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.

For many people, the most difficult part of following Christ is dying to self. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus tells His disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." In other words, Jesus is telling His followers to give up their rights to themselves. The Bible says that we have been bought with a price--the blood Jesus shed for each of us on the cross. When something is bought, it belongs to the one who purchased it. The point: we no longer belong to ourselves. WE ARE NOT OUR OWN! Now in a society where we are taught to be confident, independent, and in control of anything we want to be in control of, many find this to be quite an opposing--and possibly frightening--concept. But Jesus goes on to say that although we may die to ourselves while on Earth, we gain an eternal life that is worth the cost. ("…and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.")

My journey has led me to this place on several occasions. When I spent time as a missionary in Mexico I had to give up many rights of comfort including my living conditions and social environment. I have had the wonderful opportunity this semester to work at The King's Academy. God opened a door for me to teach Bible, ESL, organize many chapel services, help out with the soccer team, and even live and work in the girls' dorm. I gave up certain rights as part of this job--my normal routine and social life, family time, and even attending my own church regularly. But the biggest right that I've surrendered is choosing when and where I am to serve God. It has only been one semester, and although I would love to stay and plant my roots even deeper, God has called me back to New Orleans. It's not even the devastating state of New Orleans that requires this move, it's simply God's call for this time in my life. I could try to fight it, try to rationalize not going by thinking of how much I'll miss my students, friends and family here and how much they'll miss me. But I've experienced too much from verses like Matthew 16:24, where in many versions it even says that this death to self should be a daily decision. I believe this is true.

Each morning we have the choice to rise from bed and either give the day, our mind, body, heart, and our service completely to God, or try to hoard it all for ourselves and attempt to tackle it on our own. Even though I may die many deaths to my own desires throughout my years, God exchanges it all for a peace unlike any other--a peace in knowing that I am living a life of true surrender with Him guiding my every step.

For the seminary application I completed for Southeastern, I had to write a Personal Statement that described my salvation experience and commitment to Jesus Christ, as well as my call to Christian ministry and reasons for desiring to further my education with a seminary degree. This is what I wrote, and this is also what I consider to be a significant portion of my Christian testimony.

I accepted Jesus into my heart in June of 1987. As a child, if anyone would have asked me the meaning of salvation, I would have probably responded with the two basic principles I knew at the time being saved means that Jesus lives in my heart and that I will go to Heaven when I die. Along life's journey, God has revealed the broader picture of what it truly means to be His child. Through both joy and pain I have realized that salvation goes far beyond my childhood definition. Salvation is more than asking the Holy Spirit to dwell within me; it is a sincere desire to surrender my life to the Lordship of Christ. That fundamental realization is a significant portion of my personal testimony. Instead of treating salvation as a passive experience, I believe that God desires total surrender that can only occur when I actively lay down my life before Him in exchange for His will and desires.

Although I was saved as a child, total surrender to God is a daily process. I will say that a defining moment in my Christian walk occurred in February 2005. It was at this time that I heard God calling me to a more intimate and purposeful relationship with Him. I knew instantly that to answer His calling meant that I would have to surrender my life completely to Him. I had to lay down any plans I had for myself and submit to His will and whatever and wherever that meant for my life. I will admit that I do not know the future God has for me, but I take comfort and find peace in knowing that He knows the plans He has for me (Jeremiah 29:11). Again, it is a daily process and even a struggle at times to follow after Gods will, but in my heart I know that His plans are always best. I do feel as if God is leading me to full-time Christian service. The specifics of any vocational plans He has for me are unknown. God has given me a heart for missions and a heart to lead people into a more intimate relationship with Him. If that means I am to serve full-time on the foreign mission field, I will go. If that means I am to be employed in a Christian educational environment like where I am currently employed, I will serve there. Perhaps God has plans for a mixture of both.

In all that I do, I desire to continually pursue a more intimate relationship with my Father. I want to know Him more and seek after Him every day I am on this earth. I desire to become more effective for His service, and I feel that attending Southeastern will nurture that growth process by creating an environment to dive deeper into the study of Gods word and truth. The majority of my Christian education comes from what I have learned as I have grown up in church. I would like to expand my knowledge beyond the church walls. In order for that to happen, I feel the need to be challenged in an academic environment that I cannot create on my own. I believe that further educating myself will help to not only draw myself closer to Him, but it will help me to more effectively draw others to His Kingdom as I am able to be ready always to give an answer to those who ask about the hope that is in me (1 Peter 3:15).

Here's the latest article I wrote for my boss who's in charge of the Academy's column in the local newspaper...

If you would have asked me two years ago where I would be working in 2006, The King's Academy would not have even made the list. Two years ago, I was graduating from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in Psychology. My future plans? To find a decent job, get married, and have children. Little did I know, God had begun working in my life to change everything.

Since I graduated from college, I have worked as an Administrative Assistant at Sterling Engineering, in Maryville, TN, I have spent over 3 months living and working with a ministry in Matamoros, Mexico, and I recently spent 8 weeks as a summer missionary in New Orleans, LA. Somehow God has used each of these experiences in a unique way to prepare me for my current job at The King's Academy. For example, living in Mexico with 5 other girls in my room and 6 in another prepared me for living in a dorm with 35 girls and women. I can also empathize with the dorm students at TKA when they request special privileges such as going to Wal-Mart or their favorite fast food restaurant. I remember what it was like to have limited access and ability to run even the smallest of errands in Mexico. I have more compassion for the girls in the dorm because of the experience God allowed me to have in Mexico.

So what work did God begin that changed my life from normal to anything but normal? God knew me before I was born. He formed me in His image. Along with giving me life, He extended an invitation for me to accept Him as Savior and Lord of my life. Although I accepted His invitation for salvation at a young age, it was not until later in life that I truly understood and accepted His call to be Lord of my life. Since then, He has begun to change even the innermost desires of my heart to be lined up with His own. My priorities have changed. My desires have changed. And my future plans are sometimes as unknown as the plans of a High School graduate! But one thing is certain, God knows the paths my feet will tread. It is for this reason alone that I put my trust in Him and do not fear the unknown.. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.'" (Proverbs 29:11 NIV)

Every once in a while my boss at The King's Academy asks me to write an article for the local paper about my trips and experiences. I thought I'd share with you my latest draft...

After spending 8 weeks working at a summer camp in New Orleans, I've returned to East Tennessee with some amazing memories. It was a challenging summer of demolition, construction, Vacation Bible Schools, serious yard cleanup efforts, and beyond. But as I reflect on the many things I experienced, perhaps the most treasured moments were found in the lessons I learned from others.

The first comes from my own boss, Linda Jackson. Linda and her husband Bob were missionaries in Africa for 10 years. They moved back to New Orleans one month before Hurricane Katrina. Like most New Orleanians, they tried to weather through the storm only to find themselves trapped by the flood and literally had to swim from their house to the seminary campus. Not only are they managing the ministry, but during their downtime they are rebuilding their home with their own four hands. After living as missionaries in Africa and now through the trials of life in New Orleans, Linda taught me about sacrifice and faith. From her experiences she shared with us, "I don't think we ever sacrifice as Christians until we are willing to say that we are going to step out in obedience to the unknown. It only becomes a sacrifice when we say, 'You know, I'm going to step out in faith and I don't know what the future is going to hold.' And everyone thinks that being in the will of the Father means that everything's going to be great. I disagree with that. I think being in the will of the Father means that you are just going to have peace when the storms arise. It's not how you shine Jesus when everything is okay that matters, it's how you shine Jesus when everything is not okay."

The last lesson came from Robert "Commander" Clavier, a retiree from the New Orleans Sheriffs Department. Sleeping in a trailer outside his house, Commander spends each day not just rebuilding his own home, but trying to help his entire neighborhood get back up and running. If you drive down Verbena Street, you would see this as no easy task. Many homeowners have not returned since the storm. Yards have grown into jungles of weeds and debris with giant trees that have fallen on sheds and cars. Commander showed us what we could do to help, but it was his own initiative that left an impression on me above any of the work that we did. He could choose to concentrate solely on his own home and family, and yet he is going above and beyond to take care of everyone else even before himself. He even blessed us with delicious treats such as smoothies, red beans and rice, and stuffed bell peppers. And in all he does, he points up to Jesus and is thankful for his life in Christ. I wonder how many of us can even list three of our neighbors by name? I think its time for each of us to be the Commander of our own neighborhood and like Mrs. Jackson told us, "Shine Jesus like never before."

In less than 24 hours I will be home again in Maryville, TN after an amazing 8 weeks here in New Orleans. I will attempt to make some closing remarks at the end of this update, but first Ill briefly share some highlights of the past two weeks.

Week 7 was spent serving with Radnor Baptist Church from Nashville, TN. I had the privilege of spending the second-half of each day again at the daycare at Valence Street Baptist Church, while the mornings were spent cleaning up yards in a neighborhood near the seminary. Cleaning up yards in New Orleans post-Katrina is nothing like the weeding Ive done around the house in Maryville. There are sheds that have to be cleared out and knocked down, trees and bushes that must be uprooted, grass that must be weed-eated before you even think about mowing, and even cars that must be somehow moved to the street. It is HARD work!! I absolutely loved it for one because I enjoy seeing progress when I am working, and we were able to go from a complete jungle and junkyard to a clean-cut yard. But most importantly, we were serving a community of people who can use all the help they can get. One piece of trash we can remove from their yard is one less thing of many they must do on their own.

The greatest blessing during this week was our time spent with Commander, the retiree from the Sheriffs department. You talk about a servant this man has a heart of pure gold. He is always helping somebody. And he helped us to help an entire block of homes. And although were content to wait for our Heavenly reward, I must say that He provided us with some awesome instant rewards to fill our tummies! From stuff bell peppers to red beans and rice to the most amazing smoothies that have ever hit your mouth. He was an angel to us after each tough morning. Its people like that who really make life so much brighter. Absolutely unforgettable servanthood. I would be content to accomplish half of what he has done for other people in my own lifetime. But he would ask for me to strive to reach even more.

This week I worked with Westside Baptist Church from Simpsonville, SC. They were a rowdy crowd, just what I like!! :) We worked the first half of the week on a gutted house removing any remaining sheetrock, demolishing a bathroom, tearing down the ceiling, cleaning up the mess we made, and cleaning up the yard. Lots of sweat and muscles went into it. Thursday we went to the house that I was at during Week 4. This was the house that previously had not been touched since the National Guard searched it in September. The guys tore down the ceiling; the girls removed the nails from the wooden beams. And I had a yard crew that uprooted, I kid you not, at least 15 either large bushes or small trees that had been covered in some thick, tough, and stinky ivy. It took us at least 4 hours in the hot Louisiana sun. I loved every single minute of it. My supernatural motivation made what was seemingly impossible become a realistic task. With my motivation came the energy to fulfill the task. God equipped us in a mighty way that day. Nick, one of the guys, told me of him going to get water, sitting on the cooler, and praying that God would give him the strength and energy to pull up the rest of those trees. He came back with a fire in his eyes and single-handedly pulled a couple out of the ground with hardly any problem. First thing he did was praise God for the strength from that answered prayer. And that is what its all aboutyes were serving others, but we desire most of all to bring the praise and glory back to God.

So as I return to Tennessee, Im taking more back with me than I have the time to describe here. But its been amazing and Ive experienced God like never before. Ill end with a lesson I learned through a devotional I read on July 9th. Ive been praying about where God is leading me after New Orleans. God lifted that burden as I was reading through my devotional for that Sunday. So where is God leading me? He is leading me to HIMSELF! Not Africa or China, not New Orleans, not The Kings Academybut first and foremost, Priority One, most importantlyto HIMSELF! Oswald Chambers writes, You have no business to find out where God is leading, the only thing God will explain to you is Himself. Now just because a well-trust mortal man utters these words does not mean they are Gospel-truth. So I reflected for a moment on that statement. As I did, I felt something deep within myself rising up to release a burden that Ive had to know where God wants me after this summer. Once again the Holy Spirit desires to refine and purify my faith to strip away the impurities of unnecessary burdens that I have placed on my own life. God has sent me on an amazing ride this past year and a half, and I now believe that all of it was His plan and purpose for my life to be drawn closer to Him in a way I never have been before. The resultI will know Him. And by knowing Him and keeping my eyes fixed on Him, He will grant me His vision for the ways in which He desires to proclaim His glory, love and grace to all nations. SO as I return home and begin making decisions for my next assignment, I will change my prayers from asking God where He wants me to go to God, reveal yourself to me. And by His revelation of Himself in and to my life, I will know Him, I will see where He is at work and I will be ready to get up each day and join Him.

I just wanted to post a quick update of the past week. With the 4th of July and all, everything seemed a bit different. It went by quickly, but all of the groups accomplished a tremendous amount in terms of ministry projects. We had groups refinishing wood flooring in a public school, cleaning up yards, gutting homes, organizing Vacation Bible Schools, and witnessing on the streets. I worked with Parkwood Baptist Church from Jacksonville, FL. They were a lively crew and blessed my heart with their enthusiasm, spunk, and incredible work ethic. It's always great to work alongside people who know how to have a good time and laugh, and yet have no problem settling down to get the job done while still making hardwork seem fun!

We started out the week working at Hope Haven. I was there the first week in June. It was the home for young people with behavioral problems. It was great to see some of the friends I'd made there. They all remembered me and were excited to visit with me once again. I came away this week with some new penpals. So I hope God continues to bless my relationship with those special girls. It's been a rainy week and on Wednesday we were sent to work on cleaning up around a house of a retired local Sherriff who himself is constantly pouring his life into helping others. Eventually we were all soaked to the bone as we hauled out junk to the dump pile in the street. I can mark that day down as the first day I've been cold while outside in New Orleans! Thursday we did a similar job of clearing out around some homes. Much like the gutting out I did last week, it was pretty gross and stinky digging through things that had just been sitting around to rot and mold since last August. The boys disconnect and hauled a hot tub from the back yard to the front. We also dug up and broke down several dead trees and bushes. That was a challenge, yet an incredible release of aggression or whatever you want to call it!

This summer has just been amazing. How awesome it is to get to serve God in so many different ways!! And He's filled me with a joy through all of it! Through putting babies to sleep, to talking to a teen about her intense life, to digging up roots, scraping paint off ceilings, tearing down walls, and building relationships with AIDS patients. The list could go on and on. What an amazing experience. But more than an experience, I want to take away from this summer that the greatest experience of all was seeing God at work through everything here and drawing closer to Him amidst it all.