I woke up to the faint sound of music and talking. I kept thinking that the people in the room behind us had just came in from a night of partying and was continuing the partying in their room. I had no idea what time it was, and was thinking it was something like 2 or 3 a.m. I finally had the bright idea to look at the clock. It was 5:08 a.m.! The music and talking was coming from the alarm clock, and not from someone next door! Somehow the alarm volume was set very low.
Marcia picked up her head at the same time I looked at the clock, and I announced that it was 5:08 a.m. We groaned as I turned on the lamp. We only had 4 hours sleep! With it being a long day yesterday, I was tired. Plus, Thursday night I didn't sleep well because I had a bladder infection and it kept me up half of the night. I called in sick Friday and went to the doctor, and they prescribed an antibiotic. When the doctor told me to drink "plenty of water", I looked at her and said, "Do you realize that I'm going to be on a bus for 6 hours?" Friday night I didn't sleep well, partly because of the bladder infection, and partly because I was excited about the trip. So, now we're looking at Saturday night, with only 4 hours sleep. I was tired. But, Marcia and I got up and got dressed and got going.
6:00 a.m.
Marcia and I got downstairs and realized that most of the choir/orchestra was already downstairs in the small dining area. They had a free continental breakfast, so I went from station to station, stumbling around, trying to find something that I can eat. I ended up getting a croissant (plain), some cubed cheese, and some yogurt, which I ate with a fork because I couldn't find a spoon. I wanted some cereal, but couldn't find the milk, (or a spoon), and some fruit, but couldn't find that either. But I kept seeing people with spoons, and fruit, and I even saw someone with a boiled egg, which I would eaten as well. I have no idea where they were getting these items, and I was too sleepy to find out.
6:30 a.m.
I, along with a lot of other people, loaded up on the big bus. Then they told us to get off the bus and go to the shuttle buses waiting for us. The big bus wasn't supposed to be there, and Franklin Ave was providing some shuttles for those on the bus. Alvin said that was fine with him, because he can go back to sleep. So, we got on the shuttles, and I thought it was really neat that they were providing some shuttles for us. We got to go on Franklin's shuttles!
6:50 a.m.
We arrived at the church, and immediately noticed that there were a lot of cars already in the parking lot. We unloaded, and stumbled through the front doors of the church, and was immediately greeted with people, ready to worship. Half of the church was already there! "Good morning!" they exclaimed as they shook our hands. They were so excited to see us! Their church service didn't begin until 7:30 a.m., but they were ready and excited! How many churches do you know would be that excited to worship that early in the morning??? We would do good just to get to church at 9:10 a.m.! We went to the choir room, then lined up in the choir loft, then went back to the choir room until the church service began.
Pastor Mack and the current music leader (I forgot her name) came in to talk to us and pray with us. I was so encouraged by their enthusiasm. They were so excited to see us and encouraged us with prayer.
7:30 a.m.
The orchestra had already started playing songs at around 7:15 and was preparing eveyone for worship before we came in. As we were coming in to the choir loft, Franklin's music leader had everyone up and clapping and singing "What a mighty God we serve". It was so neat to see the whole church interact with the singing. As they sang "angels bow before Him" they all bowed down, and then they sang the next line "Heaven and earth adore Him" they raised up and raised their hands to heaven. It was an awesome sight!
We started our worship program that we had prepared, and everyone was just as enthusiastic as ever. Pastor Mack had to come to the microphone at one point and say that people were coming and saw us in the choir loft, looked around and saw Franklinites, looked at their watch, and wondered if they were in the right place. "I assure you, church, you have to come the services of Franklin Ave Baptist Church. We welcome the choir and orchestra of Houston's First Baptist Church today as they lead us worship." It was funny watching the reaction of those coming in.
The most awesome thing I remember from the whole service is when they were going to take up the offering, Pastor Mack said, "Church, it's time to take up the offering!" They were excited! They clapped. Then he said, "Everyone, hold up your offering envelopes if you have them." Almost all of the church held up their envelopes. They continued to hold up their offering envelopes as they prayed. Wow! What a visual! It's like literally offering your tithes to the Lord, up to heaven! I was so intrigued by this visual. Most of us give our offerings as an obedience thing. It's not in a grudging way, but we do it because it's commanded of us. We say a prayer, pass the plate, listen to nice music, and we're done. But the Bible says we should give our tithings with a glad heart (if anyone knows where that is in the Bible, please let me know. I just spent 15 minutes scouring the Bible, trying to find that verse!). Franklin Ave is an example of how we should give our offerings to the Lord. Wow!
As we left the choir loft, we were greeted once again by Franklinites in the hallway. It was so neat to see everyone so excited!
9:10 a.m.
We are back in the choir room, waiting for the service for FBC New Orleans to begin at 9:30 a.m. I really had to go the bathroom, so I ran to the bathroom. Since I was the first one off the stage, I got to be one of the first ones in the bathroom. I also took the opportunity to call Corinne and see how her night went. She said she was fine and everything went well. We exchanged a few more words and then hung up. I walked around and found donuts in the hallway that someone left off for us. Being diabetic, I know I shouldn't, but I did. I got one. I was so sleepy and tired, and thought it might wake me up. I even thought about drinking some coffee. If you know me, you know that I don't drink coffee, but I was desperate. I NEEDED coffee. When I got to the coffee pot, someone said that there was no more. Oh, well. I settled for some water to wash down the donut. (Maybe I should have gone to Starbucks this morning!)
Tom warned us that this next service might not be as enthusiastic as the first service, but he still wanted us to have just as much energy and enthusiasm as the first service. Being in pageants with this choir, I know that we will always give 100% to every performance, no matter how the audience is or how we feel. The same goes here. We will always give the same amount of energy to both services. However, me personally, since I was so tired, it was hard for me to give that energy to both services, but I tried my best.
9:30 a.m.
We came out to the choir loft once again, and I noticed immediately that FBC New Orleans wasn't as full as Franklin Ave. About half of the church was filled. They were still coming in. The second song that we sang, "How Great Thou Art" required the use of the organ. Even though we sang this song in the first service with the organ, it meant more for the second service. Last night they told us that the organ had not been played since Katrina. I can't remember the exact reason, but I think it was because the organ player was not living in New Orleans anymore because of Katrina and they didn't have anyone else that can play it. So, when we played the organ on that song in the second service, you can see the church's reaction. Imagine not hearing your own church's organ for two years!
It was very hard for me to stay awake for the sermon. It wasn't that our own Pastor Gregg was boring. I was just so tired, and it was hard for me to focus. I love to hear Pastor Gregg in Houston, but I was just having a hard time in New Orleans.
11:00 a.m.
While we were in the second service, the members of Franklin Ave were in Sunday School. When the second service finished, FBC goes to Sunday School. We started to pack up to leave. Being a singer, the only thing we needed to pack up was ourselves. I had taken my purse (with my camera securely inside!) and headed to the shuttle bus. As we were leaving, the bagpipe player was playing music outside the church. I found him interesting to hear, and took his picture:
(Do you see the skirt???) He had finished playing and was talking with some of our guys in the choir.While I was waiting for the shuttle to leave, I started taking some other pictures. Here are some pictures of our vans in the parking lot:
In order to distinguish which van is which, they numbered the vans and named them according to the fruits of the spirit: faith, love, joy, etc. This particular van is named Faith, Van #8. When I got in the van from the hotel to Mulate's, I was on the van named "Love". One of the ladies that was picked up enroute to Mulate's said, "I found Love in New Orleans!".
I also found it strange that FBC New Orleans was located near cemeteries. The original building (the one I went to 11 years ago) was located near downtown. This new building was built in 2004, and sits on top of a hill. When Katrina hit in 2005, they said that everything a mile to the left of the church and a mile to the right of the church was flooded. The water stopped at the top step of the church, thus saving the church.
When you look out from the front of the church, you see rows and rows of cemetary plots that are above ground. I found that interesting. Every cemetery I've ever been to has plots below the ground. I found it strange to have EVERY plot above ground.
12:00 p.m. We finally got back to the hotel. The weekenders had to pack, check out of the hotel, and store our stuff in a room until we could load them on the bus. My roommate, Marcia, was staying, and was told that she was getting a new roommate when I checked out, so I had to get my stuff out. When we finally got all of that settled, I met Jackie, Raluca, and Eldad downstairs in the lobby. We had decided to eat lunch SOMEWHERE, but didn't know where. I told them that I really wanted to go to that store on the corner and buy some Cafe du Monde coffee to take back to the office since I wasn't able to go all the way to Cafe du Monde. I also wanted to get a souvenir for Corinne. Marcia and Shelley joined us and we all headed to the store on the corner. This store was called the Everything Store, and it truly had a little of "everything". I was able to buy the coffee and a Mardi Gras mask for Corinne. I was going to buy some pralines, but they were way too expensive.
While we were in the store, Marcia talked to a local and they recommended to go to "Mother's" for lunch. So, after we finished in that store, we headed on over there. As we approached, we saw people standing outside. Someone told us that you have to wait in line outside the place before they call you inside. No problem. We found someone that was not from New Orleans that was sitting on a bench outside. "All I wanted was something to go, and the guy told me to sit on the bench and they'll bring it out to me. He wasn't very nice about it." It made me wonder what kind of place this was. But soon, the line moved and we were at the front of the line. Raluca had Eldad take some pictures of us while we were waiting, and I also handed my camera to him to take a picture of us as well:
Just as we were taking the picture, the guy called us in (you can see him in the doorway). We went inside, only to find out that there was another line inside! We thought we were doing good just going inside, and then found out about the other line. But, again, the line moved fairly quickly, so we placed our order and sat at at table.What's funny about this place is that the way they let you know when your order is ready is how they call you. They call you by your first name, but they sound like your mother is calling you. Say, for instance, if they were calling me, they would say, "Elizabeth! Elizabeth!" and make it sound like my mother was calling me for dinner. I guess that's one of the reasons it was called "Mother's".
1:00 p.m.
The food was good at Mother's. I split a plate with Jackie that had two poboys. It was a special plate, and I can't remember what it was called, but it $8.99 for one poboy, and for $1 more you get two. (It had roast beef, ham, coleslaw, and cajun mustard). So, since I wasn't that hungry (I was still tired and sick for not sleeping), I split a plate with Jackie. I thought lunch would help me feel better, but then I developed a headache as well. After lunch, the rest of the group headed toward the Riverwalk, and Jackie and I started talking. She wasn't feeling well, either, so we asked Marcia if we can borrow her room key and let us sleep and rest in the room until it was time for us to leave. She gave us her room key and they headed toward the Riverwalk while Jackie and I made our way back to the hotel.
I wasn't planning on sleeping. Usually, I can't sleep during the day, no matter how tired I am. Jackie immediately got in my former bed and went right to sleep. I noticed that the other roommate, Debbie, had already put her stuff in the room. I went to Marcia's bed and laid down on top of the bed and turned the TV on. After awhile, I actually fell asleep. I was probably asleep for about 30 minutes when I heard someone at the door. They were attempting to come in. Normally, I wouldn't just open the door at a hotel room, but for some reason I thought it might be Marcia or someone from the choir. So, I went to the door and found Debbie and Judy at the door. Somehow the room key wouldn't work for them. So, I let them in and we started talking. Amazingly, as much as we talked, Jackie did not wake up!
Judy's stuff was in the room as well because she was leaving with us to go back to Houston and she did not put it in the room downstairs. So, we had Marcia's, Debbie's and Judy's stuff in the room. I thought about leaving my stuff in the room, but decided to go ahead and take it just in case Marcia wasn't around and I can get the stuff quickly from downstairs. After awhile, Marcia came to the room. I was surprised to see that Marcia can get in. She said that she explained the situation to the clerk downstairs, and they issued her another room key. I suggested to Debbie that since there are now three room keys, that maybe the one she couldn't get to work should be turned in and then you'll be down to two. They thought that would be great.
About 3:45 p.m. we started getting ready to go. I woke up Jackie and she suddenly sprang out of bed and left the room. We all left, including Debbie and Marcia who were staying. They wanted to see us off.
When we got downstairs, I noticed that there was a crowd near the door. So, I went to the room and grabbed my stuff and headed out the door. The crowd that was near the door were the ones who were staying. They told me goodbye and wished me a good trip home. As I was leaving, Lynn walked out with me, telling me goodbye as well. (I guess she was the last person I talked to before I left New Orleans). Then I loaded the bus and grabbed a seat. I noticed that most of the people who were going back were already on the bus. I'm so glad that I was able to get on the bus and not miss it!
4:00 p.m.
I got settled in my seat. I noticed that someone had put their water bottle in the window, so I thought that might be a good idea because on the way to NOLA I kept losing my water bottle in the seat. Little did I realize that it also kept it cool because the A/C vent is right there at the window sill. As we waited for the last of the people to load up, I got my camera out. I wanted to take some pictures on the way out. I especially thought of taking some pictures of the houses that still had the FEMA trailers in front of them.
We headed out and I started savoring the moment. It might be awhile before I come back to NOLA, so I wanted to take it in as we were leaving. We turned down Poydras and headed toward I-10. On the way, I noticed several buildings of interest:
Someone had pointed out that this was old building (maybe a historical building??) and the newer building next to it was built AROUND the older building. I thought it was strange and cool that they perserved the older building and built around it.
Another interesting building was this one. I know it was a hospital, but I didn't write down the name, and the odd thing was that on the outside it said it was now open for business. As you can see, there are still broken windows on the building. It was located close to the Superdome.
Of course I had to include a shot of the Superdome. When we got to NOLA, the first thing I thought about when we saw the Superdome were the people who stayed there from Katrina, and what they endured afterwards. It was kind of eerie looking at this place, and thinking this, but now it is a place of entertainment again.
Right next to the Superdome is this I-10 bridge. This is the bridge that we saw on the TV, where all of those people were sleeping and walking on. As we went under the bridge, I kept looking up at the bridge and couldn't imagine how high the water was. I believe the flood water came right under the bridge. (Which got me thinking, why didn't it flood the Superdome???)We started to pass the houses again, but this time my heart couldn't take the pictures of these houses, so I didn't get pictures of the destroyed houses. I wanted to leave them alone. The memory of these houses will be forever be in my head, and no picture can tell the story of what these people went through.
I tried to take a picture of First Baptist Church New Orleans as we passed by it, but as you can see, it wasn't a very good picture. I was sitting on the other side of the bus, and ended up focusing in on the bus, not the outside. But if you look carefully, you can see the cemetery in front of the church. (This picture kind of looks like a drawing, doesn't it??)
I can't resist. One more picture. This is Lake Pontchartrain as we left NOLA. I was amazed how BIG it is, and wished that we could have gone over the long bridge that is right down the middle of it.5:30 p.m.
We stopped for dinner at Beaux Bridge again, at the same truck stop that we stopped at on the way to NOLA. As we got off the bus to go eat, I noticed a van full of our people that had pulled up next to the bus and parked. I didn't know when we left NOLA that we had a van following us and coming back with us. I thought we were the only ones going back. We actually saw the van earlier on the road. They had pulled up beside us and called David T's cell phone. They asked about dinner, and that's when they decided to stop at Beaux Bridge again.
Jackie, Raluca, Eldad, and I decided to go to Arby's. Before we met at Arby's, I went to the bathroom at the truck stop. As I made my way through the truck stop, I noticed that the truck stop had so many things for the truckers to do. There was a game room, a place to use the computer, gift shop, laundry facilities, and so many things I didn't see. It was like a mini city!
We ate, and loaded back up on the bus. David had been "interviewing" people, to try and get everyone to know each other. He started at the back of the bus and was going group to group, asking getting to know you questions. When we went over the big bridge in Baton Rouge, he had us hold up our hands like we were on a roller coaster. As we went over the "top", our hands went up and we didn't put them down until we got to the bottom. (I think our bus driver thought we were going nutts). We did this several more times: the bridge in Lake Charles and the bridge at the Texas border (Sabine River).
I think it was around 8 p.m. when we crossed the Texas border. This time the bus driver did not announce we were crossing the border, but we knew. I think I was the one who pointed out that we were crossing into the Texas, which lead to some cheers (and the roller coaster hand thing). It's always good to come home.
8:30 p.m. (approximately)
We made a pit stop somewhere on the other side of Orange, but before Beaumont. We stopped for about 15 minutes, and some of us got off the bus and went to use the bathroom (me included). I went over to the store and bought a candy bar because I needed something to pick me up. I was talking to the clerk and telling her that I was on the big bus on a trip with my choir and orchestra and that we were on our way back to Houston. She asked me where we had gone, and for a brief moment my mind went blank. All I could do was point in the direction we came from and say, "that way". Suddenly, my mind got into gear, and I said, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm very tired. We were in New Orleans." The clerk looked at me like I was a crazy city girl. I probably am.
Back on the bus, I wanted to sleep some, but couldn't. Whenever I'm on a road trip, I can't sleep on the road, unless I'm extremely sleepy. That's why I'm really good as a driver. I won't fall asleep! I'm too scared something might happen, either while I'm driving, or not. If I'm going to die, I want to know how it happened, which probably won't do anyone else any good because I'll be dead. But I can tell you what happened. :)
10:30 p.m.
We approached the edge of Houston, well, Baytown, San Jacinto, etc. I guess it's considered as part of the Houston area. I start to see home whenever I see cities and towns that are close to Houston. Things are starting to get familiar, and I'm anticipating seeing my bed. People are starting to wake up and get excited.
As we approach the east side of Houston, I notice a billboard in Spanish. My first thought: Finally, a language I understand! I noticed that when we approached NOLA, there was a billboard advertising a bank, but it was in French. The only thing I understood on the billboard was the phrase, "Laissez les bon temps rouler", which means "Let the good times roll". How does that phrase relate to a bank, I don't know, and would have loved to know what the rest of the billboard said. (Have a good time at the bank???) Also, around NOLA, there were french/cajun/creole phrases all around, and streets and city names were in french, so I felt like I was in a foreign land. SO, when I saw this billboard in Spanish, I almost rejoiced. I was home!
11:20 p.m.
It started to rain, and for a minute I was worried about that. I was going to have to drive home in that rain, and I wasn't exactly that alert. But as we approached the church, I felt pretty good, and wasn't TIRED to the point of exhaustion.
We got off the freeway, and had to go down to the next exit and turn around so that we can get into the church. As we turned around on the other side of the freeway, we had to get into a narrow one lane street because of construction. Somebody wondered whether the bus would fit. As he made the turn and headed down the street, and I said, "If he can do what we did in New Orleans, he can turn this bus down this street. Piece of cake!" And he did, with no problems.
The bus stopped in front of the church and we unloaded. I told Alvin that I thought he did a great job and I thanked him for a great trip. Then I left with a group of people that were parked around the corner in the back parking lot. (I really wanted to walk with someone because it was pretty dark and I was tired). I was relieved when I found my van still there (I'm always worried someone might try to break into it or steal it). I loaded my van, then headed home, with no problems.
Needless to say, I got home around midnight, and immediately headed for bed. I needed to be at work at 7 a.m., so I needed some sleep BAD. I can tell you, I had NO PROBLEM falling asleep. I was in my bed, and I was home!
I had a great time on this trip, along with an eye opening account of New Orleans. I wish it was longer, but I think it was enough of a trip that I got a lot out of it. I will always remember the images of New Orleans post Katrina, and faces of people who are determined to make it work. If Katrina had hit Houston, I think Houston would have that same spirit of rebuilding. I don't know if after two years parts of Houston would still have damaged homes, but I know that Houston would rebound quickly. I hope that lessons were learned as a result of Katrina.
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