God is at Work In & Through the Lives of LOL’s Teens
By Tera Michelson, Youth Volunteer
Greetings from New Orleans, Louisiana! Fifteen of us from Lord of Life—eleven young adults and four adult chaperones—are among the 16,000 Lutherans gathered for the ELCA National Youth Gathering in the Crescent City this week. To date, we’ve tasted gator and enjoyed beignets at Café Du Monde, overlooked the Mississippi River, learned to pronounce Tchoupitoulas Street, been spoiled by New Orleans’ topnotch hospitality, and taken an airboat ride in the Louisiana bayou. We’ve explored this magnificent city on foot, walking from our hotel on Canal Street to the French Quarter, down to the Convention Center and over to the Smoothie King Center, sweating in our matching t-shirts. But this trip is more than a vacation—it’s a hot and holy reminder that God is at work in and through the lives of our teens.
The opportunity to gather like this only comes around every three years, and due to Covid interruptions, it has been six since the last one. As our youth encounter other youth groups from across the country on the streets of New Orleans, they trade LOL rainbow stickers for bracelets, pins, and a variety of creative giveaways. We gather for service, learning, fellowship, and nightly worship including inspiring speakers, musicians, and dancers. For many of our young people, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime faith experience.
Here's what our teens shared about this life-changing trip so far:
• “Seeing homeless people sleeping on the streets honestly makes you so grateful for everything you have.”
• “I have become closer with those around me and been able to get out of my comfort zone, whether it's with talking to people, worshiping in new ways, or just trying new foods while having fun.”
• “New Orleans has wonderful people and we have connected with many of those people. It is very hot and sweaty, but the music is impeccable!”
• “We are all connected through this one thing, and seeing the crowds of people in matching shirts walk through the streets is really cool—to see that we're all here celebrating our faith together.”
• “This is a real cool way for people to learn, have fun, and spread love everywhere.”
• “The New Orleans vibe makes us feel so connected.”
• “When we leave the church to do an activity, it helps students connect to the Lord. It reminds me that the whole world can be a place of worship and not just at church.”
• “There are WAY more street critters here than in Cincy!”
• “I have learned about myself as well as my new friends. I have also learned about how lucky I am to be in the position I am.”
• “People are happy to hear about your day and your faith. It’s beautiful.”
• “The singing, dancing, food, and late-night family time is so much fun. I will never forget this!”
Please continue to pray for us in New Orleans as we continue to study the theme of “Created to Be” for the remainder of the 2024 National Youth Gathering, through this Friday. We’ll be home soon to share more stories of our adventures in faith!
God’s love and peace to you!
Tera