And we're back. We left off at dinner time on Thursday. We went to a little hole-in-the-wall place on St. Charles called The St. Charles Bar and Pool Room. Attached to it is a tiny restaurant that is really a family operation. The food was fantastic. They make their own bread, and I've never had wheat bread that good before.
After that, we went to the Superdome. Our timing was much better this time, and we got right in. As we got to our seats, the house band was playing, "This is the Air I Breathe," and our own Michael Bade had a solo during it! He was fantastic!
After the house band finished playing, There were several skits, and a cartoon called, "Lil Luther". I took video of the cartoon, and I'll post that later.
The first speaker last night was Jay Bakker, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. He told the story of how he rebelled against the hellfire and brimstone religion he was raised with. For years, he not only abandoned religion, but he abandoned faith and God. Then something happened - he discovered grace. He learned that God loved us all so much, that he sacrificed himself four our sins, and we didn't do and can't do anything to earn that salvation. He reminded us how lucky we are to be a part of a denomination that holds grace as central to our faith.
The next speaker was Viola Vaughn. Dr. Vaughn retired to Senegal to be with her children and grandchildren, and thought she was done working. As frequently happens, God had other plans. One day, a little girl who was failing in school came up to her and said, "You are going to help me pass third grade." Needless to say, Dr. Vaughn was a little surprised by this, but she told the little girl to come back the next day, and she would teach her along with her own grandchildren. The little girl came back the next day...and brought three other girls with her. The next thing she knew, she had 20 girls coming to her to learn. Now, to date, there have been over two thousand girls who have been through her program, and many more are waiting to be accepted. Her program has grown to include entrepreneurship classes to teach girls and women how to be self-sustaining. You can read more about her story here.
The final speaker for the night was Rev. Becca Stephens. Rev. Stephens is an Episcopal priest who saw a need and found a program for women who have been in the criminal justice system for things like prostitution and drug charges in Memphis, TN. She told us some of their stories, and it was heartbreaking to hear about such injustice right here in the wealthiest nation on earth. She challenged us all to see the needs in our own communities, and to do something about them.
The night at the dome ended with a concert by Group1Crew, a Christian hip hop group. They were fantastic! The video at the bottom of the page is our kids getting into the music.
After we left the dome, we went to the Cool Down Lounge for a bit, where we enjoyed slushies and an open mike night. Our kids were also handing out beads and meeting people from all over.
Friday started with breakfast at the hotel. We had a frightening moment when one of the kids thought he lost his backpack...which had his wallet in it. Fortunately, it was at the front desk of the hotel, and we left for the Interaction Center a little bit late.
Today at the interaction center, you had to enter through an interest room. I went in through the literacy room because...well, because the environment room was waaay down at the other end of the convention center. But I think the Holy Spirit had a hand in that because before the speaker started, I met a pastor from North Carolina who has a member who is coming to LSU for graduate school in the fall. He plays the clarinet really well, and he loves working with young people. I gave the pastor's wife our address and phone number, so it looks like we have another young adult on the way!
Today was my first taste of the Interaction Center. It is HUGE! There are opportunities for everything from going down a zip line to playing hockey, to learning to knit and quilt, to reading the stories of homeless teenagers. I'll post pictures of that tomorrow.
We ate lunch at the convention center, then we came back to the hotel because just about everyone was tired. The girls slept for five hours, while the boys went running on the treadmills in the fitness center and visited the whirlpool before taking a nap. Rest truly is good for the soul.
Tonight we went to Mother's for dinner. I was so impressed with their setup and how kind their waitresses were to all of the young Lutherans invading their restaurant. The food was amazing, and we had some great conversation with a youth group from South Michigan.
After that, we went on to the Dome. We missed the house band tonight, but got there in time for all the speakers, who were awesome. The first was Spencer West, who lost both of his legs due to a genetic defect when he was 5. He endured a lot of hassle and heartache because of that, but he and his parents never lost hope. His story was quite inspirational.
The second speaker was Michel Chikwanine. When Michel was five years old, he was playing soccer one day with his friends in the Congo when he heard gun shots, he dropped to the ground. The next thing he knew, he was being shouted at to get up by the rebel soldiers. They took him off, cut his skin, and rubbed a mixture of cocaine and gunpowder in the wound. Then they blindfolded him and thrust an AK-47 in his hands. He dropped it because it was too heavy, but the soldiers picked it up again, forced it in his hands, and forced him to pull the trigger. When they took the blindfold off, he discovered he had been forced to kill his best friend. Now, he travels the world helping other people to realize the desperation people experience in other countries, and how each and every one of us can do something to share hope and grace with them.
The concert tonight was a big one. The group Skillet played, with pyrotechnics and all. If I had to put their music in a category, it would be hard rock verging on heavy metal...but with a violin and piano. The kids loved the concert, and so did I...though I have to say I'm getting to the point where ear-bleedingly loud concerts don't appeal anymore.
Tomorrow we leave at 6 a.m. for our service day. I'll post more after.
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