We had our servant event yesterday. It was really an amazing experience. The first amazing thing was that we all managed to get up at 5:30 in the morning.

We had the opportunity to serve at a school that, four years after Hurricane Katrina, is still not fully operational. Before Katrina the school had a student body of 2,200 students. After Katrina it was 1,100. We did mostly clean-up. We cleared out old computers from the computer lab. We moved boxes of new books from the office to the appropriate areas in the school. Some of us put together computer desks. Some of us walked through the athletic field, picking up trash and collecting pine needles to be used for mulch.

One of the things that has affected the functioning of the schools is the loss of population. The schools are funded through local property taxes. But because there are so many abandoned and condemned properties in New Orleans, the tax base has shrunk dramatically. So while the financial needs of the schools have increased dramatically as a result of the need reconstruct, refurbish, and resupply, the funding available to the schools has decreased.

What struck us was the thankfulness of those whom we encountered. Whomever we met, after finding out that we were here with the National Youth Gathering (which has received a lot of local news coverage), their first response is invariably, “Thank you. Thank you for coming down and helping us. Thank for being here and serving here.”

This has been a major event for the city of New Orleans because it’s not only the first major convention that the city has hosted since Katrina, but one of the largest gatherings they’ve hosted ever.

The worship services in the evening are another thing. It’s simply amazing to be in a place with 37,000 other people. And those who are speaking have very compelling stories to share.