Macedonia Photo Gallery Macedonia » ELCA National Youth Gathering 2012 Bags are on the bus, we are ready to board! L-R Greg, Rachel, Maddie, Dylan, Will, Sarah, Max, Christine, Ally and Joy We had a 15 minute stop at Wendy's. The kids made use of the time: get a quick trip, play a quick card game, and charge phones! They never let an opportunity get by them! We entered the Rosa Parks Museum (downtown Montgomery, AL) at 4:30 p.m. Although it closed at 5 p.m., a wonderful guide gave us a personal tour that ended at 5:30 p.m. That evening when we had our daily reflections, several of the youth noted that this museum gave them much to think about! L-R Maddie, Rachel, Sarah, Christine, Joy, Will, Dylan, Greg, Max and Ally After leaving the Museum we headed down towards the Alabama River where there was a section of town called "The Alley". Dreamland BBQ has been written up in Southern Living, USA Today, etc. Ask any of the kids if this BBQ was any good! Um, um, good!! Maddie enjoying her pork sandwich. Some had ribs, some had chicken, some had pork. Whatever they had, it was delicious! Almost everyone finished up with some pretty fantastic banana pudding! After dinner we walked down to the Riverfront of Montgomery, which was a really nice area. Very peaceful - for about 20 minutes. Then the storm clouds rolled in and we taxi'd it back to the hotel. Zzzzzzz .... Max catches up on sleep on the way to New Orleans. It became a game to catch someone sleeping and record it with a camera! And so it continues ... Dylan, a Lutheran stud with New Orleans beads, prepares for the busy days ahead! There are 12 of these kiosks up to register for the gathering. Joy goes and receives orange t-shirts and wristbands for everyone. Our theme for the gathering: CITIZENS WITH THE SAINTS, based on Ephesians 2:14-20. Wednesday night opening at the Superdome. It is always spectacular and spiritually uplifting! The special effect when they turn off the lights and phones light up the room is magical. Rachel catches up on sleep as Dylan studies something! Breakfast at The Ruby Slipper. It was delicious and not over priced. "There's no place like home" - The Ruby Slipper Will was wide awake -- and waiting for his big breakfast platter (which he ate every morsel). Our day "Practice Justice" included an amazing tour of New Orleans, from downtown to Lake Ponchartrain, to the Garden District of downtown. Our guide was part of Lake Ponchartrain Basin Foundation, and could talk about Katrina, flooding, water and lots of stuff non-stop Our service project was painting at a City Park. BUT .... the rain cancelled that event. So we went to Mardi Gras World and had a 1 hour tour, seeing how the Mardi Gras floats are made. They not only make floats for the NOLA parades, but also for Disney World and Universal among other clients. In front of another float. 12...5►
