One great thing about living in New Orleans is having the opportunity to take some interesting classes here at the seminary. I was reading for class last week and came to a section in the book concerning God's call and receiving daily guidance from Him. Both of those are crucial throughout my walk with the Lord, and I've had numerous discussions with some of my friends about this very subject. So mostly this posting is for those individuals who have questioned me about knowing God's will and receiving His guidance. The words below are not my words, but the words of Thomas Hale, the author of On Being a Missionary. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in missions or even anyone who just wants to go deeper with your faith, to explore issues you may not have considered before.

There are certainly many books and publications that speak of how to discern God's will. This is just one source among those. I like it because it is clear and succinct. His bluntness on the matter challenges me. Maybe you will gain something of worth from it as well.

An excerpt taken from:
Hale, Thomas. On Being a Missionary. Pasadena: William Carey Library, 1995.

Many [Christians] have trouble with this matter of guidance. They say they're not getting clear signals from God; they're confused. In a few cases, the problem is one of patience: they are hurrying God. But in the majority of cases the problem is that they don't really want to do God's will above all. They haven't yielded themselves to God; they're holding back. They are putting conditions on their service. "I'll do anything, God, but... I'll go anywhere, God, but..."

Sure, maybe they don't want to do "that" or go "there". Maybe God doesn't want them to either. But God isn't going to show them what He wants until they have removed all conditions and reservations from their offer of service.

So, how to receive guidance?

First, present to God your body, your total self.

Second, choose to know God's will.

Third, promise God you'll do it. Knowing it is not enough.

Fourth, be obedient to what you know is God's will right now.

Fifth, listen to the Holy Spirit. If we don't listen, He won't lead.

As long as we do these things, God will unfailingly lead us step by step. If we obey God where His will is obvious, we will discern His will in areas that are not so obvious. Jesus said, "Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness" (John 8:12).

If you are not "getting through" to God, it is most likely because you haven't fully yielded your life to him. As long as that situation persists, you will not get clear guidance, must less a clear call. You will never have the confidence you are in God's will.

Praying for guidance isn't a matter of asking God to bless plans you have already made. It's a matter of saying to God, "I want your plan." And remember, God may reveal no more of His plan than you need for today. We keep worrying about the future—what we'll do after our training, for example. God says, "I want you to do my will today." It makes no sense to pray about God's will for our future if we are ignoring His will for our present.

Funny, but for those who are totally yielded to God, discerning His will isn't such a big thing. It's only when our will gets in the way that we have to "struggle" to know God's will.

Are some worried that they might get out ahead of God, misread His call, and dash off to Nepal or wherever by mistake? Yes, it may be possible, but not common. For every person who jumps the gun on God, there are ten people who don't get off the starting life. Don't worry so much about making a mistake. God can easily stop you. His problem is starting you. You can't wait until you're "absolutely sure" of God's leading, or you'll never move. Christians "live by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Just wanted to give you all a quick update from my surgery. I CAN SEE!!

It appears (by sight) that all went well. I am back at work and have a follow-up visit today. Continue to pray that all truly went well and the results will be excellent. (I do NOT want to do this again.) My friend Lucy checked on me a couple times after my surgery... I'm sure I entertained her. :) I was so out of it, but managed to sleep most the afternoon/evening and definitely all through the night. I spent most of the morning trying to get all the sticky stuff off my face from the plastic shields they taped over my eyes. (I was not very successful.)

If any of you are interested in the exact details of my LASIK experience and what I thought about it, I'm happy to share. This is simply a quick message for those of you who simply want to know the results. But shoot me an email/message if you're curious about LASIK or might be interested in getting it yourself but are nervous about what to expect. I'll tell ya all about mine!

Lastly... I wish to donate my prescription glasses. This email will serve to get the word out if you know of anyone who has this need or if perhaps you or someone you know are soon to take a medical missions trip. My prescription is OD 2.75 / OS 2.75 (sphere). They are small, brown, trendy glasses for a woman/teenage girl. I will go through a program online if I get no response from this email.

And since my burden is deep for those less fortunate than myself, I wanted to close by sharing with you some statistics from Unite for Sight, an organization working in the U.S. and developing countries to provide eye care services and educational programs to those who otherwise could not afford or have access to them.

• Over 1 billion people in developing countries need eyeglasses but cannot afford them.
• Over 4 million pairs of eyeglasses are thrown away each year in North America.
• 25% of the global population needs eyeglasses.
• 50% of children in institutions for the blind in Africa would be able to read normal or large print if
they had eyeglasses.
• The price for glasses in Benin and other African countries can exceed three months' average salary.

As we thank God for the success of my surgery, let's also ask Him to keep our hearts burdened for others who are in need of even the basics of life. Every day we should ask Him what we can do to help those who can't help themselves.

If you have a pair of glasses (or even sunglasses) that you no longer use... check out organizations like Unite for Sight or Lions Club International for donation ideas.

Thank you for your prayers!!

Yes, I have been super busy since my last update... but the main reason you haven't heard from me in a while is because I've been doing more office work than "field" work these past few weeks. So I don't really have any exciting pictures to share... unless you want me to creatively capture myself creating spreadsheets and making dozens of phone calls!

As some of you know, I was able to take a break from work long enough to get home and visit with some family and friends. The main reason for the timing of my visit was to present a scholarship to a graduating senior of Maryville High School in memory of my sister Liz. Always a great honor. It was also a special blessing to be home for Mother's Day with Mom and Kelly... and to attend my home church (the first time since January!).

What's next?? We're gearing up for summer. We anticipate 300-400 volunteers a week during our intensive summer camp (June 3rd - Aug 4th). Summer camp is a time where volunteers (mainly youth groups) come to minister to the city, meanwhile, our staff ministers to them through worship services, devotional times, taking care of their needs, etc. And as I (and others of us) have time, I'll pick up a hammer, gut out some homes, paint some fences, play with kids, hangout with homeless people, whatever needs to be done! And I'm greatly looking forward to all of that. Meanwhile, there is lot of preparation to do in terms of scheduling all of these groups throughout the city. I'm a bit overwhelmed, and I must rely on God's strength and wisdom DAILY to even attempt to get all this done! We are short-staffed, and I'm not complaining, but I do covet your prayers because God has appointed me and others to our positions here, but we are stretched and sometimes I feel it's humanly impossible to really accomplish all that needs to be done. Truly I don't know how to I'm going to do it, all I can do is trust by faith that it will happen. As Linda says, "You do ALL that you can do... and then you leave the rest to God." So that's what I'm doing. I'll do my part, and trust Him for the rest.

Prayer requests: My body gets tired and I need it to be energized, my mind gets scrambled and I need it to remain sharp and focused, my heart gets overwhelmed with the needs here and I need it to be burdened but effective. Even in full-time ministry you can get thrown off course, please pray that my distractions will be few, healing will come when needed, and that I will stay obedient to my calling. Also, today (Tuesday) at 3pm CST, I am having LASIK surgery. I am very excited and blessed that I can have this done. The thought of the procedure makes me a bit nervous, but we can all pray that it goes smoothly and that I will not need any enhancements (as they are not included in the price). Years down the road my eyes may weaken, as is common, but for the most part I hope it's a huge success for the next year and many many more!!

It was so good to see the few of you I was able to see this weekend. To all of you, thank you for your continued support. I hope all is going well for each of you. Please keep me informed of what's going on in your life as well... any blessings from above or anything I can be praying for you about.

I'll have many exciting updates throughout the summer, so stay tuned! :)

Spending this past weekend in Matamoros, Mexico met and exceeded all my expectations. What began as a last-minute decision to re-visit my friends and the place I once considered home, ended as a very rewarding and refreshing experience with many new memories to bring back to the States.

Seeing an opportunity to make good use of my long Easter weekend, I considered making the 10-11 hour drive down to Matamoros from New Orleans. Although you’re all aware I’m not afraid to travel solo, I thought it would be nice to find a travel buddy since all the trip would require is a few days and a sense of adventure. A couple girlfriends I had in mind that I hang out with here in New Orleans couldn’t get the time away from work/school. I remembered I’d met a girl named Elizabeth at the Spanish church. She was teaching ESL there on Sundays. I’d only met her once, but we had briefly discussed a common interest in Mexico and she lit up when I spoke of taking roadtrips to visit my friends there. Luckily, I’d kept her business card and I sent her an email asking first if she remembered me, and second, if she’d like to accompany me to Matamoros. To my surprise, she accepted! So last Thursday was not just the beginning of our trip together to Mexico, but it was the beginning of a lifelong friendship. God is so good! :)

The drive to Matamoros wasn’t too bad… aside from arriving in Houston at 6pm and getting stuck in rush hour traffic for nearly 2 hours! We arrived at Pastor Bob’s house at 1:30am (obviously much later than I’d hoped). I got out of the car to open the gate and immediately a rush of excitement came over me as I inhaled the smells of Mexico! Yes, I’m weird. Most people are not excited about the unique smells of Mexico, but to me… it was as if all the wonderful memories I had of my time in Matamoros joined together in one instant and poured out all around my body and throughout my spirit. It was a good feeling, to say the least!

We spent most of Friday visiting with Hilda’s family in the colonia Cabras Pintas. Hilda can best be described as my mother in Mexico. And her family is my Mexican family. We brought them some puzzles, coloring books and crayons, a soccerball, and I brought Hilda a praline from New Orleans. Elizabeth enjoyed getting to know the family and became instantly attached to Rebecca, the 88 year old great-grandmother. Rebecca is one to be admired. She is more active than most 30 year olds I know, dividing her time between caring for her garden, visiting with her family, and reading her Bible.

Saturday came with cooler weather and dark clouds. We set out for Las Granjas with my friend Pedro, also a pastor in that colonia that exists solely with the bare essentials of life. The majority of the houses are made of various scrap materials of wood and tin metal. I wanted to show Elizabeth another side of Matamoros, and also be reminded myself of how my middle-class status in the U.S. is one of abundant wealth compared to the majority of the world.

We visited two families there. One family had just received volunteer assistance from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church who had built a new addition onto their small house. The family was so proud to show us the new room. How quick are we to complain of every little thing that is wrong with our own homes?... and yet, this family is absolutely elated to have a new addition with another bed, a donated area rug, actual windows with curtains, and a doorway that connects it to the kitchen of their original house—a doorway created by cutting out a jagged opening in the kitchen wall.

Our next visit was with Clara and her four children. It amazes me to realize that so many people can live in such a small place. Like many children here at home, they were shy at first, but by the end of the visit were laughing and rough-housing with each other as if putting on a show for us. But unlike many children I’ve seen here in the States, you can tell how much love the siblings in Matamoros have for one another. If our families were forced to live together in a house not even 100 sq. feet in size, how much love would be portrayed within those walls? How long would it take before we’d go crazy? All I know is this young mother, caring for her four young children under a broken roof, is passing the test. Before we left we prayed with her. I prayed that God would continue to shower down His blessings upon her life, because truth be told (although we are slow to notice it compared to our standards of living) I think He already has.

And Clara’s dog had just had puppies barely a week before our visit. They were precious, eyes still closed, and of course, the thought crossed my mind to bring one home. (But I’m not allowed to have pets in my apartment…)

Later that day, we went to the orphanage, “Pan de Vida”, with Hilda and Kelsey (an American I was in the program with in 2005. She’s since spent another year and a half in Matamoros and has been my main connection with the work that has continued since I came back to the States). By the time we arrived, so did the rain. It was a slippery drive (and equally muddy walk) to the doorstep of the orphanage. We arrived during their lunch and movie time. Since they were already engaged in an activity and since the weather was bad, we didn’t have a typical playtime visit with the children. But it was still nice to be reunited with several of the ones I remember from my time in 2005, to sit with them, and fulfill their request to take (and instantly view) photos with my digital camera. They love that. :) I brought a box of games and supplies to leave with them, and Elizabeth and I had packed over 60 Easter eggs for an Easter egg hunt. Since we couldn’t organize the hunt ourselves, we left them with Esther to do at a later time. I was excited to learn that Pan de Vida has an enormous renovation/construction project underway! God is blessing Esther’s ministry in a mighty way and I’m certain that the next time I visit Matamoros I will not even recognize the new site. Meanwhile, I’ll be monitoring the progress online at www.pdvmex.org. Esther mentioned that soon she’ll be taking applications on-line for substitute parents-- volunteers who come in for a week, or a month or more, and help care for the children, thus greatly relieving the currently small and exhausted staff. That is exciting for me to hear, but I wrote it also because I know some of you who’ve spent time there and may be interested in that possibility. Or maybe it even tugs at the heart of some of you who haven’t yet been. You know where to find me if you want further details!

Easter Sunday was cold and muddy. Because of that, we ended up having the service at Pastor Bob’s house. It was the first time I’d worn jeans to a Easter church service, but it was freezing because naturally the house does not have heat and I wasn’t about to wear my summer dress! Pedro preached on the Passover and the significance of what Jesus did for us on the cross. He also led us in worship, and now Elizabeth joins me as huge fan of Spanish Christian music.

We had a quick drive home Monday compared to Thursday. It was good to be greeted with slightly warmer weather. There is so much more to tell of my brief time in Matamoros and the many things that God revealed to me while I was there. But I will close for now by saying that each time I take myself away from the normal day-to-day routine we get stuck in and open myself up to truly experience God at work (wherever that may be), I am reminded of how much more efficient I could (and should) be with my time here on Earth in regards to doing more for Him and less for me. Yet another reminder that it’s not about me.

I pray that you’re already in a place of God blessings and that He continues to bless you. If you’re not in that place, I pray that you will open yourself up to be.

As you all know from both the news and my last update, a tornado ripped through this already broken city last Tuesday morning, taking the life of one woman, and stealing hope from countless others.
Saturday morning was my first time to survey the damage. The images were all too familiar, as I remembered my tours last summer of the 9th Ward post-Katrina. The tornado's path was mapped out by complete destruction. On either side of the path, roofs were ripped off houses, windows had been blown out, and debris was everywhere. A thing to remember here in this city, this "debris" was once a part of someone's home, a part of his or her life and history. Imagine losing all of your precious photographs, your great-grandmother's dining table, the china given to you on your wedding day by your parents who have since passed away. Granted, life is not about storing up treasures while on Earth, but there is a sadness involved in losing what is familiar to us and having to start over. And that is what so many families have had to do in this city. And what many are having to do once again after last Tuesday's wretched storm.

More than just seeing the damage, I had the opportunity to help clean up. A team of us went out from the seminary to the neighborhood of Ponchatrain Park (within a mile of the seminary). We were joined by teams from LSU, the Arkansas Baptist Association, and various journalists from local and national agencies who volunteer for clean-up when they get the chance. The house we were assigned to belongs to Melvin and his wife Mary. Mary suffers from arthritis and is confined to a wheelchair. They are living out of their FEMA trailer while their house is slowly being worked on. It is still completely gutted and lacks a roof. Luckily, the storm didn't damage the house, but the backyard (which has remained a wreck since Katrina), received further damage and needed desperately to be dealt with. That was our task. We worked for several hours and were able to clean it up completely. It was a massive undertaking, and we were all proud to have accomplished it! God truly gave us the strength because I heard many comment on the impossibility of the project. I am a firm believer of remembering how God has worked in the past. Last summer, I saw Him assist His laborers in some amazing undertakings, and I expected no less from Him on Saturday. With His strength, we finished the task and I pray we were a special blessing to Melvin, his wife, and also to the neighbors and FEMA workers who observed our efforts. May God receive all the glory.

Mardi Gras

In stark contrast to last Tuesday, this Tuesday marks a big, fat celebration, Mardi Gras. My main complaint about this holiday that is celebrated here for approximately two months… traffic is horrendous! Although I'm not big on crowds, I did feel it my responsibility to do this city the honor of attending at least one parade. Saturday I went to Endymion (the name of the parade) with a few girlfriends and our friend Edmund. We were on the family-friendlier side of the parade. Most of the "craziness" occurs miles down the road in the French Quarter. It started off slow, but we ended up having a fun time. Taylor Hicks was the Grand Marshal. My friend Emily caught a string of beads from his hand.

The band Journey was the Co-Grand Marshal, and Styx was on a float as well. (Both of those a bit before my time, but I'll include pictures in case any of you are fans!) We didn't stay for the entire parade… our pounds of beads around our neck got the best of us. Edmund called us Mardi Gras divas.

So I can now say I have been to a Mardi Gras parade. I get invited to one about every day, but I don't have the energy to keep up with all of that! And… I have homework to catch up on.

I know I mentioned the Mardi Gras festivities in my last update, but I neglected to ask you to pray on behalf of all those out there in that colorful mess. I saw at least three young girls before even 6pm who couldn't even hold themselves up to walk because they were so drunk. It is saddening to me that so many people think that moments like these are the highlights of life. There is so much more to life… so much more to life outside of the "what's in it for me?" and "how much fun can I have?" attitude.

I am praying for wisdom for myself this week... lots of scheduling and coordinating. As I've said before, it's a giant undertaking. Please continue to pray for me as this is what God has called me here to do, and I want to do it well… not to mention the upcoming groups and the ministries/organizations throughout the city are depending on me for it.

Happy early Fat Tuesday to each of you! One good thing about Mardi Gras for me… it's a paid holiday.

Blessings,
Hannah