I am finally back in New Orleans! I left December 21 on what was to be a five hour trip home for Christmas. N.O. to Atlanta was fine and we left Atlanta on time. We were flying over Moline, IL (the destination) when the captain said it was too foggy to land and we would have to go to Milwaukee to come up with a plan and get fuel. Half way to Milwaukee he comes back on and says the fog has lifted enough and we're going to land. WooHoo! But, we end up circling Moline for an hour before flying to Milwaukee anyway. We find out there that our options are to fly back to Atlanta and wait for another flight to Moline or take a bus the airline will provide. Common sense says to keep moving, so I chose the bus.

Now let me paint a little picture for you. I get off the plane in Milwaukee wearing high heels, jeans and a dress shirt with no coat. My feet ache because, as it turns out, my shoes are too small and after hiking through the airport in Atlanta they are covered in blisters. So I put on the flip flops that I smartly stowed in my carry-on, but now I look goofy because I am wearing long jeans that must be rolled up. I get my luggage, praise the Lord, and change into tennis shoes and put on a sweatshirt.

We board the bus an hour later and take off on a who-knows-how-long trip to Moline. The bus driver doesn't even say "hi" let alone how long we will be traveling. It gets dark and I feel trapped. I am on a bus with 50 people I don't know, the windows are fogged over and it is so foggy outside that I can't even see the road signs. At 3 p.m. I call my mom who is waiting at the Moline airport with my brothers, and has been since 11:30 a.m., to tell her I have no idea when we'll be arriving. I call again at 5 p.m. or so and again a few times between 6 and 7 p.m. She talks with other relatives at the airport and we all try and figure out when we will arrive. It wasn't the magical homecoming I imagined, but I have never been so glad to be anywhere in my life.

We arrived home about 9 p.m. and considering that I had been up since 3:30 a.m. I figure I could have left New Orleans in a car around 4 a.m. and arrived home about the same time. But God is good and in all of the chaos I still felt a peace and I also felt him reminding me that it isn't about me. While we were sitting in the Milwaukee airport waiting for the bus I read the following and thought it was very fitting.

"In the Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote that when all is in turmoil and
when everything has gone wrong and we feel spiritually dry, when we can't even
feel God's presence, yet we still bow before Him, still we're obedient and
prayerful--that's the time when God is most pleased with us. Despair turns
quickly to victory when a broken heart is laid on the altar before God.

Yet we're not speaking only of those earthshaking trials. The little ones
are actually the most elusive moments for the worshipful life. You're sitting in
a snarl of traffic after a tiring day, and your nerves are frayed. What if you
took that moment and reflected upon James 1:2-4? Sure, you could honk
and gnash your teeth and bemoan your fate, saying, 'I don't deserve this! Why
should I sit in this gridlock?' Then again, you could also realize, 'I'm
counting this as joy! It means God is building something new and wonderful in my
soul, and it will lead to me being perfect and complete, lacking nothing--James
says it and I believe it.' Traffic suddenly looks entirely different as a new
song comes into your heart. You take that splendid moment to turn your focus
toward the praises of God as worship in everyday life."
- David Jeremiah My Heart's Desire

At 7:45 this morning I was introduced to George and Tymonica. She told us the story of how she was attacked a week ago Sunday and was in a coma until that Tuesday. They released her that Thursday but she had nowhere to go. I am not sure how the two met, but they have been a support to each other in trying to find housing and food. They have only the clothes on their backs and were willing to work for some money. Tymonica is helping Ms. Deb with evening meal prep and George is out in the pouring rain raking leaves. He didn't want a rain coat as he said it is his first shower in some time. I don't know many details as of right now, but if you are reading this, please pray for them. For healing, Tymonica has staples in her head, for provision of a safe and warm place to stay and for God's protection. Pray for us as well that we would know how to best help them.

This beautiful little girl, affectionately named Golden Girl, is a stray that was found by one of the guys in our neighborhood. She quickly became a love of Ms. Jeri's, our cook, and has been a permanent resident of our backyard for more than a month. Because the temperatures are so cold here now she has stayed in the camper with me. Tonight as I was decorating my little Christmas tree I just couldn't resist. She's so good that she didn't really even flinch. I love having such a lovable companion, especially as the nights get cooler. She often sleeps curled up in a ball right by my head and can be hard to wake up in the morning if she is comfortable enough. :) After Christmas she will be going to live with a very loving family from our church and will be well loved and cared for. She will also only be three blocks away. ;)

We are in the midst of our Christmas Store and it is going very well. It is fun to see our neighbors able to purchase gifts for Christmas for their children and be able to have a sense of dignity about it instead of having to get free gifts from people they don't know. I have taken a bunch of pictures and will be posting those a little later in the day. We are open until 5 p.m. or until we run out of gifts. Please pray that we would be able to be the hands and feet of Christ!

"And if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday."
-Isaiah 58:10

I had the privilege of accompanying members of the high school youth group on a service project to feed the homeless tonight. Even though I don't regularly work with these students, I was so proud of them and so impressed by their maturity and leadership. Each week throughout the year an offering is taken and in December and May the students choose a service project they would like to do. Tonight they cooked more than 200 hotdogs and we went to feed the homeless who live under the Claiborne Bridge and we also fed a large number of people who live in tents just outside city hall.

Imagine this, there is a park outside city hall where you might expect to find business men and women eating their lunch or talking on the phone. Instead there are probably 100 tents or more covering the grass and two abandoned buildings close by house more people on their steps. The crazy thing is that the tents these people live in came from city hall! Tomorrow, however, those people may lose their "land" as two buildings close by are going to be demolished and the area will need to be fenced off for safety reasons.

But all the politics aside, our students were great at engaging people and realizing that they have so much to give. Our students would be considered poor by most standards because of where they live and family situations, but they were still able to raise money to care for those with even less. They were also able to see the gratitude of these people and as a group they were able to discuss why these people could be thankful even though they had nothing.

There is talk about wanting to do this sort of project once a month, and we'll see how that pans out, but I know our students have learned a great deal and this will not be something they soon forget.

"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the 'gods' I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. When I called, you answered me; you made me bold and stouthearted. May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great." - Psalm 138:1-5

I wish with all my heart that I could expose each of you to the scene I witnessed last night as I headed back to New Orleans from a staff meeting in Covington on the north shore. As I passed the Causeway toll booth and entered the 26 mile bridge across Lake Ponchartrain I was greeted by the most amazing sunset and as I looked southeast I could see perfectly my most beloved city.

I get chills almost every time I see the skyline on the horizon and yesterday it was wrapped in purple and blue and pink and orange and the view was more clear than I have ever seen. As I got closer I could see the lights on the Crescent City Bridge as they beckoned me home. Oh how I wish I could express the feelings that rush through me when I see my city. It never ceases to be new and fresh and amazing and I pray with all my heart that it never will because in the broken and corrupt city I have seen grace, and peace, and forgiveness, and restoration, and reconciliation, and love, and faithfulness, and generosity and hope.

I have experienced God in ways I never have before. I have found a renewed hunger for his word. I was so thrilled to have staff meeting this Monday be a time of prayer for our city, our ministry and each other. To be in such a place is beyond words. To work with such amazing, godly people is a blessing. To see lives transformed for the kingdom is life transforming. I pray my love of this city never dies and I pray I am able to share what God is doing here in a way that will encourage others in their faith and their walks with the Lord.

In a totally unrelated note, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have returned to New Orleans to work on a new project. I guess Pitt has given $5 million toward the project that will help build 100 homes in the lower 9th ward which was hit hardest by Katrina. These pink Monopolyesqe homes have been put up for now to represent all the new homes. I tell you what, it is pretty crazy to drive over the Claiborne Bridge and see a sea of bright pink. It is a trip to drive through them as well. There's always something going on in this great city!

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken...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. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people, pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge." - Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8

As I think about the past 24 hours, in a word: amazing.

As long as we choose to be complacent with where we are at spiritually, as long as we maintain the status quo and keep up appearances, we aren't much of a threat to the devil. I think he writes us off and sets us aside. After all, why should he worry about distracting us and hindering our walk when there isn't anything to distract from.

But on the other hand, when we decide to step out in faith, to pour our hearts out to God and surrender totally to him by living every day in his plan, we become very dangerous. We become the type of people who rock the boat and influence others for the kingdom.

I am proud to be a new member of the second group.

Sure, it was a step of faith to move to New Orleans leaving behind all that I knew. It was a step of faith to take on an entirely different way of life, but it has just been recently that I have truly begun to pour out my life as a drink offering to the Father and I believe someone is not happy about that.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had an amazing time with God Thursday night and then was not able to sleep the entire night as the dog who lives behind us barked and whined and made noises I have never heard a dog make all night long. Friday night I stayed on the northshore with some friends and Saturday night was more of the same from the dog. I was so completely irritated the next morning after having to sleep on the couch in the house because I couldn't stand to remain in my trailer.

My attitude was shot. I was exhausted and crabby and I was ready to call the police to have them deal with the neighbors who were doing nothing to control their animal. But I spent more time in the word and time rejuvenating Sunday afternoon and I was looking forward to a good night. I spent time with the Lord, and went to sleep.

At 12:22 a.m. I was again wide awake. I ventured outside and Miss Jeri was standing on the balcony staring across the fence. There was still no reason in the world as to why that dog was making such a fuss but we were both beside ourselves with frustration.

I returned to my camper, put on a thunderstorm CD and decided to try a different approach. I took out my Bible and began to read. I read no more than five minutes and the dog stopped. Silence. Beautiful. Although now I was so excited that I could barely get back to sleep because God had provided in such a huge way!

Half-hour later, the dog was back at it. So was I. I pulled out my Bible and again began to read. I five minutes in, he stopped, but I kept reading. Some time later I laid my open Bible next to my pillow and fell asleep. I only heard Muscle bark one other time for about two minutes and then not a peep more.

This morning I went for a walk and all was joy and amazement at what God had done. It took me a few days to catch on to the fact that God was so very pleased that our relationship was growing and while the devil could not stop that, he could cause things to happen that could totally ruin my mood and my effectiveness, but no more.

Praise God for how he shows us more and more of himself. I have been absolutely giddy today as I think of how awesome he is and how good he is to me. It has caused an even greater hunger for his word and time alone with him. This is one trial that has been a blessing as it has drawn me closer to him and has shown me the holy, awesome, righteous power of the magnificent God we serve!

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." - Isaiah 43:2-3

I think it's time for a little honesty. The past six months have been the most change-filled months of my entire life and it is all starting to catch up to me. I have been through a great deal of loss and have silently dealt with a lot of hurt that seems to be no longer able to be contained within.

For those who don't know, this summer I lost my grandma. Words can still not express the depth of that loss. There are no tears bitter enough some days to portray the effect that loss has had on my heart and my life. I long to tell her of all that I am doing and experiencing here in New Orleans. I want to show her my photographs and tell her the stories of all the good and crazy and wonderful things that have been happening the past two months.

In addition I have been realizing lately through much prayer and time with God that there have been other losses, some of which are obvious and some not so much, that have to be grieved and dealt with in order to move forward and start down the path of restoration and healing. When I left the newspaper in Waukee I never knew how hard that would be or how much I would miss those I worked with and what I was doing. When I left Home Depot I had only been there seven months but I loved it and it was another loss. I ended a relationship that had been an important part of my life for many months. I left the state I'd always known, friends, family, church, security and comfort. I changed jobs, changed financial situations, changed church homes, changed friends and changed living arrangements.

I knew the loss of my grandma would affect a lot of things, but all of the change and loss combined and my natural tendency to deal with things internally has built up and has begun to spill over. I praise God because this has turned into some great time with him where growth has happened and has allowed me to begin to talk about it some with others. However after a great time with the Lord Thursday night when I felt like some breakthroughs were made I spent the entire night awake because the dog that lives next door barked all night. Something which has never happened before. Last night was the same and I feel like the spiritual warfare has greatly increased as my time with God has become sweeter.

I believe that like Shadrach. Meshach and Abednego he has allowed me to walk through the fire and not be consumed by it this time and has chosen to use this fire as a painful, but beautiful refining process that will bring me closer to him.

I covet your prayers for the continued grieving process and the healing that needs to take place and for continued intentional and fruitful times with the Lord. Please pray against the warfare that has increased and is threatening to wear me down. I claim victory in Christ and look to him for all I need.

"Morning by morning I wake up to find the power and comfort of God's hand in mine. Season by season I watch him amazed, in awe of the mystery of his perfect ways.

All I have need of his hand will provide. He's always been faithful to me.

I can't remember a trial or a pain he did not recycle to bring me gain. I can't remember one single regret in serving God only and trusting his hand.

All I have needed his hand will provide. He's always been faithful to me.

This in my anthem, this is my song, the theme of the stories I've heard for so long. God has been faithful, he will be again. His loving compassion, it knows no end.

He's always been faithful. He's always been faithful. He's always been faithful to me."
-Sara Groves