Cajun Country Part II

The conference didn't officially start until Sunday night, which left us a full day and a half to check out the city.  It really is an exciting place and very different from the Midwest.  In fact, there were times that I had to remind myself that this was still the United States; I'm not sure why, but some areas just seemed so foreign to me.  The trip was a great way to see a new part of the country.  Here are some pics from walking around the French Quarters...



We braved the heat & humidity to enjoy an afternoon of sight-seeing.



These awesome girls (not the creepy stuffed bear) are a part of my small group back at church and I got to spend the whole week with them during huddle times where the five of us got together and talked about the speaker's message for that day and shared things God was teaching us.  God really used the Challenge conference in each of our lives in unique ways and it was such a privilege to see and hear what they were getting from the week. I'm excited to be back in Wichita with these girls and see how God continues to work in their lives.


Natalie and Kodi spotted us in our red shirts!



If you ever get a chance to check out New Orleans, it is a must that you find Cafe du Monde and order beignets.  They are very similar to a funnel cake only way better.  Fried goodness covered in powdered sugar. Yes please.



The great thing about beignets is that they come in an order of three for just $2.43. What a bargain!



During the week, the country of Haiti was a focus as they had opportunities for you to sponsor a child from there and pack a bag of supplies to ship over on the school bus you see above.  We had the opportunity to go through the Love Moves presentation of a room they set up to to be similar to Haiti.  They had a Haitian church which consisted of wooden benches under a blue tarp, huts and tents that represented where people live, and different comparisons between American things like meals, closets full of clothes, drinking water, to these same things in Haiti.  It was eye-opening to say the least.  It's so easy for me to get so focused on what's right here in front of me that I easily forget there's a whole world of people out there whose living conditions are so different.  There were different facts and statistics scattered throughout the presentation regarding Haiti and it was truly heartbreaking.  I walked away with such a privileged mentality for life here in America.  Again, the week was amazing and such a great way for me to be recharged and refreshed!

Side notes- I am officially enjoying less then a month left of summer break...(I'm in the denial stage right now)

I've had a two week hiatus from grad classes; the first 2 ended well and next 2 are underway.  These will overlap with the start of school which will likely make for a very crazy, busy start to the year.