The Bayou

Our house of eight took a break yesterday from the city scene and travelled outside New Orleans to the Grand Bayou. It was a day filled with multiple sunscreen applications, fresh shrimp and crab, a boat ride, new friends and uncontrollable laughter. After attending an early 8:30am service at First Presbyterian of Bayou Blue and meeting pastors, Dick and Kris, we drove out to meet their friends Donald and Teresa, Native Americans living in the Bayou area. They greeted us with freshly caught and cooked shrimp followed by a wonderful tour of the Bayou on Donald's boat.

The best way I can think to describe the Bayou is a beautiful disaster. As you can see from the pictures below, the Bayou is gorgeous - all you can see is green and blue for miles and miles but as you take a closer look and listen to the stories, you quickly realize that these wetlands are rapidly being destroyed by the oil companies who over the years have caused massive amounts of erosion resulting in extreme land loss. The biggest problem with this land loss is that pipelines rest on this land and if the water submerges the land, the pipes will be under water and more easily break and leak into the Bayou. It was a battle of emotions for me - being both awestruck by the beautiful scenery and devastated that what I was looking at that day would never look like that again.

Our crew boarding Donald's boat for the tour of the Bayou!

This waterway used to only be about 3 feet wide due to erosion it is now more than 30 feet wide.

A rainbow appears in a rain cloud across the Bayou

I keep getting told by many people that I am going to make a difference this year and I have been reluctant to how true this statement is until yesterday. Dick told us that Donald is usually extremely quiet and reserved and that he was even surprised on how much of his story he shared with us. By coming down to the Bayou and listening to the history of the land and the stories from the people who live there we give them a voice. One of the most striking things that I found out was that Donald actually has 3 boats - one for shrimping, one small two seater and the one we went on. Dick explained to us that the boat we went out doesn't really have a practical use except for taking out people like us who want to witness and learn about the Bayou. We become witnesses that give them confidence to help change the state of their land. That was so powerful to me. I had made a difference in someone's life by just lending my ear.

Lesson from the Journey: Being present is the first and often most powerful step to foster change.