Dear Family and Friends,
I have attempted to begin this long-overdue letter several times. Each time I put fingers to keyboard, I feel as though words are inadequate to express what I have seen and experienced in New Orleans. So I will begin with the easy part... Thank you. To say that once is not enough, so I will say it again: Thank you. You are as much a part of my experience as the streets, food, jazz and beautiful people of New Orleans have been. Thank you for praying for me, for asking about me, for being excited for me, for sending money on my behalf. Thank you for your love. It is not unnoticed, or unappreciated.
As I went through the process of desiring to go to New Orleans for a 'visit', praying and applying for this team, attending meetings and raising funds - up to the minute I boarded the plane, and throughout the journey, the Lord time and again validated his desire for me to be there. Sometimes, it was little whispers. For instance, as I would pick up a shift, I would find myself making over 20% in tips. Two close friends got ahold of me to tell me they were sending me their monthly tithe. An expensive car repair was covered by my church... It worked out that I was able to pay my bills for July, eliminate some small debts, cover the funds for New Orleans, and pay for the several commutes between Seattle and Portland for meetings and flights. This is the providence and goodness of God!
As I prepared for, and embarked on this endeavor, I made a decision to not make any decisions while in New Orleans. My purpose was to taste and see, to learn about the city, about Mike's birthing movement, and to see if this was a place I could grow. "God, is this the next place you want me?" I have fallen in love with that city, in a strange way that I believe only the Lord could bring about in me. It is hellishly hot, so muggy that your shirt sticks to you even in Air-Conditioned vehicles. The areas we kept to are, for the most part, impoverished. There is trash everywhere. It doesn't have the beautiful skyline of Seattle. There are no mountains to speak of anywhere near the place. Ants and cockroaches invade the kitchens...
But the humidity forces people to walk slower; you sweat less when you do. Walking slower, you begin to notice other people, and conversations spark like a flame in dry kindling. As I watched people go about their lives, living in half-fixed houses that still smelled like Katrina, I began to love the people of the city. Not because the city is aesthetically pleasing, but because the people of New Orleans love it. Many of them have little or nothing to return to - yet here they are. And I am drawn to them.
In lieu of a recitation of facts and experiences here that would consume several pages, I would rather outline for you where I go from this point. If you would like to read further about my experiences in New Orleans, events and people that God used to lead me to my decision and conclusion (and view some photos), please visit my blog at www.confusionbreedsprogress. blogspot.com.
So here I am, like Bastian in The NeverEnding Story II (I'm a nerd), standing on the precipice and about to jump off... I don't know quite how it will end up, but I do know that I have to jump. What does that look like? After much discussion and prayer with Mike Brantley, Tom Cowan, Joe Rehfeld, Matt Chapman, my mom, and a few others, I have decided to move to New Orleans in January. I am committing to a year-long internship with Mike, as he plants a local church in Uptown New Orleans. I will work a part-time job, begin to attend classes in the Spring, and explore my calling and identity in Christ, with Mike as my guide, and the community of Communitas New Orleans as my tribe.
Because I think categorically, I will tackle each subject, and then attach a timeline at the end of the letter.
School
I have been looking at the three "big" colleges in town - Loyola, the Jesuit school, Tulane University of Louisiana, and the University of New Orleans. I am planning to enroll as at least a part-time student for the Spring Semester, and move toward full-time status as soon as I achieve state residency. I want to finish my degree as soon as possible. I am looking into night-school programs that are more accelerated in pace.
Job
Just about anyone can move to New Orleans and be hired to work construction within a day or two. I will probably do that full-time for a few months, until I start school. I have also been browsing Craigslist and Google Maps, looking for foodservice and hospitality part-time jobs for when school starts.
Internship and Living
My primary focus is to be interned and discipled by Mike as I engage in life with the community emerging in the neighborhood. I will be focusing on deepening my understanding of my personal calling, growing closer to Jesus as I walk with him, and learning how to live sacrificially and missionally.
Timeline
September 5-8
Recon Visit - I will be getting an idea of the prices for apartments in Mike's neighborhood. I will be visiting the schools to set the wheels in motion for applications for the Spring. I will be spending quality time getting to know Chad and Cindy (Mike and Susanne's neighbors and fellow members of Communitas). One of my closest friends, Matt O'Brien, will be travelling with me, to get his own taste of New Orleans...
September 8-December 15
I will return to Portland and work like a dog to save money for a trip to New Zealand, and my move to New Orleans. I will begin to sell my unnecessary belongings, ideally paring it down to laptop, clothes, guitar, toiletries and a few books... I am praying about whether to sell my car, and fly to New Orleans, eventually purchasing a newer and more reliable vehicle there, or to sell my car, buy a newer one here and drive out???
December 6
My lease ends on my apartment.
December 15-December 29
I will be in Seattle, spending time with my family for the Holidays, and celebrating Andrew and Arthur's birthdays. I will see Seattle friends and mentors, and rest.
December 29-January 15
I will be travelling in New Zealand, to be the Best Man at my best friend's wedding. Nick Ippolito has been living there since January 2005, and has met the love of his life. I get to share in his joy, and see the land of Middle Earth (that nerd thing again)!
January 15-20
Rest in Seattle and prepare to go...
January 20
I enter a new phase in life.
(More details will be posted later. There will be several revisions and additions, I'm sure!)
Please pray for me. I am very much a broken piece of clay that the Lord has somehow seen fit to remold and reshape. I am his Image Bearer, with a dignity and a beauty that comes from the Maker. I have been struggling with my identity in Christ, and as I transition into this new lifestyle, I am wrestling with questions such as: Can I be used? Am I good enough? What about my failures and my sin? It is so stinkin' difficult for my to bring this knowledge the twelve or fifteen inches from my head to my heart!
Please pray for me. I have had difficulty controlling my finances, ever since I knew what a bank account was. Pray that the Lord would keep my mind focused on his desires for my money - to pay off my debt, to save expeditiously for my move, to give lavishly to those in need. Pray that the work hours increase, that I do my best job, that the tips are generous, and that I am frugal.
Please pray for me. There are several relationships that I need to address before I leave. The most notable among them is my relationship with my father. We have not spoken since August 2005, except for short conversations when it has been necessary. I feel an urgency to bring resolve to that.
Please pray for me. That I would not lose focus on the friends and workmates that are right here in Portland. I find it too easy to write people off because I'm moving. I won't be here later, so why should I care now? That attitude is wrong, and I want to continue to love the people around me, living missionally and incarnationally where I am right now - not waiting to incarnate until I move to New Orleans.
Please pray for me. I am having a hard time getting involved at Imago Dei, my local church in Portland. Pray that I would be able to attend regularly - that the Sunday AM shift I have been scheduled would be covered, so I can go. Pray that I would be able to attach to a person or group of people there that love Jesus and love people. That I would be able to journey with them between now and the time I take off.
Please pray for New Orleans. The city is still very much a shambles - two years after Katrina. The State of Louisiana is still a shambles, itself. There are moral and financial scandals among political figures, an understaffed, underpaid, and sometimes corrupt emergency response force. Drugs are ruining the lives of hundreds of young people in the poorer neighborhoods. Thousands and thousands still live in FEMA trailers the size of a small bedroom. Federal money is locked up in beauracracy and often misappropriated toward wealthier communities. And still, the people hold hope that their city, their neighborhood, and their family will rise out of the wreckage, and thrive.
Thank you for your love,
Adam
confusionbreedsprogress.blogspot.com
Also, Mike's blog:
out-on-a-limb.blogspot.com
A You-Tube video introducing Communitas New Orleans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcXb9lAVko0&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fout%2Don%2Da%2Dlimb%2Eblogspot%2Ecom%2F
CRM - The Organization sending Communitas:
crmleaders.org
