New Orleans

So, Eric and I used to live in New Orleans. It's where we spent our first year of marriage. I absolutely fell in love with this city. It's beautiful at night (as you can see by the photo I took from the Algiers Ferry), and there are amazing people there. We made some of the most awesome friends there, and so many of them are incredible musicians. We were there right after Katrina because we were relief workers with Samaritan's Purse Disaster Relief. Eric was the office manager, and I was just his volunteer wife who would help lead music in the mornings for devotions, help clean, serve meals, help gut out some homes, answer questions for volunteers, and just took care of our camper. We had the chance to meet people from all over the world who were coming in to help with the clean up of Katrina.

I also got to see the devastation first hand. There's no way I could describe it to you. There were places that had 30 feet of water down in St. Bernard Parish. I got to meet some of the heroes and many survivors from this storm. I was able to hear heartbreaking stories and try to minister to those who were suffering so much pain and loss. We lived in a FEMA trailer park among the people who had lost there homes. It was tough, but it was one of the most rewarding times of my life. God worked in so many ways down there, and he still is. I know people get tired of hearing about Katrina, but it is still affecting this city. When there is devastation of this magnitude it takes years to fix it, and many areas will never be what they used to be. The lower 9th ward and parts of St. Bernard Parish where we lived still look like the storm just came through. The city of New Orleans still needs our prayers and support. This year our Saints won the Superbowl, and I can't tell you how much that mean. I actually cried when we won because I know what it means to this city. It's a beautiful story, and I'm so privileged to be allowed to be a part of it. I thank God for my time in New Orleans often.

The friends I made there will always have a piece of my heart, and so will the city in general. I've been missing it pretty bad lately. It's been almost a year since I've been back, and I am so looking forward to having the chance to go back down sometime to see our friends and visit my favorite city.