In Their Own Words - Andrew

My trip to New Orleans was a tremendous blessing in my life. During this week I got the chance to step out of my comfort zone and serve in a community that I am not accustomed to. Throughout the week I saw God at work through the kids that we worked with as well as the interns and their stories of God's sovereignty! I learned a lot about team work and what it means to truly give up your own agenda to sacrifice a few comforts to bless other people.

I cannot wait to go back again next year and I hope you can pray for the city of New Orleans and the ministry that God has formed there.

In Their Own Words - Sarah

This trip to New Orleans was an experience I had never imagined would be so influential as it was. I fell in love with everyone I came in contact with down there including the staff, the locals, and especially the children. An overwhelming peace was ever present over me while I was down there. There is something about constant service to God and others that satisfies the heart and blankets you with a peace that can only be found when you are living as one in accordance with God. One thing that I will never forget is the time we spent with the kids at the projects. The kids would get so thirsty when we were playing with them and ask us for water. Every night I would arrive with a full water bottle and leave with it empty. Every night, this verse would come to mind, Matthew 25:35 ³For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.² seeing God¹s Word and will come to life down there changed my life. I thank God that he was able to use me, even in small ways, as his vessel to share his love.

In Their Own Words - Marissa

I had an absolute blast in New Orleans. It wasn't all fun and games, though.
I witnessed some pretty amazing things down there. I think one thing that really struck me about that week was the joy and hope the children there possess despite their situation. I had always known that I was supposed to have a heart for the poor, and that loving the poor was showing love for Jesus Himself. I thought I did love the poor, because I cared what happened to them and sometimes thought about them. New Orleans taught me that loving the poor is so much more than just thinking about them once in a while and sometimes remembering them in your prayers. It is actually physically getting dirty and sweaty and gross to play with their children; it is doing things that are sometimes scary, like putting yourself in an entirely unfamiliar environment in hopes of being a witness to those around you; it is doing something you may not want to do in order to serve your King. After my week in New Orleans, I can now truly say that I have a heart for the poor, and I hope to return in the near future for more inner city ministry.

In Their Own Words - Esther

New Orleans has been an amazing experience!! I've learned so much and grown closer to so many people! Both years it's been really hard to leave because there's so much I love about being down there, like the kids, the interns, all the youth groups, cheers, scheduled devotion time, and there's so much more. One thing that's really great about Urban Impact is that even though you're down there to serve they have chapel and scheduled devotion time so I've grown so much in my faith from being there. One of the things I've taken away from this experience is to always put God first, they have a saying God first, others second, and I'm third, which I really started to think about over the week. Thank you for all of you that supported the team by prayer or financially. It's really great being in New Orleans and knowing there are so many people praying for you!! I'm really glad I've been able to go to New Orleans, I really hope I can go next year!!!

In Their Own Words - Karen

It was fun to be able to go back to New Orleans this year! I love going to New Orleans because it's fun to get to know all the people on our team better and to get to know all the other teams that are down there with us.
Going down there is awesome because on top of being able to play with kids and show them God's love we have scheduled devotions so that we can read our Bible, pray and grow closer to God. It is so cool to see what Urban Impact is doing in New Orleans and I hope that I will be able to go next year!

In Their Own Words - Bekah

This year was my first year going to New Orleans. At first I was a little apprehensive because I didn't know what to expect. When my sister decided to come with as a chaperone, I was really excited. Despite my slight apprehension, God really showed me how much He is in control and that I didn't need to worry about anything.

One of the things that really stuck out to me on this trip was how all of these people could come together and minister so effectively with virtually no "get-to-know-each-other" time because of our common bond in Christ. Another thing that really impacted and refreshed me was just seeing the powerful ministry that Castle Rock and Urban Impact have and being reminded of the importance and impact of the simple Gospel message. The testimonies that we heard were also really encouraging and through them I was reminded of the greatness and awesome power of God.

This trip changed me in ways that nothing else could, and it brought me closer to God and to my youth group. I thank God for the things I learned, the friends I made, and the opportunity I had to be a part of this ministry for a week.

In Their Words: Alex

I had sooo much fun returning to New Orleans! I feel so comfortable there and feel God’s presence so much! I had a lot of fun getting to know the interns and kids. Some of them were the same and there were some new faces. God really taught me that His will is perfect and is a lot better than mine. I really thought that it would be awesome if my team won the challenge circle one night. We didn’t win Monday or Tuesday and then Wednesday we couldn’t have the challenge circle because it rained so I was feeling disappointed. But then on Thursday, our last day for the challenge circle, my team won!! All the youth with me, and the kids on our team, were super excited! I realized that if things had gone like I wanted them too the week would have been great. But because it went by God’s perfect plan it was 100 times better! I am hoping to go back next year and thanks again for all your prayers!

In Their Own Words - Ashley

Matthew 5:16 says, ³In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.² It's stating by shining out the Lord's love, all eyes will be pointed to the Lord. This was my mindset as I was in New Orleans.

Going to New Orleans with the First Evangelical Free Church Team this year was a God-given, amazing, eye-opening, and life-changing experience. From our constant cheers to time spent with children, everything was pointed to the Lord. The Father humbled me when I saw the devastation and open love of those we encountered. My faith was growing in leaps and bounds, and was patched up by the compassion of Christ.

This time was used for learning about Jesus, others, and yourself. I was reminded I can put my trust and hope in Christ in the times of temptations of the devil. I learned ways to spend my assets (time, money, etc.) to glorify God to the fullest each day. From myself, I found the will directs the heart, and when it's God's will, the soul will truly be full.

Through one of our simple VBS cheers, I was reminded of what our everyday mission as Christians is. Mark 12:30 simply says to love the Lord with all you got, and love people until you drop. I will continue to do as the Lord says, and stir on you to do the same also.

In Their Own Words - Jake

This week I learned a lot about patience, not only me but I think a lot of people did. When we (the high schoolers) did something wrong to get out in a game we would leave the game and wouldn't complain. Then one of the kids would do the same thing and we would let them have a redo. God really just showed me how to be patient and it is not all about me.
One of the best things down there was the testimonies given by the guys who grew up down there and went through the program. It was really cool to see how we impacted the people down there and got to show God¹s love.i would like to go back again.

In Their Own Words: Koley

I really don't know what to say other than this has been one of the best experiences of my life. It was a life changing experience for me. Before I went down there I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't how bad it was or anything like that. I just knew I was called to do this. For what reason it was I was not sure.When I finally got there it was totally different then what I thought it was going to be like. I never thought somebody so different from me could love me as much as those kids did.While I was down there I was changed because of those kids.Even though they had very little they were still very optimistic about everything, especially life. At such a young age they sort of had to fend for themselves.

Before this trip I could be selfish at times and I would ask for stuff that doesn't even matter.Since this trip I have tried to not be so caught up in stuff like that.I also have been changed in the fact that I have tried a lot harder to put God first and me last.In another way it was just changing because I got to become closer to some of the best people in the world, and become closer friends. And even though we are so different we all had the same goal in mind, and that was to further the kingdom of God.This experience over all was really great and I hope to return in the future.

In Their Own Words: Jeff Z

This summer's trip to New Orleans was life changing and eye opening. The poverty down there was so much, and to think that some people lost all they had in a matter of minutes was just devastating. Despite all the poverty there is still hope. UIM is doing a great job spreading the good news and hope everywhere they go. Even when I was down there I saw a couple people ask where the church was and if they could come which was very encouraging to me personally. The whole trip was so amazing that I would go back in a heartbeat, but we'll see what happens. Peace and Love.

First Free Guys Show Some B-Ball Skills

Check out our guys as they brave the 100+ heat to put on an entertaining show of Xtreme Horse. Click Here

Our Closing Update From Karen!

New Orleans was so much fun!!!! I'm going to write about what happened after Thursday, our last blog. Friday we did day camp at a basketball court and hung out with the kids except for some of us who went to pray for New Orleans and some of us went to a different basketball court and hang out there. After that we went to the French quarter and walked around and went to the French Market and some of us bought stuff there. Later on Friday we didn't have challenge circle but we still got to hang out with the kids there and say our last goodbyes. Some of us got some of the kid's addresses so that we could write them after we left.

Early Saturday morning we got up and said goodbye to the groups we had been hanging out with for a week, ate supper, and packed up the van and left for our long two day trip home.On Sunday we woke up, packed the van and left by 7:00 and started our 11 hour journey home, filled with naps in the van. At 5:45 we entered the church parking lot and were welcomed by our families, but before we got out of the van we prayed and thanked God for our trip and a little later we cleaned out the van and everyone was ready to head home.

Praises and Prayer: We thank God so much for the opportunity to go down to New Orleans and for the great time we had. We also thank him for the safe trip down and back and for the impact it made on our lives and the lives of the kids in New Orleans. Please pray that we'd take what we learned from New Orleans and continue to use it in our lives no matter where we are. Also continue to pray for New Orleans, God is doing awesome things there.We thank all of you who prayed for us while we were down there and anyone who donated money, this trip would be impossible without you.

Now for our final poem =)

While we were in New Orleans we had a blast

So our time went by really fast

We had so much fun

Even in the hot sun

We can't believe that our trip has already passed

Our Last "Normal" Day!

Today was REALLY hot and humid. Like y’all who have not been down here to Nawlins would not believe! The day started with the church van getting two flat tires. We heard a wonderful testimony by Mandia “Dingo” Gordon. Then it was time for VBS. But soon after it started to poured rain again. However it didn’t interfere with Marissa’s team that was playing basketball with some teens at a local park. The b-ball court is covered, but it still flooded and the blue team’s shoes were SOAKED.
We were actually able to do the challenge circle today, because the rain came earlier in the day. The kids were great, despite the heat. We are all forming some pretty cool bonds with the kids down here. It is so amazing to see how full of joy and life they are, despite their poverty.
Well, it is time for us to go to bed now, so goodnight y’all!

Praises and Prayer:
Praise the Lord for more rain! Also praise Him for the great things He is doing down here through Urban Impact Ministries, in addition to using us. Please continue to pray for our strength through our last day with the kids, and for help saying these hard goodbyes. You may not believe it, but we have formed some really unique bonds with these kids. Thank you for your prayers thus far! Love to you all!

We started with two flat tires
Before we even left the Yellow shire (house)
It was raining and pouring
But it didn’t stop us from soaringWe can’t wait to get tell our story to inspire

Wednesday Rain And Shine!

Okay, time for some honesty…we are actually writing this to you on Thursday!!! Oh no! So yesterday was pretty hot. We did VBS here again, and it was really amped up. And Marissa actually managed to have some fun dancing with the kids (dance is the sport of the week!). Karen taught the kids about David and Goliath in Bible class, and Andrew went with the blue team on a prayer walk. All of us high schoolers here are divided into five teams based on color: red (Marissa’s team), orange (Karen’s team), yellow, blue (Andrew’s team), and white. The prayer walk is something each team does once a week, where we drive and walk to different parts of the city and pray for the neighborhoods, churches, and schools in those areas and in all of New Orleans.
Good news and bad news: first, praise the Lord for the rain we had!!!! The bad news…we didn’t get to do the challenge circle with the kids because it was WET!! L
Anyway, we have been having a blast down here in the hot N.O. We tried to go on a trolley ride, but we juuuust missed it and then found out that it only came every hour…so we went to Wendy’s and Gary treated us to Frosties. (Thank you, Gary!!!)

Praises and Prayer:Praise God for the rain!! Please continue to pray for our endurance with the kids.

Sunny & Hot, It Was A Great Day!

We write this after a blistering hot day. It sound like we sent you some of the hot weather as well. Our group is working great and staying upbeat. As Pastor Dave said, “This team is fantastic, they are all working hard and chipping in without being asked” We also have had a blast working with the teams from MN, MI and CO, everyone is working very hard. The kids learned about Jehovah Nissi (Lord is my banner) and along with the story of David and Goliath at day camp. One of the funnier parts of the day was watching Pastor Dave and Tami learn some new dance moves in the sports class. Once camp ended we had a quick break and then dinner and to the sites. The Challenge Circle (Awana Circle modified for the urban environment) went very well and the kids were really into it. To end the night we launched water balloons into the group of kids for some wet refreshment.

Praises and Prayer:
Praise God for keeping the all the teams healthy and effective. Pray for the team as they hit the middle of the week and need to continue to have strength and energy. Prayer for each team member to continue to rely on God’s strength and draw closer to Him each day.

Today we enjoyed 110 degree weather
While we ran outside it felt a lot better
We hung out with kids until the sun went down
We ended with cheers that made a loud sound

We almost fell asleep writing this letter.

Putting Our Training Into Action!- Monday, June 22

What a day it has been. We finally got to put all the things we were trained to do into action. Our group also had time in the morning for devotions and group time where Sarah challenged us to “make the most of every opportunity.” We then had the privilege of listen to the testimony of Tyrone Christ of the Castle Rock Church youth pastor. He reminded us that he is a product of the Challenge Circle. Our team was split up into 5 different groups for day camp, prayer walk and basketball outreach. The temperature was 94 degrees, but we heard that it was about the same back home. Our group worked great in all areas. Day camp was pretty chaotic today, but they tell us that Monday’s are the hardest. We had a brief break and then off to dinner and then to the Melph and Calliope housing projects to do the Challenge Circle. We were “hyped” and had a blast playing and teaching them about Jesus.

Praises and Prayer:
We praise God for everyone working well together and everyone surviving the extreme heat. Prayer: It is suppose to reach nearly 100 degrees for the next couple of days, so please pray for all the teams to stay healthy and hydrated. Continue to pray for opportunities to share Christ with Jesus.

Monday’s Limerick

We started our work at day camp
When we were done me were rather damp
As the day got hotter
We were told to drink lots of water

At 10 PM were told to turn off the lamp

The Missing Limerick

Sunday’s Limerick

All day in the hot sun we trained
Our bodies of water were drained
Got our heads into gear
Learned new things for to cheer
In the evening, new knowledge we gained.

That's The Way We Roll (Theme of the Week)

First of all we’d like to say Happy Father’s day to all you dads reading this! We started the day by waking up at 7:30 and heading over to Castle Rock Church for breakfast. We had a history of Castle Rock and another tour of the city. After that we went to Shakespeare Park and ate lunch. We then trained for the challenge circle, which we will do with the kids tomorrow afternoon. After that we had talks about poverty and why it is important to befriend and be around poor people. Then we discussed racial reconciliation and the unity it is important to have as the body of Christ. Later in the afternoon we trained for the day camp we will do with the kids tomorrow. Right after that we set up and ate dinner. Then we had a concert of prayer with a worship time. We ended up each getting a shirt after an amazing dance off.

Praises and Prayer: We praise the Lord that we had an amazing first day full of team bonding. Praise for the arrivals of McKenzie & Andrew as well as the rest of the Bostrom clan and Gary Weldon. Please keep praying for the hearts of the kids we will be witnessing to; that they will be opened and we will be able to show them God’s love through our example.

Our Day Old Limerick:

We started with devos, and then
Hopped into the van once again
We got here all right,
Learned new cheers all the night,

Fell asleep with our friends Dave and Jen

-The amazingly humble blog team (thank Bekah for the limerick)

We Have Arrived In Nawlins!

The day started with another rousing awakening in a hotel room. We ate, had devotions, packed and left at eight o’ clock. We only went through two states today and ended in New Orleans at around three. After we were welcomed in and given a tour of the house and then our trusty dusty youth pastor took us on a tour of our ministry area in the central (inner) city. We had supper at Popeye’s. We learned some cheers and chants during orientation at the Castle Rock Church. We finished up the orientation and then some of us helped set up for breakfast for the next day as well as make lunch for our team. Our day ended with three-minute showers and blogging.

Praises and Prayer: We praise God that we finally got to New Orleans in one piece and realized that the thing following us through eight states was just the trailer. We are also thankful for the great teams down here and the ease of moving in.

Please pray for continued team bonding and relationships between the teams; also for witnessing to the kids this week. Pray for Andrew & McKenzie who fly in to New Orleans and Tami Bostrom and Sons, and Gary Weldon who will arrive by train on Sunday.

We are sorry for the lack of poem tonight but we don’t have time. We shall write two tomorrow

-Your fantastical blog team (Karen and Marissa, still no Andrew, who finally arrives tomorrow!)

On the Road Again...

We woke up this morning and had a complimentary continental breakfast and sung Happy Birthday to Sarah. Once we got into the van we swapped stories about our night... there was a sleepwalker (for real). While we traveled through six states and journeyed over the Mississippi several times, we played games like Mad Libs and telephone. We would start out with a sentence like, "One day a dog went for a walk, then he crossed the road and tripped over a rock. He was mad, so he kicked a cow," and ended with "A frog tripped and kicked a cow to New Orleans." This was one of the things that entertained us during the twelve hour drive. Unfortunately, after four hours of this, we were bored. To our delight, we finally arrived at our hotel at around nine o' clock and went swimming. We will later retire to our rooms for the night.

Praise and Prayer:
Praise God for answering our prayers today for our safe travel and good health. Pray for our 400 mile trip to New Orleans tomorrow, as well as the arrivals of the other teams. Pray for continued good health with the very hot and humid weather. We sincerely appreciate your prayers!

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize." - 1 Corinthians 9:24

We woke up and packed the van
And from the bad weather we ran
To make our way across six states
At Cici's pizza to clean our plates
And will now go to sleep (if we can)
-by your superior blog team! (minus Andrew plus Ashley.... again)

Welcome to the State of Museums (We only saw about ten signs on the way...)

The day started with the transportation team (Matt, Koley, and Jake) packing up the van. Next, family and friends prayed for our safe travels and about spreading the love of God in New Orleans. We left the church at 3:15 and started our almost 300 mile trek. In the van, we started off by playing a riveting game of pictionary telephone, and moved on to an energetic game of Mad Libs. We started to get weary of traveling after we got into Iowa. About three hours after hunger set in, we went to Fazoli's for supper. Finally about 9:30 we got to our Holiday Inn and settled in for the night, thus ending our day.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers! Please continue to pray for our safe travel, health, and patience on the way.

We are so blessed to have an opportunity like this.
God bless!

"The journey of 1245 miles begins with the start of the engine"
(Kinda) Chinese Proverb

The 2nd annual poem begins...

We got to church and prayed
And in the van games we played
We drove all day
And what can we say?
Six hours in the van we stayed.

-your amazing blog team (minus Andrew for today, plus Ashley)

Jeffrey's Thoughts

I have never gone on a missions trip before and I have no idea what it will be like for me. However it is in God's hands, therefore whether I impact everyone around me or no one around me God is in control. I have been praying that God will help me grow closer to him in this experience. I hope I will be used for God's glory in both good and bad situations. But on top of all this uncertainty I am super excited for my trip down to New Orleans.

Please pray for me and my team.

Karen's Thoughts!

I'm so excited to be going back to New Orleans this year! We have been getting prepared to go to New Orleans by having three training sessions which explained what we would be doing in New Orleans, what it's like down there, and some other things too.

One thing that's excited about this team is it's not just the people we normally hang out with so it's going to be fun to get to know everybody on the team, which we'll have plenty of time doing on the 1,245 mile road trip on the way there.

Thank you for all the prayer and support. Please keep praying for our team as we go to New Orleans to spread God's love!

2009 Stats

New Orleans Team Fast Facts
Team Number: 10 Team Members: 17 Returning Members: 7
Transportation: 1– 15 passenger van & 5 x 8 trailer
Round Trip Miles: 2650 Gallons of Fuel Used: 189

Schedule:
Mornings- Praise & Worship/ Bible Study/ Prayer
Afternoon- Day camp/Work Projects and Evening Preparation
Evenings- Challenge Circle (Inner–City AWANA),
Evening Recreation (Housing Projects) & Relationship Building

New Orleans Team

We have a team of 17 youth and leaders that will be heading down south in June!

Our New Orleans Team is getting prepared to change their lives and others as they serve God in New Orleans this year from June 18-28. Please pray that God will prepare them spiritually for all He has in store.