FBC Missions

We have been in New Orleans for 5 days now, and 4 of those days have been spent gutting homes that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005. It is really hard to explain what it is like here in Louisiana. We are working at homes in a town called St. Bernard Parish, which is right outside of New Orleans. The first house we walked in to had 5 bedrooms and it was completely full of stuff. The house had been entirely submerged under water, and it was about 1,000 feet away from the levee. It was really emotionally and physically draining to throw away this families destroyed possessions.

In the midst of all this physically exhausting work, it can be really easy for me to lose my perspective as to why I am in New Orleans. The last three days we have been working on a trailer of this woman named Dottie. They usually don’t gut trailers because they are not designed to be remodeled, but we gutted it anyway. It was very exhausting and at times was a little frustrating, because it seemed that this house wasn’t going to be saved. Dottie really wanted to try to save her home and to save a lot of her possessions, because it was her whole life. That time we spent on her home, gave her a glimpse of hope that she hadn’t felt for over a year. We prayed over her as a group and we will continue to keep her in our prayers.

There is a verse in Colossians that has summed up my purpose of being in New Orleans. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23,24

Our team has been growing together and we have been in the word every day since we have been here. There are some really amazing bonds that are being formed, and God is really working in our team. I know that I have been personally been blessed beyond measure and I am so thankful to be here. Please keep the team in your prayers. Merry Christmas!!!

Bethany

We are here! Yesterday we arrived in New Orleans at 5 p.m. and then traveled to Camp Hope, which is great! We were expecting to stay in large tents, but the camp is actually a buiding facility that volunteers built last year. The camp is run completely by volunteers. We have great cots and hot showers…yes!!!

Because our flight arrived later than planned, we missed dinner served at the camp and were “forced” to go out to a southern dinner where we feasted on red beans and rice, fried catfish, the best cornbread of my life and stuffed crab. The waitstaff was so friendly and the food was definitely good eatin’!

Today was our first day of work. We sent one team of 10 people to rebuild a house while the other 13 gutted a home in St. Bernard Parish. I was with the gutting team. As we drove up to the house and departed the bus, we all prepared by reading the rules and putting on our gear. We walked to the front door of this one-storey brick home and my stomach was nervous. I had no idea what to expect.

When we walked in most of the doors were blocked with debris. It is hard to describe how destroyed everything looked. Yellow insulation was thrown everywhere. The walls were stained with dirty water marks and mud covered chairs, dolls, clothes and everything else that was skewed throughout the house.

We met a variety of friends including rats, mice, spiders and cockroaches. We were also fortunate enough to meet the home owner after gutting about 65 percent of the house. The man was very kind and thankful. We watched as he looked through the few high school memories that we salvaged for his 18 year old son.

When we left there was a pile of debris about 20 feet high. In all honesty the day was very rough for me. I had to continually remember the people whose house I stood in and deny my selfish longings for a shower. It was a great experience and I can’t wait to let the Lord stretch me again tomorrow!

In Christ,

Genna

Tomorrow will be the “eve before the leave” as the CCF New Orleans mission team prepares for departure. Monday morning will arrive early as we wake before the sun to catch our flight out of Portland at 6 a.m. After arriving in New Orleans, we will travel to Camp Hope to settle and learn what opportunities the Lord has prepared for us to serve his people in New Orleans. We will arrive back in Oregon on December 19th, but until then…New Orleans here we come!!

Please pray for safe travels, health and the Lord’s words as we strive to share his love with the many homeless families this Christmas season. Continue checking this blog daily for updates as we demolish houses, devour southern’ cookin’ and develop a renewed heart for service.

Blessings,

Genna

Jareb and Amy McClain in Indonesia

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Serving with New Tribes

Jareb and Amy are currently serving in Indonesia with New Tribes. Their ultimate goal is to translate the Bible into an unreached people group’s language, facilitating evangelism and church planting.

Email: Jareb_McClain@ntm.org

Children: Kayla, Corin, Kimberly, Caden & Caleb

Prayer Requests: For continued good health

For protection for their children

For successful language acquisition

For safety in travel

Links: McClain’s Personal Website