Great Expectations

Sunday- Today was the quickest trip to church ever... walking downstairs! With its passionate gospel jam music, flag twirling, dancing, & tamborines, Firehouse Family Ministries' church service was truly unique. The pastor preached on Mark 5, the account of a sick woman who touched Jesus' cloak & was healed. He explained the difference between ''pressing issues" & "pressing the issue". It was evident that the congregation & leadership in this strong body of believers were not letting Katrina deter them from singing praises to our God! It was such a blessing to be a part of them! We are so grateful that they have offered their facilities to us so that we can accomplish so much here in New Orleans in the holy name of Jesus!

After the service, we enjoyed speaking with some of the members, particularly Sam, the deacon in charge of the building. Subsequently, Tom, Jonathan, the Steves, & I strolled a few blocks to a local food market to pick up lunch. We picked up some po-boys, which are sub sandwiches on french bread, & a bag of crawlfish. Those who tried the crawlfish shortly realized that their was quite a deal of effort to remove the tiny peice of meat from its tail. Their spicy flavor was certainly delicious, though.

After lunch, Steve Jeantet took us on a driving tour in the rural area of the city. We saw concrete stairs without a house attached, a house with part of its roof leaning due to a lack of supporting pillars, with its front entrance cut out so we could observe the debris of cluttered couches & chairs & the remains of a completely gutted brick home with only four shabby brick walls, shattered windows, & the front door's frame still standing. The most sobering feature of these houses, however, was the number written on the right side of a spray-painted X indicating the number of dead bodies found there.

After familiarizing ourselves with the town, we spent a few moments wrestling in prayer for these casualties' loved ones who are mourning their losses. We asked the Lord for blessing upon the work we would be starting the following day. Then we explored the infamous French Quarter, where we shopped for souvenirs & viewed the Mississippi River while trying to stay dry from the rainshower.

On Sunday we were able to see 2 sides of New Orleans: the destruction of the residential areas & the bustling city area. It is evident that God's work needs to be done in both places & that there are many seeds to be planted & harvested. I have high hopes of being a remarkable blessing to the people of these areas by showing them the incrdible love of Christ! Toon in to Monday's entree to find out how we are meeting this goal!
In Christ,
Ben Springer