What love!

To 'officially' welcome me as "Youth Pastor's Wife" to Fair Oaks Church, our women's ministry leader (Joy) planned a special morning yesterday in the women's Bible Study to fellowship, celebrate, and get to know one another better.

There was a fantastic spread of breakfast and coffee, a "Katherine Quiz", a collection of notes from all the ladies (in which they made helpful recommendations for favorite restaurants and places to go), time for me to share with the ladies (I talked about a few of the times in my life that God has spoken to me), prayer for the youth ministry, and lots and lots of love!

The outpouring of love and hospitality from this church has truly overwhelmed me. Since we've arrived, people have been so giving, loving, friendly, and supportive. I've never heard about, much less seen, such a consistent and tangible show of support to ministry leaders. Though I've never doubted that this is the place that God has called us to minister, it is so affirming to see that the congregation is just as happy to have us here! You don't know how much it means to both of us. So, on behalf of Gary and myself, thank you so very, very much.

You're Invited

Don't forget... tomorrow afternoon (Sunday, April 22nd, at 4:00 pm) will be our mission team's "thank you" dinner at Fair Oaks Church!

We look forward to sharing many of our New Orleans stories and pictures with all those who supported us both prayerfully and financially.

Hope to see you there!

Quote of the Day

"Worship is forgetting about what's wrong with you and remembering what's right with God."

-Mark Batterson; In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day

Renew Orleans

For me, one of the most powerful moments of our New Orleans trip was when we visited the lower 9th Ward (the neighborhood that received the most damage from Hurricane Katrina). I had visited the area during Oct 2005, during the World Race orientation, so I felt as if I had some idea what to expect.

This time, however, I was not surprised by the level of damage that I witnessed, but by the fact that for the most part, people are not returning to the area. Some debris has been cleaned up, some houses have been torn down and hauled away, but the only thing that is coming back is nature. Dead lawns are being replaced by growing weeds, houses stripped of their siding are now being covered in vines. I was reminded more than once of war-torn Bosnia: where buildings bombed out by the war now serve as oversized planters for trees, branches poking out of gaping windows.

So often, we feel that as Americans we are somehow sheltered from experiencing profound tragedy. One walk through the lower 9th Ward easily proves that is not the case. Let's not forget about our brothers and sisters in Louisiana; may their tragedy stir us to compassion and action, for as long as it takes to rebuild broken lives and Renew Orleans!

Hearing Their Stories

Ryan Gomez shares with us his reflections on the trip, and the story of one of the amazing people God brought across his path this week:

Some of us set out on this mission trip knowing what to expect, and knowing all the hard times and fun times that were ahead. For me, it was my first mission trip, and it definitely had a huge impact on my life and relationship with God. I met a lot of cool new people and made new friends and saw the devastation from Hurricane Katrina.

We worked at a place called Broad Street Mission, where we helped out cooking for homeless people and cleaning up the place. We interacted with them and listened to their stories as we told them ours. Most of the stories that they had to share with us were not very happy ones, but they always seemed to have a good ending, some kind of light.

There was one homeless man I met at the mission that had an impact on my life, and my whole perspective of how we live it. His name is Charles Daniels, a man who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina.

He was part of the 82nd Airborne Division during Vietnam, where he was placed on the front lines. After surviving Vietnam, he knew that a Hurricane would be nothing. He left his house in New Orleans when the water began to rise and met up with a Vietnamese man who said he would pay him to help find people. At first Charles accepted the money, but then realized that God would not bless him for taking it. He crumpled it up and threw it in the water and continued looking for others. His brother thought that he died and had arranged for him to be cremated. He later reunited with his family and friends.

Charles’ story taught me that even in the darkest of times there is always a little light, which is the light of God, and if you follow that light you will eventually come out of it ok.

This trip has taught me to be a better person, and has helped me to communicate better with others. My relationship with God has grown through prayer and just by watching all the wonderful things He has done in this short time that we have been here. I couldn’t have asked for a better spring break, and I can’t imagine what it would have been like if all my old and new friends were not here with me.

I have taken a lot from this trip, and hope to continue my ministry when we return home. God bless.

When God Speaks...

Here's a great story from Rachelle Cihonski about seeking God's advice, even when doing something as simple as planning our day. Check out the lesson God taught her:

Listening to God is a challenge, trust me. I struggle with it probably more than anyone I know. Why? I have a big mouth that doesn’t want to shut, ever. But I learned that when we actually take the time to listen, amazing things begin to happen.

My story of listening to what God wants is a funny thing that goes something like this: On Wednesday, I was trying to decide which I wanted to do that day, construction or the homeless shelter. Well, I talked to Russ about this and his answer was “pray about it”. So that is exactly what I did during devotionals. I asked God to clear my mind and then I opened my Bible to a random passage and asked him to use that to speak to me. Now, here is the thing, construction that day was tearing off a rooftop of a house and the verse I read was Isaiah 22:1-11 and it said this:

This message came to me concerning Jerusalem: What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops?

The whole city is in a terrible uproar. What do I see in this reveling city? Bodies are lying everywhere, killed by famine and disease. All your leaders flee. They surrender without resistance. The people try to slip away, but they are captured, too.

Leave me alone to weep; do not try to comfort me. Let me cry for my people as I watch them being destroyed. You inspect the walls of Jerusalem to see what needs to be repaired…But all your feverish plans are to no avail because you never ask God for help. He is the one who planned this long ago.

These verses were an answer to prayer (I spent the morning up on the rooftop), as well as a parallel idea to the destruction of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina. This passage totally opened my eyes and helped me to realize that if I actually take the time to listen, God will answer, even in the most bizarre ways. He taught me the most important lesson I will probably ever learn: how to shut my mouth and listen to the Creator, the one who gave me my voice.

Trust me, if you take the time to hear what He says, He will make sure that you get the idea, one way or another.

Loving God's Little Ones

All week long, we have been running a program for local kids in a neighborhood near Broad Street Mission, and it has been a joy for the whole team to be involved in loving these kids with the love of Christ.

Through prayer and suggestions from locals, God led us to a great location, an elementary school that was abandoned after the storm. It has a basketball court, an open field, and a large concrete area with an overhang to provide shade on the sunny days and shelter on the rainy ones. So when we found it on Monday, we brought out a ball or two and started played with the local kids.

We’ve been back every afternoon since.

Each day, we see between 10-20 kids, though school starting back up yesterday and today has seemed to lessen our turnout some. The time we spend with them is a combination of relationship building through sports, bible lessons, skits and dramas, and crafts. We’ve also begun to teach the kids some of the dramas set to music that we’ve prepared, and they’re picking up the moves very quickly!

Our week culminates today with a barbeque for the whole neighborhood at 5pm. We plan to perform multiple dramas, share stories of God’s faithfulness, and just be friends to the people from the neighborhood. Please be in prayer for this event, as this will be a significant opportunity to share God’s love with people who may not know Him yet.

Below are a handful of pictures taken during our times with the kids this week.

Even the Wind and the Waves Obey Him

Ray Dinelli shares with us an eye-witness account of the power of prayer, in his own words:

It was Tuesday and the weather was awful.

We had just wrapped up serving food to the homeless at the mission. We had a scheduled Vacation Bible School for that day, but given the weather, it didn’t look so bright. When we arrived at the school we’ve been using for VBS it had cleared up just a bit, and we began to draw a couple of kids by playing basketball with them.

Just then the rain came in, HARD. So we had to run underneath the overhang to stay dry. We had only attracted about 5 kids so far, and it didn’t look like the rain was close to stopping.

Just then as I was talking to Ashley, Bob and Cindy Maes and Yvonne called us over. We all decided to come together and pray for two things: for the weather to clear up and for more kids to come. Afterwards, we began setting up for the VBS.

About 10-15 minutes after our prayer, the rain stopped. Ashley and I just looked at each other in amazement. Then a little while after it stopped, the sun came out and the streets brightened up.

I went with a group of others to look in the streets for more kids. We were pretty unsuccessful, but when we returned we found more kids already at the school.

It was truly an answer to prayer.

Being on this trip has helped me out a lot, with my relationship with God along with other things. This story is just proof that when you really reach out for God’s help, He will answer with what you need.

The Ties that Bind

God had a surprise waiting for Ashley Wentling in the mission field. She shares it with us here, in her own words:

I have a wonderful group of friends from my small group. I also have other friends from church that I’ve known for what seems like my whole life. When I signed up for this mission, I didn’t expect to be expanding this tightly-knit group. I wasn’t worried about making new friends; to tell you the truth, it didn’t even cross my mind.

Even when we arrived at the airport, I immediately sought out my friends, not bothering to talk to the fellow missionaries on my team that I already knew were coming on the trip with me.

Eventually I came to the realization that I would be with this group of people all week, so I might as well grow close to them, as well as God. And now, almost 5 days later, I have grown so much closer to everyone in our group – from inside jokes, to secret handshakes.

I can’t say that I built these relationships by myself. God has been showing us miracles left and right. When people experience the work of God together, it’s hard to not grow closer to each other. Our desire to serve God brought us together, but the work of God kept us together.

Even my sister and I have been getting along, which I’m sure not even our parents will believe.

Last year’s trip to New Orleans was the best week of my life, that is, until now. We’ve watched the power of prayer prevail, and the unity of Christ work in wonderful ways. I can’t wait until next year for yet another wonderful opportunity to bring me closer to even more people.

Construction Pics

Today, a portion of our team spent the morning helping to rebuild a house that was nearly ruined by the flooding following Hurricane Katrina. First, we walked through a house across the street that has remained untouched since the Hurricane. Then, we applied mud to drywall joints in another house to prepare it for painting.

Here are some pictures from the day:

Visiting a Year Later

Mandi and Molly wrote the following story for us, sharing an experience the Mission Team had while retracing their steps:

Last year on the trip to Louisiana, a group of us had an awesome opportunity to work on a house that belonged to a man named Don. We got to see God work through us to touch someone else’s life. Don went from being a very discouraged, unattached part of what was going on to being open and actually working alongside us as we gutted his house. By the end of the week we left Don with a fully-gutted house and a sense of hope for his future.

Returning to Louisiana this year, a whole year later, we got the opportunity to go visit Don again. When we first arrived at his house, it was clear that no work had been done on the house since we left, which was a discouragement.

We knocked on Don’s trailer and when he came out, he was totally shocked that we would care to come back and visit him. We all hugged and we talked about how his life has been going and the future plans for the house. He shared with us that the area had been hit by a tornado and he suffered little damage with the exception of his roof.

At the end of our visit, we prayed for his needs and for the tough decisions he is facing regarding the house, and also regarding his health. At the end of our prayer, he couldn’t even finish thanking us. He looked at Russ and all he got out was “Thank you for bringing them back to me,” and he bent over and started to cry. We all embraced him in our arms and it was such a touching experience for us all.

Although we were discouraged in the beginning because nothing was done to the house, in the end we realized that even though the house had not changed, Don was touched and something seemed to change in him.

He is Risen!

We were blessed to celebrate the Resurrection this morning with the congregation here at Firehouse Family Ministries. The music was amazing; upbeat and filled with a spirit of celebration. Everyone in the room was clapping and dancing and singing, and we just couldn’t keep ourselves from joining in. The worship leaders included a pair of women dancing with flags and ribbons, praising God with their graceful movements, a quartet of incredibly talented vocalists, and a band that just plain rocked.

One of the biggest surprises for us so far is the weather here. This time last year, the temperature was in the 80s with plenty of humidity. This year, it’s in the low 60s, cloudy, and threatening rain. So please, pray that the weather improves and that it doesn’t interfere with any of our ministry plans.

This afternoon, we visited the Lower 9th Ward, an area of the city that was hit particularly hard by flooding in the aftermath of Katrina. The team visited the same area last year, and sad to say, not much has changed. The neighborhood is simply wiped out. Most of the lots no longer have houses on them; the wreckage was cleared long ago. All that’s left are overgrown concrete steps that once led to front doors and a handful of decaying rubble piles that once were people’s homes. It gives you an eerie, surreal feeling. An artificial peace.

On the way back we visited the Broad Street Mission, where we’ll be helping to feed homeless people and ministering to neighborhood children. We gathered there to pray for our week of ministry, asking God to go before us and to prepare us for what lies ahead.

We finished the evening with worship and discussion of the day’s events. And as I type this, team members are winding down, playing basketball and cards, and preparing to get some rest tonight. Tomorrow is a big day.

Alana's Call to the Mission Field

We asked Mission Team Member Alana Laux to share about how God called her to come to New Orleans. The following is Alana's story, in her own words.

I had been given the gift to successfully compete in track. When the opportunity to do missionary work in New Orleans was laid before me, I felt divided between the two.
This is where my competitive will and faithful service collided. I was split by the decision – completely torn and confused. Should I stay home to continue practicing and competing in track? Or, should I serve the Lord in New Orleans instead?

As these questions and concerns continued to rise within my chaotic and whirling mind, the more I thought about the decision, and the more difficult it became to decide. At the highest peak of confusion, I looked to God for the answer. Through Him, I found it.

Initially, I had decided to stay home to continue practicing and competing in track. I felt that as an athletic competitor it was my obligation to devote my time to training. As an athlete, I felt that I was making the correct decision-but under the track suit and running shoes, I continued to feel spiritual discomfort.

It was less than one day before departure to New Orleans when the answer became clear. Like any ordinary day, I attended speed training, but that day, I felt unsettled. It was as though my heart was being spoken to. It was then apparent. Going to New Orleans would bring forth greater success and accomplishment than any track practice or competition could ever bring. This was the answer I had been waiting for!

God called to me because He needed me…He spoke to my heart…He silenced my chaotic mind… And as I write this from New Orleans, I am perfectly content with the decision He has made for me.

We Made It…Mostly

We have arrived safely in New Orleans. Well, most of us have anyway.

Tina Barber ran into a bit of an ID problem at the airport, so she’s coming on a later flight. She gets in just after midnight tonight. And Jade Barber is coming in tomorrow afternoon, as planned. But the rest of us are here.

We’re staying at a church called Firehouse Family Ministries. Up above the church, they are barracks built for incoming teams like us. We have ten guys sleeping in one room, so pray that the smell doesn’t kill anyone.

This evening, Bill Britton, our Project Leader from Adventures in Missions gave us a bit of an orientation and overview of what we’ll be doing this week. We’ll get into more detail tomorrow, but everything we do here will be focused on building relationships; painting and drywall work, feeding the homeless, playing basketball with local teenagers, prayer walking through neighborhoods, etc.

Tomorrow morning, we won’t be participating in the previously planned sunrise service after all, due to some logistical circumstances. We’ll instead be celebrating Easter here at Firehouse Family Ministries, and then traveling to the construction sites, the mission, and the VBS location to pray over these sites before our work this week commences.

The team is in great spirits. Everyone is eager to get started, to meet people, and to see what God will do through us this week. I’ll try to post at least once a day with new stories, pics, and prayer requests, so check back regularly.

Happy Easter to Everyone!!

Prayer Requests:

• Pray that God would begin speaking to us about what He wants from us this week.


• Pray for our meetings with the people we’ll be working alongside.


• Pray that every member of our team would be seeking the Lord with all of his/her heart.

New Orleans, here we come...

After months of preparation and team building, Gary and I will be leaving to New Orleans tomorrow! We will be going with a team of 31 from the Fair Oaks youth group - traveling to Louisiana to serve and minister to families affected by Hurricane Katrina. Our plans for the week include doing drywall/painting, leading a children's VBS program, and feeding the homeless. We also will be prayerfully listening for that 'still small voice' should God have something totally unexpected up His sleeve!

Throughout the next week, we will be uploading photos from the trip as well as testimonials by the participants. We'll try and post each day, as the internet situation allows. Please check back often! Also, if you would like to leave a encouragement or prayer as a comment, we will be sure to relate those to the students.

Thanks!

"I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly; I do not seal my lips, as you know, O Lord. I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly." Psalm 40:9-10

Back to School

So, I’m a student again.

Last night was the first step in my long-anticipated effort to finish my Master of Divinity degree at Western Seminary in San Jose. It’s a three-year program if you go full-time, but I’ve never been able to do that while keeping my job, my ministry, my wife, and my sanity. So I’m on the 10-year plan, and it looks like I’m on track to graduate on time! Woo!

Anyway, last night was my first time back in a classroom in nearly four years. After the requisite back-to-school shopping trip, I marched off to class, brand-new spiral notebook in-hand, ready to conquer the halls of academia. And truly it was a wonderful time, filled with introductions and course requirements and syllabi; the stuff of a new semester.

The class is entitled, “Growing Disciples Intentionally,” and it focuses on taking the disciple-making command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20, unpacking its original first-century context (what the Twelve would have understood the command to mean), and applying it to our 21st-Century world.

I’m sure I’ll talk about class here on the blog from time to time, but if you’re really interested in what I’ll be doing for the next 12 weeks, you can check out the course syllabus.

And feel free to pray for God’s grace in my academic pursuits. I’m fairly confident that I’ll need it this semester.