Thursday was our Practice Justice day at the gathering.
What does this mean?
It meant that after breakfast at the hotel, we walked to the superdome to gather with 10,000 people, all wearing the same orange tshirt as we. We sat in assigned places, participated in a service of worship, and learned that injustice is not only in New Orleans. We prayed for eyes to see injustice in our hometowns and the courage to do something about it when we return from this journey.
We boarded our assigned bus and were whisked off to our justice assignment – leading a literacy camp and field day at a local Boys and Girls Club. We were excited to interact one on one with children who live here. We were ready to take a risk and reach out with the love of Jesus.
We read. We colored. We led games outside. It was eye-opening, transformational, and all around an awesome afternoon of serving. (Throughout the gathering, all youth attending will be involved in a day of service. It’s estimated that each of us serving for four hours will be worth over $2million to the city of New Orleans. The Lutherans are showing up and sharing Christ’s love!)
Our day closed with another mass gathering at the superdome with 38,000 of our closest Lutheran friends. We heard from youth who have served as missionaries, a man who works for justice all across the world, and watched entertaining stage shows.
It’s late now and we are tired. Time for sleep to prepare for another exciting day tomorrow. But first – a few photos from our service experience:
Red Oak Grove Lutheran Church 