Ahh!

So, I just want to yell out.  A little of it is frustration, a little anticipation, a little anxiety, and a little being overwhelmed.  But there's a lot of excitement!  We had a celebration meeting on Sunday, then a photo team training on Tuesday, and tonight was our end of the month communion and worship service at church.  I've been at church a lot this week, but it's been good.

At the celebration service they revealed our shirts.  They rock!  They are super meaningful and I think they will spark conversation.  One says "Where is your heart?" another says " Love, I'll take all I can get", and another says "Listen. It takes more than your ears"  Hopefully that wasn't a secret.  If it was, you heard it here first!

Anyway, I was feeling a little overwhelmed last night at the photo team training.  Did I mention I know nearly nothing about taking photographs?  We learned about setting up the backdrop, lighting, etc.  Lots of terms were mentioned that I don't know and lots of camera settings that I'm pretty sure mine doesn't have.  I was frustrated because I really would like to learn how to capture beautiful things with my camera.  During my last trip to Disney World my perspective on photography changed.  I used to take pictures to remember things.  So all that mattered what that I took a picture of whatever it was and that picture would spark a memory.  Now I want to take a picture in order to capture beauty, not a memory. That's harder to me.I think that's why I'm frustrated.  I want so badly to take good pictures, but I don't know how. Hopefully, I'll get some lessons from the photographers on the trip.  I've been assured that I'll be just fine.

I know I'm getting stuck on something unimportant.  Human nature I suppose.

On the flip side, I'm getting more excited about the project!  Hopefully I'll get to be some sort of runner/assistant.  That way I'll get to interact with the people, which I love to do.  I'll do whatever they ask me to though.  More to come!

Why?

I feel like people wonder why I am going back this year when I have already been. I mean, I didn't go last year so it isn't like I'm a total NOLA fanatic.  And last year,even for a part of this year, I told people I really didn't feel any sort of inkling that I should go back.  The truth is that I struggled a bit on the first trip.  I felt alone at times and I saw that there was so much to do and felt like we were barely making a dent.  I just didn't connect.  My biggest lesson from that trip was that I can count on people.  Four of my old coworkers chipped in nearly half of my trip cost.   It was totally unexpected.  I learned that it's okay to ask for help and that people will come through when I need them, if I let them.  But still, I wasn't interested in doing that again.  So what changed? 

Well, I have to thank my friend and group leader James.  He and my other teammates from 09, Keith and Susie, kept asking me about going.  Finally, James mentioned that he was doing photo team.  I thought that was an invite only type of thing, for photogs only.  But he told me that it was for anyone.  I had never pictured myself in that role and when I did, it seemed to fit!  My heart was heavy at that time to (and still is) from my dad passing away in December.  So the second part of the why is my dad.  We were super close, but you wouldn't know it from my photo album.  The only recent pictures I have of us together are from my graduations.  The last one was in 2005 from grad school.  My father passed away in 2010 and the most recent picture I have of us together is 2005.  That bothers me.  One day I'll start asking family if they can find others, but for now it's too soon.  What I'm  saying is, I would have loved to have the type of photos of us that our NOLA Photo Team takes.  There's love in those pictures.  The relationship comes through the photo.  So now I'm given the opportunity to give something to someone that I do not have.  I can help people add those types of photos to their albums and mantles.  Yeah, that's why this trip, at this time, on this team, fits.

Getting Closer

We had another meeting this week. I got a chance to learn more about the places we'll be taking photos.  Roots of Music, Cafe Reconcile, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, and Embassy Suites (our hotel).  Roots of music is serious business!  They practice for hours a day, tutor the kids, feed and transport them.  If you're can't fall in line, you're going to do push ups.  But, I liked what someone in the group said.  Because of this program these kids will grow up to be more than they would have been otherwise.  Cafe Reconcile was put in the middle of a neighborhood where the drug dealers and prostitutes didn't want any business to come.  They even burned down buildings to stop the progress.  They didn't mind having a  place for food though, so they started this restaurant to train people in the culinary arts and restaurant industry.  I'll try to post some videos from each under the partners section. 

You might wonder what we're doing with the hotel.  Well, in an effort to thank them for their hospitality we'll be passing out cards all week to hotel staff.  They can come to a free photo session at the end of the week with their families and get their portraits done too!  Just trying to show some love.

We also got to see the photo setup.  There were words and phrases thrown around that I have never heard and certainly don't understand.  But, a girl can learn.

Joplin

So, I've been watching the news and this Joplin footage is just too much for me.  I actually started crying at one point the other day.  Too much! It reminds me of New Orleans quite a bit.  Seeing people lose so much is difficult.  So many lives were lost and people are missing too.  For some reason as time goes on I am more emotional about that type of thing. Maybe it's because I've experienced more and identify with people in pain more.  Maybe it's because I am closer to God and when His heart aches, mine aches too now.  I feel like I cry at stuff I never would have cried at before.  But, it's not bad.  Hopefully moved to tears will equal moved to action.  I've been pondering that lately.  At what point do we actually "DO" something?  It's not about guilt, but about love.  Enough love to help a stranger.  Interesting...

Hard to watch

At our last meeting we watched a documentary about Hurricane Katrina.  It was a lot of footage of people's home videos before, during, and after the hurricane.  It was hard for me to watch.  It just makes me completely sad.  I can't imagine being in such a frightening situation.  Most of us will never know what it is like to lose all of our belongings and our home and probably our job/school.  So much was lost in such a short amount of time.  Can any of us fathom water rising to the roof of our home?  When we went in 09, four years after the hurricane, I was so shocked to see how much destruction was still there.   I wanted to cry on the bus tour we took the first day.   I couldn't understand why there were still so many houses in ruin and buildings boarded up.  I'm going to try to do some homework on the logistics of why that is.  I'm hoping to see some change though this year.

Preservation Hall Band

We saw the Preservation Hall Band from New Orleans on Friday night at the Aronoff.  It was great.  I couldn't stop smiling.  And they were playing with a bluegrass band who sang such stirring verses as "You don't have to be a baby to cry" and  "Son of a gun we'll have big fun on the Bay-o". Loved it.  I'm hoping we get to see them in New Orleans when we go.

Let's get it started

Well, I'm on my way back to New Orleans Louisiana in July.  NOLA people!  I went with my church back in 2009 and we framed houses with Habitat for Humanity.  It was a great trip.  I don't think I have physically worked so hard in my life.  It was a good pain though :)

This year I am a part of the PHOTO TEAM!  Applause! I think there are somewhere between 30 and 40 of us doing that project. We are helping families recreate their photo collections by taking family portraits.  Most people on the trip are still doing Habitat for Humanity and others are helping in Vacation Bible Camp.

Somewhere I will post the links of some of the organizations we'll be working with.

We've had our first couple of meetings already and fund raising has begun!  I managed to get into a Go Group (team) with a couple of friends so I'm excited.  It will be nice to have the support of people I know.  This is a bit of a different venture for me.  I'm not photographer, but I wanted to do something that would allow me to interact with people from the community.  I'm excited to give back in a personal way.

Well more to come....Onward

Recreate...a theme

Well, I created about 4 pages of this blog a few weeks ago and it somehow disappeared when Blogspot went down.  So..here we go again.  However, it reminds me of the work we're going to do in New Orleans.  We're trying to recreate things. Homes, photos, programs.  It won't be the same, but can be just as valuable.