Bottled water and dead dads.
On Friday, June 24th, I received a call from our Short Term Missions Department at Adventures In Missions asking if I would be interested in leading a trip to New Orleans. The kicker? The trip started on Sunday, June 26th. Within 48 hours, I said “yes”, bought a plane ticket, and landed in NOLA to begin a very fun-filled and eye-opening week in The Big Easy!
A couple of days before I was asked to lead this trip, I listened to a sermon from my church down here in Georgia. The speaker that previous Sunday was Jeanne Mayo. Some of you may recognize her name! She talked about having a “yes” in our spirt before the Lord even asks us to do something. I wanted to implement this mindset in my life. When I was approached to do this trip, I knew it was a test. Of course, I had to go!
It was a four-day mission trip. Twenty five to thirty people signed up to go! We were involved with two different ministries. One was helping with a summer camp for elementary age children at a church. It was a academic camp that helped students remember what they learned the year before in school , so they won’t forget over the summer. The other was building relationships with homeless and low-income people in poor areas of New Orleans. We did this through passing out some groceries and some cold bottles of water because it was blistering hot!
The Lord changed my heart about passing out things to people. Until this trip, I was not a huge supporter of hand-out ministry. I thought giving things to people was keeping them from learning how to take care of themselves. Then, I heard God say to me, “It’s not about what you’re passing out. It’s about the conversation and relationship that happens afterwards.” The hand-out is just an ice-breaker to a much deeper connection. This revelation really helped me to understand and live out my purpose for that week.
After my one day in the low-income areas, I spent the rest of my time at the summer camp! This was a very refreshing blast from the past! As most of you know, I did children’s ministry before I got involved with the World Race and Adventures In Missions. It was a lot of fun but also very sobering. A lot of these kids have pretty rough home lives. I asked one boy what his dad’s name is. He responded with, “He’s dead.” I left the school everyday feeling grateful that we serve a Heavenly Father who never leaves us or forsakes us. I thanked Him for giving me the opportunity to be a glimpse of His heart that week in NOLA.
As of right now, I’m going to be about $1,000 short on my fundraising for this fiscal year. Would you pray about supporting me financially, so I can continue to live out the calling the Lord has for me in this season of my life? If you can only commit to a one-time donation, now would be a great time to do so! I’m also looking for a few more monthly supporters. If you’re interested, you can click on “Donate!” in the menu at the top left of this screen.
If you can’t contribute financially, thank you for your support through prayer, encouragement, and simply just being there! I love you all deeply!
