Keystone Exposure

Day 6

2011-08-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Fold Day 6

School scraped, stained, and trimmed: Check!

Flower beds weeded & mulched: Check!

Stone sidewalks filled in and leveled: Check!

Our work team accomplished all the jobs put before us. I said early in the week that it doesn’t matter how we begin, it matters how we finish; and we finished well. We worked as hard today as we did on Monday. We’ve continued to get compliments on our work ethic and quality. The Fold has been super grateful for our time invested this week.

Praise God for our group! We have a lot of stories to share. Here’s picture to end the week with:

Guest Post: Erin Rutt & Brooke Dienner

2011-08-12T16:22:00.001-07:00

Guest Post Erin Rutt & Brooke Dienner:

This week has been a great week. We started out our week as just acquaintances, and ended up being like a big family. We saw sides of people that you don’t see in just Sunday school and Youth Group. This week has been a really good experience and we would definitely relive it. Since the first day we knew we would have a good time, and we did. On the first day we prepped and stained the walls of the school house. As the week went on we finished up staining and started painting the trim white. We all did different jobs throughout the week, as for us we did lots of staining and weeding the gardens. After we finished working for the day we had a lot of free time to get to know each other. From about 7-10 was when we had time off. We used that time to do various things, as in, intense wiffle ball games, campfires, ultimate Frisbee, and eating WAAAYY too many freeze pops in the kitchen! On Thursday was our “vacation” day, we started out that morning by going into prayer groups with the staff and students at the Fold. Later the morning we headed to Crystal Lake to swim in the lake and have a picnic. We played lots of Frisbee, and kickball, and just hung out for the afternoon. That night, for dinner we went to a cookout at the girls home with everyone from the fold. We spent lots of time getting to know all of the kids and staff staying and working at the Fold which was a great experience. That pretty much sums up our week and puts all of our fun and hard work to an end. Coming to the Fold definitely changed our view of serving and what it is like to serve.

Fold Day 5

2011-08-11T19:20:00.001-07:00

Fold Day 5

Today was a complete change of pace from the rest of the week. Instead of beginning the work day at 8:30am, we joined the Fold staff and residents for a morning prayer and praise session. It was an intimate sneak peek into the lives at the Fold. I loved that Christians, regardless of home and background, can gather as family.

Afterwards, we packed up and drove to a lake. Temperatures today remained in the low seventies; coupled with intermittent clouds and cold mountain water, it wasn’t ideal for swimming. Then again, there was water and junior highers, so conditions were perfect. The lake didn’t have a place for picnics, so we packed up and spent the remainder of the day at a different lake with facilities. We had no agenda for the afternoon but to relax and have fun.

Once we returned from the lake, we were invited to dinner with everyone from the Fold at the girls’ house. There were about 40 people total—our crew, residents, resident instructors, house parents, counselors, office staff, and executive staff. We had a little opportunity to mingle with “Folders” over dinner before getting into a large circle for a sharing time. We got to hear about them, and they got to hear about us.

I think the highlight of the night was getting to hear the testimony of a resident who recently graduated from the Fold. It wasn’t planning, so it wasn’t rehearsed, so it was polished. It was raw and pure. I liked it for two reasons: 1)I love hearing about how Jesus transforms lives. 2)Sometimes when testimonies are practiced too much, they sound fake or worse, slick. The lady who shared spoke off the cuff from her heart. I thought that was powerful.

Our group has grown closer as a result of this week. We feel free to be silly around each other. But I don’t think we feel comfortable being honest enough to give a testimony like the girl who spoke. We have one more full day ahead of us. Would you pray that our devotion and debriefing sessions would unite us in an authentic way? Pray that we’d be vulnerable enough to share and compassionate enough to care.

Guest Post: Eirene Hoover

2011-08-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

So far, this week has been very eventful. I feel that our whole Jr. High Sunday school has really come together not only as a Jr. high group but as friends. Whether it’s Erin spilling things (and Brandon “whooping” when she does it) or Chad talking about his best friend Steve the earwig, we have had many strange, hilarious times together. We have been painting the school all the days we’ve been here but today was a little different. Since rain was in the forecast, we did gardening, painting trim, and spreading stones. After a hearty hotdog lunch, we headed down to the boys’ home to cut down trees and brush to burn them. I love the team debriefing time we have everyday after supper. It’s nice to hear everyone’s reflection of the day and I love to share my own. To wrap up today, we saw a double rainbow cascading across the sky over the mountains just beyond our deck. Everyone asked “What does it mean?” I personally thought it was God’s way of letting us know he was watching over us. Just like it says in Psalm 46:1. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.”

Fold Day 4

2011-08-10T16:15:00.001-07:00

Fold Day 4

I’ve learned more about the life of a teenager over these four days than I have in five years of youth ministry. Perhaps it’s just taken me these years to be able to see and understand their nuances and habits. Regardless, this trip has given me a window into the needs, fears, and desires of our junior highers.

After posting the blog from yesterday, I joined the team outside at a camp fire. Dave has more experience with junior highers than three of me, and it shows. He can have fun, play along, and match them in just about everything. He’s awesome.

This morning, rain kept us from finishing the staining of the school building. Instead we divided our team into three groups to complete projects around camp—weed a flower bed, paint trim under a porch, and add crushed stone to a walkway. It was a chilly morning for everyone in the rain. Again, I’m impressed with how little grumbling there is. This is an attitude that I know can persist after the mission trip is over.

In the afternoon, our team travelled a few miles away to the boys’ house. The Fold has a few different properties. The school, office, and place we’re staying at is on one property, the boy’s home is on another, and I believe the girls’ is on yet another (though I haven’t seen it.) Our job at the boys’ home was to gather brush and felled limbs and build the fire big enough to allude to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We succeeded. We also got an opportunity to meet the house parents for the boys in residency and the boys themselves.

I’m pushing a few youth to provide some blog insights, so there may be more updates later tonight. Here’s how you can pray for us: The novelty of being on a mission trip has worn off. It’s around this time that tempers have worn thin, frustrations have mounted, and the temptation to curl up into a selfish ball of irritability flares up. Pray at those moments we would looked to Christ and the cross to be reminded of the grace shown us and have it melt our hearts in praise to God and love for others. It’s a big prayer request. Pray that God would do it.

Fold Day 3

2011-08-09T16:40:00.000-07:00

Fold Day 3

If yesterday was Christmas morning, today felt more like New Years morning. We worked hard yesterday, and our beds might be TOO comfortable. There wasn’t a lot of conversation over breakfast or during our morning devotional time together.

We gather each morning and evening for a time of preparation and reflection centered on Jesus. Day one we introduced the idea of searching for God’s fingerprints—developing our eyesight to see God’s handiwork so that we might see his glory, be grateful for it, and bear witness to it. That evening we explored the relationship between expectations, disappointment, and anger with the aim of developing a kind of flexibility rooted in humility. This morning we looked the idea of Love by examining 1 John 4:7-11.

It’s not easy to wrap our minds around what God’s love is like. It’s too easy to insert our own distorted conceptions of love rooted more in the latest chick flick than the Scriptures. So when we read, “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him,” how is our understanding of love challenged?

We see God’s love manifested by sending us Jesus, letting go of something (Someone) precious. This act of love was so that we might live—a sacrifice for our good. This morning, I fought against a kind of mushy, Hollywood lie that defines love purely in the realm of feelings. We defined love as doing what’s best for another person even if it involves personal sacrifice. I challenged our youth to look for opportunities to give up their own preferences for another’s benefit. In the evening, we reflected on times when we saw God’s fingerprint, decided to be flexible, or chose to love. I’m looking forward to more of the sharing time following that type of reflection.

From a work perspective, we settled into a more sustainable pace today. Dave and I zeroed in on a healthier balance of work, rest, and play for our youth. After three days of being together 24/7, our personalities are shining through. I love it! It’s easy to put on a face for two hours on a Sunday night or Sunday School hour—it’s tough to fake it for this long or under these circumstances. I’m looking forward to getting to know them more this week. In a way it’s plowing the soil for fruitful ministry during the school year.

Plaudits and Accolades:

Brooke & Erin have more stain on themselves than the walls, but are always willing to do whatever they are asked to do.
Ethan in fearless and gets parts no one can (or wants to) reach.
Nicki is a quiet servant, often times doing what needs to be done before anyone realizes it.
Chad is our creative specialist—looking at the world through a unique lens.
Hannah is our photo journalist and my personal water jockey when I got thirsty today.
Bryan and Ben prefer the safety of terra firma, but they still manage their fair share of the painting and scraping.
Cohen gets the most innovative thinker award for taking the handle off the broom and attaching it to a roller so I didn’t have to risk my neck.
Rachel and Eirene have attitudes that, though each unique, give the group its pep; their upbeat attitudes are contagious.
Elam is like Nicki, only a full-size, grown man version.
Becky is our cook responsible for my added 10lbs.
Dave should sit at the top of a mountain and change his last name to Lama—he has all the answers.

Thanks so much for your prayers! We’re looking forward to seeing more of God’s fingerprints and opportunities to model humility in flexibility and sacrificial love. You can pray that we see that!

Fold Day 2: First Day at Work

2011-08-08T19:38:00.001-07:00

Fold Day 2

A wise man once said it doesn’t matter how you start; it matters how you finish. But if how we started is any indication of how we’ll finish, it will be an awesome week.

We arrived at the Fold around 9:30pm last night. Our whole team is occupying a large guest house—six bedrooms, six baths, kitchen, and large dining room and living room. It’s ideal for our group. We were welcomed by our hosts who live in the basement of the house. We had to hustle to get everything moved in, provide some quick briefing, and get to bed before a strict 10 o’clock quiet hour.

This morning, our crew woke at 6:00am, despite the fact that breakfast wasn’t until 7:30am. It was Christmas morning anticipation. After breakfast, we walked to our worksite. Our task: Prep and stain the school building. The wooden barn-style building needed to have the old stain scraped and wire-brushed, caulked, taped, and stained. There was also an overgrown flower patch that needed some TLC.

Our crew put some serious effort into the morning session before breaking for lunch at noon. We can walk from our house to the school and vice versa yielding a welcomed respite in the refuge of the AC. The afternoon brought hotter temperatures and an every fading motivation and output. We worked them hard today.

I managed to get some quality time with Mike, a Fold staff member. The Fold brings in boys and girls from around the country. I found it interesting to discuss the backgrounds of the majority of the youth—missionary kids, adopted kids, and pastor’s kids. On the trip we have a missionary kid, pastor’s kid, and sibling of an adopted kid. They are no different than our kids. The vast majority of the fold teens have parents who love Jesus. Why are our kids here to serve and other kids here to be served? Are our parents just better at parenting? Did our kids get better genes? Maybe I’m simply a superior youth pastor and have rescued these teens from the brink of disaster. Something tells me none of these are correct.

At this point, I want to say that God gives grace to some and not others. Because I believe all things flow from the hand of God, I credit our excellent teens not to my ministry or fine parenting but to God’s gracious hand. But why do I think God’s gracious hand is on our youth and not the Fold’s youth? What if God decided to show his grace to a set of parents by giving them a rocky teenager? Perhaps through that trial, those parents were able to experience a level of faith and intimacy with God that they never would have encountered with Johnny Star Athlete and Suzy Homecoming Queen. Perhaps through the pain and adversity, those teens were able to experience the love and mercy of God in a fuller way than Johnny or Suzy.

I don’t believe that we can say that God has shown us any more or less grace judging solely by our circumstances. I look through the darkest times of my life and see the gracious hand of God orchestrating the chaos. Those are precious moments for me because they led me closer to Jesus. That was grace for me. Whatever leads people to seeing and savoring the fullness of Jesus, that’s grace. And grace can come dressed as Johnny or Suzy and as the black sheep.

I’m grateful for our team. I’m praying for a kind of impact this week in our teens’ lives that will ripple until the end of their lives and to the end of the earth. That’s a big prayer request. Want to join me?

Junior High Exposure: Fold Tour 2011 Day 1

2011-08-07T19:49:00.000-07:00

Junior High Exposure: Fold Tour 2011

I haven't found wifi yet so this post is being transmitted via iPhone.

The Cast:
• Ben Sparks
• Erin Rutt
• Ethan Hoover
• Bryan Eltman
• Brooke Dienner
• Rachel Severein
• Chad Stoltzfus
• Cohen Peifer
• Hannah Robinson
• Eirene Hoover
• Nicki Beiler
• Brandon Fisher
• Dave Ulrich
• Elam & Becky Glick

The Plot:
From August 7th through the 13th, Keystone Junior High will be serving at The Fold Ministries in Vermont. The Fold Family Ministries is a Christ-centered facility in Vermont that provides residential care for struggling teens in crisis from around the country. Our team, composed of seventh & eighth graders, will provide manual labor for several maintenance projects around the facility.

Day 1:
Just like Jesus, we left Paradise to serve the ones we love. We rolled out of Keystone’s parking lot at 9:30am and began the nine hour trip to Lyndonville, VT. All fifteen of us crammed into a perfectly matched 15-passenger van with our gear loaded in a trailer. It’s easy to know if we’re missing someone; if you’re comfortable, something’s wrong. I’m personally very grateful for Elam Glick, our professional chauffer; he operates this machine like a surgeon.

We encountered no real troubles on our trip. Praise God for safe travels! It took approximately 67 seconds until someone was lobbying to play mafia, but it was a full 10 hours before a Veggie Tale sing-a-long session began. If you listen quietly, you might here them while I’m typing.

I’m excited for our week together. It’s a very fun crew. And there’s a godly depth for a group of junior highers that I haven’t seen before. I was continually impressed by their insights and comments in our pre-trip meetings.

I expect to arrive at the Fold within the next hour. Once we arrive, I don’t know what to expect. Housing arrangements, work assignments, team breakdowns—we’ll see what happens when we arrive.

For those praying, Thank You! Here’s how you can join us in praying:
• Spirit-filled & Spirit-led work and conversations.
• Team unity.
• Humble servants.

Exchanging Bronze for Gold

2010-07-30T10:23:00.000-07:00

Giving teens what they want is not always the most loving thing we can do for them. In order to lead youth into deeper and more satisfying happiness, we often must give them what they don’t want. We should withhold bronze so that we can give them gold; we should withhold what youth value so that we can give them what is of real value.

There are billions of details to plan and decisions to make on a mission trip—Where will we rent vans? When will we stop for potty breaks? Who will pack lunches? How will we load our trailers? The question I ask myself is, How strategic or intentional should I be in planning those details? Which decisions should I control, and which ones should I allow others to decide? A good leader will strike a balance between control and freedom. Too much control will crush a team; too little will yield chaos. I have in no way mastered this balance, so I am grateful that God is steering my heart towards those areas that would benefit from strategic planning.

One area I believed our NOLA2010 team needed growth was in the area of unity. In our briefing meetings prior to the trip I noticed several factions. Each group was divided by age, gender, school district, affinity; and it created uneasiness when we were all together. We didn’t know each other well enough to be comfortable, and we weren’t comfortable enough with each other in order to be a team.

I felt God pulling at my heart to consider how to break down these barriers. My solution came by intentionally selecting who would ride in vans on the way down, who would room together in hotels, and who would work together on the job site. I invested a lot of thought into how to blend the cliques over the course of the week. I prayed and weighed over tons of factors, too many to list in this blog. In the end I believe these efforts brought tremendous fruit, but only because God was working in ways I never could, to melt the hearts our team enough to stretch us but keep us from snapping. We left PA a divided group and returned a cohesive unit.

Could God have done that without the planning on my part? Absolutely. He is always accomplishing ends without me—often in spite of me. Would our group have come together without my planning? I don’t think so. If given the choice, teens would have chosen to ride, room, and work with their friends. They would have done whatever they could be around people they were comfortable with. In many ways, I think they would have remained in the same factions they had prior to the trip.

My decision to select these groupings was not popular among the youth. I heard disgruntled complaints and manipulative excuses. The question crossed my mind, Should I give them what they want? Or should I withhold what they want now because I believe there’s something better for them if they endure this momentary affliction? As a leader, I saw the discomfort as a necessary step toward their greater happiness.

I wonder if God doesn’t use this same type of suffering to bring us to a greater place of joy. My heart isn’t much different from the teens’; I prefer comfort to pain. But what if this comfort only produces bronze, while the pain produces gold? Wouldn’t I be a fool for settling for bronze when gold is offered?

I love our youth, and I want the best for them. On this mission trip, that meant I didn’t let them always be with all of their friends. (It meant I didn’t allow them do a lot of other things, too!) I wanted them to experience the gold of being a unified team at the expense of bronze time with friends.

I believe God loves us and wants the best for us. It takes faith to believe that that’s true even when pain comes my way and I don’t get what I want. The more I understand the truth of God’s love for me, the deeper my faith grows. That’s element that changes my prayer from, “Lord, please protect us.” to “Father, please sustain us.”

Teen Blog Brooke Part 2

2010-07-29T11:09:00.000-07:00

The week is dwindling down and patience is beginning to fade. With the increase in temperature, I know there has been a decrease in my motives. Yesterday was the most tiring day so far and I did not think that I could go on any longer. Yesterday we had the privilege to walk around the 9th ward for our prayer walks. The 9th ward is a very poor part of town and it is where the levy broke and most of the flooding occurred. A prayer walk is when you walk around the community and pray with people that you see and talk to them about their life. It can also be a chance for you to take a look around and mumble prayers in your head about the surrounding area. I was not looking forward to walking around the neighborhood but I was excited to talk to everyone. I was upset at myself for the selfishness in my heart so I put it aside and walked with happiness. While walking we got split up into groups. My group was Me, Leanne, Hadassah, Hannah, Klarinda, and Katie. We found many people that were more than happy to talk to us. We met a few lovely ladies who had so many stories and things to share. As we were listening to them, we knew that they knew God. It made me so excited to see the hope that was in all of their hearts. After everything that happened I cannot believe how happy all of these people are. It makes me wonder how back home I see so many unhappy people who did not go through anything that these people went through. It makes me realize how powerful God is and how much he is really doing down here in Louisiana. I was very glad that each person that we stopped to see was happy to pray with us. I loved praying with all of them and just letting them know that we care.

After about an hour of walking I was getting exhausted and in my head I was ready to get back. My energy came back when a lady passed us and beeped so loudly. She was smiling with one of the biggest grins I ever saw and she was waving. Then I looked down and realized that she was waving and happy because she saw our shirts and knew the reason that we were all down here. Then I beat myself up again for being selfish.

After talking to a few more ladies my feet were aching and I was extremely tired. We were all ready to sit down and go back. We were soon there and I was very glad. Finally Katie turned and looked at us girls and said, “Before we go back why don’t we sit down here and pray for all of the people that we met today?” I could see the rest of the group ahead and I was a little upset that we were stopping again. We were so close to going back but we still needed to pray. In my mind I was happy to pray, yet I was thinking of my hunger. We all sat down in a circle and held hands. The prayer began. We all went around and prayed about a different person that we all met. In the middle of prayer I heard a car stop behind us. I took a peak and realized that it was a lady sitting in her vehicle with the window down and her eyes closed. I did not think that much of it and we continued praying. After we were done praying and about to get up, the lady got out of the vehicle and was crying. She walked over to our circle and asked if she could pray with us. During her prayer she was crying and thanking God for all that we were doing. She was grateful for all of us taking time out of our summer to help her community. By this point all of us girls were in tears as well. We were crying because we were saddened by what she was saying, but my tears were for a little more than that. I was upset at my selfishness and how I was complaining in my head about walking. I was thinking of myself and not the impact that we were making on others. I was mad at myself and upset that I

would have even thought those things before. When the prayer was over we all wiped our tears. She explained to us how she was just on her way to her Grandchildren’s house. She was on her way to tell them to not be discouraged and that God was going to provide for them. Their house was still not complete from the storm and she was explaining how they were getting to the point of wanting to give up. It was then that she saw us praying and was encouraged that there was still hope and people that care. When she was saying this I choked up a little more. I was so happy to see that all of us high schoolers were actually making a difference.

The people of New Orleans saw what we were doing and they were very happy and encouraged. This changed my whole outlook on prayer walks. Prayer walks are really helping the people and it really is giving them all something to think about. While still talking to the lady she told us that she has been looking for someone to help repair her grandchildren’s house. She was so excited about Touch Global. She called up her grandchildren right away and told them that there were still good people in this world and not to lose hope. This was just amazing to me. The fact that she would stop and pray with us was wonderful.

After we were done talking to her we took her down to the block party. A block party is when we grab a bunch of people from the community and all of the workers and come together for food and fellowship. It is a good opportunity to get to know the people of New Orleans. The block party is always a very good experience. Last night I was so impressed with our youth group. Everyone walked around and talking to everyone that was there. The ones that were there were very open and willing to talk. While I was talking I looked around. It was a very good sight to see. Courtney, Morgan, and Kelli had a group of kids jump roping. They fit right in with the kids and got a game going. Elizabeth was talking with other children as well as their parents. Klarinda was playing with bubbles with a two year old named Cameron. Hannah, Hadassah, Heidi, and Megan were off with a group of kids taking pictures and making them feel so welcome. Kayla Strenck, Kayla Kreiser, David Good, and Doug Fisher were playing a game with kids and just sitting around and talking to them.

Watching each member of the Keystone Senior High Youth Group break out of their shell and talk to the community of New Orleans was incredible to me. I can just tell that everyone has grown so much. The block party helped everyone see what everyone actually had to go through. Looking at the kids in the community made me so sad to think that they had to go through what they did. They were all so happy and outgoing and it saddened me to think that they ever had to suffer like they did. But in sight of what happened to them, they all still were the happiest children I have ever met. Leaving the block party I reflected on the day and I realized that God brought me here for a reason this week. He is telling me not to be selfish and to put others first. He is teaching me to stop thinking about Brooke all the time and to put others in place of myself. I am so excited to see what God has done in the rest of our group. It all could not have been done without everyone’s prayer and support.

Final Leg

2010-07-25T03:13:00.000-07:00

Good morning, Keystone! If you're checking up on us before services this morning, we are stayed the night in Abington, VA and should pull into our parking lot before 5pm. It's been a great, great week! There are a lot more stories to tell. Please keep us in your prayers as we make the final leg of our trip. We're tired. And we're looking forward to seeing you soon!

Brandon

Teen Blog Kayla Squared

2010-07-23T20:09:00.001-07:00

So this is Kayla squared talking! Meaning Kayla #1 and Kayla#2 or Kayla Kreiser and Kayla Strenck, or also very well know as best friends!! We came on this mission trip having many expectations of what it would be like. To be completely honest, everything is so much different than we expected. Some of the things we expected were that the New Orleans people wouldn’t be so nice and talkative, but the people here are so full of hope! When they see us around the community or at our work cites in our t-shirts they come up to us and want to know all about what we are doing. The people here are very caring and never fail to help us out when we are in need of information as visitors. On the very first day we started working on our job cite, immediately we all had to go to the bathroom because since we are on the north shore the drive had been an hour long. We saw that there were some porter potties down the street and we started walking toward them and all the sudden a guys pulls up and says hello and after having some small talk he told us not to go to the porter potties because they where too dirty for us to use. So we walked around for a while and everywhere we went there was either no bathroom or it was out of order. We kept walking until we came along some people and then we asked them if there was anywhere else close because we couldn’t walk too much further. They said maybe the church down the street so we walked there but all the doors were locked. As we checked the very last one, a lady was locking it. We explained and asked nicely if our group could use the bathroom and it all worked out! We felt like that was truly God’s fingerprint on that situation. Another one of our expectations was that when it came to working on the house we wouldn’t know how to do anything, but let us tell you we are true hard working girls. We have been painting, sheet rocking, we are defiantly experts with hammers, and we worked under the house in the cross-space pulling the HARDEST nails out ever. We where dripping sweat!! It was fun though! We have done so many jobs and have had fun with all of them and with our entire work group. This trip has truey touched both of our hearts and we have seen God at work every day!

Washing Feet: Get down or Lift up

2010-07-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 23, 2010
Washing Feet

The Facts:
As I type, our teams are driving to our work sites for the last time. The week has gone by quickly, but last Friday seems SO long ago. Yesterday, the painting crew finished the exterior of their home and have been assigned a demolition job. Special thanks for Duane who has assumed leadership of that team after Jarin was traded to Doug’s team. The other teams will wrap up get things prepared for the next team to take over. Today’s work day is shortened so that we can do a bit of sightseeing in the Lower 9th Ward, French Quarter, & Garden District. After returning to the north shore, we’ll head out to dinner in Mandeville.

The Story:
When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, he set an example for the rest of us to follow. In order for us to wash others’ feet, we must either get on our knees or lift someone else. Both require us to humble ourselves. I love to see the ways that our team has washed each others’ feet because it always requires humility.

One way we’ve been able to live to the glory of God is by sharing ways in which we’ve served in the strength that he supplies. Some will hesitate to share the ways they’ve served other people because it can sound arrogant or boastful. But if we know we are serving in the strength that God supplies, I believe it’s our responsibility to share what God is doing through us. How will people worship God if they don’t know what he’s doing? As I hear teens share how they’ve looked toward the interests of others, I respond in praise to God for transforming their hearts to serve.

Another practice we’ve been encouraging is to notice ways we’ve seen others serving. This spiritual practice softens our own hearts as we look for evidences of God’s grace it others. As our eyes become more sensitive to seeing this, we end up being less critical, showing greater patience, and being altogether more loving toward one another. It’s this kind of attitude I pray continues and spreads when we return to PA.

Feeling Small & Feeling Good

2010-07-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

NOLA2010

Thursday, July 21, 2010

The Facts:
Fact: Our teams are the hardest-working crews to ever work with Crisis Response.
Fact: I am biased.

Our days are long here. The guys begin their day around 5:45am to wake up, pack up all of our belonging, and move our gear into another building before driving 10 minutes to Trinity Church for breakfast. After breakfast and devotions at 6:30am, we load our vans with lunches, water, and tools for the day. Two of the crews drive along a 24-mile bridge across Lake Ponchatrain into New Orleans. We all work until around 4:30pm and return to Covington to shower and get dinner at 6:30pm. After dinner, we attend an evening program and finish with our own team meeting. After an hour or so of free time, the guys return to their church around 10. The days are long. Please continue to pray for our endurance.

The Details:
Tonight broke the mold of the traditional schedule. Instead of traveling back to the north shore after work, we stayed in the city. New Orleans East is a rather rough part of town according to most locals we speak with, and in it’s heart there is a church called House of Hope. As a ministry, Crisis Response send out teams on prayer walks. A team walks through the neighborhood blocks and prays for God to pour out blessing on houses, parks, and homeowners. The teams also invite everyone they meet to a block party. It’s a really fun way to relax and listen to people. There are hotdogs and drinks for everyone and lots of balls and games for kids. I love block parties.

The Story:
All of our foremen have been super pleased with everyone’s desire to pitch in and do really good work. I like seeing the youth learn a skill and teach other people how to do it. I really think we raise the bar when it comes to making progress in the construction realm; not just in work accomplished but in quality. I noticed though that our prayers down here centered around safety and “getting stuff done”. It bothered me that none of our youth prayed about interactions with people, at least not often. Personally, I made it my prayer that the focus of the trip would be on speaking with people. This is why tonight’s block party moved me toward worship in a new way.

Block parties can be intimidating arenas for youth. It’s a lot of strangers in a scary part of town where you’re expected to engage people in conversation. What I saw at tonight’s block party moved me to tears. After playing soccer with a few young kids, I looked up and saw little pockets of Keystone Youth huddled around multiple neighbors. There must have been almost a dozen little pods; some conversing, some entertaining kids. This was truly a God thing. When I surveyed the block party, I was overwhelmed by my insignificance. I could have preached a whole series on why we should love our neighbor. I could have taught a training module on how to love through listening and dialoguing. I might have even come up with a cool step-by-step acronym for how to do it in the field. But there is no way I could have gotten youth to do it. I can take no credit for how awesome our group was at the block party. Praise God for moving my heart to pray and answering it in a really awesome way. God is doing a million things underneath all of my best intentions and subconscious reactions. It felt really good to feel so small.

Teen Blog Brooke

2010-07-21T19:45:00.001-07:00

God is amazing. During our trip we have something that we call God’s fingerprints. This is what we use to recognize that God is in control and taking care of us. On our long journey on the way to Louisiana, God proved to all of us that he was here and going to be with us through the trip. We had three vans and one car that was following each other to Louisiana. For example, we were on a busy highway and one of the van’s light adapters fell off. It was in my van that this happened and none of us knew that anything was wrong. Then God’s fingerprints were clear. The car that was following behind us saw it fall. If that wasn’t enough, we were also in slow moving traffic which allowed the car enough time to jump out and grab the light adapter. After this we were all like “WOW!” This was a clear sign that God was here with us and that we were headed to work for him. We also had a few more encounters on the way down. One of the vans air conditioning completely broke down. Praise God that there was an Auto Zone right across the road where we stopped. Then when someone (no names) went inside to purchase the part we needed they accidently picked up the wrong one. It was almost 9 and we knew that that is when Auto Zone would close. We went on our way and happened to find another one at 8:58, just in time! We returned the old part and got a new one that worked. We were then on our way to the hotel.

On the way Saturday everyone was still unsure of each other and not everyone really knew each other that well. Our youth group is filled with many different age groups and clicks and it is hard for everyone to hang out as a group without it being awkward and tension. It just so happened that on this missions trip Brandon had something in mind. He decided that we were not allowed to pick our own hotel rooms. At first, this was tragic! Everyone was a little upset and uninformed about why this would be the case. It was all people who didn’t know each other and were not in the same clicks. When we all arrived at the hotel we were a little intimidated. Walking into the rooms it seemed as if everyone was confused and disappointed. But Brandon for sure knew what he was doing. Sunday morning it seemed as if we had a whole different group with us. At breakfast everyone was together and the groups were mixed up. The same clicks were changed into random groups of people. It was neat to see the dynamics of the group change in just one evening. It seemed as if everyone could just put their differences aside and actually work together on this long journey that we still had left.

The car rides are always the best part to get to know people and sometimes even learn some interesting things about people that we never knew before. My van was the crazy hyper van and barely anyone slept. It was filled with a good variety of personalities and many different humors. We had Quintin Blank, Brandon Blank, Chris Esh, Ben Combs, Jodan Shauffer (who I must say must be one of the most entertaining people I have ever met), Leanne Lefever, Klarinda Stoltzfus, Elizabeth Hoover, Leesha Smoker, and Doug Smoker as our wonderful PATIENT van driver. After a long long car ride we FINALLY arrived at Trinity Church. It was wonderful to hop out of the car and know that we won’t be driving in there again for another week. Don’t get me wrong I love the van rides and everyone in it, but after 20 hours of driving it is about time to arrive and get down to business.

The first night at Trinity was just orientation and learning about what we will be doing and all of the rules. We were all too tired to think and we were just all ready to sleep and see what the next day would hold. On Monday morning when I woke up the first thing that came to my mind was “How in the world am I going to work on a roof?” We were all assigned our work groups on Sunday night before we went to bed. We were having a group dry wall, one group paint, and another group would be doing roofing. I was placed into the roofing group. At first I was so confused about how in the world I was placed in this group. I have no skill at all when it comes to anything handy. And when I took a look at my group they all seemed to be so skilled and experienced (The guys did anyway.)

Monday morning we all packed up our bags and headed to our work cite. At first I was a little shocked in the development that the house we were working on was in. All of the houses were big mansions and were very nice houses. The house that we were working on was the only house in the development that was not worked on. We were rebuilding this house for the staff of the church. It went through my head all day why were would work on a house that is in such a nice neighborhood and not a house that is in the center of the city surrounded by people who need us more. It took me awhile to think about it, and finally Brandon Fisher led me to a conclusion. It is not just the poor that need our help and need the love of God. It is everyone. We need to show our love and our willingness to work and serve to the rich and the poor. Just because they have everything does not mean that they have Jesus in their hearts. The more people I talk to, it seems like the ones who have nothing are the happiest and the most hopeful. Walking around the development here we did not get to talk to that many people. We did meet one cute old lady who was willing to talk but clearly did not have Jesus in her life. She has been on the back of my mind the past couple days. She is living alone with her dog and she seems to love life, but she is missing the most important part. I am hoping that there is something that we can do for her before the week ends.

As of yesterday the job cite that we are working on has gone very well. We got so much done and thankfully I found some work that I can do. My team has amazed me in so many different ways and I am so proud of each of them. My team consists of Morgan Lanser, Leesha Smoker, Hadassah Huyard, Torie Stoltzfus, Becky Glick, Zach Fisher, Jordan Shauffer, Devon Smoker, Barry Yoder, Brandon Russum, Clare Evans, Connor Beiler, and Brandon Blank. It has been a joy to work with them and it seems as if this group works so well together. The guys have been amazing when it comes to all of the work. They have so much talent and they have helped us girls know what we are doing as well. They even taught me how to use a saw and hammer nails. The group dynamics have been so good so far and I am very excited to see how the rest of the week will play out. We can all tell that everyone is getting more exhausted by the minute and the weather here is extremely hot, but I think that we are all learning a good lesson in patience and how not to complain. It is hard but I can already see some people working on this and excelling. Thank you all for your support and your prayers! We appreciate it very much and we can all feel God with us!
Continue praying for….
~Our group being in harmony with each other
~ Leesha Smoker and her disk in her back. She has been in pain all week but she has not complained about it once. Continue to pray for healing and that her pain would be reduced for the remainder of the trip.
~ Patience
~ Willingness to do what God wants to be done down here
~ All of the groups out on the Job , it is hot and I know that sunburn and some slight sickness has been a minor issue that past few days
~ The leader’s patience. They have done so much for us this week so far and they have another big drive at the end of the week. Just pray that they will have strength to endure all that is ahead.

Teen Blog Hannah & Megan

2010-07-21T19:36:00.000-07:00

dEaR bLoG,

We’re sitting in our van on the way back from our work site. We are driving down the Causeway… when you first get onto the Causeway, it’s so long it looks like you’re driving off the end of the Earth. Today when we first got to the work site, we did some intense primer-ing. We had to primer most of the downstairs. We split up into two teams and started “paint wars.” Doug, Elizabeth, and Megan were on team Greatness while Hannah, Heidi and Jon were on team Perfection. We all changed the lyrics of songs so that they were about paintbrushes and primer.

We finally had lunch and took a bathroom break at the Dollar General down the street which has become our favorite bathroom spot due to its cleanliness. When we got back we spent most of the rest of the day nailing Hardy board to the floor. Everyone was in one big room and we got a lot done. We were even able to take a five minute siesta. After cleaning up at the end of the day we were all tired and ready to get back to the church and begin the fight for showers.

Everyone has paint and primer on their shirts and dust in their hair. Today was hot but not unbearable. Most of the work we have been doing is done inside. The girls enjoy taking breaks to walk to the Dollar General so that we can socialize with people in the community. Everyone is so friendly down here! Tomorrow we will be going for a prayer walk so hopefully we will be able to spend some more time interacting with the locals. Should be a fun rest of the trip!

God bless,
Hannah&Megan :)

Southern Heat

2010-07-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

The Facts:
We have three teams working in the New Orleans vicinity. Barry is leading a roof framing team with Becky, Clare, Jordan, Brandon, Brandon, Connor, Zach, Devon, Hadassah, Morgan, Victoria, Brooke, and Leesha. Jarin is leading a painting team with Duane, Molly, Kyle, Ben, Chris, Quinton, Klarinda, Leanne, Kelli, and Courtney. Doug is leading a drywalling team with me, Erica, Austin, Doug, David, Jon, Elizabeth, Kayla, Kayla, Hannah, Megan, and Heidi. Doug & Jarin’s teams are working in New Orleans East, and Barry’s team is working in Mandeville on the north shore.

The Story:
Our group has adjusted really well to a TON of unexpected miscues, breakdowns, and disappointments. When our expectations aren’t met, it’s easy to get frustrated and discouraged. The next step is often a cranking complaining and perpetual bad attitude. God has been gracious to us and given us cheery, uplifting youth who pick their friends up and boost the morale of everyone around them. They are worth their weight in gold—keeping the scales from shifting toward a grumbling mob.

The camaraderie created in this type of environment is exciting to see. It’s counterintuitive to think that less than ideal circumstances would yield such positive results. I think suffering polarizes people—it’s difficult to be ambivalent when you’re uncomfortable. We haven’t prayed for an easy trip; and we haven’t gotten it. I praise God we’ve seen positive fruit in the midst of scorching heat.

Two Work Days In

2010-07-20T20:52:00.000-07:00

My apologies for not maintaining this blog as I'd like to. Everyone is healthy and doing fine--minus some blisters & sun burn. I have other blogs I will post once I have a wifi connection. The iPhone saves the day again!

The brief story is that we have three teams: one roof framing, one exterior painting, and one drywalling, painting, & tiling. I've been very impresses with the work ethic and genera construction skills. I'm looking forward to them realizing that it doesn't matter how much work gets done as much as it matters who they spoke to.

More updates forthcoming!

Fingerprinting God

2010-07-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday, July 18, 2010
Fingerprinting God

An ongoing thread I try to string into everything we do on the trip is the concept of looking for God’s fingerprints. Fingerprints are unique. No one in the entire world has one identical to yours. Because of that fact, if your fingerprint is found somewhere, it must have come from you. Your fingerprint can place you at the scene, uncover your actions, and reveal your true identity.

This mission trip is a fantastic time to focus on the fingerprints of God. He is still very active in the world, and his fingerprints are everywhere. Sadly, we have trained our eyes to scan over his heavenly handiwork and credit his glory to something or someone else.

God’s glory is difficult to define—it’s kind of like trying to define love. Perhaps the best way to telling someone what it is is by pointing to it over and over again. My goal for the trip is to continually point out God’s fingerprints so that his trip may be to the praise of his glory. My hope is that would become more sensitive to how he works and spot his hand more often.

Throughout the trip, I intend to have a few youth reflect on the fingerprints they’d observed. For some of what I’m talking about, consider:

While humming along I-40 at 65mph, one trailer’s wiring harness flew off. Just before arriving at our hotel, one van’s electrical box began to blow fuses at 8:30pm. Capital One deactivated the church credit card after “suspicious gas station charges.” When I said last Sunday that a million things can go wrong, I underestimated. Without God’s sustaining hand, all things fall apart.

God has his fingerprints all over these inconveniences. Just before the harness fell off, the Crown Vic noticed something dragging and were watching as if tumbled down the road and hit there car. They pulled off, picked it up, and handed to Jarin who repaired the shredded wires and attached the harness. The fuses blew half a mile from an Advance Auto Parts store that closed at 9:00pm. Though my credit card was declined when purchasing the fuses, it wasn’t taken, and I was able to have it reactivated before paying for hotel charges.

What was God doing in these inconveniences? I image a billion things we’ll never know. Maybe he wanted us to be able to talk to the salesman at AAP or Sebastian, the Capital One rep about why we’re traveling to NOLA. Maybe he wanted us to slow down to miss an accident ahead of us. Maybe he wanted me to humble me and increase my reliance on other leaders by exposing my total ignorance of wire harnesses and fuses. We can speculate, but what I know is that God is not absent in our trials; nor has he abandoned us in our time of need. He is sustaining us moment by moment to draw us up into his love for us. I pray for eyes to see his fingerprints more often.

A Mission Trip Transplant

2010-07-17T20:21:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 17, 2010
A Mission Trip Transplant

The Facts:
At 6:00am this morning, the NOLA2010 Team gathered at Keystone before embarking on cross-country trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. Our caravan consists of three 15-passenger vans, two 8-foot trailers, and one baby blue Crown Victoria that looks straight out of a 1993 police fleet. Packed inside are 28 teenagers, 8 adults, and luggage for 9 days. As I write, we are buzzing along route 81 in Virginia and planning on staying the night in Chatanooga, TN. Thank you for your prayers as we travel. Please also keep in mind Becky & Kyle Glick who will be flying down to join us on Sunday.

The Details:
We have a stellar lineup for this year’s team. God has provided three skilled laborers to lead work teams in the city. Barry Yoder, Jarin Smoker, & Doug Smoker each bring an experience & expertise that will greatly enhance the productivity of our efforts. Becky Glick, Molly Rineer, Clare Evans, Erica Horning, and Duane Evans round out other adults. Including this week, our leadership team has already served over 25 weeks with Crisis Response, plus an entire year that Doug Smoker and his family served.

Our teen group is a healthy blend of 14 guys and 15 girls from all senior high grade levels. Some are new to mission trips; others have served several times in New Orleans. I’m looking forward to the how our teams will gel. There are a lot of new experiences and challenges ahead of us. These events can have polarizing effects; hard times can tear us apart or bind us together. My prayer hasn’t been for a comfortable week—relationships grow strongest during the greatest trials. My prayer is only that Jesus would remain the strength of our heart and our portion forever.

The Story:
As Duane & Doug were hitching up Keystone’s trailer, we noticed it was full of tables and chairs. We gathered a few guys and made short work of unloading the trailer before loading it back up with our own gear. In the midst of the unexpected labor, Duane and I joked that we weren’t supposed to start serving until we got to New Orleans. It was a lighthearted joke, but I wonder how many of us are more serious in that mentality.

While we traveled home last year’s mission trip, the young adults stopped in Nashville to celebrate the Fourth of July. I had a tough time calling that little detour part of the mission trip, so I said as we entered the city, “The mission trip is over.” Not long after that, we encountered a homeless couple looking for money. So how do you respond to people in need when the mission trip is over? Conclusion: The Mission Trip is NOT over! (Check out the details in the previous blog.) But when does it start?

Though we are serving in New Orleans this week, we have already been sent by Jesus on a mission trip. When Jesus prays to his Father in John 17, he says, “As you [Father] sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” And we know our mission is to make disciples, love one another, serve one another, let our light shine before others, (insert biblical command here). Though we won’t start “serving” on the mission trip until Monday, the Mission Trip has already started—we’ve just been transplated.

Saturday & Sunday Brief: The mission trip is not over

2009-07-07T07:24:00.000-07:00

The Basics:
We drove late into the night on Friday to set ourselves up for a spectacular Fourth of July. When we realized we'd be traveling over the weekend of the fourth, we search the eastern United States for a city celebrate Independence Day. Nashville ranks one of the best in fireworks, so we decided to spend the holiday in Music City.

This was an excellent decision. Nashville was a very nice rest day before driving twelve more hours home. The city was on fire with Fourth of July activities; live music, vendors, inflatables, and mechanical bulls. We all had a blast. Even though the fireworks were stunted because of torrential downpour, we loved the excitement of it. It just gave us another opportunity to take whatever comes at us in stride.

A Realization:
The break from NOLA temperatures and work plus the fun of BBQ, saloons, and country music moved me to say, "Mission trip is over." I felt guilty saying we were on a mission trip while leisurely strolling the streets of Nashville. I needed to bifurcate the trip to keep the guilt at bay. In New Orleans we were on a mission, and in Nashville we were on a break.

So when homeless people come up to you on the street in Nashville, how do you respond?

My first impulse was to tell them I didn't have any cash or change, which was technically true, and move on. I really wanted to grab some Tennessee BBQ and listen to music downtown with my friends. I didn't want the hassle of taking care of these panhandlers. We just spent the week working, and I wanted to relax and have fun with the group.

I looked up and saw the group looking at me wondering how I'd respond. In a flash, I felt the Holy Spirit say, "The mission trip is NOT over." We ended up inviting the couple to lunch with us. We chatted with them and listened to their story. We prayed with them and then parted ways.

How easy would it have been to say sorry and walk on by? How easy would it have been to only think about what I wanted? How easy it is for me to not want to show the love of Jesus to people?!

The mission trip is only over when Jesus comes back. Until then, Satan is still at work and people are still in need of the love of Jesus. While walking from our hotel room into downtown Nashville, the first people we encountered were a homeless man and women looking for some change. Change was definitely what they wanted. I'm the one who needed it. I'm glad CJ stopped me and gave me some change.

Work Day 5: Garbage pirates

2009-07-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

The Basics:
We arrived at Music City late last night. After waking up at 5am, working from 8am-12pm, and leaving New Orleans at 4pm, we pulled into our Comfort Inn around 1:30am. Instead of working in the city, we were sent to the north shore to fill a dumpster with debris. Through rats, mice, salamanders, geckos, spiders, and fire ants, we scoured the piles for buried treasure before tossing it into a dumpster. Our best booty came from a chest full of Martis Gras beads, which, though had sat under trash for years, the girls put on immediately and did a dance.

We were able to finish our job before noon and head back to Trinity to pack. Though we spent a week in New Orleans, we didn’t have a chance to sample real Louisiana cuisine. After a late lunch with the Wattersons and some Crisis Response staff, we headed north.

Work Day 4: Just walk across the road

2009-07-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

The Basics:
Our team united forces for the first time, today. All thirteen of us plus Allison Horst headed to center city New Orleans to finish roofing and lot care. We finished the lot care and had to stop roofing again today around 2:30 because it was too hot. The early quit time allowed us to travel to the lower 9th ward before having a block party.

The Details:
With the exception of three-inch cockroaches and swarms of fire ants, cleaning up the piles of old, soggy drywall (a bit of an oxymoron) was a snap. Our team handled it really well. With the help of John Horst and the addition of Neal and Tyler to Bret and me, we were able to finish the roof with the exception of the cap. It was satisfying to see our final product. Everyone did a fantastic job working in the heat index of 107°.

Fun Fact: It’s possible to drink five liters of water in less than three hours and not use the bathroom all day…as long as you’re roasting on a roof.

Today was the last day for us to be in the city. Our work is basically finished there and Crisis Response has another job they’d like us to do on the North Shore. Since it would be the last day to be in New Orleans, we drove to the Lower 9th Ward after work. This was the area hit worst by levee breaks. Nearly every home was destroyed. Boats, buses, houses laid strewn across a field for years. The only thing that remained was a concrete pad and stairs that led to where a home used to be.

This year a bunch of homes have been rebuilt. I’m not sure if Brad Pitt had something to do with it, but many of the homes have a strange modern look to them. They almost look like something from the future.

After visiting the levees, we headed back to our neighborhood for a block party. Each Thursday, one team hosts a hotdog block party for all of their neighbors. We invite everyone around the street to join us and get to listen to their stories. It’s a wonderful chance to interact casually about what the storm did.

You hear about helicopter rides, Superdome nights, rooftop rescues, and just how high the water actually was. I asked one lady today if she minded having to tell her stories over and over again each week to a new set of volunteers who ask her about the storm. She says it helps to tell people when she endured. Getting to listen to people continues to be a highlight for me on trips like this.

Leaving the city meant saying goodbye to Sam. It was really refreshing to see Sam’s desire to help his neighborhood. He has a reputation around the block for always pitching in to help people with whatever they need. There are so many other things an eighteen year old guy could be doing in New Orleans in the summer time besides shoveling piles of drywall. But Jesus has changed his heart! Praise God! We’ll tell stories about Sam for awhile.

Last year, I met a jazz trombone player named Doc Lewis at the block party. He’s played for a bunch of bands, most notably James Brown and Aretha Franklin. Now semi-retired, he plays on Royal Street in the French Quarter outside Brennan’s everyday he’s not on tour.

On Sunday, we visited him again. He remembered us but couldn’t believe it’d been a year already. He said he was playing in the area this week and invited us to see him. Today we took him up on that offer. After the block party, we headed to Bank’s bar and grill, a small, semi-shady establishment that’s probably 98% bar and 2% grill.

Doc was excited to see all of us there and introduced us to his band. Unfortunately, we were booted from the bar for not having IDs with us! Those that did stuck around for a couple of songs before leaving. I was tickled to hear him play and sing. I look forward to keeping in touch with him in the future.

A Reflection:
I’m currently reading Bill Hybel’s book, Just Walk Across the Room. When I decided to read the book, I thought I might have to meet him halfway across the room, but I’ve found his book to be excellent.

Today I noticed an interesting scene at the block party. There was a stoop across the street from where the hotdogs were that was loaded with neighbors. To create any conversation, you had to walk across the road. Everyone was on the other side of the street except for half a dozen people on their porch. It was a pretty segregated scene.

A couple of people from our group left their “circle of comfort” and entered the “zone of the unknown.” (I’m not sold on Hybel’s catchphrases yet.) They took over water and hotdogs and invited them over to the party. They did a fantastic job of reaching out to these neighbors. But the neighbors remained on their porch, so our team members left.

Half an hour later, another group of our team went over to engage the neighbors, but instead of invited them over to the other side of the street, they asked if they could sit down and asked questions about their street. The neighbors who were a little cold to the first couple warmed up as we sat and talked. More of our team joined us, and soon the block party was on both sides of the street.

It’s made me think about how we do ministry. Jesus attracted great crowds by performing miracles, feeding the thousands, healing the sick. A lot of Jesus’ ministry was attractional in nature. He gathered a crowd to himself, and then he taught. Our block parties and worksites are very attractional.

Jesus also went to where the people were. You would have seen Jesus on the party circuit. He ate with drunkards and prostitutes. He met adulterers at a well. He was incarnational and missional by taking on the form of a human and by intentionally meeting people on their home turf.

I was proud to see the initial crew cross the street. It was intimidating to even ask the neighbors to join us. I think it’s a bolder move to engage them where they were already are. That’s what I want to do! I’m so glad Jesus did that with me!

Work Day 3: Looking for interests

2009-07-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Some thoughts from some of our crew…

Dear Diary,

-6 a.m. seems to come earlier and earlier every morning, but seeing Austin’s new t-shirt everyday makes it ok.
-and I miss R.J.
-Bret

Dear Diary,

Our group discussions,
- Do animals fart? (Answer: Yes, but only when you leave the room because they’re embarrassed.)
- Boogers, beware.
- Austin’s step grandfather
- Sam and his special occasion activities.
- R.J. impressions.
- Austin’s all time favorite song, Ridin’ Dirty.

In my opinion, our group is by far the funniest group ever!!

-Lauren

Dear Diary,

My thoughts about Wednesday, July 01, 2009
- Daryl and his 40 years of construction experience.
- Meeting “Coach” that works at the park-pool.
- Seeing the fender-bender happen at the end of the day.

I feel like our group is becoming closer & closer everyday. We get to laugh and have fun with each other.

-AP

Dear Diary,

The Basics:
Today, we finished roofing one side of the house. It was less scary because there is another roof adjacent to ours, so if we would have fallen, we could just jump to the next roof. Roofing the second half required the assistance of a fearless leader. Enter John Horst. He laid the starter shingles on the very edge before it got too hot to roof. Tip: When someone from New Orleans says it’s too hot to do something, it’s too hot. I didn't question him.

We were able to prep some of the roof for tomorrow, but a lot of energy was put into moving a pile of soaked drywall from one side of the sidewalk to the other. We put a huge dent into the pile, but we’re looking forward to the rest of the team joining us in the City tomorrow.

The Details:
After the storm, the demand for drywall went through the roof. Pun intended. Homes were gutted; insulation, wiring, and drywall were removed to leave bare studs. After running new wiring, a drywall from China was used to finish the rooms. Many houses painted then put up cabinets and countertops.

After a few months, people began to notice their fixtures were tarnishing. The wiring in their sockets also began to break down. It turned out the Chinese drywall contained a sulfur compound that was ruining metal. The result meant pulling off the Chinese drywall and beginning again.

One family in particular had their home gutted three times by volunteers with Crisis Response. They gutted their home after the storm. Then they had to gut it again after a contractor failed to get permits and inspections before skipping town. Finally, they had to gut it the last time to remove the Chinese drywall.

To get rid of the dry wall means simply piling it between the street and the sidewalk. The city won’t pick up any trash on private property, but they’ll remove whatever is on the street. Note: Waterlogged drywall after sitting a few months is a tough task.

A Reflection:
Ministry is created in the wake of crisis. In New Olreans, Katrina created a crisis and thousands flooded the city to serve. The sad thing is that it took a storm to bring to light the terrible crisis that already remained in the city.

Last night I was talking to a teen from a youth group who’s serving this week. I asked him how he thought he might interact with people differently once he returned to Fargo. He said this trip probably won’t affect him much because there aren’t any people in Fargo who are as needy like they are in New Orleans.

I was a bit indignant at first. I wanted to scold him and tell him how great the needs are of people everywhere. But then I thought about how many people masquerade as though their life was great. Christians are especially good about this.

One of the biggest threads I’ve seen run through this week comes from Philippians 2 and looking not only to our own interest but also to the interest of others. Before we can look to another’s interest, we need to know what their interests are! People in NOLA wear their needs on their sleeves. Just saying “hello” will get you a fifteen minute glimpse into their life history. It doesn’t take long to find their interests.

Lancaster County people are good at keeping their interests guarded. The pain, emptiness, desperation, frustration, sadness, and despair is hidden by swallowing hard and putting on a stoic face. We even applaud those who are able to keep their emotions in check.

Finding ways to treat people back home the way we treat people down here will require greater effort to dig deep into their interests. We’ll have to look behind the smile or joke to see the hurt that lies within. We’ll have to study people to know if they’re acting differently or if something’s bothering them.

I’m hoping the attitude of counting others more significant then ourselves will help us bring back these habits. It will require patience, asking uncomfortable questions, and continuing to build a trust for people to take off that mask. Only once we’ve exposed the needs of people will we be able to love them best.

- Brandon

Work Day 2: We're starting to stink

2009-06-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

The Basics:
Each crew went to the same jobsite at yesterday: Tyler, Becky, Miss, & Neal to the warehouse and Austin, Bret, Brandon, Lauren, Erica, Nicole, Kim, Clare, & Casey to center city. The warehouse did more drywall work while the city did more lot care and roofing.

The Details:
Whenever teams come to serve with Crisis Response, most people come ill-equipped to do good work. Projects are not always done well the first time, and some need to be redone by another team. Both of our crews are spending some time correcting past mistakes, some from weeks ago, some from yesterday! The drywallers had to recut, retape, and respackle a lot of work. The roofers had to remove crooked shingles before laying new again.

Praise God for John Horst and Mark Lewis. They are experts when working with amateurs! They did a great job of teaching and equipping us for work…Ephesians 4:11-12??? They turned Miss and Becky into drywallers and Kim and Nicole into roofers. That’s awesome!

The City crew was able to lay out shingles on about one third of the entire roof today. The breeze and overcast sky kept things cooler, but the temperature deceived us in our sunscreen application. Austin and Bret are official rednecks.

A Reflection:
There’s only an aroma when there is contrast. The strange thing about smells is then when you’re around it enough, you forget that you’re smelling it. Whenever I spend time in Whole Latte Beans or Prince Street Café, I never smell anything while I’m in the café. When I sit with a friend, I don’t notice any smell on them when we’re in the café.

Outside the café, it’s a different story. My bag will smell like a coffee shop for days. I can tell if a friend was at Prince Street from their clothes. And the odd thing is, I don’t pick up on their scent if they stay in the café.

When 2 Corinthians tells us that we are the aroma of Christ. I think that’s true. I find that the more and more I spend time with Jesus, the more I end up smelling like him. The deeper I study his life, the richer the scent. The more I feast on his words, the more mine are flavored like his. That fragrance is strongest when I am closest to Jesus.

If I only spend time with other people who smell like me, who’s going to notice what I smell like? The aroma of Christ is most pungent in the smelliest areas. The words and deeds of our team stand out in greatest contrast when we’re outside Keystone’s walls.

I’ve loved getting to see our team love other people on this trip. They’ve served and sacrificed in ways I don’t notice during small group. There’s a generosity and humility I don’t pick up on on Sunday mornings. It warms my heart to see their patience and boldness with complete strangers. They are smelling like Jesus and I can smell it!

Work Day 1: Flooding New Orleans

2009-06-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

A typical day serving with Crisis Response in Louisiana includes the following:
· A dimmer switch sunrise at 6:00am
· Massive hydration efforts during breakfast at 6:30am
· Pitting-out t-shirts while packing lunches and tools around 8:00am
· Hurrying up to sit in traffic on 10E before the Superdome about 8:45am
· Scampering for a bathroom after 9:00am
· Cruising onto the worksite around 9:30am
· Drinking two gallons of water before 11:00am
· Sharing packed lunches with neighbors around 12:30pm
· One on one cage fight with dehydration around 2:30pm
· Bumpy causeway ride home before 4:30pm
· Sauna showers around 6:00pm
· Pitting out t-shirts walking from outdoor shower to Trinity around 6:08pm
· Enjoying dinner at 6:30pm
· Getting seconds at 6:33pm
· Resting eyelids around 6:38pm
· Evening speakers at 7:00pm
· Group chores and free time after 8:30pm
· Light out at 10:00pm

The Basics:
There aren’t many typical days, but today was one. Our first work day ran incredibly smoothly. Four from our team helped Mark Lewis from Crisis Response with their new warehouse. Tyler, Becky, Neal, & Miss we able to hang drywall all day. The rest of the team headed to center city to clean up a vacant lot and remove shingles from a roof. The plan for tomorrow is to possibly rotate drywallers, finish the lot care, and begin laying out new tar paper and shingles.

Some Background:
After running operations out of Trinity Church for nearly four years, Crisis Response will be moving their New Orleans Headquarters to a new warehouse on Trinity’s property. Offices, meeting rooms, supply storage, and tool sheds will all be housed in this warehouse. The structure is up, and the interior is being finished now.

It sounds like Trinity Church will restore the church building to pre-volunteer condition: offices will be returned to Sunday school classrooms and “The Church of the Stained Carpet” will get something new. I imagine the facility will feel empty without the constant buzz of Crisis Response’s worker bees.

In center city, Castle Rock is the only other EFCA church in the state. With her ministry, Urban Impact, they are looking to flip New Orleans in a positive direction. A recreation center is part of their plan, but so is getting their congregation into homes in their target area.

Even now, fifty percent of homes are still vacant. Pre-Katrina, 1 out of 5 homes on our particular street were abandoned. Post-Katrina it’s 2 out of 3. There is massive work to be done! Urban Impact has purchased several lots on one street block to help turn the tide.

A Reflection:
What is the most pragmatic way of rebuilding New Orleans? Should we hire a handful of professionals or find thousands of unskilled but free laborers? Should we pay someone to do a job right the first time or give cash to a dozen people to travel hundreds of miles, stay in hotels, guzzle gas down route 81, and have them do work that needs replaced by another team later on? What makes most sense? When Crisis Response says it’s not about the work, believe them!

This has made me think about how Jesus decided to build his church. Jesus was a far better minister of the gospel than any of the twelve disciples. Peter was a hot-head, racist, fisherman. Matthew was a conniving tax collector. Simon the Zealot was likely a terrorist. These are not the guys I would have chosen to build my most precious possession. These are not the best people to do the job!

Somehow, the JV team pulled it off though! Jesus taught the disciples how to do ministry. When he fed the five thousand, Jesus performed the miracle, but who did the work of passing the food out? Jesus preached, but who did the baptizing? Jesus did not hire a band of professionals to preach grace and peace; he had a rag tag crew of people that couldn’t hack it as full-time religious teachers. Yes, they made mistakes; some were HUGE! Still, they were a Spirit-filled and Spirit-led group of people that were ministers of the new covenant like Jesus.

What surprises me most about Katrina isn’t the amount of water. The city is below sea level; her levees weren’t built to withstand a direct hit from a category four hurricane; she's surrounded by water! Of course water is going to come flooding in.

What I didn’t expect was the flood of Christians to New Orleans. Sunday school teachers teach our kids to avoid places like Bourbon Street. Our parents seek safe suburban neighborhoods to raise their kids away from crime and poor education systems. What’s attractive about New Orleans to a Christian? The short answer is nothing but the opportunity to show people the love of God.

The storm has provided a way for thousands of Christians to flood New Orleans to rebuild. I certainly believe our plan to restore buildings is flawed. We are not a team of roofers. For the amount of time, money, and effort invested, hiring a professional is a much better investment. BUT, if we’re looking to restore souls, then I say let’s draw out this process as long as possible. Let’s let the love of Christ soak into this area for years to come!

Travel Day 2: Cast into a hot place

2009-06-28T20:36:00.001-07:00

Day 2:
6:30am…Continental Breakfast (Very satisfying)
7:15am…Leave Hotel (Austin still a master trailer-er.)
8:30am…Gas (BF takes the helm)
10:00am…Worship (Starfield leads praise & Chandler preaches)
12:30pm…Lunch with Wattersons (Smoked chicken and NASCAR)
3:30pm…N.O. International Airport for Becky, Tyler, Lauren, Erica, & Nicole (…so we left)
4:00pm…French Quarter (Doc Lewis reunion!)
6:45pm…Orientation (Starting to feel like a mission trip)
9:00pm…Papa Johns (College style)

Fun Fact:
The causeway is a 24.8 mile bridge that connects New Orleans to the north shore of Lake Pontchatrain. The ride is less bumpy with more people.

The sheer amount of time spent together is binding us together. Bill Hybels calls it the “be with” factor. If significant Christ-commending impact is desired, significant “be with” time is required. We are all getting to “be with” each other a lot!

It’s not often adults have sleepovers; at least not without getting strange looks. People don’t typically lay in beds and talk to casual friends into the night. A trip like this affords acquaintances the opportunity to break through the shallowness of the mundane and engage real issues.

At work it’s easy to stay on the surface about the details of your life during the 5 minute coffee break. People can even fill the daily half hour lunch break without divulging anything of any substance. Eighteen hour road trips, 15-passenger vans, and nightly sleepovers bring depth within the conversation. I praise God, I’m getting to know our team deeper this week.

We’re asking questions that make us think. We’re revealing parts of ourselves which remain hidden at the water cooler at work. We’re being vulnerable by exposing who we are and finding a tighter embrace as the response.

We’re laying good foundation for conversations later in the week. I’m looking forward to many encounters from God, but I’m looking even more forward to dialoguing about those encounters. It’s easy to observe and feel what’s going on. I think it’s hard to process what things actually mean.

What would it mean to love my neighbor in NOLA? What would justice look like down here? Why did God send me and not someone from NOLA? Is my involvement really making a difference?

Pray that we would think about what we see, not simply to retell when we return, but so that we would be changed by it.

Tomorrow is our first work day. The day all about hurrying up and waiting. It can be frustrating for those who just want to get to work. The coordination of worksites and unskilled laborers eats away time.

Pray for patience as we learn that this trip is more about loving others than building structures.

2009-06-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

2009-06-28T20:29:00.000-07:00

Travel Day 1: Leaving Paradise

2009-06-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Day 1:
5:30am…Meet at Keystone (Brandon, Bret, Austin, Neal, Miss, Clare, & Casey)
5:59am…Leave Keystone (Plenty of room in the 15-passenger van & trailer)
9:00am…Stop for Breakfast (Note: Sheetz’ Schmicuitz don’t come with egg)
12:00pm…Stop for Gas (12.8 mpg)
1:30pm…Lunch (Punishments from road games = Austin eating alone, Bret standing to eat, Miss not talking during lunch, & Clare ordering lunch one item at a time)
6:00pm…Gas & add Kim (FYI: Church van drives with needle below E)
7:00pm…Stop for Dinner (Central time)
8:00pm…Arrive at Hotel (Austin parallel parks a van with trailer like it was a Mini)

Fun Fact:
Subways in the south don't use provolone cheese.

I love our team! Traveling with these young adults is a total pleasure! Conversation has been both lighthearted at times and meaningful. It’s been a very pleasant trip thus far.

Praise God for ample drivers to share the load and for his provision of safety! We’re resting in Birmingham, AL for the night and plan to make it to Covington, LA in time for lunch with the Wattersons.

Please continue to pray for great team bonding and safety. (The rest of our team is flying tomorrow afternoon.)

You can also follow some of us on Twitter. (@AJParmer and @Brandon_Fisher)

Keystone Young Adult Exposure: LA Tour 2009

2009-06-23T07:06:00.000-07:00

The devastating wake from hurricane Katrina is still rippling across New Orleans as the four-year anniversary of the storm creeps around the summer's bend. For the hundreds and thousands of volunteer relief workers from around the country who have poured time, money, energy, and love into the Big Easy during these hard times, it can be overwhelming wondering when the work will end. Though the hemorrhaging has stopped and the dizzied city has regained her footing, New Orleans still needs a lot of rebuilding and rehabilitation.

On Saturday, a team of Keystone Young Adults will enlist with the masses at Trinity Church in Louisiana and be deployed to worksites in the city. Austin Parmer, Bret Kurtz, Neal Rice, Tyler Kepiro, Becky Cox, Casey Diener, Clare Evans, Erica Horning, Kim Good, Lauren Fisher, Melissa Sindall, and Nicole Reali will serve with EFCA’s Crisis Response team from June 27th through July 5th.

Please keep us in your prayers in the following ways:

See Jesus: It is my hope that both our team and the people in New Orleans would be mesmerized by seeing God work.
Travel safety: A 15-passenger van pulling a trailer is like playing Russian roulette for 1200 miles. We also have five team members who are flying to meet us.
Job safety: Eight ladies with no construction experience could be trouble. Five guys who think they have experience in construction will be trouble. The days are long, tiring, hot, and humid—an unhealthy combination when mixed with power tools.
Spiritual stamina: The body will fatigue from work, but our faith will be tested as we interact with heartbreaking stories and dire situations. Where will our strength come from?
Team chemistry: The suffering and difficulty that occurs during trips like these can temper the bonds within a group and galvanize their resolve forever.

Mas Pictures

2008-06-23T11:33:00.000-07:00

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

Home

2008-06-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-22T00:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

^{Mark 9:2-5}

²And 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, ³and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. ⁴And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. ⁵And 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

2008-06-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

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,

⁷Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. ⁹Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹If 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

2008-06-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-16T20:18:00.001-07:00

Work Day 1: Monday Madness

2008-06-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-14T19:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-14T19:16:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-04T09:54:00.000-07:00

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.