FOAM-PP

God in This City!

Hey, it's Heather. I did not get a chance to blog while we were in New Orleans, so I need to write a few things now that I have a few moments to sit and reflect.

First of all, I cannot stop playing and singing this Chris Tomlin song in the title. This song was written for the city of Belfast, but I think it reflects our hearts' cry for the city of New Orleans after our time meeting, serving and praying with and for the people we met there.

You're the God of this city/You're the king of these people/You're the Lord of this nation/You Are!

You're the light in this darkness/You're the hope to the hopeless/You're the peace to the restless/You Are!

There is no one like our God!/There is no one like our God!
For greater things have yet to come/And greater things are still to be done in this city!

I am amazed that every time I go on a mission trip God gives me a heart for the people and the city where He has called me. God has really reminded me again over the past week that I need to make missions such a part of my life that eventually I am a missionary 365 days a year no matter where I am. It is easier to go somewhere else to do missions because we can be 100% focused on it . . . everyday life is not distracting us from our goal. I have been trying to stay focused now that we are home . . . engaging people in lines, at restaurants and stores, being a more courteous driver (that is probably normal for most people:) and thinking of ways our family can bless other people the way God has blessed us. I pray I can continue to be obedient and GO as God calls me and come back changed every time. If I “GO” more often and develop a heart for His people each time I GO, then I pray I will eventually have His heart for all people and become that focused, mission-minded woman God wants me to be every day I walk this earth. My world view gets BIGGER every time I “GO”!

One thing that is particularly difficult for me, but one that will speak volumes to the world around us, is not exercising our assumed rights and entitlements. I know in my head that I gave those up when I asked Jesus to be the Lord of my life, but my heart has a hard time letting those things go in a world where we are supposed to stand up for ourselves –because “we deserve it, right?”

A few of the highlights for me that I will not forget:

• Praying for the homeless people living in the “tent city” under the highway during the Street Car Prayer Ride with my daughter
• Praying with Pat and Urcel the day we passed out flyers after listening to their stories about surviving Hurricane Katrina. What hope and thankfulness they had in their hearts after enduring such adversity!
•Sitting on the steps in Jackson Square singing God In This City amongst the crowds, the bars, and everything else that goes on down there. Knowing what Satan meant for harm God has used for good.
• Driving through the 9th Ward and seeing the remains (actually, there was nothing but cinder blocks where houses once stood) of what was once a thriving neighborhood before the levy broke after Katrina came through.
• Spending time with Bob and Linda Jackson from Mission Lab and listening to their stories of how God is rebuilding the city of New Orleans one stud at a time! Every word that came out of their mouth was pure gold!
• Watching our kids play with the children at the Block Party – just a bunch of kids playing and having fun. They were focused on the similarities, not the differences. I realize I need to help my children maintain that focus. How do we connect with people? We find what we have in common and TALK about it. I think our kids learn to see differences in people from us.

I am so proud of my Hope! She only recently asked Jesus into her heart to be her Lord and Savior last November. I saw God speak to her heart in amazing ways for a 7 year old girl. She has such a sensitive heart – it was so sweet listening to her prayers for the people. I am so excited to see where God takes her from here! What a blessing it was to go with my daughter on her first mission trip – I will never forget it!

Thanks to John Aaron for leading our group and taking on such a task with 14 children and 9 bossy moms! What a blessing Lindsey, Jay, Kirk, Hatesh, John Aaron and Emily were to us and our children. I considered it a privilege to go and serve with each one of you, my fellow travelers. I appreciate your servant heart and willingness to go and be available to be used by God. I am so excited about the way in which God called us – mothers, children, students, young singles – the BODY, serving together.

Heather

God Bless You!

Hi its Hope,on my misson trip to new orleans God showed me great experience of how I could help in many ways.For an exanple me and my mother Heather,mrs. brooks, we prayed for people whose houses were gauted from Herickane Cautrina.herickane cautrina was ''12'' feet tall.on the news we watched people on there houses, water just stayed there for a month.mom's and the kids were taking pitcheres of the gauted houses to remind when there not greatful so there parents will remind them about how many stuff they have, but the people that we saw that had nothing.me and my mommy have been practiceing being greatful because i'm a pickky eater and my lil' sisster hannah claire is the fast eater and now she's the pickky eater and i'm the fast eater now we flip-flopped.at the block party i mett a good friend named saumuage,so me and my other friend allison who went on the misson trip with me played with saumuage.everyone was exited about the block party.Hope Elizabeth Brooks!Bye-bye!

We're Home

Sorry about the lack of blogging this week. I was not able to take my computer as expected so I had to rely on one of the college guys' computers and we just could not get together very often. We have lots of stories to tell, so I invite anyone who went on the trip to come on and post a comment. We are planning to make a video to show in class the Sunday after Easter.

I believe the trip was a success and we learned alot. We also developed a love for the people and city of New Orleans. Thank you for your prayers...we definitely felt them and God opened the door for occasions for us to pray for people, share the story of Christ, and just let them talk to us about their life and how it's changed since Katrina.

To all my fellow travelers...thank you for your giving spirit, willing heart and for putting yourself in a position to be used of God. You amaze me and I know God is pleased with our efforts this week!

Gina

Day Two - Flyers, Fire & Fun

This is April--Hi John and everyone else! Today has been quite eventful! We started out the day thinking we were spending the day painting, and sure enough, we never picked up a paintbrush. Because of a few complications with the site we were going to work at, 4 of the ladies--myself, Sarah, Kim and Kelly took all the kids and went to find work elsewhere. After a little searching, we ended up with more yardwork (which I must say we're pretty good at), and we completed it in several hours after doing a fine job! All kids did great and were great servants once again.

Hey! This is Dee-- Hello everyone. Today as you can see the children and ladies worked hard. Myself, Gina, Laura, Johanna, Heather, and Ashley worked in a home that had fire damage. They repaired the bottom floor of the house after the hurricane. Two months ago they had a fire upstairs. We wiped and scrubbed the walls in their bedroom. We hope we made living in the house a little better.


Hi guys -- this is Gina. We're trying to squeeze in a post before we head out to Cafe du Monde to have beignets & coffee.....yummy! We're "anxious" about letting the kids loose in the French Quarter. You might say a quick prayer about that if you happen to read this soon. We're getting excited about our Block Party tomorrow...pray for NO RAIN! It's expected tonight around midnight until around 6 am...so we really don't want that to affect our crowd.

Hopefully we can post some pics later, and let some more people post. Love you all (especially Steve)!

The FIT Foam Gang

Day One - DONE!

Well, I know you've all been waiting fervently for a post...so here it is. The ride down yesterday was uneventful...long, but the kids did great. We managed to go 2 hours without stopping for a potty break. Believe me, this is no small feat with 10 women and 14 children!

Today we got started with ministry. We started the day at 7:00 at breakfast. Then we packed up and went to the City Park where we boarded the Street Cars for our Prayer Ride. We really saw alot to pray about...there has been so much done, but there's still so much to be done. Some things that stick out in my mind are the literally hundreds of tents under the bridge in downtown. We rode through a very poor part of NO, and a very affluent part of NO with huge homes. Just personally, I was able to strike up a conversation with a lady named Dawanna, who has lived in NO all her life. She left after Katrina and went to KY, and returned about a year and a half ago. She is a believer, but you could tell she was still struggling with getting her life back together. Her home was totally destroyed. I asked her if there was anything I could pray with her about and she is struggling with health issues. She rides an hour each way on the trolley each day to her cafeteria job in a catholic school where she is only given about 16 hours a week of work. She has been frustrated with lack of jobs available here, and the fact that homes that rented for $600 a month before Katrina are now $1200 a month. Please join me in praying for Dawanna and another gentleman named Tyrone that I met on the street car today.

After we ate lunch at the City Park...this is a neat park...got a great pic of all the kids on these huge, ginormous trees there...we went to the house where we did yard work. This house belongs to a lady who had to leave and has not been able to afford to have her house fixed. The yard has grown up so much she is in danger of the city taking her house. We mowed, weed eated, clipped hedges, raked, etc. It was hard but felt soooooo good to be literally changing someone's life. I wish we had been able to meet her, but she is still living in another town. All the kids did great, and they are tired tonight.

After yard work, we went to dinner and then went to a worship service at John Aaron's home church here in NO. The church overlooks an old cemetery with all the graves above ground, so that led to interesting questions. We debriefed down by Lake Ponchartrain (sp?) and had prayer. We are (read "I am") ready to go to bed and get a good night's sleep. We're scheduled to paint all day tomorrow...just sheetrock, so we don't run the risk of making anyone cry from our paint job.

Pray that the kids continue to have great attitudes. They haven't had much free time to run and be kids, but they're learning new things. Pray for patience for the moms for our own kids...and others' kids :)

Also...just another little note that threw us off a little this morning...Bailey Summit was sick all night last night...threw up several times soiling 3 sleeping bags and a couple of blankets. Sarah and he missed everything today, but was able to go to worship with us tonight. Sarah and April even ended up in the same twin bed because that was the last sleeping bag and clean bed available. Pray that he feels 100% better tomorrow and that Sarah and April have a much better night of sleep! Pray everyone else stays well!

We miss you all and of course, thought many times today about Judi. Our thoughts and prayers were with all of you there giving Jay, Jared and the other family members support and love. Thanks for standing in the gap for us!

Here are a few pics...have lots more we'll share with you when we return home!

We love you,
Gina & the rest of the FIT FOAM gang!

New Orleans Bound!

Dear Friends and Family,

Please remember to pray for our group as we travel to New Orleans to serve and minister during Spring Break 2008. Check the blog often for updates!

Keep these families in your prayers:

Alfaro

Becker

Brooks

Brunk

Congleton

Pierce

Richardson

Summit

Thibeaux

Wright

The College Department of LABC

Although our schedule is not set in stone yet, here are some activities we will be involved in while in the Big Easy:

Street Car Prayer Ride

Nursing Home Ministry

Yard Clean Up

Block Party

Here are some specific (sort of) prayer requests from our group:

*Attitudes of both moms and kids

*Family members left here

*Flexibility to be open to changes

*That God will work through our weakness

*Give each other grace

*Sleep schedule and for fatigue not to be an issue

*To get out of our comfort zone and be willing to share about Christ

Thanks for your prayer support!