worksite. But we’re enjoying lovely company, and benefiting from some very skilled leaders on the worksite. We’ve joined together with a Presbyterian church from Delaware, which sent 10 women and 5 men to work with RHINO, for their second trip. A true story: while dining at Frankie & Johnny’s last night, a large group processed past our table. They looked like a fine upstanding group of people, and indeed were. They sat down decently and in orderly manner, and after questions were posed to them, some raised their hands, again in a very orderly manner. I said in hushed tones to the others at our table…”Look, I bet they’re Presbyterians!” Sure enough. I stopped at their table to ask if they were “the” Presbyterians from Delaware with whom we would be working at the RHINO worksite, and indeed, they confessed they were.
We’re working on two houses at Ferry Place which basically need “just” finish work. However, our “manly-man” men (grunt, grunt) were relieved to find a little heavy-duty, high-skill work to do. So all God’s children are happy. Kate Snider, our SCAPC/Habitat link, packs a lot of intellectual brawn and construction know-how in a diminutive frame, and would certainly have my vote if she runs for any elected office after this job.
The Brent House, the hotel at Ochsner Hospital, is bona fide treat. It belies its plain exterior by providing luxurious lobbies and rooms, and direct access to any medical services we might need after a hazardous day on site. (No, Linda, we’re all fine, and being very safe. 
)) While no one seems to miss living in a dormitory and waiting in line for a shower, there is some nostalgia about the porch and rocking chairs that we left behind at the Land House. Everyone seems to be coping pretty well, nonetheless.
We will be having our first dinner tonight at St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church, followed by a Bible study. We’ll be studying hospitality, which is one of New Orleans’ greatest gifts to the world…loving people as they are, making them feel welcome and part of the extended human family here. We will check in again with you tomorrow. Until then, laissez les bons temps roulez!