Thursday, May 28, 2009

so much to say, where do i start?

I cannot believe that tomorrow is our last full day. I am extremely sad to be leaving. I am sad to be leaving Charles and Louis, Bill, Hose, and everyone else that is involved in Carpenter's House. I love these people and my heart cries out to them - they are doing amazing things for the Lord.
I am sad because I love every single person on this team, and I don't want our time to end together.
I am going to be writing a lot so be warned.
I have so much to say, I dont know how to organize this all, but I'm just going to write. I want to mention everybody on the team.
Georgia - your heart is breaking for mankind, just as God's heart breaks for mankind. I pray that your heart would also rejoice for what brings God joy.
Wei - I see your genuine love for people, especially children, and it is awesome. I am so thankful to be serving by your side on another trip, this time a longer one.
Genni - you have a sweet and joyful heart, and I see God pushing you hard to find true joy in serving Him.
Abeena - You have an incredible heart for the Lord and through the hard times in your life, God is going to use you to be a voice to the voiceless. Keep seeking the face of Christ.
Rachel - You have the ability - a gift from God - to relate to and connect with anybody. That is awesome. You are really easy to talk to and I loved your devotion. Thanks for the encouragement and thanks for your new friendship.
Avery - I think you are a really great team leader and I am honestly sad that we had no real "work" days together. But even though I havent been with you during the day, I know that wherever you are you are working hard, and working hard for the Lord. "Go hard!!!"
Nina - Past all the joking that goes on between us, you have been such an incredible blessing in my life. I loved working with you on Wednesday and I can see your joy in serving the Lord.
Tayo - I can see that God is really working in your heart on this trip, and that makes me so happy. I think you are a wonderful person, and I am so glad to have met you and look forward to hanging out with you after the trip.
Kennard - you have a sincere and genuine care for your team. That is awesome. And I love how you are able to connect and be chill with the boys and teens that we meet during our evangelism periods. It is so vital to be able to relate to the people whom you are evangelizing, and you definitely do. And oh yeah, you love Lecrae
Jam - Last night during devotionals you brought in a topic that was very serious and very important. I thought that was really cool that you had the boldness to bring that up. I can see that you are very strong in the Lord, that you have a huge heart of service, you are very flexible and are humble. Your humility has been really encouraging to me.
Chris - You are always looking out for others and being a gentleman. That may sound cheesy or awkward, but its true. And its cool that you are serious about being a good driver and being safe, because I probably would have allowed the door to stay open while pulling away. While being fun and goofy, you are also very aware of the people around you and their needs and always thinking about the safety and care of your team members). And oh yeah, you like Lecrae.

Now I want to talk about Charles and Louis. I was praying on Tuesday, and God was really speaking to me about the focus of the trip. Yes, we have gone out and evangelized, heard stories, fed the homeless, but I feel that we are here to really encourage and serve Louis and Charles and everyone else working with Carpenter's House. The first two work days, I stayed back at the house and helped sort clothes, and clean up. On Tuesday I spent a good 2-3 hours working on this one corner. It was dusty dusty dusty. I dusted everything off, organized and cleaned the floor. It was so amazing to be able to serve that way and help Louis and Charles do something that they probably wouldnt have time to do. They both give their life to this - their entire life. That is so humbling, so encouraging. They are huge servants of the Lord, and to be able to serve them I found a huge, profound blessing. These past two days I have been working on Charles house, mostly doing trim work. It has definitely been a learning experience for me and I think its cool that I learned a bit about putting a house together. Leaving today, I saw a significant difference from yesterday, and I found great joy in knowing that I am helping to rebuild the house of someone who lost it all from Katrina. Well, lost everything on earth, but still has Jesus Christ. So basically, God has just been telling me - you are here to serve and encourage Charles and Louis and directly influence by renewing and refreshing them spiritually and so to indirectly impact the people of New Orleans through their ministry, which Charles says is OUR ministry - how humble he is.

I have so much more that I want to say, but I think i've been hogging the computer tooooooo looooong. so peace out, i shall write later.

4 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. I hope you read this...but

    Katie: You are definitely the best-kept secret. I know your position on the team has been an odd one. You were the "outsider" of the team as someone who didn't go to UMD-College Park and didn't know many ppl on the team. I wonder if at times you questioned yourself on whether or not you fit in, but without you the trip wouldn't be the same.

    I call you the best kept secret or the secret weapon because of that and also the fact that you can be low-key and reserved. But without you on this trip, things wouldn't be the same. You are definitely our prayer warrior and a back bone for the team and your contribution has meant so much. Your "sneaky" notes of scripture and encouragement have been priceless and I can't thank you enough or describe what that meant to me (in addition to the breakfasts you cooked for us). Your dedication to Christ and eagerness to share the gospel inspire me...you have tremendously affected my life. Much love to you and I hope we can serve together in July for the DR mission trip. Much love to ya

    --Kennard

    oh yea, and you love Lecrae and know all the lyrics...you truly are someone that will Goes Hard

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  3. kennard definitely took the words out of my mouth... you've been an amazing blessing to this team. you keep us focused on prayer and it's crucial. the memory verses were a great addition too =] the trip and the team would not be the same without you.

    -aves

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  4. thank you so much Kennard and Avery!
    You guys are awesome team leaders!!!!
    :)

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