New Orleans - Day 3

Tina's Turn: The first thing I noticed that's different about church here is that people leave the pews and (*collective gasp*) dance! We attended the praise service this morning, where we got to listen to Peace Lutheran's own praise band. After lunch, we embarked on an exciting swamp tour (which Carl was quite excited about!) We saw several alligators, which the tour guide lured within feet of our boats using hot dogs and marshmallows. The swamps were, surprisingly, mosquito-free, thanks to the presence of dragonflies. We also saw a snake, which the tour guide spotted from far away in a moving boat (and took us getting much closer and about 10 minutes of pointing it out to find). Later, we had dinner and, after a short meeting, were treated to a special performance of My Aunt Came Back by Pastor. We made it (almost) to the end! Then, some of us escaped to a frozen yogurt store where Tom and Megan got free yogurt for correctly guessing its weight. The new people arrived from Colorado today. The Jennisons are excited! Tomorrow, we are off to work on fixing up a local's back yard. I can't wait! Pastor's Portion: It was wonderful to worship with the good people of Peace again. They were delighted to have us back. They are planning a special Louisiana dinner for us on Monday night. In talking with the vice-president of the congregation, he let me know they are still talking about us in New Orleans from our last visit. Our orange T-shirts were everywhere and they will be again. The swamp tour was a hit. Alligators, turtles, and herrons for everyone. There is a beauty that is difficult to describe. Hopefully the pictures we are bringing back will give everyone an idea of what we experienced. Dinner included homemade peach cobbler and more spaghetti than we could possibly eat. You never leave the table hungry. Leading the group in My Aunt Came Back was a special request by a person from another ciongregation. How could I say no. We almost made it to the end before collapsing into laughter. From our meeting, we set out to meet and greet the good people from Colorado. The day is coming to a close. The story will continue tomorrow. Peace, Tina and Pastor