Day 34

Please pray for today's ministry.
The teams (over 100 people total) are together downtown in New Orleans' inner city area serving the local people and cleaning up the streets in neighborhoods around our Urban Impact church partner. It is normally an awesome day of meeting the local people, sharing testimonies and listening to stories -- all while beautifying the streets of New Orleans!

I have a very interesting God- opportunity for today. I will be serving in the lower 9th ward.

There is a volunteer station right at one of the levee break areas. They serve food to the residents (who are 'camping' in destroyed & gutted homes in the sparsely populated area). They have no electric, water or sewer, but they get donated food and are determined to stay.

The college-age, hippy-style volunteers are camping and living in the same manner, becoming "one" with the people. The young volunteers have huge hearts and are doing a great job helping the people, but it apprears that almost none of them have a relationship with the Lord.

We stopped by there last Sunday so I could show the Minocqua team (and a Stevens Point team) the lower 9th ward levee-break area. While we were there the Holy Spirit prompted me, Aaron & Kelly to speak with the 'hippie' servants who have been roughing it for nearly 6 months now. I ended up cranking up a BBQ grill that was in the back of my truck and stayed, serving hot dogs well after dark. It was incredible, listening to the hard working volunteers and thankful residents tell their first-hand stories of what it was like during and just after the Hurricane. Most residents agree that it would have been an physically & mentally impossible task without the help of the Lord. Amen :)

I praise the Lord for allowing me to be "all things to all people" for that night. Aaron & Kelly blended in to the college-age sub culture of volunteers with ease. The residents (and anti-establishment hippies) usually stand-off to "tourists", but I was welcomed - maybe simply because of the grilled dogs...(?) Aaron was even able to talk some vegetarians into eating the dogs because "who knows how much meat is actually in a hot dog?". It was great!

Their little group called me last night asking if I would return today to help kick-off their latest project "Spaz-Kitchen" which is also run out of a previously flooded home. They are expecting many people (100+) from the neighborhood to attend and they would appreciate our support.

Aaron, Kelly and Wyatt are joining me to work alongside this group and witness the love of our Lord. Hippies need Jesus too!!

Please allow the Lord to lead your prayers for the inner-city work being done today. There are many resident who are still angry with God. And now we know that there are many volunteers who simply do not know the Lord. Please pray that God may use us all to share His love, and that He may go before us to soften the hearts of the people we will meet.

That's what is new for today -- I am extremely excited (no surprise, right?).
I feel sure that God has some awesome appointments with us!

Serving with passion - mj

I, however, followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.
Joshua 14:8