It's been a couple weeks now since my arrival in New Orleans on the 7th. I've had the chance to get settled in and now it's time to update you guys on what the transition has been like and what I've been involved in so far.

A marvelous praise to report… My apartment is 95% furnished and completed! Within ONE week, God provided in some amazing ways for me to furnish the space. #1 - I found some incredible deals and furnished it for less than half of what anyone (myself included) would have expected. #2 – on top of the great deals… I received a large and unexpected financial gift to help cover over half of the total cost! GOD IS GOOD!! He is faithful… AND (I've learned) He has great design-sense! :) Well, that's my own opinion I suppose. "Hannah-ology" as Pastor Mark would say.

Some may think, why is this even important? And the answer is all about God's provision. Do I need the comforts of a cute apartment all to myself? No. Is it nice to have? Of course. Would I have settled for less? Of course. And there will probably come times in my life when I will have to settle for much less (…I'm imaging a small hut in Africa, or the bare minimum in Latin America… who knows!?) The lesson I will always remember from this is that God knows my needs (and my desires). In fact, He knows them even more intimately than I know them myself! And that fact absolutely blows me away! Before coming here, I thought… just give me a dorm room. It's simple. No extra furniture required. No hassle. But God knew my true needs and my true desires. He knew how refreshing it would be to give me my own space to come home to each day… How great it would be for me to have the freedom of that space to use my gift of hospitality for others who want to come visit or to have people over for dinner or fellowship. I was settling for bare minimum, trusting Him in the basics. And He blessed my trust and obedience and gave me even more. How cool is that?! :)

I love my job! Getting paid to work for an organization that is all about missions… what could be better? Work is slow for now, but once groups start arriving in upcoming weeks, things will pick up as we address the unique needs of each group. Meanwhile, the phones keep ringing with people who want more information about bringing their own groups down.

Even though the job is what I came here for, the reason behind all of it is because I have the desire to minister to this hurting and damaged city. I look forward to each opportunity I have personally to get my own hands dirty with rebuilding, ministering to individuals, and more. This past Friday was my first opportunity to do that. I managed to get my 40-hours in before lunchtime Friday so I could meet up with a group that was in the last stage of house-gutting. I worked the rest of the afternoon in a FEMA suit, full nose/mouth mask (think pest exterminator), goggles and a hammer in hand. I felt like a miniature version of the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters. I pounded out sheetrock from walls, ceilings, and places of houses I honestly don't even know what to call them! And of course… I LOVED IT! (…My hands were sore for two days…) I'll be painting again with this group on Saturday at the home of Alberto Rivera. He, his wife, and two sons are living in a FEMA trailer in front of their home. With the help of teams like I'll be with this weekend, hopefully they will get moved back into their home soon… after all, it's been over 16 months since it was destroyed!

I've also been to Rachel Sims Baptist Mission (the oldest of its kind in the U.S.) for a Youth Game Night. I interacted with the youth some, but mostly I just conversed with one of the directors to get more information about what goes on there, the type of programs they have, etc. I am still praying about where God wants me to get plugged into ministry during my own time. That is one option and there are many others. There is one opportunity I explored today that I feel has great potential for me as a ministry and even a church to attend. It's called First Spanish-American Baptist Church. I talked with the pastor today and he and I are very excited about the possibility of me plugging in there with Bible studies, services, English classes, and Hispanic outreach throughout the city. Mexico in New Orleans! I love it!! And that's not intended to be a politically incorrect statement… most of you know of the time I spent living in Mexico… and my heart has been forever opened to that culture and ministry. If I can't be in Mexico, at least I can be a part of what is going on here in terms of Hispanic ministry. I will keep you informed!

This weekend was great. I spent a lot of time with a group involved in a local church plant here called Sojourn. (Check them out here: http://www.whatissojourn.com or check out http://www.crestwoodbaptist.org) Basically, it's a church geared towards reaching those of the post-modernist generation. As one pastor put it, "If you have to ask what that means, you ain't in it." :) I mention all this to say first how thankful I am to have found a group to minister with and just hang out with. Also, I'm thankful for what this group is trying to do for the city and for how on fire they are for Christ. It's a wonderful encouragement for me, and I believe God will use them to teach me to become bolder in my own faith. Sunday I spent the day watching like 8 hours of football with them! (I didn't know I could even do that!) Unfortunately, the Saints lost (I'm being converted, well, I never truly had a professional football loyalty, so it was an easy conversion). The city has been very excited for the remarkable season, and I believe that no matter where loyalties lie--for a city that is hurting and has lost so much--I think it's wonderful that they have been able to rally behind a team in this way and had their spirits lifted. So, Go Saints! Or as they say here… "Who Dat?!" J (At least Peyton won his game that night…)

Classes start for me tomorrow. I will be taking two, so I'm hoping my load with work and everything will remain manageable. You can certainly always pray for my time managing skills, although I'd like to say I'm improving in that area.

Also pray that I will be God-led in all that I do, from the steps I take, to the conversations I have, to the ministries I am involved in and everything else in between.

And… sorry if I did not reply to your email. I got behind during the first week, but I read them all and will do my best to always send personal replies! And I appreciate them and the wonderful reports I received from FBC Friendsville's end gathering!

Blessings to you all and thanks as always for your prayers and support! I will send pictures as I begin taking them throughout the next months.

All for Christ,

Hannah

I was journaling last night and I wanted to post some thoughts and observations I have of my new place here. I've included some of my personal prayer requests for those of you who are so graciously praying along with me during my journey.

1.8.2007
I am sitting now in my bed (AKA: borrowed air mattress) as one of the newest residents in the city of New Orleans! I will say that my arrival here is such an exciting one! I have been looking forward to returning since I left this place last July. As I drove in, I was semi-astounded that not much had changed. So far, it looks exactly like it did when I left last summer. Dead trees lined my drive into the city. Six Flags of New Orleans remains completely desolate. Piles of debris are seen on the streets and in front of houses and buildings (or what's left of them). As I was driving around the neighborhood near Edgewater Baptist Church, it was night time and the darkness was enhanced because there were not many houses lit up from within or without. I peered straight through several houses that remained empty from interior demolition. I sat in on a grief recovery session at the church and heard one woman mention her 80-something neighbor who is currently living in Portland, Oregon. Her house remains un-gutted, awaiting demolition some 16 months post-Katrina! (And people have been asking me if New Orleans is back on its feet. CERTAINLY NOT!!) This is why I am here. That lady is why I'm here. Those piles of debris, the dead trees, and most importantly… the dead hearts and souls of this city are all reasons I believe God has brought me back to this place. This place of beauty and also much the opposite. I learned today there have been 12 murders here since the beginning of the year. It is January the 8th!! Such contrast to the comforts of Maryville I've taken for granted all these years. It is okay to be in a place where I don't sit so comfortably as both a person and a Christian. A place where I am forced to get out of my lazy-boy. To be conscious of the battle around me, both a worldly one, and certainly a spiritual one. I pray that God equips me thoroughly for my purpose here. I pray that if there are any areas that I am lacking, He will reveal them to me and together we can work through that area and experience tremendous growth. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and yet, I feel sometimes unprepared for the full extent of my duties here. God has brought me so far, but I've still got so far to go. My desire is to be like Christ. I pray that I fully surrender so that I may truly walk in the light as He restores my soul, purifies my heart, and renews my mind.

Peace and blessings to you on your own journey,

Hannah

This is the first of my ministry updates since my recent move back to New Orleans. Below is what I sent out to my mass email list. If you want to receive these by email and you know my personal email address, just send me a message and I'll add you to the list. Otherwise, check my blogs from time to time to read my latest update.

I hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season! I had a great time with my friends and family, but it was quite rushed trying to pack and get everything ready for the move. I left Maryville on Thursday and headed to Atlanta with my brother for a fabulous Cirque du Soleil performance. I spent the rest of the weekend in Chattanooga for a wedding of one of my best college buds.

Finally, I safely arrived in New Orleans yesterday afternoon. One minor bump in the road (besides the hard rains on the Interstate)... I found out 10 minutes before leaving Maryville Thursday that I would not be moving into a furnished dorm... instead, I would be moving into an unfurnished apartment. Good news = I'd have the whole place to myself... bedroom, kitchen, living room, bathroom, etc... Bad news = I had no time, room in my car, or proper financial preparation to move into an unfurnished apartment. Nevertheless, I accepted the offer telling myself it will all work out for the best in the end. After giving it some thought, I am super excited to have a place to myself. It's a really cute apartment, strings were definitely pulled for me to get a place like this, and I am blessed to have received it. Meanwhile, all my stuff is on the floor waiting for shelves, etc... but luckily I do have an air mattress (on loan). I will probably start the furniture search this weekend. Hopefully I can find some good deals. If any of you know people who live around the area that are looking to get rid of ANYTHING... let me know! I have a truck I can use. Around here, however, most people are re-furnishing their own homes... but hopefully that means there are some good deals to be found.

Oh, and for those of you who I haven't been in contact with lately, here's a quick update about this whole situation. (Everyone else can skip to the last paragraph.) After returning from New Orleans last July, I spent the Fall semester working at a private Christian school in Seymour, TN. I worked there full-time as a Bible teacher, ESL teacher, and I lived in a dorm with 31 girls and 3 other dorm staff. I also coordinated the Middle School chapel services and helped coach the girls' soccer team. It was an intense, challenging, and wonderful experience. But all the while, I anticipated returning to New Orleans, and indeed, that's how God worked it all out... so here I am!! I am working again for the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in their missions outreach department. I'm labeled as a Missions Associate... basically, I am a missions coordinator that handles the logistics, etc of groups who wish to come to New Orleans for mission trips. I'm in contact with them about organization and ministries they want to be involved with while they are here, as well as organizing the details of where they will stay, devotion and worship times while they are here, etc. Specifically, we are already heavily preparing for the 9-weeks of intense youth camps for this summer. We're hoping to have around 400 youth and staff each week, compared to the 80-150 a week we had last year. So it's going to be awesome!!

Thanks again to all of you for your support, prayers, friendship, and love. It's all so much appreciated!! Once I start getting my hands dirty again, I will send out more updates, pictures, etc. Meanwhile, keep me updated with what's going on where you're at, prayer requests, and the like.

All for Him,
Hannah

If your church or someone you know might be interested in coming down to minister to the needs of New Orleans, we've got groups coming through here of all ages year-round. Check out www.missionlab.com or call 877.TRY.MLAB.