When Pastor Don Morgan started to sing the sermon

Amazingly we met up with Anne's close clergy friend from California, Natalie Shiras, and her church youth group (from a United Church of Christ congregation in Lenox, MA) for Sunday sevices in the lower Ninth ward. This is the area that really got hit by the breech of the levies, and where almost all of the residents were low income African Americans. The neighborhood surrounding the church was devastated,with few houses occupied now. The public school down the block is shuttered and dark. Beecher Memorial Congregational UCC sustained considerable damage, and is only about 1/3 through their reconstruction. But the memership is hardy and very welcoming to all of us.

It was quite chilly in the "sanctuary", a fellowship room recently covered with sheetrock on one side and hanging plastic on the other. But by the time we got rolling with the hymns, the temperature rose! About halfway through the rousing sermon, true, Pastor Don started to "sing" the homily in a beautiful chant monotone, admonishing us to "Make Prayer a Part of Your Diet." With humor and insight, he expounded on the Lord's Prayer in a way that made this prayer of Jesus come alive in new ways. So much adversity for these people, and yet such hope and determination.

We joined the friendly members for coffee, "King Cake" and discussion following worship, and learned much about the plight of the local public schools. Hundreds of children enrolled with no place to go, schools lacking basics of books and desks, many schools simply not on any repair schedule, and (as in many parts of the country) obvious tension between public and charter schools around resources. Another one of the very complicated pieces of this recovery process, in an area that has long suffered from a mostly inadequate school system.

After lunch with Natalie's group and Pastor Don in the French Quarter, we slowly drove together through the neighbors of the Ninth ward. Very few FEMA trailers visible, some cars and a few people, but mostly ruined and empty homes marked with the spray-painted circles and numbers signifying that the dwelling had been searched by recovery workers. We all were awed and quiet, overwhelmed and sad.

We head to Biloxi, Mississippi, today on Mardi Gras itself (Fat Tuesday!), to join us with Natalie's group and work with them at Back Bay Mission through this week. -Chris and Anne