....by our love

Last year the kids spent a week at the church with Josh on a mission trip. They hung sheet rock in a house off of St. Bernard. I had the privilege of seeing the owner come by to check on the work on the last day of work. She was thrilled. She threw her arms around the kids to let them know of her appreciation and then she requested pictures. I think that moment really impacted all of the students who had worked so hard. It impacted me too. I realized the importance of ministering in your own city. When I began planning for this summer and our events I knew that we could not forget the importance of serving in our own backyard. Therefore, we set aside 3 days at the end of June for a NOLA Mission trip.

The weekend went something like this:

The kids arrived Thursday night and we soon began preparing our dinner. They each made their own pizzas and they were so proud of their creations. Shortly after we began our Bible Study and we started to flesh out our theme for the weekend, 1 Corinthians 13. We spent some time that night just discussing how we love one another and we listed what love isn't.....rude, self-seeking, impatient, etc. I think we all began to question if we were really loving like Christ or not. One thing that stood out to all of us was being self-seeking. We all began to wonder if we were striving to sacrifice self for others or whether we were only interested in self.

The next morning we were in for a treat. We loaded up the "Golden Corral" and made our way to St. Francis Villa, an assisted living facility in Metairie. We were shown around the facility by our new friend, Becky, and shortly after we joined the residents for coffee time. To sum up our morning....We had a blast. We met some interesting characters and we got to play "Wheel of Fortune". Victoria amazed many of the residents by how quickly she could put together a puzzle. Justin and Nathan spent most of the morning with a WWII vet who was 93. He told them many a story about the war. Brandon, Trey, and Josh were special helpers for the "Wheel of Fortune" game and they also met a special friend that gave up her "stories" (soap operas) to spend time with them. We were a hit! We also got the distinction of being the only volunteer group to participate in a fire drill. It was interesting....to say the least. We can't wait to go back soon.
Friday night Mrs. Terry was kind enough to bring us yummy dinner and then we made our way to the French Quarter for beignets, lots of pictures, and a ride on the ferry. We definitely got to live out love that evening when we spent the ferry ride with 127 students who were acting a bit obnoxious. I believe Trey and Nathan posed in every one of the pictures they took.

Saturday was a busy day! We loaded the cars for a work day at Global Maritime. The boys did an amazing job on the yard work and cleaning up debris piles outside the center. They worked really hard and I was very proud of them. It is rare to find a group that works so hard without complaining. (Not one complaint all day!) Victoria and I spent the day inside working with sorting donations and making baked goods for the workers from the cruise ships. There were tons of visitors at the center that day.
I don't think I have ever been part of a group that was bragged on as much as our students. All of the Staff of Global Maritime repeatedly told me how great our kids are and how hard working they are. I was later told that one of the staff members spoke with one of the cruise workers from Indonesia. It was his first visit to the center and he was amazed at the love shown him and the love our students shown while working. How awesome is it that our students stayed in our own city and yet had the opportunity to share Christ in Indonesia. What an awesome testimony of how our God works! Saturday night we spent some much deserved time on the Slip-N-Slide. I am not sure if the kids have more fun on that contraption or if the adults do.

On Sunday morning we attended worship and then we had a nice lunch at VooDoo Bar-B-Que before we went on our last excursion. Each student led us to their school where we had the wonderful opportunity to prayer walk. We asked God to give each student the courage and power to minister in their schools in the upcoming year. We prayed that each student would see numerous opportunities to witness and to love those around them. The afternoon was a meaningful experience. We ended our weekend with dinner at church prepared by Mrs. Ginger, Ms. Michelle, Ms. Katherine, and Ms. Elizabeth. The food was delicious and we were honored to have them fix up such a nice reception for us. The fellowship hall was decorated with New Orleans decor and the tables were lit with candles. Dinner was lovely!

All in all the weekend was amazing. One of the best parts of student ministry is watching as God works through your students and to recognize how He becomes evident to the students through His Word. I marveled at the fact that our big God uses His people for His service. I am humbled everyday as I realize He has allowed us all to be His hands and feet. It all comes back to one of the truths we thought over on Friday morning. We read John 13:34-35 which says, "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have loved one another." If we are wanting to change the world with the love of Christ, we must love like Christ loves. To love others is not an option. We are not told to tolerate others. We are COMMANDED to love. Love often means giving of yourself to place others higher. We learned, this weekend, of the importance of self-sacrifice in order to love others. Our desire is that others will KNOW who we follow because of our love for one another.