NOLA. (New Orleans, Louisiana). My life for the past week. Five of us YWAMers took a 13 hour trip down there to lead a missions trips. We had three teams stay with us from California, Minnesota and New York. Amazing time. It is always special to see teens getting out of their comfort zones to share the love of Christ with others.
We were in and out of the house all day, every day. Most mornings were spent gutting out houses that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Fun to see the guys smashing down walls with sledgehammers, I somehow think they enjoyed it too.
Each afternoon was time for youth club. The New York girls headed this up. We would drive over the river to get to a housing estate where a lot of children at risk live. It was jungle themed, learning songs in Swahili, making animal masks and playing kickball.
If you love heat...go to New Orleans! You'll find the lovely mixture of high humidity and temperatures in the 30's every day. :)
Evenings were spent having sessions, filled with worship, prayer, talks on purity, passion, purpose and proclamation and testimonies. I love spending time with young people who love Jesus and would willingly lay down their lives to serve Him.
I learned a lot about spiritual warfare whilst down in that dark city. We had some trouble with stolen bags, a hospital visits, people hurting themselves etc. But we were able to see God moving through all of it. The stolen bags were found, none of the credit cards or IDs had been taken. Through listening to God one of our team felt God telling her to look in a deserted house near where we were working and sure enough...there they were. God got us through each day with enough patience and strength. It just goes to show how much we need Him, for without Him we are nothing.
We also had some free time! At night time the city comes alive, everyone walks around downtown New Orleans in the French Quarter, eating doughnuts at Cafe du Monde, shopping in the market and walking by the river. I rather enjoyed fitting in with that part of their lifestyle.
Please remember New Orleans in your prayers, as a city and as a people. It is a city desperately in need of finding Christ.
It was great to return back to Monroe, North Carolina last night, knowing that Monday and Tuesday this week are days free.
This week we will be preparing for the last missions trip, which will be here in Monroe, North Carolina. Please pray for energy, strength and wisdom for our team as we get ready but also that God will move in us and through us.
Thank you all for your prayers. I pray that God is moving in deep and very special ways in all of your lives. You are loved.
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