NYG YAV Day 1...

Well, yesterday started off as any day starts off...the sun came up. Who would have thought? The difference was that I was up before it...WAY before it. I had to catch a flight to the 2010 LCMS National Youth Gathering in New Orleans and my ticket said the plane would leave with or without me at 6:40am. That meant a 2:15am wake up call (or alarm) and a drive to the low Arizona desert. I am not going to bog this blog down with useless details about my flights because, to be honest, it all went incredibly smooth. I had a lay over in Nashville, TN. Which is a place I had never been before. I was amazed, as always, at how green everything is in the South/Midwest/East...pretty much anywhere but the West.
My connector flight from Nashville to New Orleans was packed with youth groups from all over making their way, albeit a day early, to New Orleans. I can only imagine (no allusion intended to the 2003 Gathering "Beyond Imagination" theme) how overloaded the airlines are going to be today and tomorrow as the rest of the approximately 20,000+ youth travel down here. I sat next to a friendly gentleman named John from Kansas. They were bringing a handful of youth and he and his wife were chaperoning the event for the first time. He sounded incredibly excited and I don't think he will be disappointed.
We lucked out on our room accommodations as we only have 3 in our room (meaning no sharing of beds or sleeping on the floor for anyone). We all have the same job (which was purposely done to avoid schedule conflicts if everyone had different jobs) and are from all over the US.
We finally met "Orange Nation" (named due to the fact that our YAV shirts are orange) last night at our first training. Truthfully, though, it wasn't much training, just some bible study, ice breakers and games. For instance, the leader, Brandon "B-Wayne" Heath split the 350 or so of us into 4 groups within the conference room we were stationed at. He had us put our chairs in a circle and we played a game called "pile-up." Which goes a little something like this...Brandon would call out a characteristic or an event that happened to people and a direction to move, such as "If you flew here today, move 3 chairs to the right" or "If you are wearing flippie-floppies move 4 chairs to the left." If those instructions pertained to you, you would move down some chairs. Simple enough right? Then why do they call it "pile-up?" Well, if the person who is 3 chairs to the right, or 4 chairs to the left doesn't fit the characteristics that were called out, they were in the spot you needed to take. Which meant that you needed to sit on their lap. Didn't know anyone? You do now!!! The other part of the game makes it even harder and more awkward. If you sat on the lap of a person and the next characteristic called out pertains to the and not you, you still had to move with them because you were on their lap. So, for instance, if I was sitting on someone's lap and they had blond hair (I have brown) and Brandon called out "Blond hair, move 2 chairs to the right," I would have to move with them anyway because I was on their lap. We got to a point where there were stacks of 5,6, and 7 people all piled on top of each other's laps. It made for an interesting way of getting to know each other to say the least.
Anyway, awkward games and ice breakers aside, we heard a good opening lesson from Seth "the Rev" Moorman about Service while at the Gathering. We are here to serve and we should always strive to take the extra step, to think outside-of-the-box, to make the day and create memories for everyone we come into contact with while here at the Gathering just as Jesus was an "out-of-the-box" thinker. Taking fisherman, tax collectors and not the trained, educated Pharisees and Sadducees to be his disciples. He has created lasting memories. He has given us great service. We need to strive to be like him and serve in his name and not arrogantly.
This morning, I was up before the sun...again. I needed to get a run in. Never do I feel more blessed to live where I do than when I was running. It is humid, hot, stinky (literally) and paved everywhere. I miss the open spaces, fresh air, dry climate, bird calls, deer, pine trees. I miss my home town. I try never to take it for granted. New Orleans has already been quite an experience. I hope to learn more about, explore it and live it...for a week. And return home more grateful for everything I have and everything I am going to witness.
I will try and write every day about what I have experienced and what I am learning. Stay tuned...