Denham Springs, LA

I had the honor of attending Grace Community Bible Church (in Denham Springs) today for worship. Each person in that church was weary and hurting, heavy with loss and exhausted by stress and physical labor, but they gathered in a sanctuary of peace to worship our great God and show each other the love of Jesus. It was beautiful. As I sat and listened to Pastor Tim and his church family express their thankfulness and appreciation for ReachGlobal Crisis Response (among many other churches and organizations) and the love displayed through us, I was humbled. I was reminded of why we come alongside those in the midst of crisis, and why we are here on this earth: to shine forth as light in the darkness with the Love of Jesus Christ. It was refreshing and I rejoice to have played a small part in it.

The response to the flooding in Baton Rouge/Denham Springs continues with volunteers helping residents to gut their homes. We worked in roughly 6-8 different homes this week, plus the church building at Grace. We also worked with the church to put together and distribute care boxes to homeowners that contained food, cleaning and household supplies, while checking to see how else we can come alongside them in prayer and service. 

I spent several days out at Grace Community Bible Church, and a home in a nearby neighborhood, pulling out insulation from under the house. Grace Church has two buildings: one that they currently use to worship in, and another older building that wasn't currently being used. The one they use was not flooded, the older one was. In that building we worked to gut the little bit of wall that had gotten wet, scrape old tiles and carpet off the floors and generally clean up/repair the damaged areas. The goal is to come alongside Grace and use that building to house volunteer teams in the coming months and years. The central location of Grace Community Bible Church in Denham Springs makes it a perfect base of operation to reach out to the surrounding neighborhoods. And almost all the them need help. 

Driving anywhere in Denham Springs you see the streets lined with piles of household belongings, old carpet, drywall, flooring, appliances, and furniture. All this came from the homes that sit behind them. The piles vary depending on how much damage the home sustained, or how far the homeowner has come in cleaning it out.  Many people have lost everything. It is sad to see and the extent of it boggles the mind. It really has to be seen in person to get the full impact.


 







That being said, here are the top three ways you can help out and be involved with what God is doing in Denham Springs, LA. 

1. Pray 

Prayer is what will drive this response and keep us focused upon the Lord. People are hurting, grieving the loss of their homes, and growing tired as the restoration process continues. Pastor Tim and his wife, Linda, at Grace Community Bible Church are exhausted from orchestrating the relief response, but are realizing that this a marathon, not a sprint! Pray for them. Our staff are working incredibly hard to get the response up and running, building a partnership with Grace. People are asking questions and wondering why...only Jesus can fill that void and answer those questions; may we have the wisdom to know what to say. 

2. Be a helping hand

Come! Come on down for a weekend, a week, a few weeks...we'll take you. :) Click here for details.

3. Give

If you feel led to give donations you can give in two different ways. 1. Give towards the ministry account for this specific response. 2. Send gift cards for Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc. Click here for those details...scroll down near the bottom. 

I will be in Louisiana for three more weeks, splitting my time between serving in Denham Springs and working on my transition home and preparing for future involvement with the ministry. I personally appreciate your prayers as I trust God in this slightly stressful and busy time. :) Can't wait to meet with y'all in person and share stories of how God has been working around and through me! Shoot me a message/email/text if you have ANY questions or just want to chat. 

From Summer Interns to Southern Louisiana Flooding

Two weeks ago, I said goodbye to our summer interns and spent a week serving in Columbia, SC. I'll be honest, I was looking forward to getting back to New Orleans and taking a break! Something along the lines of quiet afternoons with a book and a cuppa tea, or checking out a new coffee shop with my brother who was visiting me, and definitely a schedule not packed full every week.

Then we arrived in Covington amidst news reports of record flooding and phone calls from worried parents who thought we were in danger.

By now I am sure many of you have heard about the widespread, historic flooding in Southern Louisiana that occurred last weekend. It has caught residents by surprise because the areas that flooded haven't flooded in our lifetimes. Crazy stuff. Here are some facts about the flood: 

*40,000-60,000 Louisiana homes affected/damaged
*20 parishes (Louisiana's version of a county) declared disaster areas
*85% of Livingston Parish was flooded
*90% of Denham Springs (near Baton Rouge) was under water
*12% of Louisiana residents HAVE flood insurance

 Reachglobal Crisis Response has begun an official response, centering in the area between Baton Rouge and Covington (where our warehouse/office is based). Our staff and local church members have been working all week to assess the damage, meet homeowners, and begin gutting houses. Churches in our Mobilize Initiative network are beginning to put together teams to come help. Friends, family members and ministry adjunct staff are volunteering their time to come work beside us. God is moving and showing us one person at a time, one house at a time, that we can reach with His love.

 I have been sharing photos, blogs, and updates on this disaster on my Facebook page, but I hope this information gives you a broader look at the great need in Louisiana right now. If you are pressed to serve those in need in Louisiana here are a few ways you can directly be involved. 

PRAY
*The people of Louisiana are in need of prayer as they literally sort through their lives and decide on the next step/rebuild their homes and businesses. 
*Reachglobal Crisis Response needs prayer for the wisdom of God as we respond, the strength and resources to meet people's needs, and direction as a staff to work well as a team in the face of this new response. 
*Pray for volunteers/servants to be raised up to come help. We can't do it alone! 

GIVE
*You can give towards our ministry in Baton Rouge by following the link below and following the instructions under "give". These donations enable us to buy supplies for ministry needs, fuel out to the jobsites, and meet other ministry needs.
*You can also send donations in the form of gift cards to Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, etc which we use to buy tools and supplies for our jobsites.

GO
*Come volunteer with us! 
*We will take you alone or with a team. See the link below for information on how to send a team to Louisiana, or contact me directly and I am happy to help you through that. 

Please pray about being involved with the needs here in Louisiana. They are many, but our God is so very great and I have no doubt that He will continue to faithfully provide what is needed. 

PRAY/GIVE/GO: Link to give and send a team

 
Oh...and in case you were wondering... I did get a week of vacation time. :) Cozy, book reading afternoon, coffee shop exploring and all! And yes, our homes are safely out of danger of flooding. But now I am transitioning into another busy season as I join the flood response. I would appreciate your prayers as I seek to balance my time with God and going out to serve. There is a lot on my plate and I am quite at the end of my own strength. I have faith that God is moving and teaching me to rely on Him and watch Him pour out His strength and mercy while I stand in awe. 

Thanks, y'all!!

Crazy and Blessed: The Fulfullment of a Dream

Hey y'all! 

Intern crew plus family in Lancaster, PA

In the past 11 days I have:

-Driven through 12 states (10 of them new to me)
-Camped outside of Knoxville, TN
-Swam in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time (Jersey Shore)
-Cooked lunch on my car engine
-Lived and worked on Staten Island, NY for a week
-Visited Manhattan and did the tourist thing (Brooklyn Tabernacle, Times Square, 911 Memorial, subway, Wall Street, and the ferry)
-Cliff jumping in Lancaster, PA
-More driving

Times Square!

Currently, I am in Columbia, South Carolina with Mark & Katie Manning and Paula and Jessica (fellow staff/interns), helping with teams who are here in response to the Oct 2015 flooding. The past two weeks have been crazy, amazing, blessed, and full. You may be thinking.."wow, she gets to do so many cool things!" And yes, I do! But it boggles my mind! I did not plan any of this or see it coming. The plans to take the intern team to Staten Island fell into place almost last minute and led right into my original plan to visit South Carolina. I have had so much fun traveling and seeing new things. But as I look back, it's not just the cool new experiences that I remember. It's God and the people. 

One morning as I was driving through Maryland I just sat in awe of where I was and what I was doing. I am living in the fulfillment of a dream that God planted in my heart years ago. I have never had a clear idea of what I wanted to do with my life, but I did know that I wanted to A) travel, and B) serve people. Guess what I'm doing now? :) I am so humbled by the fact that I am in this place; right in the center of God's faithfulness and goodness. It reminds me of one of my favorite portions of the Bible:

"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

"For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

~Isaiah 55:10-13 

 

Lunchtime in Staten Island

These are a few of the ways I saw God work: We had a four car caravan on the way to Staten Island and not one broke down. We worked for a week in Staten Island and no one was seriously hurt. Meals, fuel, rest, projects to work on, ways to serve the folks around us...all were provided in due time. We only left one person behind (sorry, Shelby!). The myriad travel plans for 14 or so people worked out perfectly. People blossomed and opened up. Healing was seen. All of this was a blessing. God was working all around us. 

Traveling with the interns and staff this summer has become one of my favorite things. All that driving would have been seriously boring and I would not have done half the fun things on the list above without them. I am blessed by the laughter, the tears, the deep conversations, the stories, the adventures, the crazy ideas, and the service of everyone I encountered. Serving them and being served in return has been a privilege and an honor. 

Cliffjump in PA

This weekend we said goodbye and went our separate ways. We ended on a beautiful note with a family picnic in Lancaster, PA. Several of the interns lived within three or so hours of Lancaster so we held a picnic and invited family and friends to join us in celebration of the summer. We shared stories and ways we have seen God working over the course of the summer, encouraging each other to "take it home". I could see the testimonies of each intern having a powerful effect on their families. Stories are meant to be shared and it was cool to see that happen! 

As I continue to look back, process, and share what happened this summer I will update y'all with further blog posts and photos. I appreciate your patience with my lovely full schedule and your continued prayers for what God is doing through me and the team of ReachGlobal Crisis Response.

Cooking lunch on the car engines.

Manhattan, NYC