Arrival in New Orleans

After two days on the road, I arrived in New Orleans last night. The drive went well, though it took longer than I thought it would because of several lengthy road construction delays.


Driving across the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway was the coolest thing ever! It's one of the longest bridges in the world.

Only it looked more like the second picture -- traffic was jammed up going in the opposite direction. I figured it was only fair after all the traffic jams I'd been stuck in the day before in Kentucky.

I didn't take those pictures; to my dismay,  I forgot to bring the cord for uploading pictures from my camera. I've arranged to have it sent to me on UPS, so I'll post pictures in a week or so. Meanwhile there are lots of good images on the internet...


The MDS building is on Hayne Blvd across the road from the levee. 
 
Like many buildings here, it is raised above ground level on stilts. The building houses the office, kitchen, living space for volunteers and staff, equipment, materials and vehicles. As I got out of my car yesterday evening and ascended the front steps, the crew of volunteers and staff were heading out the door to go to the French Quarter for beignets. Of course I had to go along! A great start to my time here. 

This morning I have been talking with the current cooks -- a very experienced and competent couple who will be leaving tomorrow morning -- planning next week's menus, and getting myself oriented as much as possible. Later today we will go shopping for food for next week. The group of volunteers next week will be small, so it should be an easy week to 'break in.' 

Mornings start with devotions after breakfast. This morning the project director read the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-37) and expressed his appreciation for each person here who has chosen to give some weeks or months of their busy lives to serve the people of New Orleans through MDS.

By 7:30 the two crews had loaded their trucks and were on their way to the job sites. The group has concentrated on two sites this week, doing interior work on houses that will soon be ready for move-in. There are several other projects on the go, waiting for weeks when there are more short-term volunteers. I will visit the job sites next week and post pictures when I can.