GREAT first day at the schools! We increased our teams by one student for every school team and it has proven to be very helpful. Tonight at share time we heard great reports from all five of these teams.
At Chalmette we've got two new programs in the pilot stage - art and music. Teachers have been asking us to implement something in these areas for a while now. Day one showed us that this concept has a lot of promise. It's a completely different setting than the recreation we do (since it's in the classroom), and gives us a different type of interaction with students and teachers. After seeing it in action the first day, I think we have something we can work toward to make this a regular element of our work with the schools.
Our construction teams were busy to day as well - they were able to get in an entire workday today and made some huge strides. Today is when you typically get a pretty good idea about who is a worker, who is a leader, who is a follower, and who seems to be here just to consume some of the New Orleans air. Ummmm.....I'll just leave it at that. :-)
For parents reading this post - let me just say that I (and all my adult leaders) LOVE your students! We love the lazy ones and the hard working ones. We love the troublemakers and the peacemakers. We love the doubters and the seekers. I covet the time I get to spend with your students on these week long trips because I get to know them in a way that "normal" church life does not permit.
And as a parent, I don't take lightly what it means for you to trust us with them for so long and so far away from home. Thank you for placing them in our care and letting us do life with them in this intense and exhausting environment. It really helps us get a better look at who they are, and let me tell you - I see something special.
:)
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