Mas Pictures

You can view pictures from our trip at the following websites:

General Pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22521&l=5a476&id=775814893

Work Site Pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22522&l=d21b8&id=775814893

New Orleans Pics: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22525&l=98828&id=775814893

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I am tired...really tired. But I have a HUGE smile on my face. My eyes swell with a mix of deep satisfaction and great relief. I'm grateful for the parents who trusted me with their most precious possession for the week and gave us the opportunity to have a life-changing experience, but being ultimately responsible for 20 youth is something I can endure only for a season. I'm glad to be home. We rolled into Keystone at exactly 4:45 this evening.

My time to write these blogs and keep you updated was VERY limited while at Trinity. By the time we'd return from our jobsite, shower, eat, have an evening program, then meet as a group, it was already past curfew! I'd like to be able to have a few more days to post ideas and thoughts. So even though we're back, you'll see some new blogs in the days to come!

Right now...I'm going to bed!

Long Day of Nothing

For those checking this site before worship services this morning, well done entering the blogosphere! We are resting in Abington, Va 17 miles into nearly 500 miles on I-81. I love traveling with them just as much as I enjoy everything else with them. They are so much fun and have the ability to turn the mundane into the ridiculous. Please pray for Becky, Jeremiah, Dave, and Me as we drive the last leg of our trip today. We'l see everyone soon!

Mountain Top Exposure To The Divine

^{Mark 9:2-5}

² And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, ³ and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵ And Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

God called Peter, James, and John to a mountain top and revealed to them the Glory of Jesus like they had never scene before. These men witnessed an incredible display of the holiness and power of God. Their reaction: “Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents.” As a result of experiencing a supernatural spiritual high, the disciples want to set up camp and stay. They loved this exposure to the divine so much they wanted to leave all they knew in the valley and stay on the mountain top forever. Jesus had different plans for them, and they made their way down.

Our crew has seen God like they’ve never seen him before. Mission trips in general and Trinity Church especially have the tendency to impact those who serve just as much, if not more than, those being served. For when they behold the glory of God through daily fingerprints, they find themselves transformed.

So much joy comes from living in this environment. It’s so easy AND so rewarding. There are no other worries here; food, lodging, job requests, materials, tools, and all provided. There’s not television, office drama, or even family to interfere with the mission. PLUS, people are genuinely super thankful for the help. Seeing God’s faithfulness is a daily occurrence. It’s a wonderful mountain top down here.

God does not call everyone to Louisiana, we must find our own. It was not right for the disciples to stay on the mountain top forever. It was good for them to experience it; God called them to the top for it. But they were brought down so that when the Son of Man rose from the dead, they could tell the stories of what they saw. He is risen! We must tell the stories of what we’ve seen!

We’ve all heard firsthand stories of God’s miracles in New Orleans. We’ve all, also, played a real role in stories of God’s workings in New Orleans. Stories are so important. They make us remember. Over and over again, God encourages and commands us to REMEMBER. God’s fingerprints are all over these stories, and by remembering them, we are remembering God’s hand and plan in them. Ask our students to tell you about their favorite story from LA; it’s what we’re coming back from the mountain top to do.

It's strange how quickly this week has gone by. I can't believe we'll be driving home in just a few hours! Not everyone is ready yet. There's more work to be done. There are old friends we want to reconnect with and new friends we want to stay in contact with. There are stories left untold and not yet lived yet all over the place! Please pray for our group as we travel after a tiring week. Pray also for the group's ability to respond well to the withdrawal from the mountain. It feels good to be here, but I know God is calling us to come down.

Glimpses of Fruit

June 19^th, 2006 was my first day on staff at Keystone. Today, or I guess yesterday by the time this gets posted, is/was my two-year anniversary. In two years, God has worked in remarkable ways in me. The spiritual depth I find myself in a far cry from the shores from which I first began. If nothing else, my own faith has increased as a result of being a part of this youth ministry. What is more difficult to gauge is whether this youth ministry is making an impact on students within. The fruit of youth ministry isn’t often picked after two years. Today I read a journal entry from one of our students that blessed my heart. It was a wonderful confirmation that God is working in incredible ways and fruit is growing through this ministry. I praise God for the glimpse of his work in our youth! Here it is:

Brooke Esh writes…

Wow there is so much to say about how God’s fingerprints are being shown on our mission’s trip so far. We have only been in Louisiana for a couple of days but God has already showed me so many new things. Monday morning was our first day on the job. We had to get up at 6 o’clock and get ready for breakfast. Thoughts were flying through my head because I had no idea what in the world I would be doing. I heard about my group and was excited about that, but I also heard that we needed to paint a house. That was a pretty scary thing to be told. I never painted really anything and I really did not want to mess a house up. It made me feel so much better knowing the group I was in. We were pretty much the reject group because we had no skill when it came to building or dry walling. My group turned out to be Amber Whittington, Leanne Lefever, Kyle Glick, Jordan Sheaffer, Allison Horst, Abigail Horst, and of course me. Our leaders turned out to be Brandon Fisher and Missy Sindall.

After a delightful breakfast and devotions we packed our lunches for the afternoon. When all things were set, we hopped in the van and got on our way. The car ride was a funny one. We were all excited to paint and be able to walk around the community to talk to people. We already heard so many good stories about others witnessing in the city of New Orleans, and it made us get excited about hearing other’s stories and talking to them.

When we arrived at the house we got everything unloaded. It turns out that the house we were painting is Pastor John’s. He is the Pastor at Castle Rock Community Church. We got everything unloaded and began scraping the house. We were scraping the paint off the wood and making it smooth to prime. It actually turned out to be a quite easy job. We had a lunch break a few hours later. We took a few breaks in between the morning to re-hydrate ourselves. The sun was beating down pretty strong and the humidity was high. It was still not as hot as everyone said it would be, which was definitely a blessing.

After lunch we decided to take a walk around the community to see if we would be able to talk to anyone. Just we girls went because the men had to stay back and work. (Ha.) This is when the footprints of God really shined through our day. We could not figure out which way to go. The girls turned left to walk down the road but for some reason Alison and I walked the opposite way. Now I know the reason why. We were not far down the road until we spotted a man sitting on a porch step. We said hello and he said the same response back. Miss looked at us and said “Should we go talk to him?”

We all decided that maybe a quick hello would be suitable. To me he looked a little frightening, but I figured that there was no harm in stopping to talk to this man. When we walked up to the front porch I noticed that he had a beer in his right hand. This for some reason really made me feel weird about the whole situation. After a little conservation I came to the realization that maybe this man was not so bad after all. He seemed like a fairly nice guy. We found out that his name was Samuel Summers. He asked us what we were doing in Louisiana. We explained to him that we were helping with clean-up and walking around the town to talk to people about Katrina. He then told us about all of his needs in his house. The whole time he was talking I was just sitting there wondering how long this was going to take. Thoughts were crossing my mind about how scary the neighborhood was and how this man was drinking a beer. I was very fast to judge him because of what he was doing.

After a few more minutes, he wanted to take us on a walk to his house. Of course being the wimp that I am had many doubts about going to his house. I saw many strange men lingering around his house and it just gave me the creeps. As we walked more towards the house I made sure to pray about my safety and the safety of the other girls with me. The house looked extremely run down and pretty messed up. The screen doors were off and were leaned against the side of the house. The paint on the walls outside was peeling and the garden was all torn apart. I was just so sad about how the house looked. This was finally something that made me realize how much people’s lives were affected by the storm.

When we arrived on the front porch I was comforted by two young girls sitting on the front porch. It made me feel safer that way. They were dressed in very dirty clothes and I could tell they did not have the best relationship with Samuel. He offered us a seat but we decided to just stand and talk. He was talking to us about how he really needed his house fixed up. He had a lot of problems that really needed taking care of. It broke my heart to hear him talking about all of this, but I realized at the same time that maybe this could open up his eyes to what he needed most. He really did not need all of this stuff fixed like he thought he did. In fact, he only needed God in his life. That would satisfy all of his needs.

After a little bit of talking, another man by the name of Josh walked up to the porch. He looked rather friendly and turned out to be the same. He was very kind and began asking us what we were doing down here. After explaining everything, we started talking about everything that happened during the big storm. I was so thrilled that they were so open to talk about it. They explained how it was so wrong that it happened. That everything just went down hill. I could tell that they needed some guidance in their life. They seemed empty and alone inside. I knew by what they were saying that they were good people. They were saddened of all the deaths and that everything was ruined. I just wanted to reach out and hug them.

It was getting near the time that us girls really needed to go back and work on scraping. I was started to feel bad for leaving the guys working alone. I knew that when we were going to leave we would have to pray with them. That really scared me. I could tell that they were the kind of people who did not pray on a regular basis. I was afraid that maybe they would take it the wrong way and get offended by it. I started to get butterflies in the stomach. Miss said the words that we had to leave. I thought to myself, “Oh no! Here it comes!”

“Would you like to pray with us?” Miss said. She was so confident and seemed so fine with everything.

“Oh-no. Here is comes. They are going to be so upset that we asked this question.” I thought to myself as I stood there. Then I got a reaction that I was definitely not expecting.

“Sure, we would love that!” Samuel belted out. I was so excited to hear that. My heart started pounding harder but I knew that it was just because I was happy. We circled up and all grabbed hands. I was kind of nervous to pray in front of them just because I did not want to mess up. But I knew that we were here to witness to these people and be a light in their lives. We all said a little prayer. When it got to me I thought I was going to burst out into tears. But I held it together. We all said our goodbyes. They both hugged each of us girls and when Samuel got to me he whispered in my ear “keep praying for me.” This made me so excited. God just worked so much in us girls in just one hour on that porch. I knew that there was a reason for going there that day. He wanted us to pray with them, and let them know that someone is still praying.

The walk back to our jobsite was a good one. We were all feeling kind of sad but happy at the same time. I was so glad that we got to meet them and actually pray a prayer with them. It gave me such a good attitude toward the trip. I never really thought that we could make a difference, but I was wrong. When we got back to the jobsite, we shared our story with the boys. Brandon gave us papers that we could take down to him so that we could get a work team to work on his house. I was still a little afraid and doubted if it was a good idea to go back. We already did our part of sharing and I was still terrified by the neighborhood.

We all said a prayer on the street before we went down again. This time we took Jordan with us so we had a guy along. When we got back down there Samuel seemed happy to see us again. We gave him the papers to fill out and started talking to him again. This time when he talked, he seemed so much different then before. It seemed like he had realized things. I really do not know how to explain it, but I could see a difference. The one thing that he said was something that will stick in my head forever. He said “Drugs will never solve anything. No matter how many problems you have, do not ever resort to taking drugs. You might think that they remove the problems, but when you sober up the problems are still there.”

That one phrase made me realize that there was hope for this man and that I wanted to help him. He deserved to know Christ and that Christ loves him. When we left this time I was so much more pumped. We went back and worked. The whole time we were working, I was thinking about that had happened. I take so many things for granted. I do not take my relationship with the Lord as seriously as I should. I have so many options and ways to worship the Lord, but Samuel has none. It made me really think about how I wanted to be closer to the Lord. I live in a fantastic place and have so many opportunities. People in the New Orleans would kill to have the life that I have.

The rest of the day was pretty much the same. I thought the whole day and still did not know what I thought about walking around the streets. I was not ready to get out of my comfort zone because I was nervous about all of our safety. Then that night at dinner I saw one of God’s fingerprints. There was a sign hanging up on the bulletin that said something that changed my thinking on things. Speaking about Peter when we walked on water, it read, “Peter knew that his boat was only an illusion of safety while beting where Jesus was in the storm was the safest and greatest place he could ever be. Being where Jesus calls us to be no matter how danger or risky it feels is the only true and secure place we could ever be.”

God wants you to be there talking to people about him then you will be safe. This made me realize that I am doing this work for God. Whatever he wants happening to me will happen. I am in his hands. I need to step out of my comfort zone and be a light to whoever I can. I decided that I would pray before we go and whatever happens after that is in God’s hands. This trip would definitely change my thoughts on everything. It would change how I live my life and I want to live my relationship with God to the best of my ability.

Love Tank...Fill'er Up

Everyone comes on a mission trip with their love tank topped off. I advise our youth to prepare for the week by pumping their hearts full of “good stuff.” The heavy demands of the week, (intense heat, long work days, frustrating assignments, garrulous strangers), begin to apply pressure to us. These stimuli squeeze out whatever we have stored up in our hearts. Luke 6:45 says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” The good undoubtedly expresses itself as love toward one another. What happens, though, when our love tank runs dry?

When I read the Golden Rule, Matthew 7:12, the I find some relief, but I also feel the pressure build. “Whatever [I] wish that others would do to [me],” I’m supposed to “do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Loving one another will satisfy all other commands! If we can love, even when we’re squeezed by great pressures, we will be faithful and obedient to the entire law. That's great news, but failure to treat others the way I wish others would treat me is a failure to love. I know how much I wish others would treat me in a certain way, and the thought of attempting to do that for others to fulfill the law is sobering.

On this trip, our team came with their love tanks full. It was easy to treat people the way we wished they would treat us because we were full of love. Each time something didn't go our way or we had to bend for someone else’s issues, we flexed and were loving. But the week continued. And more pressures came. More love was withdrawn from our account, and by midweek, it’s time to panic. It’s easy to love when we’re full of love. We have tons to spare. But when we’re sensing a low tank, we switch to red alert. The generous displays of love become more selective to conserve what rations we have left. Times of loving freely are replaced by a weighing cost-benefit ratio. When our needs are taken care of, it’s easy to love someone else. When there is risk to our own comfort, generosity and sacrifice fade and we try to keep what love we have left for ourselves.

Praise God for what precedes The Golden Rule. Matthew 7:12 is empowering for what lies before it. Immediately prior to this command to love others just as we want to be loved, Jesus says,

⁷ Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Before God tells us to love others, he tells us to come to Him for all we need! I know this because of one small word: SO. The NIV chooses not to translate this small word at the beginning of verse 12, but it’s there in the Greek, and it's implications are soul satisfying. “THEREFORE...” do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The “so” lets us know that the prior portion gives us the basis for what follows. Without that linking word, we’re left on our own to continue to love our neighbors and only rely of the love others might give us to sustain us.

I know our group’s love tank is being tapped into this week. We heard testimonies from homeowners at a community dinner tonight. It is very obvious our group is loving others evidenced by the tear-soaked thanks given after dinner. The other, less favorable evidence, is found by the waning patience and eagerness to serve of our group. Please pray our team would be pumping themselves full of God’s love to replenish their supply, that they would come before the throne of grace and plead for him to extend his gracious hand. He is a faithful Father who promises love!

Work Day 2: More of Yesterday

Tuesdays ordinarily bring satisfaction to Monday's work teaser. We arrive at our job sites much earlier and allow people to complete more labor than the day prior. The enthusiasm of starting the week remains making the long day in the heat appear tolerable. Each team returned to their original sites and picked up where they left off. The exception was the painting crew. We were fortunate to have Pastor John from Castle Rock church invite us to assist in their first Day Camp since the hurricane. Trinity's partner church located in the shadow of the Superdome has a very urban ministry. Today, our crew helped staff their camp for over 50 kids ages 6-11. We divided our team into a basketball station, arts & crafts station, and a Bible station. Some worked the stations; the rest traveled with an age group around the rotation. Our team handled the challenge very well. We all swelled with love and excitement for the kids. Some even learned to clap on the 1st and 3rd! There will be stories to tell from this day later. Praise God for the opportunities we're all having here to interact on a very personal level with people. We may not be accomplishing much to rebuild the city (my team especially), but we are all building into the lives of people in New Orleans.

PS...if you want to post comments for us, you can at the bottom of each blog!

Transformation Through A Dark Room

Searching for God’s fingerprints on a mission trip after living in routine is like walking into a dark room after playing in the noon day sun. The room is filled with incredible displays of God’s handiwork. Each artifact reveals purpose and beauty. But to our eyes the room is dark. If we peek in, we see nothing and leave. If we storm in, we knock our shins on what we cannot see and only feel the pain of what’s inside. Until we allow our eyes to adjust, nothing we see will be an accurate perception of reality.

From a distance, New Orleans might look like an empty room. The media sees no need to report anything anymore. It may be reasonable to think three years would be enough time to heal wounds from the storm. It’s not. As we’ve entered the room, we’ve experienced sharp blows from many different angles.

The tile crew spent time with their homeowner who lost her mother storm. Unable to evacuate in time, the dialysis dependent woman died en route to another hospital. It’s amazing how such a chilling death can occur in 2005. The neighbor of our home has serious health concerns resulting from living in a formaldehyde-laced, mold-infested trailer for two years. The storm stripped away modern luxuries before and after it landed and replaced them with grief beyond what most people will ever know. I want our team to know. It’s important for us to know because it’s the first step in recognizing God’s handiwork in the room; we have to know there’s something inside. Unless we feel the pain, we’ll spin around and head out thinking nothing is in the room.

The next phase is where we must steep those afflictions in prayer. Despair and fatalism creep in quickly when we fail to keep an infinitely wise, supremely power, and ultimately loving God in consideration. Our first reaction to these painful feelings will be to close our eyes and curse the cause. We might turn from the room and seek to develop explanations from our distorted understanding of what’s in the room. Until we allow our eyes to adjust, the suffering will appear meaningless and wasted. Warped views of God result from attempts to formulate conclusions based upon a lack of perspective and understanding. Though our minds are too feeble to grasp the totality of God’s purposes in calamity, we can always trust they exist.

Ultimately, the room is full of the glory of God. “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3) Under no circumstance can we expect to an absence of the glory of God. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) God’s way of transforming people is by beholding his glory, the manifestation of his holiness, the expression of his manifold perfections. I want this trip to bring transformation to our group, but I want it to come through God’s appointed method, beholding the glory of God. The strands of suffering when seen through veiled eyes cannot be known fully until we notice they weave into a much bigger and more glorious tapestry than we could ever fathom. From an eternal vantage point, we will one day stand in complete awe of the splendor of God’s handiwork.

Please pray for our group as we witness intense and graphic suffering. Pray God would reveal the hope and greater purposes through affliction. If beauty can be found and God can be glorified through the heinous crucifixion of Jesus Christ, surely such beauty and glory can exist in the wake of Katrina in New Orleans. Surely, if we see it, we will be transformed by it.

Pics

Work Day 1: Monday Madness

Ah…Trinity at last. After months of planning, we’re here and have one full day under our belt. The Horst family greeted us yesterday evening around 5pm and welcomed the whole team into their home for dinner. Their home is in downtown Covington, a small, quaint town a few miles from Trinity Church. After dinner and some time to stretch our van-seat-locked legs, we drove to Trinity for an orientation and training session.

We are not actually staying at Trinity Church. (All the pre-trip planning in the world doesn’t correlate to reality at Trinity.) With over 130 volunteers serving this week, our team was moved to Northshore Bible Church, one street away. We have the church to ourselves, but also the added hassle of shuttling between sleeping, eating, and showering venues. We’ve worked out a system of van times, and the team has been very flexible.

Today Crisis Response broke our team up into three squads and dispersed us around the greater New Orleans areas. Dave and Becky led a team of “dry wallers and landscapers” to the north shore. Shelby, Brittany, Halle, Erin, Nikki, and Tia shared the workload. Jeremiah and Dwayne took Jesse, Nate, Chris, Brandon, Elizabeth, and Leesha across the 24 mile causeway into downtown New Orleans to do tile work. Painters Brooke, Amber, Leanne, Allison, Kyle, and Jordan were captained by Miss and me at the home of Pastor John from Castle Rock church in the city.

Against all odds, we were all able to get to work without much frustration. Monday is a stressful day. All the anxiety of the unknown and the anticipation of the waiting merge into a patience testing standstill Monday mornings. A long teaching session followed by a meeting for work team leaders only pushes everyone to hurry up and wait. We hurry up to the next thing and wait…and wait…and wait. I think everyone knew what to expect today and showed great patience and flexibility to flow through every turn.

Each team is jumping into this trip with both feet. Interactions, or divine appointments, with locals are not only happening “by chance,” but our teams are proactively engaging with the people around us. It’s AWESOME! One of my greatest pleasures last year was listening. Everyone down here is eager to tell their story, each saturated with tears of loved ones lost in the storm. I want our team to tap into those stories and feel what they feel. It’s a stretching time for some to talk to strangers, (likely because their parents did a good job of keeping them safe when they were younger) but now it’s time to grow up. It is amazing to see their desire to meet new people. Misconceptions, stereotypes, biases, prejudices all wane in a moment of courage to say hi.

Please pray for bold conversations!!!

Bulletproof Paul

Acts 23:11

The following night the Lord stood by [Paul] and said, “Take courage, for as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.”

I wonder how often Paul thought back to these words in the years that followed. Paul had just been arrested in Jerusalem and given a bold testimony concerning Christ. Surrounded by angry mobs and power thirsty Roman officials, Paul’s life is in serious danger. Yet in the midst, he received this command from Jesus, “Take courage.” The basis for this courage is implied in the words that follow, “For as you have testified to the facts about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome.” What Jesus said must take place must come to be. Though evil men threaten his life, he was invincible until he testified in Rome.

In the years that followed before Rome: He was arrested, but not found guilty. He was chained, but they did not keep him from traveling closer to Rome. He was shipwrecked, but the sea did not swallow him. He was bitten by a viper, but he did not die. What is promised by God becomes.

During those trials, I wonder if Paul remembered the promise from Jesus. What peace was afforded him! He knew whatever the circumstance, he would endure to till he testified. Though we don’t have specific promises like that directly from Jesus, we do have promises from God that we can cling to. Perseverance of the saints to the end, all things working to the good for those who love God, God completing a good work in us; all are promises we can cling to and know that nothing is going to keep them from coming to be.

We have seen God’s faithfulness in very real ways in the days leading to this trip. In our travel days alone we have continually seen provision for small things that easily slip under the radar in other spheres. Travel safety, hotel rooms, a good friend’s welcome, meals all take on new meaning when we’re looking for God’s hand in them. I think Paul may have been able to chalk up many “coincidences” to favorable judges, experienced seamen, or venom immunity. But if we’re keeping an eye out for God, we’ll see him more often and be more apt to respond in praise and gratitude for his provisions.

Pray for great God Sight(ings)!!!

CSI God

Acts 4:27-28
27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.

Here is an account of the greatest evil, sinful, horrific scene ever to be conceived: the suffering of an infinitely perfect god inflicted by infinitesimally insignificant men. There can be no greater evil than the act of hatred toward and murder of the Son of God. Yet, these men who committed the act were doing “whatever [God’s] hand and [God’s] plan had predestined to take place.” It was God’s hand at work in the death of Jesus, the ultimate sin. Isaiah 53:10 says, “It was the will of the LORD to crush Him.” The result of this act is the greatest good, holy, terrific scene ever to be conceived: the sacrifice of our infinitely perfect God for an utterly undeserving people.

I anticipate witnessing incredible injustices in Louisiana. We will see world class destruction. We will see US poverty and crime. We will feel the bitterness and heartache of the people. No doubt looking at the scene in LA will bring up the question, “Where is God?” Where was God when the hurricane came? Where was God when the levees broke? Where was God when homeowner’s were cheated out of money or couldn’t afford repairs? Where was God during the drug deal or shooting? If you don’t think he’s there, you’re not going to look for him, and you probably won’t find him.

This trip is an excellent time to improve our ability to see God at work. It takes special vision to be able to see God in the midst of suffering and despair. Jesus’ own disciples didn’t see God in the death of Jesus. They thought God had just made a mistake. We have the ability to look at that scene and know God’s hand and plan was at work. I want to be able to see and know that God’s hand and plan in at work in what’s happening in Louisiana.

Our fingerprints are completely unique. No one in the entire world has one identical. Because of that fact, if a fingerprint is found somewhere, it must have come from its owner. A fingerprint can place us at the scene, uncover our actions, and reveal our true identity.

This mission trip is an awesome time to focus on the fingerprints of God. He is still very active in this world, and his fingerprints are EVERYWHERE! His hand and plan are still being worked out in this world for magnificent purposes. Sadly, we have trained our eyes to scan over his heavenly handiwork and credit his glory to something or someone else.

I want our eyes to gain a greater sensitivity to the workings from the hand of God while in Louisiana. If we can spy his fingerprint on a more consistent basis, we’ll be all the more prepared to see his hand even in tragedy and find significance during the “chaos.”
Please pray for 20/20 vision for us as we prepare to enter the state…we can start practicing now. Also, praise God for a great and safe travel day. We are resting in Chattanooga, TN and will start our next full day of travel tomorrow morning at 7. Anyone interested in praying with a few parents of youth on the trip can meet at Keystone during 1st service in the senior high room.

Travel Day 1

The Senior High Exposure team has safely made it to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Brandon is unable to post an update this evening, but please check in for future updates.

If any parents of youth want to get together and pray, a group is meeting during first service tomorrow in the senior high room.

Respectfully submitted,

Lauren Fisher

LA Tour 2008: Unsung Ad Nauseum

Nearing the three year anniversary of our nation's costliest hurricane, the buzz around Katrina relief efforts has faded to a ho-hum. None-the-less, workers based out of Trinity Church in Covington, LA swarm the New Orleans area rebuilding and revitalizing communities. Though the spotlight has shifted to cyclone relief in Myanmar and earthquake relief in China, volunteers from around the country continually unite to serve the needs in Louisiana. Media attention is gone, but the same kind of needs that existed days after the storm exist today. Keystone Senior High will partner with the EFCA organization TouchGlobal June 15th-22nd to aid in further relief efforts.

Please pray for our group as we will begin our 1800 mile journey June 14th. Please pray for the preparations of our team members' hearts in the days before we leave. Though opportunities to let our good works shine will be everywhere, the week will bring long hours, intense heat, unpleasant humidity, and tireless, dirty work. The conditions are excellent for growing anger, impatience, despair, and disagreement. Pray we will store up good in our hearts so when we are squeezed, the good might overflow and bring praise to our Father in heaven.