Breaking Down Walls

Today was our day of practicing peacemaking, a.k.a. The day at the convention center. Of all the days of our trip, this was the one I looked forward to the most. The convention center housed many attractions including a zip line, bumper cars, and inflatables. I was looking forward to a morning of fun and games, but the most memorable stations turned out to be much different than what I expected. At our first station, we helped members of Habitat for Humanity build houses for people who couldn't afford them. At another station, we carried water jugs around a path to learn about the 100 wells project, and how far some women need to walk to reach clean water. The biggest area set up was called "The Wall" which was about war and social injustice in other countries that many people don't know about. Normally, when we think about events like the Holocaust, we try to believe that things like it don't happen anymore. Sadly, that's not the case. Fear Of different people and different ideas has caused us to build many walls, with our words and actions just as often as with wood and stone. One of the themes of the gathering has been to tear down the walls that divide us, and to embrace peace between all people. In the dome today, we got to listen to Diane Latiker, an ordinary woman who lived in a town plagued with gang violence. She decided to break down the walls between her and the kids out on the streets by opening her doors to anyone who needed a home. She wasn't afraid for her own safety, she would just let anyone in who had nowhere else to stay. We need to learn to welcome people who we don't normally work with, and treat them the same way as any of our friends. Then the world can be a better place. Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow!-Paul Meuser

Po Boy, Gumbo, and Beignets

Today was a very God filled day. We met other disciples of God to practice discipleship. We met with 650 other people from our synod and had a worship service. Then we broke off into groups of 10 and met with each other and became friends. During the experience in the groups, we learned how to participate in the 7 acts of discipleship. These acts were worship, study, invite, serve, pray, give, and encourage. During the learning, we listened to other people's stories on how God impacted their lives. One example was that a girl from Sedalia, Missouri church collected stain glass from around her city and built a stain glass cross and delivered it to a demolished Joplin church, 10 days after the tornado hit. She said the only things at the sight were their cross and the main door frame. Following discipleship, we explored Jackson Square and ended up sitting in a restaurant named Cafe Du Monde and eating beignets. I ate all the extra powdered sugar. After that, we took a stroll down bourbon street and and we definitely discovered the culture of the area. We then stopped at the Gumbo Shop and had ourselves some amazing Po Boy's and Gumbo. It was delicious but I did end up accidentally breaking a bread plate. My bad. With our now full stomachs, we made our way to the super dome, to hear amazing inspritional stories about discipleship. We are now ending our day with a total of 19,324 steps to accumulate 8.877 miles of walking. We have now walked a total of 20.575 miles. My legs are tired but looking forward to God lighting us the way to finding peace. - Mitchell

God's Gumbo

Greetings from New Orleans! Tonight at the opening gathering, Rev. Yehiel Curry used an analogy of New Orleans gumbo to describe how all are welcome in God's family. Gumbo, he explained, is made with a wide variety of meats, vegetables and spices. All of the ingredients are needed for this wonderful Cajun dish. In the same way, each of us attending the Gathering are invited and welcome to share that which makes us unique children of God. Whether we are young or old, have strong faith or many doubts, no matter what our circumstances or background - we have a role and purpose at the Gathering and in God's plan. What an affirmation to know that we are not only accepted by God, but that we are an integral part of God's recipe. During the coming days as we practice discipleship, peacemaking and justice, I pray that we can all be conscious of the role we are playing and the ingredients that we are contributing in God's plan. Christy

Day#1 Bus ride to New Orleans

Our 13 hour bus ride is in the books. A couple of movies, some snacks, and nap time made it more enjoyable. Tomorrow starts at 6am with a swamp and bayou tour so we better get some shut eye. We look foward to sharing our five day in New Orleans with family and friends of Gethsemane. Keith, Christy, Alex, Luke, Haley, Paul, & Mitchell