Hello friends! This week has been yet another blessing in my life!!

An awesome praise of the week: out of the youth groups that came, we had at least 9 accept Christ. And there were many others who were reported to have accepted Christ at the various sites this week. God is good, all the time!

I had the privilege of being assigned to work alongside First Baptist Church of Umatilla, FL. And as I share with their group last night, they were an amazing encouragement to me. Ive been praying and waiting on God to reveal to me where He wants me after this summer, and this week, God just reminded me to serve Him and love others now. He WILL tell me His plans at His timing, meanwhile I should follow the example of Umatilla as they serve Him by serving others everywhere they go. FBC Umatilla was not afraid to dive in and get dirty, sweaty, and silly for Jesus! We spent most of the week at Belle Reve, an AIDS hospice here in New Orleans. Residents spend anywhere from 12 months to 11 years or more at Belle Reve. As one of their staff puts it, these men (and women) do not go there to die. But rather, they go there in hopes to learn what is necessary for them to get better and to learn how to better take care of themselves independently. Our ministry there this week was wide-ranged. There was a gigantic warehouse at the back of the residence that needed to begin being cleaned out. They have received numerous donations, which are all well and good, but when you dont have the manpower to sift through them, they can be a burden. Hopefully we were able to lift a chunk of that burden. There was a pantry that needed to be cleaned up and organized. A couple of our guys tackled that small space. The garden that Umatilla had worked on during a previous summer camp had been destroyed during the Hurricane. Two large trees had been demolished leaving two large and rooted stumps in the ground. The boys and men worked tirelessly to remove them. They succeeded with one, which was again a huge help to Belle Reve. We worked to clean up the floors of this late 19th century home. Walls had been painted with no dropcloth laid on the floor, so you can imagine the mess. One day I spent a few hours on a 10 foot ladder scraping chipped paint on the ceiling. That was a fun workout. And the last day, most of us had time to kick back make hemp Jesus loves _____ necklaces for the men, watch Rush Hour 2, and play Dominoes. Harry was the Dominoes champion and a complete sweetheart. He was hard to understand because of some speech problems related to his illnesses. But he was a blessing. He was working alongside us as best we could and applauding us for our work. Working in Belle Reve reminded me of Jesus ministering to the lepers, the weak, the poor and needy. It was awesome to see this group of young people rush in to do whatever task was needed no matter how great or how mundane. Not once did I hear a complaint. This group had requested to work in the AIDS hospice. And unfortunately, they will probably be the only group to work there this summer. It is suggested to most the groups as they sign up for Mission Lab. But for whatever reason their answer is always no. I thank God for giving me a heart to help those who so many others refuse to help. I pray everyday that God will give me His eyes and His heart for the people in this world. Without Gods vision, we will be hindered by our own blindness.

Lord, open our eyes.

To sum up this week, I'd have to say that the Lord is taking me further and further away from myself -- which is exactly what I want to happen. Random thought, but what a legacy to leave in this world to have a headstone that reads:

"It's not about me."

...because that is a sincere desire for my life. And it's getting my hands dirty in work like we're doing here in New Orleans that constantly brings that phrase to mind. If I didn't have a big God who has set me apart for a mission such as this, it would be easy for me to get frustrated and discouraged. And that's not to say that I don't have to continually pray and ask God to help me get through another day, another stressful situation, another hectic schedule... but it's good to keep it fresh and clear to me that nothing I do here and nothing I do in this life is about me. That's why life's little and big blessings are just that... blessings. We serve a God who doesn't promise us that life will be easy and happy... but He has seemed to provide me with grace and has showered me with blessings at every turn. I can't thank Him enough for that.

I teamed up with a church plant from Florida called Doctor's Inlet Baptist Church. They had a group of 10--three of them were adults. In the mornings, we helped out with a Vacation Bible School at First Baptist Church of Belle Chasse. I was assigned to be a helper with the 3 year olds. I was excited about that, because often I really enjoy working with younger kids around that age. They were a blessing, but they were also little terrors at times and quite a bit of work! I was excited to see them each morning, and it was sad to leave them as the week ended. Overall, it seemed that VBS was a hit with over 200 kids. And Belle Chasse was very appreciative of the help of the Dr.'s Inlet crew, so that made us all feel like we were doing something worthwhile.

In the afternoons, we headed across the street from the seminary to Bethel Men's Ministry. This place has a 90-day program for men trying to overcome addictions. It's the only program of its type in the area. Most other programs are longer and more institutionalized. This place has an open door in and an open door out. God is doing some amazing things through the lives of these men. One of their mottos is, "If you don't work, you don't eat." So they are sent out each day to work around the city to have money to support the ministry. By talking to any of these men, they seem like normal, down-to-earth, gentle sprits. But many of these men have been through more than we could ever imagine. Frank, our project leader for the week, has spent 21 years in prison. I haven't heard his full testimony, so I won't try to give many details. But he's lived an intense life with a violent past. One man who touches my heart just by looking at him is Leroy. I don't know his story yet, but I hope to learn it. He looks like a giant teddy bear and there is a kindness in his eyes and smile like I've never seen before. My heart breaks just to think of the pain he's probably been through. He seems slower than the rest of them, and I am burdened for people of all ages, race, and gender who have had to suffer because of the cruelty of this world and the harsh treatment many have received without merit simply because they are different, mentally challenged, impoverished, a minority, etc. I think of those children from the orphanage in Matamoros and pray to God that they won't end up fighting tooth and nail through life, but I am afraid that the love they've missed out on could hinder them in life. And I think of the young boys I met at the Youth Detention Center in Mexico and the kids at Hope Haven last week and worry that it may already be too late for them. But I thank God for ministries like Bethel Men's Ministry. And I pray that these men do succeed and are given a second, third, fourth--whatever chance they need to get their life on track... and possibly, find a new life altogether by putting their faith in Christ and trusting in God for all their needs.

As for what we did at Bethel. Most of our time was spent putting together 2 metal storage sheds to house their refrigerators and food. Currently they have a make-shift tent area, but it is being overrun by squirrels and rats. It was awesome to have a task like this one where we could monitor our progress and really feel like we were accomplishing something for a great and practical purpose. It was pretty hard labor for me for two reasons... one was simply just being out in this Louisiana sun in the heat of the day. But we kept hydrated and managed just fine. Two was the strength needed to get the screws screwed tightly in their place. I consider myself to be pretty darn tough for a girl, but I'll admit, it took all I had to get those screws in. And I'm talking hundred of them, so by the end of the week, I was beat, my muscles were exhausted and my hands were sore and calloused. But I actually loved it!!! We didn't finish... we needed about 4 more helpers each day, but we got one pretty much completed and the other lacking only a roof, so we felt good about our accomplishment and Frank assured us they could finish it up themselves. We ended the week in prayer with our group and several of the Bethel men after singing a round of their favorite song. The simple words repeat, "I've got my mind made up, and my heart is set, and I'm going with Jesus all the way!"

Ok, I know this update is quite long enough already, but I couldn't send this without adding one more story... you will definitely agree!!!

My construction partner's name was Aubrey from Doctor's Inlet. On Friday before the evening service she talked to me vaguely about some of what she's been going through. During the last time of worship/invitation, I could see her sitting across the aisle and I could almost feel her burdens within my own heart. I just felt she was unsettled. I began to pray, "God, if you want me to talk to her, send her to me." I kept watching her and I saw her rise and walk towards the back, I followed and took her by the hand and we went outside. She asked how I knew she was coming to me, and I told her about my prayer. She smiled. We talked for a while and one of the first things I asked her was to tell me about her salvation experience. She dodged the question enough and I felt in my heart she was not saved. I asked if she were to die that day, was she certain beyond a doubt that she'd go to Heaven, and she said no. We talked longer and it was a challenge. She's a seeing is believing kind of girl and here I am trying to define "faith". Later that night we were able to talk again. I was praying the whole time, feeling so inadequate and I told her immediately that I didn't have much to offer her. So I shared with her about my experience and what God has been teaching me. And somehow, in a crazy roundabout way, at 10pm that night, Aubrey asked Jesus into her heart! Praise the Lord!! It was a great learning experience for me, a humbling experience, and Aubrey was a complete blessing. Her words of appreciation for me working with her group gives me tons of motivation to continue what I'm doing here. And it's once again a reminder that none of this is about me. It's all about bringing glory to God, and I'm excited to help bring Him that glory by being used to lead yet another child into His Kingdom! Hallelujah! (James 5:19) <-- I had come across and underlined this verse in my Bible during that very service...

THE KIDS ARRIVE!!

Hey everyone! I thought I'd take a moment to share with you all a rundown of the past week. Tomorrow will roll in week 3 for me here in New Orleans. Last week was our first week of camp, so we had our first 4 groups arrive and sent them out on the town to clean up the city and share God's love. Everyone had a great time!! I will report on a fraction of what was done this past week by telling some of what my group was involved in. And then keep in mind that there were other groups doing other things like construction, setting up for VBS for next week, and working in a children's home.

I was assigned with part of the First Baptist Church of Prattville group. They were our largest group with 50. Prattville split into 3 groups. My group's main assignment was to Hope Haven--a Catholic institution for "troubled teens/kids". All of the children living there have some type of psychiatric diagnosis. All of them are in state custody where parental rights have been terminated due to physical, emotional or sexual abuse. They have social problems, difficulty with relationships on all levels, and don't know what is appropriate behavior for most situations. They do not have mature coping skills. For example, if someone makes them mad, they may process the situation as having 3--and only 3--solutions. 1) run away 2) kill the other person 3) kill themselves. Currently Hope Haven houses 55 children ages 11-17. The average age is 14-15 with more girls than boys. Children as young as 5 and as old as the day before their 17th birthday can stay there. There are 6 dorms total--3 for guys and 3 for girls. They participate in daily group therapy sessions and each dorm has a masters' level therapist on staff. They go to school when in session and have recreational activities throughout the week. Kids stay as short as 2-4 months and as long as 3 years. Hope Haven is the highest restraint residence facility with 3 levels based on each child's profile. There are basically three circumstances in which a child would leave. 1) they step down to a less restrictive facility. 2) they are admitted into a psychiatric hospital. 3) they leave successfully... but unfortunately, the success is temporary as they are unable to maintain normal behavior/lifestyles and end up coming back. There is not a high success rate. These are definitely the highest need kids in the area, where the majority have little hope of having a "normal" life and they know it--which probably attributes to their behavioral problems if it leads them to an "I don't care, what's it matter anyways?" attitude. To sum up their behavior in one word, these kids are extreme. They don't have good family models and don't have independent living skills. One of the directors describes her work there as a humbling experience saying that her problems pale in comparison to the problems these kids face everyday: "These kids profess Christ. They are fabulous little believers despite all that has happened to them."

During the week, Prattville led the groups in Bible studies and crafts. Many were attentive and receptive. We had a block party where the Prattville group (also a youth choir) sang some songs. In the middle of one song, a fist fight broke out among two of the Hope Haven girls. It took 4 adults for each girl to restrain them, which consisted of basically SITTING on each of them for about 15 minutes. To me, the place just had a veil of sadness. I was blessed by one girl inparticular named Karla. After the story of Daniel and the lions' den, she restated every detail of the story. I was filled with hope and excitement over Karla because all I'd heard previously were negative and hopeless comments about these kids. And yet Karla had goals, determination and faith. I was happy to come alongside her and encourage her to keep those goals, to pray for strength to accomplish them, and to keep the faith that God can move mountains in and through her life.

We were not allowed to take pictures there, but the campus is filled with beautiful Italianate architecture. Catholic charities support this home, and apparently they support it well based on the beauty of those buildings!! It was awesome that we were able to go in there and share the Gospel with those children. Many of the staff were sitting around while we shared with the children, so I do pray that seeds were planted and that the message of truth was heard that FAITH in Christ and not WORKS gets you into Heaven.

Pics below: My first casuality... my big toe. I stubbed it really bad the first week carrying part of the stage. I went to the nurse to get it cleaned out. It's healing finally, but it looks pretty bad. Man that hurt!!!!

Small sampling of the beautiful campus of Hope Haven.

St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest continuously active Catholic church in the United States. General Andrew Jackson placed his sword on the St. Louis altar after his victory against the British in the Mississippi River in 1815.

"Me & Jenny" Self-explanatory... my best bud... my partner in crime :) I love this girl and I'm so glad she's working with me this summer.

"Crab" This was taken today. We were invited to go eat at a family's house that the band knew from a previous visit here. I almost feel guilty eating from these people who have lost nearly everything. But they are Christians who wanted to give back to others who are giving their time and service for the Lord's work. I guess that's how it is with God's work... it's a circle of life and hope that gives and comes back around. We had the New Orleans traditional red beans and rice. And that was followed by a lesson in crab eating. I'd never eaten crab starting from a full crab with eyes and everything. That was interesting. Pretty tasty though! I snapped this shot so you could have proof! We had shrimp the same way... I tried not to look at their eyes as I pulled them apart...