NOLA: Minneapolis!

Oh, what a week it has been! We certainly have no shortage of adventures around here, as you will soon find out. 

On Sunday all of us interns flew to Minneapolis for the Trek 7 orientation and training. We joined about 50 other young people who are going all over the world to do missions. It was so encouraging to see so many people with a heart for God and to see how willing they are to share that with people. 

Building a tower as a team

During the training we learned about working well as a team, how to resolve conflict, how to share our faith story, and a little bit about the purpose and history behind missions. We also got to visit the Mall of America (several times) and explore the untold number of shops. I even rode a rollercoaster! (yes, there is a whole amusement park inside the mall) One night we were all given a scavenger hunt to complete at the Mall. It was super crazy and fun! I laughed so much and greatly enjoyed myself. I'm pretty sure people were looking at us funny. In fact, I can guarantee it! 

One of my favorite parts of the training was when we shared our testimonies in 3 minutes at our table. I had been praying about it all day, and really had to humble myself and acknowledge that I CANNOT do it in my own strength. I was so blessed to hear everyone's story again and to see clearly how God was working in us right then, to become more comfortable with where we are at right now and where God has brought us from. 

Minnehaha Falls

So, we were supposed to fly back to New Orleans Tuesday night. Our flight was delayed a full 24 hours, so we had to come up with something to do in our extra day. It turned out to be a big blessing. We took the metro into the city and decided to explore Minnehaha Park. On our wandering travels we met these two people, Randall and Erika. We got to eat with them, pray together, and just hear their story. It was an incredible experience to hear what they had been through, and to see Randall still praising God and acknowledging Him. They have a crazy story, and I know we were all so blessed to be included in a tiny part of it. 

Minnehaha Park has a lovely waterfall and a trail along the creek. They also have hills and rocks (something Louisiana is rather short on)! It made this nature girl's heart very happy to climb up around a waterfall, hike up hills, and just be in an area NOT surrounded by people. It was a sweet blessing for many of us. 

Waiting at the airport

That night was a true adventure in trusting God with the details. Our flight was delayed a little bit longer, so we got to the airport in order to figure things out early. Then our flight was pretty close to on time, and it turned out to be perfect timing when we got to St. Louis. Every time a detail changed, we were all challenged to trust God and trust each other. I am so grateful for this whole experience as I feel it brought us closer together as an intern family. 

It is very good to be back in New Orleans. Yesterday was everyone's PRD (Personal Rest Day) and we took time to reflect on what God has done and where we are going in the next month. This was a much needed time of writing out what God is teaching me, spending some alone time with my King, and praising Him for what He is going to do. Our director, Katie, is back in town (yay!) and I was able to meet with her this morning. I am excited to be friends with her this summer and be mentored through this experience. 

Guys, our God is so good and so real. He is always with us, and His love never fails. I believe His native language is humility, and if we humble ourselves to hear His voice and recognize His Spirit there is no telling what amazing things He will do in us and through us. I challenge you to trust Him. If you hear Him calling, listen and obey. He will equip you to do what He calls you to. 

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

~Philippians 2:5-8 

On the plane!

Ways you can be involved: 

PRAY:
*Strength and grace in the coming weeks.
*Praise God we were safe this week in Minneapolis!
*Clarity in my ministry duties as I move forward.
*Continued unity and grace amongst the interns.
*Continued faith in God as I walk forth in His will.

GO: 
*Consider bringing a team here to New Orleans, or Staten Island, NY, or Estes Park, CO. 
*Consider an internship-couple months or a year or two! 

GIVE:
All staff and interns are support funded. This means they raise financial support from friends and family like you so they can live in this ministry. Everyone is in need of continued support.

Just message/email/text me if you have any questions. I will answer them or put you in contact with someone who can! 

Reach Global Crisis Response Website

https://reachglobalcrisisresponse.wordpress.com/
   

NOLA Week one - The first Teams!

The intern crew (minus Ryan, plus Carrie)

The first week of hosting volunteer teams is almost over. It has been quite the adventure! We hosted two large teams this week; one from Green Bay, Wisconsin and one from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All told we had almost 60 volunteers! Oh, and Tristan is here! The final intern has arrived and now our family is complete! This week was absolute craziness at times, but everything worked out well in the end. God is very good. 

My week was rather spread out all over the place, as I continued learning aspects of the ministry. I spent Monday and Thursday morning in the office with the ladies, particularly Jessica, to begin training in my role this summer as volunteer coordinator. I'm definitely still adjusting to my schedule and responsibilities, but it is stretching and challenging in a good way. At this time I am in charge of creating the cleaning schedules for the volunteer teams, picking up Starbucks pastry donations, and pulling/distributing the volunteer t-shirts. I really enjoy putting together the cleaning schedules. I have to take all the numbers, organize them into the proper groups and then assign them to different duties throughout the week. It's like one big puzzle! :) 

Ronald Lewis

On Tuesday I joined the discipleship team in a tour of different parts of New Orleans. We visited several homeowners at the work sites, had a surprise visit to a Mardi Gras Indian culture museum, saw the Wetland Triangle, and drove around the upper and lower Ninth Wards. Meeting Miss Pat was one of the highlights of that day. She lives in a duplex, with one side completed for her to live in and the other side still a work in progress. She is a believer, and has such an exuberant, passionate personality. Her love for her "Papa" and her desire to share that love with anyone she comes in contact with is contagious! It was humbling to see someone living in such a different circumstance than I am used to with a joyful, grateful attitude. 

The Mardi Gras Indian museum was mind boggling. I had no idea that there are so many sub-cultures attached to Mardi Gras, nor how diverse it all is. Everything is pretty much a huge conglomeration of the different cultures that had a presence in the New Orleans area. Ronald Lewis runs this little museum, and he is a wellspring of history and stories. I encourage anyone to venture down to the Lower Ninth Ward and visit this little known spot. His trailer is chock full of costumes, masks, pictures, books, and other memorabilia. I even got to try on a very feathery head dress! 

I tried on this head dress. :)

Driving around the Upper and Lower Ninth is sobering. Each neighborhood is unique and varied. You'll see a perfectly new house right next too a dilapidated house, next to an empty, grassy lot, where a house used to be. Much of these neighborhoods are still empty. People simply didn't or can't come back. So many homes stand unfixed or uninhabited. There is great need here. 

Breakfast with the volunteers.

Sylvia and Lee Ann!

Most of my week revolved around mealtimes with the volunteers. The whole intern team worked so hard at serving, helping Lee Ann (the cook), hosting, and just interacting with the teams. It was fun, but made for VERY long days. I love being there to serve. It's so nice to be able to find ways to use my God-given strengths! Last night was intern-declared "superhero night", so we all wore our superhero t-shirts and led the teams in a superhero prayer! We find all sorts of ways to have fun. No challenge there. :) 

So far this has been one of the most challenging, stretching, and growing experiences I have ever walked through. It's kind of scary at times and definitely hard, but I remember praying for God to grow me in my faith and bring me closer to Him. All of this is so obviously an answer to that prayer that I can't help but praise Him. Thank you, Jesus, from Whom all blessings flow! 



 
Ways you can be involved: 

PRAY:
*Strength and grace in the coming weeks.
*Safety this weekend as the intern crew travels to Minneapolis for training.
*Blessings and growth for the incoming teams next week (we have three!).
*Energy and resources for the staff as they begin next week without the interns.
*Continued faith in God as I walk forth in His will.

GO: 
*Consider bringing a team here to New Orleans, or Staten Island, NY, or Estes Park, CO. 
*Consider an internship-couple months or a year or two! 

GIVE:
All staff and interns are support funded. This means they raise financial support from friends and family like you so they can live in this ministry. Everyone is in need of continued support.

Just message/email/text me if you have any questions. I will answer them or put you in contact with someone who can! 

Reach Global Crisis Response Website

https://reachglobalcrisisresponse.wordpress.com/

Me, standing by one of the levees in the Lower Ninth Ward.

NOLA: Stories, KRA's, and Family

Well folks, it's been a week! It's been a full one, and I'm tired now it's at an end, but as we have a super crazy full schedule next week I shouldn't complain too much. After all, who needs sleep? ;) 

I think my favorite part of this week has been hearing people's stories. Several Crisis Response staff members and their families have been gracious and generous in inviting us interns to their homes for dinner. It is fascinating to hear how God has worked in each person's life and how He has brought them together in His ministry. I love seeing how so many different people, from different backgrounds, in a variety of personalities and talents can be brought together to make a Crisis Response ministry work. God truly can take ANYONE to do His work! 

Part of our week was spent in going over expectations and goals, answering logistical questions and figuring out our spirit animals. I'm not even kidding. Turns out I'm an owl.  (that wasn't a ministry requirement, by the way ;) ) We also set goals for Key Result Areas (KRAs) during our time here. Much of mine is simply being intentional to develop relationships with the staff and interns, and invest in the volunteers we host each week. I also included being faithful in updating all of you in what is going on down here and how God is working! So you can be sure I will post news every week! 

On Tuesday we went blueberry picking with several staff members. We went right after it finished raining (when I say raining...down here when it rains it truly POURS. Every time. Like turning a faucet handle on or off, no in between) so everything was wet and it was overcast. It was perfect! It was cool and breezy and clean. The farm we went to was beautiful and the berry bushes super tall, and full of berries! Between us girls alone we picked 5 gallons of blueberries. And only two of us really like them, so its needless to say that we shall not be short on blueberries this summer!

Today, Mallory and I went into the city to take a truck to the airport and went to the aquarium and wandered around the French Quarter for a little bit. It was fun to just walk around and see people and learn a bit more about the intricate Creation of our God. I think my favorite part was seeing the little kids' reactions to all the cool fish! Tourists are out in full force already and the streets are full of bicycles and mule carriages. Art vendors line the sidewalk near Jackson's Square and people take photos with the cathedral, Decatur St, and the Mississippi River in the background. It's crazy but intriguing. There is always music; either from restaurants and bars, or random folk sitting on steps and benches playing their instrument of choice. I love it. 

Tomorrow the final summer intern arrives! Tristan will join Nathan, Ryan, Jess, Bailea, Gabby, Mallory, and I as the Crisis Response intern crew for the summer. Ryan and Mallory are the lead interns, and work directly with us as mentors and guides. Katie Manning is our Director (or ringleader....depending on how you look at it) :) Already, we are beginning to feel like a family. We have shared so much of our stories and personalities with each other, and with each activity or responsibility we complete together it only brings us closer. It delights me to see how Jesus is weaving our stories together to make something truly beautiful. I am excited to see what stories He will bring about through the coming months! I know it will be beyond our wildest expectations. 

Next week the first batch of volunteer teams arrive. We have about 55 volunteers this week, from two different churches. All of us will dive right into our various jobs and callings. Ryan and Nathan will be working as construction site leaders; Bailea, Jess, Gabby, and Tristan will be working with the discipleship team in various areas; and I will be working with Jessica, the volunteer coordinator, in the office! I get to be her shadow, mini-me, slave, etc. We are all excited to get started and praying for the strength and focus to run our races well. 

If you could be in prayer for our whole intern group and the staff, I would greatly appreciate it. Prayer is truly what will carry us through every day in the grace and truth of Jesus. 
Pray:

• For us as interns to draw closer together in friendship and encouraging each other towards the Cross.
• That we will be a help and light to the staff we are working with.
• That every transition and change would go smoothly and will only push us closer to leaning on Jesus.
• For the strength and energy to finish the week well.
• For the volunteer teams coming; that their experience would open their eyes to the needs of people everywhere, develop a desire for a greater relationship with the Lord, and multiply their desire to serve wherever they may be.
• For me, as I wade into a "new job", that I will keep my focus first on Jesus and next on the people I am working with.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! I hope this summer turn out to be the best ever! If you are interested in learning more about this ministry you can follow the links below. You can send a team to one of our crisis locations, come for a short term internship, or support a current intern or staff member. Feel free to get in contact with me if you need anything or have questions. :) 

Reach Global website

Reach Global Crisis Response blog

New Orleans

Well, I'm here in NOLA, safe and sound, y'all! 

The weekend thus far has been laid back and full of settling in, getting to know each other, and visiting people. I am sharing a house with 4 other lady interns. It is a very nice place and has a lovely yard. 

Next week, we head into orientation and training. I think there will be a few fun activities thrown in too. :) 

Even though all of this is so new and unknown, I am fully confident and without fear. I know it is right for me to be here, that God is trustworthy and good, and He has a purpose for each day and moment I am here. 

Thank you all for your prayers! I will continue to keep y'all updated in the coming weeks. 

Blessings from the only wise God! 
 

Planning, Packing, Preparing

Three days.

Can you believe it? I can't. It is blowing my mind that I will be flying down to New Orleans, Louisiana that soon. 

And it is ALL because of God and you. The past month has been a breathtaking testimony to the faithful provision of God and the generosity of the people God has placed in my life. Every bit of funding for the trip has  come in (most of it almost last minute!), the plane tickets were amazingly affordable, and every piece of scheduling and packing is falling into place. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for every prayer you have paid, every cent you have given, and all the love and support you have shown. It is truly humbling. I could not have walked through these past months without it. 

This experience thus far ( and I believe it will continue) has been an exercise of trust. Do I trust God? Am I trusting God? How deep does that trust run? And I must say, I am grateful for it. For without trials and tests, how do we ever learn and grow? Jesus has been faithful to bring me around to this topic (trust) in my quiet times. Verses stand out in passages that I was studying for a different reason, and I am blessed. Here are a few: 

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?"

Matthew 6:25

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

I know my faith will be tested while I am in NOLA. To be perfectly honest, I'm scared. But I also know that being in the center of God's will for my life is the safest place I can be in the entire universe, and HE will never leave me or forsake me.  All that I may go through and endure will be for my benefit and His glory.

"In this you rejoice, though now for a while if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith - more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire - may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

1 Peter 1:6-7

(emphasis added) 

I am excited for what the future holds and rejoicing in all Jesus has done and will do! He is the great High King forever! Let Him be exalted! 

Some prayer requests:

* For peace and calm while packing and preparing to leave

* Smooth and safe travels on Thursday

* For my family to adjust to my absence smoothly

* Continued focus on Jesus and His grace in every situation

* A family spirit to grow and develop amongst the interns this summer 

Thank you again! I love you all! :) 

Until next time,

Victoria