I May give you an update.

May 18, 2015

Ahh! Can you believe I have less than three months left here? Wow. It's moving rather fast now. I'm starting to get really excited for next year.

April 26 was Katherine's Birthday! She's 23 now, and getting old I guess (I'm almost 24). We went to the Zephyrs (minor league baseball team) game! While waiting in line to buy tickets a man gave us a voucher for two free tickets. They were right on first base and was incredible. Now let me say that the New Orleans Zephyrs are no Lexington Legends, but I did enjoy myself.

On May 1, I got to go to JazzFest. This is the annual music festival in New Orleans that brings in huge names. I enjoyed myself there. Especially in the Gospel tent. Golly can they sing.

The Blues Tent, JazzFest 2015

The first week of May my family came to town. I got to play tour guide as I showed them around the city, ate amazing food, and enjoyed some family time that I haven't been able to have since doing a YAV year. They really enjoyed the impromptu jazz band on the street and all the food. Oh gosh. Of course, I had to show them how to suck the heads of the crawfish. Note to family: We need to start taking more family photos because we didn't take a single one the entire time we were all together.

My heart is full as tutoring has ended for the year. MidCity Graduation was last week. It was a joy and honor to work with all the kids involved. They were so fun to work with, and I surely can't wait until camp starts in late June. With that, my time at MidCity Ministries will be minimal until camp starts.

Clancys and Valerie dancing at Graduation

Saturday May 16, 2015 That date has been in my head for a long time. And now it's passed. that was the Lakeview Crawfish Boil. It is a fundraiser for First Presbyterian Church's Program of Hope (an outreach minstry). All the YAVs came and helped setup, serve, and tear down. It was a big event, with 600lbs of crawfish, a live band, and plenty of fun! I'm not sure exactly how much money was raised, but I know however much it was will be doing a lot of good.

Left to Right: Katherine, Jennifer, Hannah

Yesterday us YAVs led worship in Hammond, LA at First Presbyterian Church. Vinnie got to preach on one of his experiences here in New Orleans and it was very powerful. It's always a joy to be a part of another congregation, even if just for a day. Thank you guys!

My time here may be ending, but I am grateful for all that I've learned and seen. It takes a lot of time and effort to make a YAV year possible, so thank you all for all the support you're giving. It means a lot to me. 

Until June,

-John