We're home!

I think it was with mixed emotions that we drove up the church driveway last night just before 9pm. I heard several students and adults say they could have stayed in LA to work a few more days, but by the last half of yesterdays trip, I think we were all thinking HOME sounded pretty good after all!

I can't say too many times how great of a week we had! Both in relationships among the team, as well as relationships formed with the community of New Orleans there was very little negative reaction or attitudes. The students displayed a genuine love for the people they met AND worked alongside. They worked as hard as the adults...sometimes harder! They ate what was put in front of them, slept wherever a spot was available, volunteered whenever help was needed, and just in general, displayed very mature attitudes.

Thank you, students, for making this trip such a delight to be on! I speak for all the adults when I say we are proud of you....proud to say you were with us and represent our youth group! There was a buzz all week about NEXT year's missions trip.....you're already starting to think about signing up for Gabon next summer!

I think sometimes the hardest thing about going on a missions trip is coming back home. Not because we don't love it here...or because we don't WANT to be here...but, because what we experienced was life changing, and if we're not careful, we can be tempted to step back into life as we knew it here and forget all that we've commited to changing in our own lives. We had a remarkable example of "friendship evangelism" this week....both in Pastor Willy's life, as well as in Troy's life. We've seen that when we choose to live as Jesus lived....loving people where they are, not judging and condeming them with our words, but loving them because Jesus did first...people turn to that like magnets. They are drawn to love and acceptance....it's different than tolerating they're lifestyle....it's showing them that God wants to meet them right where they are and begin a new thing.

We saw a picture of what it looks like for God's House to be open to all...not just the lovely or the beautifully dressed....but to the needy and the hopeless. And we were challenged that maybe this is not the way we are in Lancaster...maybe we'd rather have the cleaned up, not the dirty. Maybe we'd rather keep things safe and predictable. Maybe we are still in the process of learning what it means to truly live as Jesus lived.

My prayer for each of the 33 team members is this:

May we be marked for life because of where we've been and what we've seen. May the generous spirit of those we've met along the way, the selfless attitude of Pastor Willy, the search for acceptance we saw in Troy, and the sense of community we saw every day etch a permanent mark in our lives and flow out wherever we are.

Our last team picture

After a good clean up, a series of team pictures, and a circle of prayer with the pastors and locals....we were back on the bus this morning at 8:30. We made a lunch stop and arrived back in Chattanooga this evening at 6. A quick bathroom stop, then we boarded BACK on the bus and headed to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. The kids enjoyed their steaks and ribs...then we headed back to the hotel to do team devos. Bethany was up tonight and shared an emotional devotion about God's perfect timing. Her grandmother died just before we left, and she was unable to attend the memorial service today. She thanked the Lord for His perfect timing in which she was able to say goodbye and spend time with her grandmother before she died. It was hard to miss the service today, but she shared her gratefulness to God for showing her He is in control.

The kids are either watching the Olympics or swimming in the pool right now. We'll be back on the bus in the morning at 7:30 and hope to be back in Lancaster around 8:30 or 9pm tomorrow night. We're not looking forward to another 12 hour ride, but are ready to be back home!

Thanks again for praying for our week and for driving safety tomorrow!

...a picture says a thousand words....

Rejoice with us.....Troy has a new birthday!



8-08-08 is the birth of a new day in his life!





Every sweat that dripped, each long ride on the bus, every unfinished house, every moment of intense heat and humidity....every project that took more out of us than we thought we could handle...every moment was worth this last half hour! If for no other reason THIS one is why we are here.

Thank you for your prayers this week....thank you for sacrificing a week with your kids. It is BECAUSE they were here that this young man will join us in eternity.....

GOD is GOOD....and we've been blessed....

A final day....the end of a very good week...

Our day started with a farewell to our working partners, the Alliance Church from Waco, Texas

Then, we were off with more painting crews, a shed finishing crew, a house siding crew, and Steve finished installing Butch's shower.

Drew, Nate and Sam painting with the neighbor boy

The girls and Isaiah finished painting the inside of a house....this is the END of the day, and they were HOT and EXHAUSTED again!

This evening the students planned and worked the church's Game Night. They did a great job setting up a fun event and loving on the kids in the neighborhood. The kids have come in and out of the church all week, excited to have another team here. We are the last team to come for the summer, and I think the neighborhood kids will surely miss them!!!

One of the students most favorite parts of the week has been coming back to the church after a hard days work and being greeted by Troy and his puppies!!! They have "pottied" on this floor more times than we can keep track of....but THEY ARE CUTE!!!! (Last chance, parents, to call your children and give permission to bring one home!!! My own daughter has been texting me all day begging me to change my mind and pack one in my bag!)



The kids have really reached out and accepted Troy this week. He is a 17 year old school drop-out, who apparently has not felt loved or accepted by anyone for a very long time. He has left notes for our kids (taping them to the walls!) telling them how much he appreciates their accepting him. He told them he is trying to change his life and is beginning to realize there is hope for his future. The alcohol and drug use started when he was 5. (**He's sitting across the table from me right now, telling Steve he's never been to this church before...didn't even know the church was here)...I'm praying and typing as I listen to Steve encourage and witness to him. This boy is so personable and has so much potental....He needs Jesus and has sat with us every night as the kids shared their devotions w/the group. He is SO curious...listening So closely to what Steve is saying.

("Oh, God, this young man who is still partly boy needs what you offer...needs to know that you love him for who he is - past and all. Needs to know that you don't pick favorites based on how we perform...or don't. Grab hold...gently tug his heart...break the walls that are still standing...clean what can be cleaned by nothing other than your blood. Bring new life to this young boy, that tomorrow may be a new start to his future....")

There are so many great things to say about this week of serving in Louisiana. Again, I'll tell you how proud I am of your kids!!! They are the BEST group of kids!!! They are hard working... respectful...full of life...and HYSTERICAL! I think all the leaders would agree with me that the students have worked harder than we expected they could and stepped up continually to volunteer for WHATEVER was needed. It has been a privilege to serve with each and every one of these team members!

..a quick update on Kim....

Thanks for praying for Kim last night. She slept all through the night, and is sitting next to me now without a headache! THANK YOU for praying for her. We all thought we'd give her a quiet day alone at the church....but she's fiesty and has decided she's NOT staying!!!!!!! We've had a slow morning, and are just now finishing breakfast and getting ready to head out to paint...in the rain.

Thank you again for praying her through the night!!!

another day of hard work....

(**unfortunately I sat here for quite a while waiting for new pics to download, but the internet connection just isn't going to let me do it!!! If I can get back to the computer tonight I'll try again...otherwise I'll try again tomorrow)

We spent another day split up between 5 different sites. We added a new painting site today; a crew returned to the demo house; Randy and Steve returned to install the shower for Butch's family; Rob and Nathan B returned to work for "Gloria", and a group stayed behind at the church to clean, organize the church nursery and kitchen, and prepare for the next few evenings neighborhood outreaches.

We've had a great opportunity today to meet the church's neighbors today....the night is still young, and we are preparing for a cookout w/ the community and a Bible study later on this evening. We've had some kids wandering in and out of the church all afternoon. The students have been having a great time playing outside with them in the INTENSE HEAT and sun......even after a long day of working!!! They're troopers, these kids never get tired!!!!

I was having a few moments of quiet time a bit ago and came across a verse I had highlighted in my Bible, but somehow caught my attention in a new way today. Bethany brought The Message and I chuckled outloud when I read it in that version!

"Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship - a different kind of "sacrifice" - THAT TAKE PLACE IN KITCHEN AND WORKPLACE AND ON THE STREETS." Hebrews 13:16

Your kids are performing acts of worship today....and God is taking particular pleasure in them...we came here to serve, but have found that we have been greatly served by others along the way. We have learned that we have SO much more to learn about being a good community of believers. We've learned that we don't always LOVE the way Jesus did...unconditionally. We've learned that when we think we've done all that we can do, there's still a little more left in us to give back. Today we've learned all of these things IN THE KITCHEN AND THE WORKPLACE AND ON THE STREETS.

God is good to open our eyes to see what we've closed our eyes to in the past.....

(PRAYER REQUEST....AS I'M FINISHING THIS, KIM BUCHANON IS LAYING IN THE BED BEHIND ME. IT'S ABOUT 6PM HERE AND SHE IS SUFFERING FROM THE BEGINNINGS OF A MIGRAINE. SHE HAS WORKED REALLY HARD THESE LAST 3 DAYS AND TODAY WAS FEELING THE AFFECTS OF YESTERDAYS MOLD AND TODAYS PAINT FUMES. PLEASE PRAY THAT WHEN SHE WAKES THE HEADACHE IS GONE COMPLETELY. THANK YOU!)

the end of a very long day...

Our day started out a little slow this morning....both the students and the adults are beginning to feel the affects of our long days of hard work. After a breakfast of eggs and bacon, we all climbed aboard the bus.....and promptly fell back asleep!

We had teams at several locations again today.

A group stayed behind at the church to continue building the shed...

Rob and Nathan Burchill continued their work at "Gloria's" house...when they are completely finished with their job of laying carpet, hanging doors and doing the trim finishing, the church will be able to have a new Bible study started. (Incidently, this house is directly across the street from "Ya-Ya's Auto Repair".....it's a happening street with alot of curious onlookers who will
hopefully find their way into these doors)

(These are yesterdays pics from our lunch at Ya-Ya's....many of these same people are the ones who will attend Gloria's Bible study...this is a very hospitable community.)

(Prayer in the street at Ya-Ya's)

The largest team of students spent the day gutting out a house....

The team was put on a break schedule during the demo....every 30 minutes there was a 10 minute break....

Nate won the "hard worker of the day" award!

Randy, Steve, Terri, and Kaitlyn went to "Butch's" house to work on putting a new shower in for his family. We found the bathroom was alot smaller than we anticipated, so while the guys worked in the bathroom, the girls spent time with Butch's wife, children, and grandchildren...hearing their "Katrina story".

It was a really long day...but a rewarding one. It took seconds for everyone to return to sleep on the bus ride home!!!

Syd thought today was "extremely sad to see a person's past life be demolished, however it was a good team-bonding experience!"

Amber said, "today brought me back to our trip 2 years ago....seeing people's lives frozen in place...and the smell of mold. But it was awesome to help people in that way and use my beastly demo-skills!!!!"

Day 2 of working...

OK!!! So, apparently we are back in business with the pictures again! I'm trying to update quickly before we head out to the French Quarter for the evening. First, some pics from yesterdays work site...

...the girls work site...when we got there, the house was white...

...the progress...

....I was so impressed with the way these girls got right in there
and started painting this house for Charlie!

This is part of the group with Janet yesterday...

Today we headed back to work on the house (on the right) that we started on yesterday...and some of the guys went to the house on the left to begin wiring for electric...








One of the highlights of our afternoon was spending time with a group of the locals who so generously provided us with a barbeque lunch. We were "serenaded" with awesome, LOUD Gospel music, and we nearly closed down the street in front of "Ya-ya's" auto repair, with our large circle of prayer with "Jackie" leading us out in the Lord's prayer. Jackie was quite a character and the group really enjoyed her embracing personality! (sorry...my camera was in the bus at the time, and I have no pics of Jackie....Amber may have some, so I'll post them later) Lunch ended with a watermelon seed battle!

Holly's reaction to the day was that she "felt more blessed, than she could have blessed others. It was a sweet day."

Randy's highlight of the day was using the bus as a ministry!!! Two of the local boys wanted to see the inside of the bus and were delighted to sit in the driver's seat and blow the horn! They were AMAZED at the fact there was a bathroom on board!!!!

I think one of the things that stands out to me about the last two days is the sense of community that we've seen between the neighbors. If someone doesn't have lunch or dinner, the neighbor makes sure they have some. We marvel at the local's idea of community....how close it is to the way Christ calls us to live...giving our neighbor a cup of water...lending a helping hand...blessing those who have less. Amazing....some of these people have absolutely nothing, according to our standards, and yet, what they have....they give.

I'd like to get some of the students to sit here and write down some of their thoughts and reactions....so keep checking back for their updates!

Thanks for your continued prayers!!!

SO.....I'VE BEEN SITTING HERE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR TRYING TO DOWNLOAD PICTURES FOR YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!

Amber's word for me is BE FLEXIBLE...so I will.

You're not going to see the way Kim looked at breakfast this morning before she was completely awake. NOT going to see the way the bedrooms looked after we rolled out of them. NOT going to see us load onto the bus and split up into our work groups. AND you're DEFINITELY not going to see the pics of how hard your kids worked throughout the day!!!! No....you're NOT!

But...since I'm being flexible....I'll just take the opportunity to share about a woman that the girls group met today. We spent the day painting a house for a man named Charlie. (This is where I would have inserted some stunning pictures of our ladies covered in pale blue paint!) The day was warm but a nice breeze blew through the streets, making the work very relaxing. We all fell in love with Charlie's 3 month old puppy who played between our legs all day....and at noon the woman two doors down made us some lunch. Janet served us a GREAT hot lunch of TURKEY NECKS, AND RICE AND BEANS. After we enjoyed the meal, we walked over to thank her for serving us, and were treated to about an hour of her memories of Katrina. Not only did Janet and her family leave before the storm hit, but they packed their 15 passenger van with about 10 elderly people who's families had abandoned them. Three years later, Janet and her husband are still recovering financially after spending years worth of savings just trying to get their life back to normal. They've only been back in their beautiful house for 2 weeks, and it is obvious relief at being home. The neighborhood is sparsely inhabited but the ones who are there really look out for one another. We spent a few minutes praying for her and her community. She was one BIG hearted woman!

Some of team stayed at the church to begin digging the foundation for a shed....and the rest of the team gutted a house, and will return tomorrow to continue cleaning up the floors and preparing to lay carpet.

Please continue to pray for us. Pray for safety on the sites, as well as continued opportunities to speak with the locals who are watching as we work. Thank you for all your comments....the kids really enjoyed reading a message from home!!!

We'll be back here earlier tomorrow evening...hopefully with pictures!!!

WE HAVE ARRIVED...FINALLY!!!!

Whew!!! After 21 hours, 1200 miles, 4 potty breaks, 3 fastfood stops, and 2 coffee breaks....we have exited the bus for good!!!



Welcome to New Hope Alliance Church!






We've picked our beds....




...staked claim to the showers...



and met our host, Pastor Willy.

***As of this writing, we are awaiting the arrival of Kaitlyn Jordan who is stuck in an airport waiting for a seat on a flight to LA. We took a few minutes to gather together to pray for her protection and someone to come alongside and help care for her as she waits.***



The girls did some coloring...



...and the boys started a football game w/the neighborhood boys...



By far, the highlight of the evening were the puppies that one of the locals brought by!!!!



....Would anyone be opposed to them coming home with us!?!?!

It's been a good day, we've gotten a glimpse of the city, the forgotten destruction....and there is an air of anticipation as we begin the job we came so far to do.

May our hearts and hands be instruments of praise....

We're Halfway here!!!

It's been a long day...

after packing the bus full...

...spending some time in prayer....




...Randy had us off and rolling!



We finally arrived at the Country Inn and Suites in Chattanooga, TN about 8:30pm. We unpacked our bags quickly and were back onboard for dinner! We enjoyed an AWESOME meal and are back now to enjoy the pool for a few minutes before it closes. Thank you, parents for coming to see us off and praying for us throughout the day! We'll be pulling out of here tomorrow morning at 7:30 to finish out the trip to New Orleans.