Feed the Multitudes at NOLA 2009 - Slide Show

Before and After

Day 1 - The beginning of the end of the garage project


The End of Day 1 (Chocolate Tomatoes and Boots Brigade)


Beginning of Day 2

End of Day 2 - No more garage!! (The Fun Bunch and The Gator-aids)

And the Walls Come Crumbling Down

Ministry Madness at Bethel Colony (The Bumper Gets Busted)

While we were working at Bethel Colony, the guys were trying to tear down a fence. they tied one end of the chain to the fence and one end to the bumper of the van. As a result, well you saw what happened.

Elaina

Team Photos from Week 1

Group picture in front of Glasgow Church as we prepared to leave for the airport on Saturday.


During our tour of the ninth ward this morning, Steve Jeantet gave a brief overview of the effects of the devastation of Katrina and post-event related activities.

(Photos by Levi)

Team 1 is here!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Team 1 has arrived. After a full day of travel, everyone is safe. Even the luggage all made it! Tonight was mostly setting the stage for the week to come, but we did get to celebrate Ryan Redcay's birthday Happy birthday Ryan! Stay tuned for more stories as the week unfolds.

"I lost everything"

As Kim and I were running errands around New Orleans today, I stopped in to get a haircut. Now, when women get their haircut, the person cutting the hair becomes some combination of stylist, counselor and confidant. Not really so for guys. It only takes about 10 minutes to cut my hair, so not a lot of talking gets done.

Today was different. Lisa was talkative. When she found out I was in New Orleans to serve, she was surprised and grateful. I asked her how the storm affected her life. Here is part of the story she shared with me...

I lost everything in the storm. I never had very much, but what I had, I lost. It made me realize that stuff is just not that important. It wasn't me that I felt bad for though. The house I owned before the storm had some mold that was causing health problems for me, so I was trying to sell it. I had some friends who had just renovated their houses and lost it all. I really felt bad for them.

One special thing happened to me. During the storm, the water in one closet rose just below a shelf and ruined everything except for that one shelf. On that shelf were some old home videos from when my kids were younger. My son is 20 and my daughter is 11. In those video, he is 9 and she is just learning to walk. For my birthday, I had all those videos put on DVD. It was really special for me.

This is now the 3rd consecutive summer that Kim and I have been in New Orleans. One thing that has struck me each time I've been here are the stories of real lives. We've all seen the pictures of the devastation Katrina caused. It's another to hear real people share their lives. I'm grateful that I met Lisa today. Not only did I get a nice haircut, but God used her to soften my heart to the ongoing needs of this city. Pray for our team. We believe God has infinitely more planned for his glory through our time here than we can even imagine. May we have compassionate hearts and eager hands that are ready to serve toward that end. Who knows. There may even be someone like Lisa for whom we can help create new memories to replace those washed away by the storm.

God of This City

Each day we've had the incredible privilege of worshipping with one another. On a few occasions we've worshipped with local believers, and daily as a team we've been led by our incredibly gifted worship leader, Bruce Jeffers. 

Of all the amazing songs of worship and supplication that we've sung, everyone here agrees that "God of This City" is by far our team favorite. In fact, it has become our theme.  

Below is a video of Chris Tomlin's version put together by another group of folks who we don't know, but were helping out somewhere in another city. As we prepare to serve tomorrow for the July 4th festival here in NOLA, we are reminded that our true freedom is found in Christ alone, who truly is the God of this city!

Feed the Multitudes for the 4th of July

Tomorrow is the 4th of July and our whole team will be serving along side Victory Fellowship, a local church here in New Orleans. The event is called "Feed the Multitudes" and takes place annually at City Park. 

Please pray that it doesn't rain all day long and that all of those in need will be able to make their way to the park.

Our team will be serving specifically by passing out groceries. And there is so much more going on. So watch this video to see what it is all about it:

NOLA Trip Images

Photos by Deb

Worship with our hosts at Firehouse

This Sunday morning our team had the privilege of worshiping alongside the members of Firehouse Family Ministries. It was a tremendous blessing. I have a note in my Bible, given by a lady whose name I don't know. She passed it to me during the service this morning. It says, "If you get cold and need a wrap, please let me know." I am humbled by the kindness and compassion of this community. Their acceptance of our team and love for their Savior was poured out during the worship service. It makes me think of what Shane Claiborne said in his book, "The Irresistible Revolution." He said, "I've grown to admire the humor of a God who uses foolish things to shame the wisdom of this world, and weaklings to remind the strong that they are not as mighty as they think they are (1 Cor. 1:27). This church may appear economically poor, but it is rich in spirit. Our team went to church expecting "showers of blessing," not anticipating a New Orleans-style flood. Pray for us and for these people this week as we go out to give back to this community.

Dawn Long

We've Arrived!

We've arrived safely in New Orleans and are waiting only for Bruce, our worship leader, to get here. Just a quick story...

Right after we arrived at Firehouse, the church where we are staying for the week, we were standing outside awaiting the church rep to show up and let us in. We were gathered in a circle talking when a couple of people walked by. The guy said to us, "Thanks for coming to help. God bless you today." That is the attitude of many of the people of New Orleans. They know that without God's people coming to help, their city would never recover. They are seeing the love of God in action through his people and I know that honors him greatly.

So far so good...

So far, we're doing well. We are at the airport waiting to board. Sometimes, moving a group of 20+ through check-in and security can present challenges, but we made it through quickly and easily. As evidenced by the picture of Kathryn and Eli, we are just hanging out waiting to board. New Orleans, here we come!