Spring Break Service

So the last time I wrote about how I would be working in Chauvin, Louisiana for spring break. It turned out to be one of the best experiences of my college career for the simple reason of camaraderie. Eight other members of Lutheran Student Fellowship (three Beta Sigma Psi's in there) and myself spent the week serving others as our talents and strengths allowed us to, but we enjoyed each others company while doing it and built stronger friendships than we had before. We spent a lot of time building planter boxes for the elderly of that community. We used a design that our own Dusty Gutzmann created; it worked out amazingly as we put two full grown men inside the box and it didn't budge.We also spent some time on a restoration project out near the Gulf of Mexico where we planted trees/shrubbery to desalinize the land that had been built up to create a buffer island against hurricanes.

We also used our free time to enjoy the beautiful weather and explore the bayou and make a trip to New Orleans. Cafe du Monde was a necessary stop for beignets and coffee. I tried to play a prank on my cousin Nick McVey by blowing the powdered sugar onto his tshirt, but unfortunately he saw it coming and blocked it. My Northface jacket was streaked with powdered sugar all night. On our walk through Bourbon Street we ran into several members of the Texas (no wonder they lost) and Kentucky basketball squads, including Jon Wall who said he was too busy to take a photo with us. Guarantee Craig Brackins or any Iowa State player would have said yes to that opportunity, but I digress.

We made it to the Lenten service at Grace Lutheran Church in Houma on Wednesday night and Pastor Rich had a great sermon, but we didn't overtly talk a lot about God while down there. I'm partially to blame for that, as I didn't put aside time for discussions and devotions, but I wanted the group to experience everything. And how much could I have said that would have affected them personally? These other students know God, have given their lives to Jesus, and probably were thankful for me not preaching to them for once. I felt that I got as much reflection and prayer done while working as we could have if we'd scheduled specific topics and devotion times. I hope the others felt this way as well. Maybe I overlooked their personalities and how they operate versus myself. I do feel I failed in that regard. At Pints and Prophets this evening (didn't consume any alcohol as I'm still abstaining during Lent), a few of the Beta Sigs who were on the trip voiced their same concern. Suppose I learned the hard way on this one...but I'll make sure I don't make that same mistake twice.

I've decided that with each addition to Running Through Cornfields I will include a verse from the Bible that I find interesting, inspiring, humbling, etc for the finale.

Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." We're not meant to be in solitude all the time, and God wants us to test ourselves against each other. Not in hatred and jealousy to make others look bad, but in brotherhood in order to improve ourselves.