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Day 3
It was a little harder to wake up this morning, ( I think this will be the case for the rest of the week), but we took shower’s the night before so we got an extra 15 min of I love you Jesus sleep. Most of our team was up and we all ate a pancake breakfast. There is truly no shortage of food and you can get all you want. Even though its cafeteria style it is actually really good, either that or I’m just really hungry. I haven’t heard any complaints so must be good.
We loaded up and headed straight to the warehouse to pick up some supplies for the drywall house. We needed some mud and tape. The warehouse is about 40 min from where we stay, that sounds like a far distance but really it’s because of traffic. After we grabbed what we needed we headed to our two locations. We dropped the first team off at Dave’s house to work on the dry wall and the rest of us headed to Mr. Chris.
Mr. Chris asked us if we could work on the trim of the house as well so that’s what we worked on. A couple of the students started taping off windows and door and the rest were sanding down his metal fence in the front getting it ready to be painted. After a few instructions we all got started on our specific jobs. Next thing you know it was like noon. Mr. Chris would come out side and say hello, check on us and have a little small talk (really a high light). Heather had a chance to sit down with Margery, Mr. Chris wife, and just talk. Heather said she could probably talk all day long. I mean really there is no one else to talk to, all the neighbors are gone. As you look at the house we are painting it looks great and defiantly the best one on the street but at the same time really the only one the has life which probably makes it really hard for them. Good news came a little after lunch as one of Mr. Chris’s neighbors returned and said that she was moving back in the neighborhood. You could hear a sense of pride in his voice as he told us. Praise God for that.
The team work so hard today and did such a great job. About 1pm we were finished with the entire fence in the front and most of the trim. We decided to bring have the team to the other locating to help with there job. Five of us stayed back to finish the rest of the painting. We finished with perfect timing right around 5pm. We started to clean up and Mr. Chris came out to say thank you for the thousandth time. You could tell that it was such a blessing to them. Before we left we circled around and held hand with Chris and Jerry Wayne prayed, it was so special. Mr. Chris shook everybody’s hands individually and wished us all a safe trip. I was putting his extension later back in his shed and he stopped me and was kinda speechless. Its was one of those awkward silences but a good awkward silence. He finally said “man so many good people you known, there just aren’t the words.” I just gave him a hug told him that I love him and he said the same back. Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said it is better to give than to receive.
We left there and headed over to Dave’s house to meat the others. We pull up to big smiles, laughing, and some music jamming in the back ground. Dave loves funk music, straight New Orleans style. Every body was hard at work in the house. Justin and Jacey were putting the finial touches the back room. Travis and Ryan we finishing screwing a piece of sheet rock down. Jill and Christian were helping Dave with the closet. It was awesome. Seriously the inside of the house looks great. They have finished 3 rooms and were hoping to complete the entire house before the end of the week. The kids were really excited about the start of the Crawfish festival that Dave told them about. It’s kind of like a fair only the food is way better. It’s on Friday and we are all defiantly going to go. Christina and Jacey told me that Dave spent about an hour or more telling them his story about Katrina. Dave and his parents left New Orleans just in time but never thought they would return to what they did. He said that he couldn’t even recognize his street and it was hard knowing which house was his. There was a tons of debris everywhere and a camper parked in his back yard. The two empty lots next to his indicate what happen to the neighbor’s home. He said his mom had just purchased a brand new big screen TV and was really hope that it would be ok. When his parents returned home, there was no home. It was completely lifted of the foundation and no where to be found but across the street sitting upright was one brand new big screen TV. It gave strength to his mom.
We started packing up the tool and loaded up in order to make it back for dinner. We said good by to Dave and I couldn’t help but notice the continual smile that he had the entire time we were there. Seriously he just keeps smiling, and telling me what a wonderful job the kids are doing. At one point he bought the entire team Ice Cream from the Ice Cream Man (yea the old school kind with the awesome music you hear from about a half mile away that makes you want to run out like a little kid yelling ICE CREAM ICE CREAM). It was a big deal.
We made it back in time for some BBQ and sweet potatoes. It was soooooooooo good. One staff said “You back so late and yall look tired must have been working hard.” She was right; everybody was beat but worked really hard. After dinner most took shower, which for us was extremely eventful. Of course were loud and crazy where ever we go and having no hot water only increases that. There is suppose to be the trick to rest the hot water heater but it didn’t seem to work for us so we toughed it out like men (men crying like little girls J. We had about an hour of chill time or so, some played cards and stuff, I crashed. About 9pm we all gathered in the main room and decided to all take a trip to starbucks, I wonder whose idea that was. It was fun. We played the bless me game again and bought the drinks for the three people behind us. They all thanks us, one of the girls asked us if we were her to spread the gospel. In my mind I was like SWEEEEEET. We told here what we were doing and she said God bless you, awesome.
We headed back to the church and met in our little room for a time of worship. After calming the troops down from there caffeine burst (a very wise idea before bed). We started talking about the day. As the student started to share I could see how much serving others is having and affect on them. You could hear the true personal connection they each had as they shared with Dave and Mr. Chris. You could hear it in there prayers as the prayed for these Men and there families and the entire community. Today’s verses of focus were Phil 2:4-6 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 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.” I saw this today in our students, not just in there actions but also in there spirit which was so amazing. I think we are all learning what it means to think about other more than ourselves and what a blessing that is. The community we have in this youth group is truly amazing. It really can’t be put into words, the love they have for each other and for complete strangers I believe is the love that Jesus spoke of in John 13 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I honestly wish I could have brought everybody into that room. We spent some time praying and the Hannah lead us in Worship. I honestly wish everybody could have been apart of tonight, His presence was with us. One student approached me afterward with such a desire for Dave. Another pulled me of to the side and wanted to talk about his relationship with Christ. From his admittance he has been struggling but has been move by this week. He said he is to prideful to depend on God but feels God move in his heart. Please pray for this young man. Please know that your prayers are truly being answered and the mean more than you realize. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in prayer. Please pray for continual opportunity with Chris and Dave. We will be going over to Chris’s house tomorrow just to hang out so pray for and open door. Pray that God will give us an opportunity with Dave as well. We are all very tired and our bodies are physically tired, pray for strength. Love you so much. So bless to be a follower of Christ.
By Grace,
Jon
It was a little harder to wake up this morning, ( I think this will be the case for the rest of the week), but we took shower’s the night before so we got an extra 15 min of I love you Jesus sleep. Most of our team was up and we all ate a pancake breakfast. There is truly no shortage of food and you can get all you want. Even though its cafeteria style it is actually really good, either that or I’m just really hungry. I haven’t heard any complaints so must be good.
We loaded up and headed straight to the warehouse to pick up some supplies for the drywall house. We needed some mud and tape. The warehouse is about 40 min from where we stay, that sounds like a far distance but really it’s because of traffic. After we grabbed what we needed we headed to our two locations. We dropped the first team off at Dave’s house to work on the dry wall and the rest of us headed to Mr. Chris.
Mr. Chris asked us if we could work on the trim of the house as well so that’s what we worked on. A couple of the students started taping off windows and door and the rest were sanding down his metal fence in the front getting it ready to be painted. After a few instructions we all got started on our specific jobs. Next thing you know it was like noon. Mr. Chris would come out side and say hello, check on us and have a little small talk (really a high light). Heather had a chance to sit down with Margery, Mr. Chris wife, and just talk. Heather said she could probably talk all day long. I mean really there is no one else to talk to, all the neighbors are gone. As you look at the house we are painting it looks great and defiantly the best one on the street but at the same time really the only one the has life which probably makes it really hard for them. Good news came a little after lunch as one of Mr. Chris’s neighbors returned and said that she was moving back in the neighborhood. You could hear a sense of pride in his voice as he told us. Praise God for that.
The team work so hard today and did such a great job. About 1pm we were finished with the entire fence in the front and most of the trim. We decided to bring have the team to the other locating to help with there job. Five of us stayed back to finish the rest of the painting. We finished with perfect timing right around 5pm. We started to clean up and Mr. Chris came out to say thank you for the thousandth time. You could tell that it was such a blessing to them. Before we left we circled around and held hand with Chris and Jerry Wayne prayed, it was so special. Mr. Chris shook everybody’s hands individually and wished us all a safe trip. I was putting his extension later back in his shed and he stopped me and was kinda speechless. Its was one of those awkward silences but a good awkward silence. He finally said “man so many good people you known, there just aren’t the words.” I just gave him a hug told him that I love him and he said the same back. Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said it is better to give than to receive.
We left there and headed over to Dave’s house to meat the others. We pull up to big smiles, laughing, and some music jamming in the back ground. Dave loves funk music, straight New Orleans style. Every body was hard at work in the house. Justin and Jacey were putting the finial touches the back room. Travis and Ryan we finishing screwing a piece of sheet rock down. Jill and Christian were helping Dave with the closet. It was awesome. Seriously the inside of the house looks great. They have finished 3 rooms and were hoping to complete the entire house before the end of the week. The kids were really excited about the start of the Crawfish festival that Dave told them about. It’s kind of like a fair only the food is way better. It’s on Friday and we are all defiantly going to go. Christina and Jacey told me that Dave spent about an hour or more telling them his story about Katrina. Dave and his parents left New Orleans just in time but never thought they would return to what they did. He said that he couldn’t even recognize his street and it was hard knowing which house was his. There was a tons of debris everywhere and a camper parked in his back yard. The two empty lots next to his indicate what happen to the neighbor’s home. He said his mom had just purchased a brand new big screen TV and was really hope that it would be ok. When his parents returned home, there was no home. It was completely lifted of the foundation and no where to be found but across the street sitting upright was one brand new big screen TV. It gave strength to his mom.
We started packing up the tool and loaded up in order to make it back for dinner. We said good by to Dave and I couldn’t help but notice the continual smile that he had the entire time we were there. Seriously he just keeps smiling, and telling me what a wonderful job the kids are doing. At one point he bought the entire team Ice Cream from the Ice Cream Man (yea the old school kind with the awesome music you hear from about a half mile away that makes you want to run out like a little kid yelling ICE CREAM ICE CREAM). It was a big deal.
We made it back in time for some BBQ and sweet potatoes. It was soooooooooo good. One staff said “You back so late and yall look tired must have been working hard.” She was right; everybody was beat but worked really hard. After dinner most took shower, which for us was extremely eventful. Of course were loud and crazy where ever we go and having no hot water only increases that. There is suppose to be the trick to rest the hot water heater but it didn’t seem to work for us so we toughed it out like men (men crying like little girls J. We had about an hour of chill time or so, some played cards and stuff, I crashed. About 9pm we all gathered in the main room and decided to all take a trip to starbucks, I wonder whose idea that was. It was fun. We played the bless me game again and bought the drinks for the three people behind us. They all thanks us, one of the girls asked us if we were her to spread the gospel. In my mind I was like SWEEEEEET. We told here what we were doing and she said God bless you, awesome.
We headed back to the church and met in our little room for a time of worship. After calming the troops down from there caffeine burst (a very wise idea before bed). We started talking about the day. As the student started to share I could see how much serving others is having and affect on them. You could hear the true personal connection they each had as they shared with Dave and Mr. Chris. You could hear it in there prayers as the prayed for these Men and there families and the entire community. Today’s verses of focus were Phil 2:4-6 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 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.” I saw this today in our students, not just in there actions but also in there spirit which was so amazing. I think we are all learning what it means to think about other more than ourselves and what a blessing that is. The community we have in this youth group is truly amazing. It really can’t be put into words, the love they have for each other and for complete strangers I believe is the love that Jesus spoke of in John 13 “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” I honestly wish I could have brought everybody into that room. We spent some time praying and the Hannah lead us in Worship. I honestly wish everybody could have been apart of tonight, His presence was with us. One student approached me afterward with such a desire for Dave. Another pulled me of to the side and wanted to talk about his relationship with Christ. From his admittance he has been struggling but has been move by this week. He said he is to prideful to depend on God but feels God move in his heart. Please pray for this young man. Please know that your prayers are truly being answered and the mean more than you realize. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in prayer. Please pray for continual opportunity with Chris and Dave. We will be going over to Chris’s house tomorrow just to hang out so pray for and open door. Pray that God will give us an opportunity with Dave as well. We are all very tired and our bodies are physically tired, pray for strength. Love you so much. So bless to be a follower of Christ.
By Grace,
Jon
2 comments:
I thank God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. And this I pray, that you love may abound still more and more... being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory of God.
Phil 1:3-11
my prayer for you guys today :) I love you
Sam
Mm...yes. I read parts of this post through tears of joy.
We are definitely experiencing the joy that Paul is talking about there in Philippians. Through prayer, we remain in fellowship, and God is blessing us through the updates of your ministry and what He is doing through you.
Keep it going.
We're praying.
Much love,
Grace
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