...Off to Wal-Mart...and this happens....
Grocery shopping for 35 people for one week is no small task. Luckily, Super Wal-Mart has everything one might need...that is everything except customer service. I put together a team of about 10 people to tackle the shopping list and off we go. We actually knock out the shopping list in about an hour which really is great time but then comes time for check out. We line up our five over-flowing carts of food and call back to the house to tell them we are almost finished with the shopping and to save some pizza for us. Little did we realize that check-out at Super Wal-Mart is not so super. Our less than enthused cashier begins scanning and bagging our items...one by one. And by one by one, I mean one item at a time and one item per bag. As you can imagine this takes an extremely long time...in fact it takes longer than the actual shopping did. The cashier is pretty impressed with the amount of food we bought and seems excited to tell us about milk prices and that they too have the "Happy Cow" commercials and the cows are from California...if only she showed that much excitement while she was still scanning and bagging our items. Multi-tasking apparently is not a skill impressed upon in the south...
Highlight of the shopping trip:
At one point I need to ask someone where an item might be located. I approach the lady and say "excuse me" when she responds with "I'm listening" without ever looking up from her task....so much for friendly customer service!
If you are ever looking for a great cross-cultural experience I highly recommend going to a Super Wal-Mart in the South.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Getting to N'Awlins Day 1: Part 1
To give you the full experience of our trip I will start for the beginning...getting to and meeting at the airport.
Because we had to pack bedding for the bunk beds in NOLA we packed extra community bags so that we didn't each have to pack bedding in our own personal bags. I collected all the bedding and a few extra bags and packed the bedding in community bags. It was an easy task but what wasn't so easy was getting the 15 extra bags to the airport. My wonderful Dad volunteered to take myself, my husband-Matt and our great friend and intern Rob to the airport at the wonderful hour of 4 in the morning.
** A little side note on Rob**
Rob was not scheduled to go to NOLA until Thursday-We left Sunday morning. We had one student drop from the trip and our tickets were nonrefundable although we could do a name transfer for no charge. So, that is where Rob comes in. He had been begging us to let him go but since he is only one year out of high school we usually do not allow them to go on high school trips. Matt and I thought about it and decided Rob was the best candidate for the trip so we called him up and gave him the good news...not the Good News...he already knows about Jesus dying for his sins but this could be the second best good news that he has ever received. We convince Rob that is was not a late April Fool's joke and then he was in.
**Back to the main story**
We cram the extra suitcases into the suburban and Matt and Rob sit not so comfortably with the bags while my Dad and I sit very comfortably in the front seats. We arrive at the airport a little after 5:00am and begin making bets as to which team member will be the last to arrive. The students begin to roll into the airport...all in matching bright green team shirts designed by one of our leaders and my good friend, Jenna.
I begin to hand out the tickets and extra bags for students to check-in and right as the first group of students get to the front of the line at the ticket counter the attendant informs us that we are in the wrong line because we were a group. I would have assumed that they would have noticed that a few minutes earlier since we were all in matching bright green shirts but it's a mission trip so I take a deep breath and let it roll off my back. So, they get into the other line and more and more students begin to show up. We get all checked in and to my surprise almost everyone, except two, arrived early. Two students arrived 6 minutes late and were ridiculed endlessly for not making it on time...not really...but they were made fun of.
All 35 of us make it through security without any problems and board our plane like pros. The flight attendants even made an announcement about our team and thanked us for our volunteer work we were heading to do. (one reason we always decide to wear team shirts is for the incredible conversations it can spark...and it makes it easier to keep track of everyone.)
We land in Las Vegas for our 2 hour layover and that is where the "fun" begins! We find our gate for the next flight, tell our students what time they need to meet us back at the gate and remind them not to do anything stupid since they are all under 21 and this is a mission trip.
Airport Entertainment:
See how many celebrities you can spot...we saw Usher and George Lopez...okay, look-a-likes...but it is a lot of fun!
See how many people stare at your group as they try to figure out if you are a sports team of some sort, a cult, a school group or what...
Make guess on who will show up last or late for the scheduled meeting time...
Lesson Learned: Subway in the Las Vegas airport does NOT partake in the $5 Foot Long promotion but the do prefer the $14 Foot Long deal which really isn't a deal at all. I suggest Sbarros pizza because it is so delicious and less than $14.
Everyone makes it back on time and we board our final flight into NOLA and again the flight attendants make an announcement about our team. The flight crews on Southwest were very nice and patient with our large group of anxious and excited high school seniors.
We land a few minutes early into NOLA and immediately feel the humidity as we step off the plane. We gather all our bags and head to the rental car place.
We arrive at the rental car location and find that although I called to confirm our reservations (twice) and the exact cars we needed they didn't actually have the right car after all. (I booked 5 vans/SUV's with exactly 35 seats) Luckily, they were able to get us a car that could fit even more so we had a little bit of extra room...well not really because of all our bags...but I didn't notice because I was a driver and didn't have any bags near me!
We finally get on the road, only after breaking a sweat trying to cram all the bags into our cars, getting in a small disagreement with another leader, and dealing with the nonexistent customer service of the South...and answering questions like, how long is the drive, what car do I get in, where is the bathroom....
We arrive at our house at 7:00pm (after passing the Super Dome) and then the chaos of getting the rooms situated begins. Now, there are 35 beds in the house and 35 team members in the house...so, everyone has a bed. Well, that would be too easy wouldn't it? People are freaking out over who gets to sleep where and what?...there are only 3 bathrooms?!? We gather everyone and remind them that although we are staying in a house with electricity and running water which is quite different that Mexico this is STILL a missions trip and we are suppose to be out of our comfort zone and it is okay if you have cold water for a shower or have to sleep on a mattress on the floor...at least you have a mattress!
We place an order for pizzas and I put together a team for grocery shopping at the Super Wal-Mart...stay tuned for what happens at the Super Wal-Mart as it is deserving of a post of its own!
Because we had to pack bedding for the bunk beds in NOLA we packed extra community bags so that we didn't each have to pack bedding in our own personal bags. I collected all the bedding and a few extra bags and packed the bedding in community bags. It was an easy task but what wasn't so easy was getting the 15 extra bags to the airport. My wonderful Dad volunteered to take myself, my husband-Matt and our great friend and intern Rob to the airport at the wonderful hour of 4 in the morning.
** A little side note on Rob**
Rob was not scheduled to go to NOLA until Thursday-We left Sunday morning. We had one student drop from the trip and our tickets were nonrefundable although we could do a name transfer for no charge. So, that is where Rob comes in. He had been begging us to let him go but since he is only one year out of high school we usually do not allow them to go on high school trips. Matt and I thought about it and decided Rob was the best candidate for the trip so we called him up and gave him the good news...not the Good News...he already knows about Jesus dying for his sins but this could be the second best good news that he has ever received. We convince Rob that is was not a late April Fool's joke and then he was in.
**Back to the main story**
We cram the extra suitcases into the suburban and Matt and Rob sit not so comfortably with the bags while my Dad and I sit very comfortably in the front seats. We arrive at the airport a little after 5:00am and begin making bets as to which team member will be the last to arrive. The students begin to roll into the airport...all in matching bright green team shirts designed by one of our leaders and my good friend, Jenna.
I begin to hand out the tickets and extra bags for students to check-in and right as the first group of students get to the front of the line at the ticket counter the attendant informs us that we are in the wrong line because we were a group. I would have assumed that they would have noticed that a few minutes earlier since we were all in matching bright green shirts but it's a mission trip so I take a deep breath and let it roll off my back. So, they get into the other line and more and more students begin to show up. We get all checked in and to my surprise almost everyone, except two, arrived early. Two students arrived 6 minutes late and were ridiculed endlessly for not making it on time...not really...but they were made fun of.
All 35 of us make it through security without any problems and board our plane like pros. The flight attendants even made an announcement about our team and thanked us for our volunteer work we were heading to do. (one reason we always decide to wear team shirts is for the incredible conversations it can spark...and it makes it easier to keep track of everyone.)
We land in Las Vegas for our 2 hour layover and that is where the "fun" begins! We find our gate for the next flight, tell our students what time they need to meet us back at the gate and remind them not to do anything stupid since they are all under 21 and this is a mission trip.
Airport Entertainment:
See how many celebrities you can spot...we saw Usher and George Lopez...okay, look-a-likes...but it is a lot of fun!
See how many people stare at your group as they try to figure out if you are a sports team of some sort, a cult, a school group or what...
Make guess on who will show up last or late for the scheduled meeting time...
Lesson Learned: Subway in the Las Vegas airport does NOT partake in the $5 Foot Long promotion but the do prefer the $14 Foot Long deal which really isn't a deal at all. I suggest Sbarros pizza because it is so delicious and less than $14.
Everyone makes it back on time and we board our final flight into NOLA and again the flight attendants make an announcement about our team. The flight crews on Southwest were very nice and patient with our large group of anxious and excited high school seniors.
We land a few minutes early into NOLA and immediately feel the humidity as we step off the plane. We gather all our bags and head to the rental car place.
We arrive at the rental car location and find that although I called to confirm our reservations (twice) and the exact cars we needed they didn't actually have the right car after all. (I booked 5 vans/SUV's with exactly 35 seats) Luckily, they were able to get us a car that could fit even more so we had a little bit of extra room...well not really because of all our bags...but I didn't notice because I was a driver and didn't have any bags near me!
We finally get on the road, only after breaking a sweat trying to cram all the bags into our cars, getting in a small disagreement with another leader, and dealing with the nonexistent customer service of the South...and answering questions like, how long is the drive, what car do I get in, where is the bathroom....
We arrive at our house at 7:00pm (after passing the Super Dome) and then the chaos of getting the rooms situated begins. Now, there are 35 beds in the house and 35 team members in the house...so, everyone has a bed. Well, that would be too easy wouldn't it? People are freaking out over who gets to sleep where and what?...there are only 3 bathrooms?!? We gather everyone and remind them that although we are staying in a house with electricity and running water which is quite different that Mexico this is STILL a missions trip and we are suppose to be out of our comfort zone and it is okay if you have cold water for a shower or have to sleep on a mattress on the floor...at least you have a mattress!
We place an order for pizzas and I put together a team for grocery shopping at the Super Wal-Mart...stay tuned for what happens at the Super Wal-Mart as it is deserving of a post of its own!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
A day with no shoes!
Today is a day with no shoes! Toms Shoes is a company that sells shoes and for every pair of shoes they sell the company donates a pair to a child in need. In other countries shoes are often one of the last things a family worries about. Kids walk miles to get water without shoes which leads to deformities and infections...which are 100% preventable with shoes. A day without shoes is a day for you to bring awareness to this cause. Go one day with no shoes...one...to make a statement and when people ask why you don't have shoes on you can explain...and two...you can get a little bit of a grasp as to what it is like for people in other countries that don't have the luxuries and even necessities that we do in the US. Obviously there are some places we can't go barefoot but do the best you can and even if one person asks and is informed about the global problem you have made a difference! Can't go without shoes? Then visit Toms and support the cause by purchasing a stylish pair of shoes!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
We're Home!
Our NOLA team returned home exhausted, sore, and exhillerated on Saturday evening. The New Orleans mission trip was a huge success and there are many, many stories to tell. I will do my best to recap as many stories as I can...some are funny, some are interesting, some are heartbreaking and most are life changing. I hope you will check back as I begin to share the experiences of 28 high school seniors, 7 adult leaders, One amazing God and numerous New Orleans city residents.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Alternatives
Since our annual Mexico Mission Trip for our high school youth group was recently canceled we have planned an alternative trip for our seniors. We only opened the alternative trip up to the seniors because this would be their last trip with our youth group before they graduate. There were about 40 seniors signed up to go to Mexico and we are now taking 28 high school seniors to go to New Orleans to serve. This trip is quite a bit smaller than the Mexico trip but God is going to move through it in amazing ways. On April 5, 35 high school seniors and adult leaders will be leaving for New Orleans, Louisiana. Throughout the week we are in NOLA we will be gutting the inside of a house that was damaged by Hurricane Katrina, doing homeless ministry in the French Quarter of New Orleans and playing with little kids in the projects. A lot of the houses that were damaged by the hurricane have not been opened since crews went through them to check for survivors days after the natural disaster occurred. As a team we will gut the inside of a house for a family so that another crew can come in and repair and rebuild the inside so families can move back into their houses. Since the hurricane, the homeless population has increased greatly and many people living on the streets simply want their story to be heard. We will spend time listening and talking (hopefully more listening than talking!) to the people we encounter in the French Quarter and hopefully we will have the opportunity to also buy a few meals for friends we make. Some afternoons we will also go to the projects to play with little kids. We will bring craft supplies and possibly put on some skits.
Last year, we took a team to New Orleans and had an incredible time. We came away with numerous stories and memories from the people we encountered and I am so glad we have the opportunity to go back.
We have had a great deal of disappointment within our youth group because of the cancellation of our Mexico trip but it is my true belief that God never planned for us to go to Mexico this year. I know God will use our group in ways that we cannot imagine right now.
Because we are only able to take the seniors to NOLA we have planned numerous local service projects to help people from our own church body as well as local schools in low income areas for the freshman through juniors.
Check back after April 11 for a recap of our New Orleans trip and our local service projects! Your prayers for all of our projects would be greatly appreciated!
Last year, we took a team to New Orleans and had an incredible time. We came away with numerous stories and memories from the people we encountered and I am so glad we have the opportunity to go back.
We have had a great deal of disappointment within our youth group because of the cancellation of our Mexico trip but it is my true belief that God never planned for us to go to Mexico this year. I know God will use our group in ways that we cannot imagine right now.
Because we are only able to take the seniors to NOLA we have planned numerous local service projects to help people from our own church body as well as local schools in low income areas for the freshman through juniors.
Check back after April 11 for a recap of our New Orleans trip and our local service projects! Your prayers for all of our projects would be greatly appreciated!
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