Where He leads...

We had groups out last week tackling what I call my “July Initiative”. In about one month the infamous anniversary approaches again… Hurricane Katrina—3 years. I still remember what it was like, my first time in New Orleans post-Katrina. Then, it was 8 months after the storm. I remember having no words for the horror, the devastation that I saw. Houses on top of cars, boats on top of houses, unidentifiable debris absolutely everywhere… it was truly a mess. But I must say—as bad and as ugly as that was to me, I find myself no less shocked to drive through the streets of New Orleans today. Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who sees the mess that still is New Orleans. Does the media see this? The rest of America? I can tell you who sees it… thousands of homeowners who have decided to stay in New Orleans after this disaster. Families who are exhausted from rebuilding their home brick by brick. Couples who have been burned by “contractors” who took $80K of their money and ran. Grown children making sacrifices so that their elderly parents don’t have to take out a new mortgage at 88 years old. Some of these people have told me how depressing it is to drive through their neighborhood, having struggled through the journey with their own home for the past three years, and to see house after house, yard after yard, that still looks like the bomb went off yesterday. My July Initiative is to use our volunteers to tackle as many of these homes and yards as possible. I mapped out sections of two different neighborhoods. The volunteers have made amazing headway so far this month, but that is only a small drop in the bucket.

Just ask Fletcher. Will Fletcher is a local homeowner who saw the tidal wave coming and is still trying to bail his way out. I met Fletcher through our volunteers. I had a group in the area as part of my J.I. and Fletcher stopped to talked to them. Fletcher met Mike, one of our summer staff and after Fletcher shared some of his story, Mike reached out to say, “We gotcha, man—we gotcha.” Fletcher, like so many in this city, is desperate for someone to come along beside him—to help and encourage him. A couple of our groups have been able to step in and assist with the piles of work at his house. I had the privilege to meet Fletcher on Monday. He is a talker, and boy, does he have a lot to say! I fully believe he has bottled up every thought and emotion he has experienced since August ’05. He told me how he was outside as the floodwaters were approaching. “The water went from 4 feet to 6 feet, 6 feet to 8, 8 to 12! I was outside, looked down the street and said aloud, ‘What’s that?! Man, that’s a house!!’” He recalled rushing up the steps to safety and the force of the rapidly rising water and debris from a house barreling down the street knocked him back across the room. Tears were forming in his eyes when he described how thankful he was for the volunteers these last few days. They have provided him with an indescribable boost, when everyone else in the city seemed to be kicking him while he was down. In his words, “They have come in here and said, ‘Man, you got screwed—but you’re hanging in there.” Indeed, Fletcher has been wrecked and abandoned in so many ways…and amazingly, he and his family are still hanging in there. They inspire me and will for years to come. Leaning on his now corroded mustang, Fletcher looked down at the ground in a daze, talking as if to himself to say, “Maybe we can have something we can actually put a Christmas tree in.” Having a place to display a Christmas tree is something most of us take for granted. For Fletcher, having such a place represents so much more than a festive decoration. It represents restoration of life—pressed but not crushed, knocked down but not destroyed. May we all find the strength to rise up when the pressures of this world try to bring us down.

Praying that you are especially aware of God’s love and blessings today,

Hannah Sterling

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

My apologies for the time that has passed since my last update. To put it mildly—I have been busy! Since June 1st, we have seen over 1100 volunteers come through our summer program. I wish I could say that I’ve had the opportunity to sit back and watch the amazing God things that are happening throughout the city as these young people come to serve. Quite the opposite—I have been behind the scenes, at all hours of the day and night, doing my best to make sure that these young people continue to have opportunities to serve. My top priority here is organizing where each of these 300-400 youth and adults work and do ministry each week. As much as I’d love to go love on some community kids, prepare a meal for the homeless, gut a house, or prayer walk around the neighborhood—the majority of my time is spent in the office on the phone or at my computer. But in the midst of this organized chaos—God reminded me of a powerful truth. If I don’t take time to stop and thank God for this incredible opportunity to serve Him, it’s my own fault. If I don’t take time to sit down with the campers or my staff at dinner to hear about the events of the day, the people they encountered, the miracles performed by God, it’s my own fault. Truth is, despite my crazy and intense schedule, my being here and serving here in New Orleans is a phenomenal gift from God! Absolutely nothing less. And if I don’t take time—make time—to thank God for exactly that, it’s no one’s fault but my own. God is challenging me to daily be in a state of thanksgiving, recognizing all of His blessings, yes, even the blessing of this assignment—as tired and overwhelmed as I may be at times. A phrase I read recently has been echoing within my mind, “Complaining is a sign of an ungrateful heart.” Lord, help me to always be grateful for every blessing!

We’ve seen dozens of students who have come down on mission for Christ actually accept Christ as Savior and Lord! Out on the mission sites, children, teenagers and adults alike are learning what it means to have a personal relationship with God. The relief work is continuing as teams are going out to serve the community by cleaning up yards, painting, putting up sheetrock, laying down flooring, patching roofs—even gutting buildings that haven’t been touched since Katrina!

This week we had a group in Violet, LA gutting River Edge Baptist Church. Even after all that I have seen down here in New Orleans, walking around this house of God that had been filled to the ceiling with floodwater and untouched since the storm, literally took my breath away. Looking up, I could see grass on the ceiling from the high waters and all along the wall was evidence of where it settled. Most prominently, the water line ran along the wall of the baptistery, straight through the middle of a wooden cross. Bibles and hymnals were strewn all around. Pews were caked with dry earth—pews stacked on top of pews. Toys had floated out of the nursery into the sanctuary. A giant fish head lay on the ground as if it had been there forever.

Friday I took the opportunity to go with a group to help finish up that job. The mold in the kitchen and hallway areas was intense. We suited up for the task and carefully went to work. I absolutely love getting out and working with the groups. I hope to do more of that come the end of this month. That will be my reward if I can get caught up on scheduling! My favorite part was climbing up the ladder-like walls to take down the ceiling tiles. It was amazing, and I was amazingly worn out by the end of our time there!

I know that many of you have been praying for me. And I fully know and believe that it is through those prayers that I can keep going when my body, mind and heart are all but spent. In fact, every time I hear from one of you that you have been praying for me, it is a great reminder that it is through those prayers I am accomplishing all that I am. It would be impossible for me to do and maintain all I do if it wasn’t for God’s grace!! Thank you for your continued support. I hope to see many of you in the coming months. Continue to pray for me as I seek God’s guidance on what lies after New Orleans. I am currently applying to serve in Africa for two years with Africa Inland Mission (http://timo-aim.com/) beginning sometime in 2009. I will keep you posted as I continue on that journey and I look forward to sharing more details about that opportunity in the near future.

Much love and many blessings to you all!

Check out our website for video footage! http://www.missionlab.com or on our youtube page: http://www.youtube.com/missionlab

(The "End of the Week" videos and "Evan's Blogs" are the best ones!)

Things are pretty busy for me as I’m gearing up for a big summer, but I wanted to take a moment and send out a quick update…

I’m long overdue for sharing my photos from my Israel trip. I spent hours going through them, putting them into a folder I could share through a site I use to print out my photos at a decent price. It wasn’t until I finished that I realize you (meaning YOU) have to create a free account to look at them. Oops. Some of you won’t mind, some of you already have a York account, and the rest of you are probably too busy to have made it this far in my update anyways! :)

Try this link: http://www.yorkphoto.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=215501016/a=81821121/t_=81821121

In other news…

MissionLab is set to have an average of 400 volunteers a week throughout or 8 weeks of Summer camp. My main responsibility--to find ministry sites for everyone one of them! I can do all things through Christ, right? So you can imagine how heavily I’m leaning on God for the wisdom and energy I need for a task like this. A constant reminder is that I cannot possibly rely on myself for accomplished all that I’ll need to. God appointed me to this task, and He’s the One who will supply the power behind all that needs to be done.

I had a wonderful visit from Dad and Kelly. We got to play tourist for a few days, visiting a plantation, eating some fantastic food, riding a streetcar, exploring the above-ground cemeteries, and more. I enjoyed the change of pace and of course, their company. While walking along the lake shore, we met a cute little second-grader named Britney. “Hi!” she said, from the back of an SUV--she nearly startled me, for I hadn't even noticed her. I asked what she was doing and she said she was writing a song. As we were leaving, I wanted to see if she’d finished. She was sitting by a lady I assumed was her mother, but who turned out to be a songwriter herself. Her name was Pat and apparently she was a stranger to Britney up until their newfound friendship. Britney sang her song for us. Very creative, and very on key. Pat also sang one of her songs for us about the importance of prayer, and responding to God’s answer with obedience. She shared with us her story from Hurricane Katrina, and I’m happy to report that I already have some volunteers lined up this summer to help her along with rebuilding her home. People are all around us that need a friend, need an encouraging word, or even just a listening ear. I pray that I never get too busy to stop and meet the little and talented Brittneys and the strong and beautiful Pats of this world.

I also had a brief visit from my aunts Gwen and Judy and my cousin Lindsey. That was a blast! We spent a little time wandering the streets and art galleries of the French Quarter. Never a dull moment with those ladies!

I’ll be heading home this week for a much-needed and anticipated visit. I hope to see some of you! And I hope all of you have a great week and treasure the many blessings God has given each of us.

All for Him,
Hannah

We made it back safely to the United States Saturday. What a trip!!

Definitely the question I have been asked most often since I returned... "What was your favorite part?"

My answer--well, my answer has been different every time. First of all, I'm too indecisive for favorites, and second of all--too many of the experiences from my trip were incredible! How can anything outshine another when they're all shining so brightly in my memory?!

Maybe my favorite thing was exploring all of the historical places we visited. Hurrying through a thousands-of-years old fortress because we only had 30 minutes and I was determined to explore every nook and cranny I could! Walking up and down the steps Paul would have taken to enter into the sea. Going underground into ancient aqueducts and secret tunnels important to those civilizations during times of peace and war. Stumbling upon ancient burial grounds and tombs (see "tomb" photo).

Maybe my favorite part was admiring the landscape. Looking at the beautiful flowers (see photo of the flower at Tel Dan), interesting birds and wildlife, rolling hills, still waters, roaring ocean (see photo at "Caeserea")... Who can decide?!

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the trip was getting to do things I've most definitely never done before... like ride a camel! (See "camel" photo) Or stick my fingers in the Dead Sea. Or walk along the Via Dolorosa. Or bump into a modern-day goatherd while his goats are grazing in a cemetery on the Mount of Olives. (see "goats" photo) *I certainly never knew that goats could jump like that. Or going to my first-ever Holocaust Museum (see photo of the Holocaust memorial). Boy was that incredible and heart-breaking. I could have spent all day there, looking at the pictures, reading the facts, hearing the personal testimonies of those who experienced it first-hand. What a tragedy. And yet, it reminded me of the genocide, war, murder, and everything else that is still going on today... often in places that never receive proper news coverage. It was a reminder to pray... a reminder to do more than pray... a reminder to act. To stop living so comfortably here in my skin and continue to reach out and get out to the dark and broken places of this world.

This trip will continue to impact my life for years to come... surely for my entire life! The Bible truly is coming alive even more than before. As I read it daily I'm reading about events that occurred in places I can now say that I've been too. Unbelievable! If you ever get an opportunity to go to Israel--GO! I'm already hoping to go again. It was such a whirlwind trip, I was only processing a portion of what we were seeing and experiencing. There is still so much to see and understand. The only thing I would change is that next time I would love to go with some of my closest friends and family. It would be so special to experience such an amazing place with the people I love most.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers for safety and a great time. I definitely was blessed with both!

(To read a fantastic daily play-by-play of this incredible experience, check out my friend Christie's blog: http://smilingattomorrow.blogspot.com/)

Greetings once again from Israel! I won't take long to write because once again I'm borrowing someone's computer. Tonight is our last night in Maagan. We're headed to Jerusalem from here and we'll spend the rest of out time there. I'm very excited about that! Hopefully, if there is time (and no major security issues) we'll go into Bethlehem tomorrow. That'll be incredible.

Since my last update... we've gone to Sepphoris, Korazin, Mount of the Beatitudes, Capernaum, Rosh Hanikra, Kursi, Bet Shean, Ben Tal, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, and others I'm probably forgetting!

Let me just attach some pictures and give you a brief description about each one...

Easter morning was spent on the Sea of Galilee. Dr. Nelson Price brought a challenging message and it was an incredible start to our day! The water was beautiful and calm. I wouldn't mind seeing it during a storm. Our guide said that 10 foot waves form and it is truly a dangerous event! What a miracle for Jesus to calm the storm. While I was sitting on the shore early one morning, I imagined how startled and amazed I would be to see Jesus walking on the water. I decided that I would jump at such an opportunity to venture out on top with Him as well!

The picture here is of a chapel on the Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). The remains of a Byzantine chapel were found here in 1935, but the chapel now was built on the hilltop instead of over those remains.

The next picture is of me soaking my feet in the Jordan River (referred to in Israel simply as "The Jordan"). It was chilly and to our surprise, full of huge catfish! :) It was humbling to have the privilege to visit such a significant site.

Mount Ben Tal offers an incredible view overlooking the Golan Heights and Israel’s Northern borders. It was also a significant stage for the war against Syria. I explored the bunker--which was so cool! (And literally cool as well compared to the heat above ground). I'm pictured here with my roommate Amy... a spunky 13 year old that's keeping me young on this trip. Seriously though, it's neat to get to know her and what an experience to go to Israel at 13!! I pray it's just as life-changing for her as for the rest of us!

I LOVED Nimrod!! We only had a short visit there and I felt like a kid in the candy store trying to sample every inch of that place! Nimrod Fortress sits on a mountain 2,675 feet above sea level. It is one of the largest fortresses to survive in the Mid-East since the Middle Ages. There's a long history there, and I'll let you look it up and read about it. :) But it was sooo neat to explore that area. We found secret passageways, pitch black staircases that we fearlessly followed down to different lookout areas... if only I'd had a bow and arrow... or whatever they used back then!

Kursi is the site where Jesus miraculously cast the devils out of a man into a herd of swine which stampededed into the water and drowned. As our guide put it... this was the first recorded case of "deviled ham". :) A Byzantine basilica was uncovered at this site--attached to it was a chapel and foritified monastery. There is a crypt there that I regret not going down into. (If you would have seen the entrance to that thing, you wouldn't have blamed me. But honestly, I just didn't think there was much to see.) After seeing pictures from others, it actually would have been a neat thing to behold. After uncovering the remains, skeletons of more than 30 middle-aged men were found there.

This is SUCH a brief rundown of just a few of the dozens of sites we're seeing. It's a fast-pace trip and I already know that it would be great to come back to Israel at a later date. Regardless, I know this will be life-changing and I'm treating it as if it were a once in a lifetime opportunity... because it very well may be. I'm going to make the best of it! Thank you for your prayers while I'm are! I hope one day you get the opportunity to explore Israel (if you haven't already).

Mount Ben Tal

Nimrod Fortress

Kursi

Boarding the boat Easter morning on the Sea of Galilee

Mount of Beatitudes

The Jordan

The weather delays in the States made no affect on our landing in Tel Aviv. We had a strong tail wind and arrived on schedule. I slept at least 9 hours of the flight! Praise the Lord! It was getting dark by the time we made it to our bus. We arrived at the Kibbutz (a little colony like area for our accommodations). Our room was adorable. I'm sharing it with my new friend Amy. She's a hip little 13 year old. I slept like a rock (aside from the fact that we didn't have an alarm clock or a watch. So we set her phone--Atlanta time--for what we THOUGHT would be morning in Israel. Apparently her cell phone finally did catch up to Israel time, and so we were up at midnight wondering if we were actually supposed to start getting ready...)

Today we went to Tel Beerseba, Arad, Masada, Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were supposedly found), Jordan Valley, and the Dead Sea. I won't attempt to tell you the details of those places at this time... but they were all incredible! Myself and 4 others actually hiked up to the "fortress" of Masada. Halfway up I was wondering why in the world I made such a dumb decision! But we finally made it... and I'm very glad I took the trek. I'll be feeling it tomorrow... that's for sure. But I was able to really identify with the Jews in 70 or 73 AD who hiked up the mountain in an attempt to escape from the Romans. To think of perhaps pregnant women, certainly the elderly to the very young, all trying to make it quickly up the slick slopes--literally running for their lives. For me... I was guaranteed freedom at the top. I would be "rescued" by my group and even take a fun cable car ride back down to the bottom. But for them... it was certain death. They actually killed themselves before the Romans (who eventually broke through) could do the job themselves.

These places I'm having the privilege to visit each day were the backdrops for some of the most significant events in all of history. Incredible!

I'm looking out the window now at the Sea of Galilee. I'll actually be spending part of Easter ON the Sea of Galilee! I'm excited! But first... all of the adventures of tomorrow... I can't wait! I don't have long to write because I'm borrowing someone's computer and it's nearly bedtime here. Until next time...

This is a shot of Masada... if you look closely you can see the snake path we hiked up!!

Here I am sticking my fingers in the Dead Sea. That was weird! The water feels so different there! It taste nasty, and of course seeks out the slightest cut you might have on your skin! Ouch!

Another fancy shot of the Dead Sea

Currently I’m sitting on the floor of the New Orleans airport waiting for my flight to Atlanta… delayed due to thunderstorms. For any of you who don’t already know—I’m Israel bound!! I was telling my friend Christie how disappointed I was not to have time to write an update before I left for Israel. I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to share some of the events from the past few weeks, but more importantly, I know I will have a much more peaceful sendoff knowing that my friends and family are praying with me throughout this special trip.

I have been very busy since my last update. We’ve had over a dozen mission groups pass through these last few weeks. I’ve dealt with everything from overflowing toilets, to helping serve meals in the cafeteria, to cancelled ministry sites, and more. Even amidst the busyness, I try to stop and remind myself—not only to breathe—but to consider the blessing it is to be a part of such a great ministry here in this city. Although I miss getting out and “doing the grunt work” myself, I love seeing these students—who have given up their Spring Break—ministering throughout the city in so many ways.

In other news, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was in town to film their season finale. I had an incredible opportunity to pitch in—serving meals to volunteers and workers, and I even got to work inside the house for a bit. It was very exciting to be a part of something so “big”. By that I simply mean that it’s a show that is familiar to millions of viewers. It brings me to tears nearly every time I watch it—if not every time. I love “happy ever after” stories. Stories where people are coming through for other people. My friend Sarah and I had huge smiles on our faces as we were yelling “MOVE THAT BUS”! (And just so you know, that part of the show—in reality—lasts so much longer than the couple minutes they show on TV. We were yelling “MOVE THAT BUS” til we were blue in the face… about two hours before the homeowners even arrived.) Throughout that week, though… weaving my time with Extreme Makeover with my time at my “real” job… the realization was continually reinforced that every day I have here in the city is “big”. Every day lives are impacted by Christians here in New Orleans (either local or otherwise) who are pouring their hearts and energy into rebuilding lives and bringing the hope of Christ to everyone they encounter. The story that God has written and continues to write is the most extreme one there is! There is no greater “makeover” a person can receive than that of a new life in Christ.

A cool (and not so cool) thing happened last week… While taking a break from serving meals at Extreme Makeover to go work inside the house, I hid my camera (my nice, digital SLR-Christmas-gift-from-my-dad camera) between some boxes and when I came back, it was gone! Considering the fact that it never showed back up, I can say with confidence that it was stolen. I shed a bucket full of tears, filed a police report, but knew in my heart I probably would never see it again. As I was sitting behind the catering line, bawling my eyes out—frustrated with myself and with the situation considering where I was at—a gentleman came up and asked, with hesitation, why I was crying. I explained to him what happened. This nice man, who turned out to be a council member of Westwego, carefully took down my name and information. He promised that he would make it a personal priority to try to help me in whatever way that he could. The next evening he found me so that I could file a police report and introduced me to one of the producers, Diana. She was also very friendly and sincerely concerned about the situation. Mr. Shaddinger had already told her about my upcoming trip to Israel and how sad I would be to be without my camera for such a trip of a lifetime. Long story short… Thursday after the reveal—Mr. Shaddinger found me and gave me a sweet card without about 30 signatures from individuals who had actually donated to buy me a new camera! As I drove home that evening, I was praising God for my brand new Canon riding along with me in the passenger seat. GOD IS GOOD!!!

So our plane has arrived. We will board shortly to Atlanta, followed by an 11-12 hour flight to Tel Aviv. I cannot WAIT to share this next adventure with you! Please do pray for safe travels for myself and the 48 others who are taking this trip with me. I’m praying specifically that my eyes, mind, and heart will be opened to all I will experience and all God has for me in Israel.

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