Where He leads...

A good friend of mine died last night, and yet I'm having trouble convincing myself that he is actually dead—that he is no longer on this earth.

I guess that's what it's like whenever you are separated by distance. Someone you may only see once a year, when gone, your life eerily goes on as before. You wouldn't have expected to see them tomorrow anyways, but you had assumed you would see them again.

It's not like the situation with Tiffany's friend, Darrell, a man she worked with and saw regularly from 9-5. A man who she notices daily is no longer around. A man she misses. A friend she admired.

With Bob—my friend—I am having trouble convincing myself he's gone.

I'm sure that his wife is not having this trouble.

No, his wife is having troubles of a different kind. The trouble of realizing every second of every minute that he is not there—that he is not coming back. The trouble of remembering her last moments with him—perhaps as he walked out the door for a routine errand, telling her he will see her in a couple of hours. The trouble, that despite her peace of knowing he is in a better place, she will have no more days on this earth with the man, the love of her life, that she has spent the past several decades with—by his side and no other.

I'm sad for this loss. My friend who every time I would visit West Tennessee, I'd have the blessing of meeting him and his wife, Geraldine, at McDonald's—my granddaddy's social hotspot. Bob and Geraldine would walk in, smiles beaming to see me. To see the changes life has brought me and to hear about my latest adventures. Bob would give me a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and call me his girlfriend. He would brag on his grandkids and show me a photo he kept in his wallet of "his Hannah", his beloved sister who had passed away years before. I never met her, but if she was anything like her younger brother, what a gem I'm certain she was.

I miss my friend. I don't like it when God takes a life from this earth unexpectedly. It's too difficult for my mind to comprehend the reasoning behind that. But I know… I truly know… that I must trust God. To find peace in knowing that God is sovereign, that He is in control, and that He doesn't make mistakes. Does that make it any easier? Not really. But I can thank God for allowing me the years of knowing Bob since I was a little girl. Growing up with an extra grandpa who supported me, encouraged me, prayed for me, and loved me.

He would have spent today with my granddaddy. They had made plans to see the air show, something they had done years before and enjoyed so much. I guess Bob had an air show of his own—a meeting not with planes or pilots, but with the One who created Him and who does all things by His perfect timing. I trust that God welcomed Him last night with open arms, much in the same way as Bob always welcomed me.

"We forget how precious each day is and how it can all be over so quick. Our faith in a better life, that Our Lord has promised, sustains us, but our memories are real and long lasting. I know that I will try to be thankful for each day and to see the best in others." – George Younger, my granddaddy

Although I am unsure of when Summer officially ends, as far as I'm concerned… Summer is over! Aside from the blazing heat that still remains here in New Orleans, Summer MissionLab has completed its course for 2007 and I am back to a more reasonable pace of life. Don't get me wrong, these past few months have been incredible. Seeing those young people accomplish so much through their God-given strength and talents was a tremendous blessing and source of encouragement to me and the rest of the team. God will always move in miraculous ways when people choose to surrender their time for His mission. Everyone who came to New Orleans on mission could have been enjoying their summer in a number of other ways, yet they chose to be a part of what God is continuing to do in this city.

So what is God doing in New Orleans? Plenty!

Just this past weekend nearly 400 individuals united in prayer during a conference called Out of Range. We had an amazing time of worship and study of God's Word as we were reminded not about the power of prayer, but of the awesome power of the God to whom we pray! We were led in worship by the Andrew Ogea Band, Leeland, and speaker Dr. David Platt. Saturday afternoon groups went out across the city, saturating the streets with prayer. During that time, I had the privilege of packing a 15 passenger van with helping hands and about 75 leftover Chick-fil-A boxed lunches and cold drinks. We drove down Broad Street for about an hour, passing them out to families spending the afternoon on their front porch, construction workers weary from their labor, passers-by curious as to what we were doing, and we finished up at a carwash packed with shiny vehicles and hungry bellies.

I am excited for the fall because I finally feel settled into my life and ministry here. MissionLab is slowing down some for a few months in terms of volunteer groups coming from out of town. I will stay busy, however, as I feel God calling me to pursue ways to connect local churches and students with the continuing rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. There are also several opportunities for me to plug into some other great ministries throughout the city. HIMnI, a once-a-month young adult worship gathering, is one example (www.himni.org). Meanwhile, our staff will be busy reorganizing and re-strategizing for MissionLab 2008. I'll even be traveling some, setting up booths to promote the MissionLab program. I'll be in Arlington, TX in October and Alexandria, LA in November. Beginning in February, we will be launching the MissionLab Your Glory Tour where we take our staff and the Andrew Ogea Band to churches across the U.S. to assist them in hosting a "MissionLab" in their hometown with other churches in their area. If your church would like information about hosting your own MissionLab weekend, please send me a request and I'll forward along the basic info. I'd certainly love to come for a visit!!

As you may know, today marks the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall on the Gulf Coast. With its destructive 145 mph winds and powerful storm surge, Katrina drowned 80% of the city of New Orleans, killing over 1500 people in Louisiana alone, leaving behind $82.2 billion dollars of damage. NOBTS, the seminary, is hosting a work day today and hundreds of students and faculty will be scattered throughout the city rebuilding, evangelizing, and so on. I'll be leading a gutting team. My favorite! Please continue to pray with me today, and throughout the days ahead, that residents here will remain strong in their struggle to rebuild. Pray for the Christians here that we will be bold in our testimony of faith in Jesus Christ as we encounter those who've rejected Him, who are living without Him, and some who have never even heard of Him. Pray that God would continue to send people to this city and other areas of this world in need of humanitarian efforts and most importantly, in need of God's love. And finally, as I learned this past weekend, pray to God because you long to spend time with Him... to sit quietly with Him as His glory surrounds you… humbled by the very fact that you can approach Him boldly. He knows us. He sympathizes with our needs. And He will stretch out His arms of mercy and grace to help us. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Thanks for your continued support. Keep me posted on what's going on in your neck of the woods and how I can be praying for you.

Peace and blessings,

Hannah

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:14-16)

This was a piece of artwork that we designed for Out of Range. I was up for many long hours working on it with other volunteers. One day I spent 14 hours straight on my part.

It was enjoyable to be a part of its creation and it turned out well! I think Daniel 9:17-19 is now my favorite prayer in the Bible.

This was part of our prayer for the weekend. Kaitlin did the design and we helped with the frame, etc.

Simple, but I wanted to point out the artwork to the left and right. An artist from the French Quarter named Ron let us borrow those pieces for the set and on Saturday during our reflective prayer time, he designed two more “live” and donated them to the ministry. It was incredible to watch an artist at work like that and a privilege to get to meet him.

At the end of the summer I was able to come to Tennessee for a road trip with 4 of my friends I’d been working with all summer long. We had a blast hiking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, and camping.

We hiked Ramsey Cascades. It was extremely intense and next time we’ll know to bring more water!

My brother Matt came for a visit a couple weeks ago. We had a great time! Pray for him as he makes decisions for his future concerning his job and all that.

My intention this summer was to write an update for each week. Obviously that did not happen and I apologize immensely for not staying faithful to that.

A million thanks to those of you whom I know have stayed faithful in prayer for me throughout these busy weeks. Looking back, I know I couldn't have gotten by so well without those prayers. The summer has continued to be intense and extremely challenging physically, mentally, and spiritually. My heart is continually breaking for the enormous need that surrounds me here. I'm one to get easily caught up in the physical brokenness of this city… the abandoned homes that adorn every street… the unkempt yards that are now jungles… having to actually search for the sound of laughter… all signs of a city destroyed—as if it's been forgotten. In many ways, I think it has.

But as depressing and overwhelming all of that is to me, I have to continually remind myself that I'm here for a far greater purpose than swinging a hammer, hauling a wheelbarrow, and pulling weeds. My most significant purpose here isn't even to rebuild homes. I believe with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength that God has me here to be a part of the transformation of lives that is taking place throughout New Orleans. As my boss Rob reminds us each week, "God's glory is being proclaimed in this city like never before!" Hallelujah! What a wonderful place to be! I hear of—and talk to—so many who are scared to come to this place. They hear the news of the National Guard being stationed here, of the murders and crime, of the mold and mildew, and they are frozen in their life of security. They've seen the news, but have they seen the faces of those who are hurting here? Have they looked into the eyes of a woman who has lost all earthly possessions? A woman who is broken beyond description… who sits on the porch of her FEMA trailer all day long praying for a miracle… praying for someone to drive down the street with good news. Good news just this once. Maybe this is the day that something does not go wrong. That a contractor will actually keep his word and finish the job she has paid him for (unlike the last one that ran off with thousands of dollars and uninstalled sheetrock lying on the floor). Maybe the day is soon coming when her two boys can come back home, because now, the trailer is too small for all three of them. Her two boys who she loves and who want to protect her, because face it—in this city, a mother could use the safety that two older boys could bring to her home simply by her not having to live alone.

I have seen her face. Her name is Michelle. And there are tens of thousands of Michelles in this city right now.

I've had the opportunity to pray with her twice, and now I'll ask you to please pray for her as well. Pray that God will give her the strength and renewal she needs for each new day—and that SHE will seek Him for that strength. Pray for a volunteer crew to come to the city that knows how to sheetrock so I can send her some help. (And I have 40 other homes on my list that need sheetrock also. My list has 157 homes on it altogether with needs ranging from yardwork, to painting, to roofing, flooring, and everything in between. It grows daily.)

We've got two full weeks left of MissionLab. Then our wonderful summer staff leaves and it'll be time to breathe and time to regroup and reorganize. Volunteers will slow down some, but the work remains. Pray that God continues to send teams down here to help rebuild throughout the year. Pray that God sends people here who are not afraid to work long, hard hours… but most importantly, who aren't afraid to share the name and the love of Jesus Christ. May His love transform us as we transfer it onto others.

Be blessed. Seek Him first.

Week 2 of MissionLab can be summed up in one word "incredible"! And it truly was. I guess getting kinks ironed out the first week helped the second week go a bit smoother. One thing that I had to learn is that I can't (and don't have to) do everything on my own. I loaded my own self up with a lot of responsibility the first week, and had to re-learn the importance of delegation! And more importantly, I had to lean on God for strength, patience, and endurance… all of which He provided this past week.

MissionLab basically offers groups an opportunity to come to New Orleans as part of a customized missions experience. And during the summer, the youth camp even has all the bells and whistles of summer missionaries, worship bands, camp pastor, and amazingly great cafeteria food! But a major aspect of the program is the flexibility of ministry sites. Groups work with me (the Ministry Site Coordinator) to design their week in the ways they want to serve while in the city. Some spend a lot of time in daycares, food shelters and nursing homes, while others may spend all their time on a construction site, working with a homeowner or in a local church or school. To give you an idea of my workload, I have a spreadsheet on my computer that currently has over 140 requests from homeowners for various projects they still need help with. Their needs range from yard clean-up and landscaping, to gutting and sheetrock, to roofing, fencing, and beyond. The key is to match volunteer groups with the skills they have and those required at any given mission site. In a perfect world, I'd have an unlimited supply of skilled volunteers, but that's typically not the case. We do, however, have groups on occasion that have leaders and even high schoolers who have the ability to do some of the heavy construction jobs.

Our ministry sites come from a variety of sources. For example, as many of you know, MissionLab has a radio spot on the local Christian station (Lifesongs: www.lifesongs.com -- you can listen live) at 9am & 4pm CST. I'm typically the one being "interviewed". There was a young lady by the name of Dana who caught the very end of a segment the other week. She heard about MissionLab and the work the volunteers were doing. Although she didn't get all the information while she was listening, she got enough information to inquire about it and eventually tracked us down. She called our office and told me of her need. Dana is 9 months pregnant, lives alone, and her house was all but destroyed from Katrina. Her immediate need was a fence for her two dogs that would need to live outdoors once the baby arrives. I told her I'd try to schedule a group for the end of the following week. We had some skilled roofers in that week, and the homes they were supposed to work on fell through because of various issues. They needed me to find a new worksite for them. I remembered Dana had mentioned needing help with her roof, so I called and asked her if she could get the materials by the next day. She was unsure, but called her sister who jumped at the opportunity to help since volunteers were present. That week, a group from First Baptist Church North Augusta completed Dana's roof and took up a donation from the students to buy her a lawn mower and weedeater to manage her yard. The next week a group from Bethel Baptist Church in Snead, AL installed a wooden fence around the back perimeter, built a kennel for the dogs, and raised about $200 as a love offering. They invited Dana to the worship service we put on at First Baptist Church New Orleans Thursday night. She came and I had a chance to meet her. She's the cutest thing ever. Wednesday they will induce her if she hasn't already had her baby. She is interested in getting plugged into a church here, so I'm going to keep in touch with her and try to find her a church family to encourage and love on her. Pray for her, her soon-to-be baby, and others like her who still need encouragement and repairs over 20 months after the hurricane.

This week has started off well. There was a major thunderstorm today that slowed down some of the work, but hopefully the rain will hold off enough throughout the week so that progress can still be made. I got to see one familiar face today and a beautiful Big Orange "T" on the back of a Blount County bus! There was a group from First United Methodist Church in Maryville, TN along with one of my favorite Maryvillians, Dale Ross. He called me this morning to remind me they were in town, so I drove by their jobsite to say hi and see the Habitat house they were working on in the 9th Ward—a rough, but desperate area. I also phoned in a favor through some of my National Guard buddies to take some extra strolls through the neighborhood throughout this week while they're working there, so they stopped by and visited for a while.

I'm excited for this weekend because I made a last-minute decision to get myself to West Tennessee for less than 48 hours and spend Saturday with my mom, sister, brother, and granddaddy (3 of which I haven't seen since Thanksgiving or Christmas). I'll leave Friday night, missing the evening service, fly to Nashville where my bro will pick me up and take me Dyersburg, I'll spend Saturday with the family (as soon as my sister and mom get there from Maryville that morning) and then I'll take a 4am train back to New Orleans to arrive for the beginning of Week 4 by 5pm! It'll be a whirlwind, and it's a chunk of money for just one day, BUT… like the commercials say "some things money can't buy". And you can't put a price on family… especially mine. :)

Blessings to you and yours.

Talking with a lady who organizes some of the work we do to clean up local parks, etc.

A precious pup at one of the homes our groups worked at

Week 1 of "my summer" has ended, and Week 2 kicked off with new groups having just arrived Sunday. For those of you who need a refresher… "my summer" is defined as MissionLab Youth Camp. From June 3rd until Aug 4th, we run 8 weeks of summer camp (excluding the week of July 4th). This is an extremely intense time for my ministry here. I'd like to say that everything went smoothly this past week, but to be honest with you, this was a difficult week for me. It was physically draining, and when you're pulled in so many directions, your weaknesses shine through a little more than you'd like them to. Basically, this week taught me many things about myself that still need improvement. So pray with me as I continue to ask God to transform myself into the woman He created me to be.

There are so many amazing stories I could report from the volunteer groups this week. We had groups out gutting homes, cleaning yards, playing with children at daycares, leading activities for nursing home residents, singing in the French Quarter, helping with backyard Bible clubs, and more. We even had one group take the initiative on several occasions to set up a free lemonade stand! Ice cold lemonade in this hot and humid city is a wonderful blessing! It also provided an opportunity for the students to listen to the stories of survival and perseverance that so many residents of New Orleans and the surrounding areas still want to share.

The responsibility I have this summer has grown tremendously since my time as a summer missionary last summer. I am embracing the new challenges. This past week I had the opportunity to use my "position of authority" in a special way, and I can only thank God for that opportunity. There is one house that was on the list for the week to be gutted. The house belongs to Ben and Janet, members of a local church here. The pastor had contacted me weeks ago and requested help for this couple who lost everything during Katrina. A team is coming to donate sheetrock and labor later this month, and they desperately needed the house gutted before the sheetrock and volunteers arrive. I had scheduled one youth group to gut their house, but after they saw the house and the mold, they did not feel comfortable gutting it without "professional" masks and suits. Knowing, 1) that couldn't force the volunteers into an uncomfortable situation and 2) that this house was a priority, left me with a problem. I was determined to at least try tapping into my resources to see if I could help out the situation. I called in a favor with a friend who has some heavy-duty respirator masks, and I called Pastor Mel of Bethel Colony South (the men's ministry) to see if he had masks and/or men to help with the job. The next day I would go to the house myself and gut it with whatever help I could find from a couple summer staff. Turns out, our whole summer staff team wanted to go (minus Stacy who was sick) and Pastor Mel gave me three of his men for the day. I borrowed masks and bought suits for all of us. We worked HARD!! When I took off my suit at the end of the day it looked like I had been swimming. It was hot, but we accomplished the task well enough that the youth group was comfortable going in after us to finish the job (since we'd removed most of the moldy sheetrock from the walls and ceilings). So I was excited that I got to be a part of the physical labor I love so much here, and especially because God used me and the resources I have here to accomplish something that would have otherwise been an obstacle to complete.

There are adult teams here as well. A couple of the summer missionaries buddied up with them when they arrived Sunday night. The senior ladies of the group started asking them all kinds of questions and it ended with the ladies telling our guys that Wednesday night they'll come over to the guys' dorm and cook us all chicken and dumplings. One of the ladies said, "We'll even stay up until 9 o'clock!" :) So we're all looking forward to that! Thank God for Grandmas!!!!

I'm excited for this week and all that God has in store! I can already tell a difference in myself this week in terms of my attitude, stress level, etc, and I can only praise God for that. Continue to pray for me and the MissionLab staff as we coordinate the summer and lead these students and chaperones into an effective time of service and worship.

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! :)

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