Towards a Joyful Soul

Early in September, when our house visited John Calvin Presbyterian Church, the pastor there asked what our hobbies were. When I told him that I dance, he asked if I would do a liturgical dance for them (dance movement incorporated into liturgies or worship services as an expression of worship). I thought he was joking. My response was something along the lines of, "I'll do it, if you do it with me." The next week, he followed up with an email. He was being serious. After some time to adjust to New Orleans and then coordinate, choreograph, and practice, I finally performed my liturgical dance for their service. Click HERE  to view the video of the dance! (This video is from a rehearsal, which is why there is no one in the congregation and the choir isn't singing. Also, the sound quality isn't the best, but it's the best we could do.) Apparently, everyone at the service loved it. They have been talking about it all week long. Pastor Jonathan hopes t

A Photo-Journal:  For our November community day, we drove about 90 minutes south-west of New Orleans for a boat ride on Bayou Pointe-Aux-Chene , which resides along the Gulf of Mexico. On this boat ride, we heard and saw the tragic land-loss that is occurring rapidly along the Louisiana coast. In preparation for this day, we had read a book, Bayou Farewell , that does a really good job detailing both personal stories and scientific stats of this land-loss. Unfortunately, due to the strong influence of oil companies, historical corruption of the Louisiana government, and national prejudices considering those who live in rural Louisiana to be "backwards," most of the country is ignorant concerning this impending environmental disaster. What struck me most in the book, as well as from the experience of our guides, is that the environmental disaster is not slow or unnoticeable. They have memories from not so long ago where the land was tangible different than it is today.