We are in New Orleans! After so much planning and anticipation, St. Luke's Senior Youth is enjoying the company of 25,000 other Lutheran teens at the National Youth Gathering here in Louisiana. We've been so busy since we got here that we haven't had a chance to slow down yet, but here's a quick update on our activities here thus far:

We left Baton Rouge on Saturday, and arrived in New Orleans mid-afternoon. After some games in the lobby as we waited for rooming assignments, the youth quickly settled into their rooms before heading out for dinner with their family groups. After dinner we all met up to go to the first mass event of the gathering. Mass events are held nightly in the SuperDome, and it is an incredible sight to see. 25,000 LCMS teenagers together in one arena, praising the Lord and being enveloped in the excited, inspired atmosphere created by speakers, songs, pyrotechnics, and the sheer fact that they are surrounded by people just like them, people who love them. (I encourage anyone who is reading this to check out the livestream of the mass events the next two nights.) After leaving the SuperDome with an overwhelming amount of people sporting the same neon green backpacks, our youth split into groups to enjoy some NYG-sponsored nighttime activities at local hotels. The teens had a blast, but after a long day, lights-out was not resisted.

On Sunday, we awoke early in order to be at the convention center to catch a couple buses to take us to servant events in town. One half of the group was transported to an older building where a couple from South Africa were opening a college prep school for underpriveledged New Orleans children. Our teens helped paint, move furniture, and complete other tasks to help this cause. The other half of our group experienced some unexpected trouble organizing transportation, so they stayed in the convention center to work on on-site servant work, such as making quilts for a homeless shelter. Upon finishing their servant work, the youth qickly explored the convention center before heading back to the hotel to get ready for family group dinners. Most family groups chose local restaurants with traditional New Orleans fare,and the teens were excited to eat authentic gumbo and po'boys. Finishing dinner meant the beginning of another mass event over at the SuperDome, where we had great seats thanks to some crafty seat-saving. The night's mass event really touched our group, as we heard a touching story from a woman about her troubles in her realtionship with Christ after losing her daughter, and watched a video about how Hurricane Katrina negatively affected a few local teens, but brought them closer to God. 25,000 youth gave both a standing ovation and a few tears, then all joined together to to sing:

Greater things are yet to come,
Greater things are still to be done in this city!

As I write this, our 69 youth are exploring the convention center, making friends, playing games, and living their faith. I am proud of every single one of our teens, and parents, get ready for the stories.

-Danica