"A generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." - Proverbs 11:25

In the midst of busyness and meetings this week, God brought me a new friend who has made me laugh and reminded me how much fun life can be. Yesterday we took a trip to Starbucks, of course, and then headed to Wal-Mart where we spent too much time and perhaps not enough brain power looking for bacon. :) Last night we tried in vain to make wrapping paper pumpkins as decorations for the kitchen but we ended up having a lot of fun and being goofy which is always much needed at the end of the week. We are already planning for when Meg is able to come back in the spring! :)

"I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me. I am the LORD, and there is no other."
- Isaiah 45:5-6

Praise God, last night on our way to Covington we went past the quad and the woman who had been beaten was sitting on the step across the street. She has a broken leg and a few broken ribs but it is a praise that she is alive. Please continue to pray that she would realize that she needs to get away from this man and pray that God would provide a way out for her.

Today Emily and I spent a good portion of the day taking hot cocoa and cookies to the teams and hanging out with them at their work sites. We also spent a lot of time driving in circles because the team we were trying to find gave us less than clear directions. With the colder weather "ice cream Wednesdays" have turned into "hot chocolate Thursdays."


Above: Homeowner Mr. Mike; team members Kevin and Doug, Emily (staff) and team member Scott.

"This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.' This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?' declares the LORD Almighty." - Zechariah 9:10

Pastor John (P.J.) uses this passage when he talks to teams about the dreams that we have for New Orleans. How we would love to see a city where old men and old women can sit on the front porch and watch children play in safety and security in a city that honors God. The passage speaks about the "remnant" of this people and P.J. says how often in this ministry since the storm the staff has felt like a remnant of His people but God continues to bless each and every one of us as we seek to follow Him.

I ask for your prayers today for one of our teams who was shown in a rather violent way what life in the neighborhood can mean. They were working on "the quad" yesterday and witnessed a woman being beaten by one of the drug dealers from the area. Apparently it was bad enough that her leg was broken. The police arrived after she and the man were gone. Please pray for the team that they would be able to process through what they have seen and please pray that those on staff who counsel them would know what to say. Please also pray for this woman. There isn't any way to know what has happened, but pray for her safety and for healing. Please also pray for the safety of our teams. Our ministry is known and respected in this community and their I love N.O. shirts are a banner of the ministry that sets them apart, but we still must be careful and prayerful. Thank you in advance for all your prayers!

"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'

- Job 37:5-6

When it rains, it pours! It has rained today for at least eight hours and while we have a break right now there is more on the way throughout the evening. I decided to wear flip flops and capris today because there is no other way to deal with the "puddles" that may be up to a foot deep. As I walked home for lunch I was greeted by "Yellow Lake" which is normally the side yard at the Yellow House. My lovely home is the camper off to the right and getting in and out without getting very wet is a challenge on days like today. I have never seen it rain so hard for so long. There are flood warnings out all over the city and many roads are unpassable.

However, life is good and the rain is always a great reminder of God's cleansing. Our new group of teams is getting settled in and they worked hard all day in the rain. I spent today working with our communications person trying to iron out our roles and how we can best work together. We will be spending time the next few days talking to all our staff about their communications needs and I will be getting information to write updated bios for each of them.

"1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his ^[a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."

- Psalm 100

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken."

Yes, sometimes we even get to rest! I was tired Friday night so I decided to create a make-shift "bed" on the chairs in the kitchen so that I could rest but still be with people. Miss Jeri felt the need to take my picture. :) Today has been very relaxing. I have had some time to read and relax but then made the much dreaded trip to Wal-Mart. Never before have I seen a store that is busy at every time of day. No matter when you go it seems that you are faced with at least a 10 minute wait in line, even in the fast lane. Oh how I miss self check out. Tonight my friend Emily and I are going to a church in Kenner that we have been to several times. It is a blessing to take some time Saturday evenings to be still and hear from God in a different setting. He is so good.

"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." - 1 Peter 3:15

Micah Briggs is Urban Impact's new outreach director and he has already been an amazing addition to the team. In a matter of weeks he has drawn great crowds to open court and has established a relationship with a local juvenile detention center that allows us an open pass into the facility. Micah went to the Jena 6 march and was interviewed by a television station. An onlooker also took video and captured much more than what the TV ended up using. You can see why he is such a powerful force in this community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvNx_1JIIMM

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." - Philippians 4:11

I knew from the start that God would use this time in my life to teach me about trust and absolute reliance on him, but I must admit that I didn't know at all how that would look. After arriving in New Orleans two weeks ago I started to slowy feel unwell. By a week ago last Saturday my throat began to hurt so bad that I could barely swallow and my already large tonsils got even bigger. I knew that going to the doctor here was not an option right now unless it was an emergency because my medical insurance is still in the underwriting process. After praying I called the doctor I had been to only twice in Des Moines and explained my situation to his nurse. She told me that he would probably want to see me again before he would prescribe anything and I asked her to explain my situation and see if there was anything he could do long distance. Well, as always, God is good and she called me back an hour later with a prescription for antibiotics that was sent to the local Wal-Mart. PRAISE GOD! Today I am feeling much better and my cost was only $13.32 instead of an emergency room visit.

Last Friday as I was uploading photos and preparing to burn DVDs for the teams that were here last week the unthinkable happened to my laptop. In my haste I managed to leave a team member's flash drive sitting just above my keyboard as I closed the lid. Oh dear. When I started it up about an hour later the screen was cracked. To my surprise, I didn't cry, but I certainly panicked. I immediately talked to a new friend here who is a computer guru and he helped to calm me a little. I called Toshiba and because, go figure, there are no licensed Toshiba service centers in the entire state of Louisiana, I had to send it to Louisville, KY to be looked at and repaired. I am still praying for a miracle that it wil be covered by the warranty.

But, despite some crazy events and less that desireable situations, last week was a great week. We had wonderful teams from California and New Mexico and God used them in mighty was to advance his gospel and the work being done for homeowners in the neighborhood. Thank you to all who have been praying. God is moving in mighty ways!