First Free Youth- New Orleans Missions Team

Training

2011-07-21T10:07:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned for more updates

2011-07-14T14:23:00.000-05:00

From These Guys!

Esther's Week

2011-07-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

This was my 4th year going to New Orleans with the youth group and once again saw God at work there! It was great going down with team members who were passionate about serving God while we were down there!

A few things God taught me through New Orleans were that everybody needs God's love no matter who they are or what they've done and that sometimes you shouldn't just sit there and wait for God to call you to go a certain direction you just have to wisely go in the direction that seems best until He says 'no' or you feel Him calling you in a different direction.

One thing that really stuck out to me this trip was how every kid just wanted to be loved. Even when the kids would say they wanted to go home when they were given the opportunity to go home they would want to stay. And the kids who weren't always behaving well would want to come and sit on your lap.

God again taught me this year in New Orleans and I hope I am blessed with the opportunity to go back again next year...

Day 8

2011-07-01T22:43:00.000-05:00

On Thursday
8:30am- Breakfast

9:15am- Personal Devotions (Isaiah 61; Jeremiah 22:16)
9:30am- Our Team Devotions (Scott Sebesta Romans 10:5-13)
10:30- Chapel Time with worship and message from Tyrone Christoph
12:00- Lunch
12:45- Day Camp Prep & Van Drivers Leave to Pick Up Children
1:30pm- Day Camp Begins (Crafts, Bible, Sports "Theme Thursday" crazy hair and sports jerseys)
4:00pm- Day Camp Ends
5:00pm- Supper
6:00pm- Challenge Circle (Melph, Calliope, Taylor Park)
10:15pm- Intern testimony by Eric, Andrew, and Alaia

Day 7- Wednesday, June 29

2011-06-30T09:27:00.003-05:00

Hitting Our Groove. . . A Normal Day

It was hot and sunny today, no surprise there.
8:30am- Breakfast
9:15am- Personal Devotions (1 Corinthians 13)
9:30am- Our Team Devotions (Jordan Erickson- Romans 5)
10:30- Chapel Time with worship and message from Pastor John Gerhardt
12:00- Lunch

12:45- Day Camp Prep & Van Drivers Leave to Pick Up Children

1:30pm- Day Camp Begins (Crafts, Bible, Sports "Wet Water Wednesday")

4:00pm- Day Camp Ends

5:00pm- Supper

6:00pm- Challenge Circle (Melph, Calliope, Taylor Park)

8:30pm- Talent Show for Teams (Congrats Becca on Winning)

10:15pm- Intern testimony by Kyle & ????

10:45pm- Lights Out

Health is good for the team and we have bonded well with the other team from Maple Grove EFC as well as the Urban Impact Interns. Please pray for opportunities for us to share Jesus and for good health and lots of energy.

Day 5 & 6- June 27 & 28 (Mon & Tue)

2011-06-30T09:12:00.001-05:00

Today the second day of camp we did start
The kids went to Bible, sports and did also some art
before eating supper each of our color teams made up a cheer
and after went into the vans one of which Dave did steer.
We all went to the projects and brought balls and some chalk
with the kids we did play with the kids we did talk.
While Dave was awesome and owning in basketball
it seemed for the rain someone did call
The wind started blowing and thunder we heard
the Challenge Circle was cancelled for the ground was too wet.
So we went to the Yellow House to clean up for the night
and after hearing some interns testimonies we turned off the light.

Interpretation of Poem. . We had thunderstorms that arrived during the evening so at our three sights
we had to cut short time because of the severe storms.

Day 4- Sunday, June 26

2011-06-26T21:52:00.001-05:00

We did wake up when the alarm rang
And before eating breakfast, good morning we sang
We then did some devos and went to a meeting
About the history of CasleRock before some more eating
Before we did eat though, sing songs did we do
And a tour of the city we also did too
And last but not least about culture we learned
More useful knowledge all of us had earned
Next we ate lunch and then got into groups
Training was great, no one said oops
After learning day camp we learned how to run
The challenge circle, it was really fun
We then did eat dinner, spaghetti it was
After going outside for some bball we went back in because
It was time for some prayer to grow closer to God
For getting beignets, yes, did most of us nod
So to Cafe Du Monde all of us were sent
Next back to the yellow house we all went
And quick showers we took to not be a hog
So the last thing to do was to write this blog.

Poems by Karen B.

Day 3- Saturday, June 25th

2011-06-25T22:00:00.001-05:00

We started the day with some devos at ten
And once in the van we all did cheer when
We saw New Orleans on a green sign
Which made us so happy, much beyond fine
Next we stopped at a Walmart at it did we eat
There was a subway inside, it was sort of neat
Once again we were on the road
Heading to the yellow house which would be our abode
The Lake Ponchatrain bridge we eventually were on
On it we were even when twenty minutes had gone
Down in New Orleans when we were finally moved in
We unpacked upstairs but left food down in a bin
After learning the rules some pizza we ate
And later that day the volleyball was great
Next we did shower then to bed did we go
This week would be great that we did know.

Day 2 - Friday, June 24th

2011-06-25T21:56:00.001-05:00

When we awoke we could not wait
We finally left, just around eight
We got to Saint Louis and looked for the Arch
When we did find it, to it we did march
When we finally realized the wait was too long
We had to declare that to stay would be wrong
For we did not want Dave to get any more tired
We figured more sleep was what he desires
So we went back to the can to eat some good lunch
Some people made sandwhiches for all us to munch
After a rest stop in the van we'd cram all
And soon after that we would spot a camal
After more driving we stopped for more food
Which made us all happy, it put us in a good mood
Only a few hours more of driving we had
Which made us more happy, it made us more glad
But what made us most happy was when we got here
At the hotel, for now New Orleans was near.

On The Road- Day One!

2011-06-23T22:49:00.001-05:00

We arrived safely in Keokuk, Iowa at 8:30 PM. We had a little free time as well as a devotion led by Justin O from Romans 8.

Drum roll please. . .A Poem.

Before driving off and leaving today
We got in a group and proceeded to pray
We were then ready for the rest of the day
Even though in the van all day we would stay
After six hours of driving we decided to eat
Which gave us a break from being in a van seat
We then got to drive for a few hours more
And finally again did we escape out the van door
Now we are ready to rest in our hotel
So that good news to New Orleans we can go tell.

Please continue to pray for safety as we travel and good health.

And They Are Off...

2011-06-23T13:59:00.001-05:00

The team was so excited!

They were already starting to bond!

Families came to pray over the team before they left...

Many prayers for traveling mercies and then they were gone.

New Orleans Team Leaves at 1:00 pm

2011-06-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

If you would like to come and prayer over the team please join us at First Free Church at 12:30 pm.

Stay Tuned for Updates from New Orleans 2011 Team

2011-06-02T13:29:00.002-05:00

Tripling up

2010-07-24T21:41:00.004-05:00

Thursday the 22nd
As opposed to the rest of the week, Thursday was hot instead of hot and muggy. With the forecast saying it was suppose to rain all week, we were not sure what to expect. However when we did get rain, it was not enough to shut down any of the activities with the kids; making this the first year in a while that the team has experienced no rain delays. As the week neared its close we were getting a little tired, but we still were having fun with the kids and the other teams.

Friday the 23rd
final day in New Orleans and our final day with the kids. We started the day by heading to the French Quarter followed by a stroll through the River Walk. We ate lunch in the River Walk food court. After that we went back to the Church to have a fun Friday with the kids. An inflatable water slide, a bounce house, and a movie were the fun activities of the day. After we got a little wet (or a lot) we said our goodbyes to the kids we had gotten close to. Soon after that we left to have one last hour with the kids at the different projects it was sad, but at the same time amazing to see the impact we could have on a few kids after only knowing them for four days. Dinner was served by the interns as a thank you for giving our time to be with these kids. Next was the Say So. Say So is a time where all the teams gather together and share what God has done this week and then worship Him. After that we said goodbye to the other teams and thanked the interns. To finish our time in New Orleans we took the trolley to Cold Stone Creamery for a treat. Then we hit the sack.

Saturday the 24th
We woke up early and said any final goodbyes and hit the road early. As we drove the 650 miles we had time to reflect on our amazing week. We will miss the kids, the friends we made on the other teams, and the challenge circle. However we all defiantly took various things away from this trip. Tonight we shared as a group our highlights which was an awesome experience.Then we challenged each other to live out what we had just experienced and bring it to our communities.

Prayer requests: That Dave would stay awake and alert, we would have a safe final leg of the journey, and that we would impact our community as we come back to our daily lives

Poem Thing!!!

Rays of light
Each child was
Beyond the grave
Eternally saved
Lovin' people with all we got
lovin' Jesus til we drop
End though we have to part
New Orleans stays within our hearts
Dearly we remember thee
with love, affection, and glee

Thank you for the love and support

Doubling Up!

2010-07-21T23:15:00.004-05:00

Sorry about the delay in getting another report out to you. We have been a bit busy and just got back to the Yellow House later than expected.
Tuesday was a very hot day (108 heat index)! We had groups out playing basketball, mowing vacant house lots and other running a day camp that included (Bible Time, Recreation and Crafts). Our team is feeling pretty good today, many didn't feel very good Monday, but it appears we have all adjusted, thanks for your prayers. We followed our afternoon activities with another night at the Melph and Callio housing projects and the amped-up version of Awana. There was a nice breeze that allowed things to feel much coller than earlier, along with no rain (all answers to prayer). We concluded a great day with a wonderful time at the Creole Creamery, it was very good.

Wednesday. . .flew right by. Teams rotated to different responsibilities and activities and didn't have to brave the heat, it was only 101 heat index. No really that feels a lot better. Everyone is still felling pretty good, I think we all are sleeping pretty good. Tonight we concluded with a Talent Show where our group performed the Everything Drama.

Pray for a good rest, also that the Lord would work on our hearts to draw us even closer to Him. That He would give us opportunities to share the gospel with children, youth and children.

See ya tomorrow!

A Beautiful Sight

2010-07-19T22:05:00.002-05:00

The day started with a nice breakfast. We then moved on to group devos, followed by tye-dying some shirts wich was fun. Had a quick message from pastor John, ate lunch, then moved on to the fun part; Day camp started. It was so amazing to watch a group of local kids play and interact with us, who they had never met. The day went by so fast, just playing with the kids. After the kids left day camp we had a quick bite then got ready to go to the two housing projects. We got there and the kids just started hanging on us and playing with us. We ran the challenge circle and had a blast doing it! It was so cool (not in temprature) to see the kids screaming the cheers involving Jesus loud enough that the parents in the area heard. God is so good.

Prayer needs.
Please continue to pray for Andrews ankle.
Also pray for Madeline as she is feeling a little under the weather.

Poem!

Today was only monday.
But it sure was a fun day.
We played with balloons and got wet.
Now for the rest of the week we are set.
With the kids we did play,
but at the end of the day
the kids let us be
and have some swet tea.

A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood!

2010-07-18T21:45:00.005-05:00

We started the day with breakfast at 8. Just as we began our group devotions, it started to pour rain. We took a tour of the city, which was led by our very own Eric Baumgartner. Our training continued with a session in child evangelism. Then it was a sack lunch and division into teams to encounter the the flooded field to practice the Challenge Circle. At the end 7 of the team participated in the God created slip and slide in the middle of the field. We did more training in the areas of poverty, racial reconcilation, and day camp. We then had a great night at the concert of prayer to prepare our hearts and minds for the week. Then Dave drove us to the French Quarter to enjoy some Beignets at Cafe Du Monde.

Prayer Requests: Pray that God would open hearts of the children at Day camp as well as continued healing for Andrew's ankle and Zach's headaches. Pray for energy and strength as we now brave the oppresive heat and humidity.

Poem:
Today after raining
We started training
And it was very draining
Good times we did share
And ended with a concert of prayer

Now In New Orleans- Saturday, July 17

2010-07-17T21:06:00.009-05:00

Today we arrived in good old New Orleans and we are very happy to be here. We were reunited with Karen and Esther who flew down due to an orchestra concert. Once we were semi settled into the yellow house we met the interns and learned the house rules. After that we had about an hour to explore the city and then we had dinner at Popeye's where "everyday is Mardi Gras". Then we moved onto Castle Rock Church where we learned the cheers and chants and all the general rules. Now we are here. Stay tuned for our next update!!

Prayer requests:

Please pray for Andrew's ankle and for safety tomorrow as we learn the Challenge circle outside in the heat.

Poem!

Today we started in the van
This week will truly increase our tan
after setting us free
we took a picture under a tree
and decided to explore the city
After going to our rooms to unpack
we noticed the Superdome had been painted black.

Check out some pictures at this link:

2010-07-16T22:13:00.004-05:00

Today we made it to our second stop in Southaven Mississippi. We had a day of fellowship in the 12 hour van ride. Which was fun to say least. We drove through a 30 minute storm in Tennessee later in the day. Obviously we made it here safely otherwise we wouldn't be able to update this blog :) The devotional team has been doing a great job teaching and helping us get deeper in The Word. Tomorrow we have another fairly long (7 hour) drive ahead of us, so keep on praying. Look for our next update tomorrow evening. New Orleans Team signing out.

If you would like to veiw photos here is the link http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10851&id=128884133819857&saved#!/album.php?aid=10851&id=128884133819857

2010-07-15T23:36:00.002-05:00

We made it safely to our hotel in Ceader Rapids Iowa. Please keep us in your prayers as we will be driving 12 hours. We will have a more detailed update tomorrow.

Taylor's thoughts on the upcoming trip

2010-07-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

Well I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to go to New Orleans; blessed financially and spiritually. I have never gone on a mission trip out of state before so that is increasingly exciting. I am so excited to be Jesus’s hands and feet to serve these kids with all I have. I feel God will change me and show me an environment completely different from what I know. This will as well be life-changing. I can honestly say I have never seen true poverty. So this will definitely be a different experience. I am ecstatic and ready to be on the full armor of God.

Esther's thoughts on upcoming trip

2010-07-12T13:42:00.001-05:00

This will be my third year going down to New Orleans with the youth group and I am so excited! I'm excited to see how God will work through me and also to see how He will work in my heart. It's been amazing going to N.O. to play with the kids and show them God's love. Even though they live very different life styles then we do, they are so eager for us to come and play with them like any other kids would be. I also love how even though we are down there serving, they give us devotions and quiet time to do them to help us grow closer to God while we're down there. Every year I come away changed. I know God will be working in my heart this year and I will come away changed having grown closer to God.

Please be praying for: The team that we will be filled with God's love so that the kids can see His love through us.

The kids in N.O. that God will be working in their hearts.

James 4:2 says "You do not have, because you do not ask"
If we don't have prayer support here, then what we do down there won't amount to much more than a fun trip. So please be praying!

New Orleans Team 2010

2010-07-12T12:25:00.003-05:00

This year we will be going down with a team of 15 again, and with 12 out of the 15 having been down there before, this is a quite experienced team. The team is getting ready to head out, we will be gone July 15-25. Please keep us in your prayers as we head into this life changing experience.

In Their Own Words - Andrew

2009-08-03T10:06:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-30T14:38:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-30T14:30:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-29T14:39:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-29T14:38:00.001-05:00

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

2009-07-27T08:51:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-27T08:47:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-24T11:45:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-23T14:51:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-22T09:07:00.003-05:00

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

2009-07-22T08:57:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-16T16:17:00.002-05:00

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!

2009-07-06T22:40:00.006-05:00

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!

2009-06-25T23:14:00.001-05:00

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!

2009-06-25T23:00:00.000-05:00

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!

2009-06-23T23:51:00.006-05:00

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

2009-06-22T22:37:00.009-05:00

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

2009-06-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

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)

2009-06-21T23:40:00.009-05:00

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!

2009-06-20T22:43:00.007-05:00

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...

2009-06-19T22:29:00.012-05:00

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...)

2009-06-18T21:52:00.008-05:00

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

2009-06-17T10:32:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-06-11T13:27:00.001-05:00

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

2009-06-01T09:48:00.001-05:00

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

2009-05-19T11:36:00.004-05:00

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.

In Their Own Words. . .Dana Jaehnert

2008-08-14T15:22:00.001-05:00

When we first got to New Orleans, I had no idea what to expect. Little did I know that I was going to grow close to people and build relationships with kids'. I didn't know how and what God wanted to use me for this week. All I knew was that He was calling me to New Orleans and that I was to go and listen. At Challenge 2008 in SLC, there was a speaker who talked about poverty. He said that once you go out and do Gods work by loving people who are less fortunate than you, they are no longer just "poor people;" they are your friends. They're Demmi, Shanada, Kalil, Regan, and Imanii. They are people that just want to be loved and cared for like everyone else."Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" and I said "Here I am. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

In Their Own Words. . .Alex Gustafson

2008-08-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

I absolutely loved New Orleans. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I thought the kids would be inner-city rough and wouldn't like us. I also thought we'd stick to our own youth group and, other than us; it would be all adults my parents’ age. My ideas and expectations were all wrong. I grew close to the group from Dubuque, Iowa, and especially close to a girl named Jessie. Jessie, Logan and I coached the Red Team for our outreach called the Challenge Circle. Our group split up each meal so we always sat with new people. My last expectation turned out to be false also. The main "adults" were interns in college. The youngest intern was 18. They were inspirational as the kids loved them. They always knew how to talk with the kids yet still hung out and joked around with us. Their love for God was obvious. Seeing it always boosted my spirits! The kids were sweet and ready to be loved. They always wanted to hang out with us and had huge smiles when you remembered their names. They seemed a little broken but opened up to us when we talked to them. The girls loved to do our hair and the guys liked to throw balls around. I became really close with a little boy named Reagan. He loved to talk and hug. His whole family was sweet and I was able to talk to all of them. I learned a lot on this trip. I learned to trust God, especially when I'm tired. I learned God makes a huge difference and there is good Christian rap. I saw God at work everyday and just truly learned to praise him through everything. My prayer life strengthened as did my relationships with my team. I really want to thank everyone who supported me as I really enjoyed this trip. Also, I want to thank my prayer partners and my parents because I really felt your prayers. I love you all.

In Their Own Words. . .Esther Baumgartner

2008-08-12T15:19:00.000-05:00

I'm kind of shy so at the beginning I wasn't exactly sure how the week was going to go. As I spent more time with the team, I felt more comfortable. After lots of driving we arrived and had training. We also had bible studies and lessons. Most of the interns gave their testimonies. After hearing all the different testimonies, it helped me to realize God is still actively working in peoples lives. When I arrived in New Orleans, I was expecting to play with the kids and have God work in their lives, but God worked in my life also. I had an amazing time and hope I can come again next year.

In Their Own Words. . .Madeline Gustafson

2008-08-11T15:17:00.000-05:00

New Orleans was AMAZING! I worked with the 6-7 year olds during Bible Camp and they were all precious. At the first Challenge Circle, I thought the kids would be excited but instead the kids wanted to give up. I was very discouraged after the first Challenge Circle. As I was feeling discouraged, I realized that my prayer life was dead and that I should be praying for these kids. I prayed that night for the kids at the Challenge Circle and Bible Camp. The next night the kids were excited to be there, thank the Lord! Everyday I would be in prayer for New Orleans and I saw God work in amazing ways! I want to keep my prayer life alive. “Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me and I will listen to you" Jeremiah 29:12

In Their Own Words. . .Conner Knutsen

2008-08-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

As many may know, this is not my first trip down to “Nawlins” so the experience was slightly different. The first night everyone got together to learn the cheers and get a feel for things. I looked around and saw the look of confusion on the faces of those who were new. I wondered if I looked like that my first time. Not only was it different from the aspect that I was in tune with how things should go but this year, instead of spending our days gutting houses, we spent the day helping with a day camp. I was given the chance to lead a young soul to Christ. If the Lord wills, I plan to return again next year. Another year and another step towards Gods plan for my life.

In Their Own Words. . .Cara Meidlinger

2008-08-09T15:14:00.000-05:00

This was my first time going to New Orleans and my first mission’s trip. I was very excited to spend time getting to know and playing with the kids. I never expected the injury to my knee but I guess sometimes God just has to throw a curve ball. I learned that I needed to be flexible and go with the flow. The main thing I learned was Jesus first, others second and me third, even with my knee injury. I tried to maintain that status. It was a great learning experience and I would recommend it to anyone.

In Their Own Words. . .Anthony Hill

2008-08-09T15:13:00.000-05:00

I thought this trip was different from most trips because of the people. There was a unique blend of outgoing and other types of people that made everything interesting. The activities we did were fun. Overall, the experience was good.

In Their Own Words. . .Kevin Zugschwert

2008-08-08T15:06:00.000-05:00

This was my second trip to New Orleans so I had in my mind what to expect for this trip. However, God really surprised me by providing me with an entirely different experience than I had last year. He challenged me in ways I wasn't quite prepared for, but he taught me to trust him though it all. Also, because this year was aimed less at physical work and more at working with kids, I was able to develop relationships with kids much more than last year. All in all, it was a good experience. I thought that our team really started to grow and good things will come from this group in years to come.

In Their Own Words. . .Karen Baumgartner

2008-08-07T15:04:00.000-05:00

New Orleans was AMAZING!!! The van was crowded but was still fun to get to know everyone better. Once we arrived in New Orleans, it was fun to be in a different environment and to talk to other teams. It was neat to see how they say words differently. One word they used in New Orleans differently than us was "krunk." There it meant to be hyped. It was great to play with the kids even when they kept asking to sit on your shoulders. It was fun to see them get excited and scream cheers about God. The one big thing I came away with from this trip was how powerful prayer can be so now I’ll be working really hard at praying daily. Thanks to everyone who prayed for me and for the youth group on this trip.

In Their Own Words. . .Logan Knutsen

2008-08-06T15:03:00.001-05:00

Before I left for New Orleans, I kind of thought, “Why are we down here?” I thought that they had pretty much recovered from Katrina. However, I didn't realize or even ever think that there is so much evil and spiritual darkness in New Orleans. On Wednesday I went on a prayer tour where we drove around and stopped for a time of prayer at different places. Towards the end of this prayer tour, we stopped at the levy in the lower 9th Ward. When we got there, I looked around and saw all the damage that was done. Along with all the damage, I also saw all the good that resulted from it. It was at this point that I realized that no matter how bad Katrina was, God used it for His glory. Now there are organizations like Urban Impact who bring workers to New Orleans to care for the people and share the Good News with them. That is how I saw God’s handiwork this week.

In Their Own Words. . .Heidi Florin

2008-08-05T15:01:00.001-05:00

I went on this trip not really thinking that it was going to challenge me. But, let’s just say your comfort zone is not a place God lets you spend a lot of time in. God really stretched and used me this week. During the afternoon we did a Day Camp where I helped out with the 8-9 years olds. It really challenged me to step up and be a leader which is not really my thing. In the evening we had Challenge Circle. I was at the housing project called Melph. It was so much fun to interact with the kids. The girls loved to do our hair. I actually got mine colored with sidewalk chalk! Ha, ha! We played four square. The Challenge Circle was a really different experience for me. A lot of the New Orleans kids wanted to quit when their team didn't win, but it was our job to get them excited to play. It was hard to really be happy all the time, but God really helped me love the kids. This trip taught me a lot and I really saw God at work in New Orleans. I am so glad I got to have this amazing experience and I will treasure it forever.

In Their Own Words. . .Natalie Schad

2008-08-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

New Orleans was a life changing experience. The ride down was crazy and the hotel pools were amazing because of our aerobic instructor, Alex. The best part of the drive down would have to be the 24 mile bridge and the assigned seating. After arriving in New Orleans we went though training and had dinner. The first full day we went through Challenge Circle and Day Camp training. I was on the Red team for CC training; we lost but it was still fun. By the end of the first day, I had already had a ton of fun and was looking forward to all the other days. Monday through Thursday was amazing. We started off everyday with breakfast, devotions and chapel. At 12:45 the vans left to bring kids to Day Camp. I helped with crafts and ended with either paint or glue on my face everyday. When Day Camp was over, we had a couple hours to recover and meet other teams. After dinner we climbed into our vans and went to the housing projects. The housing projects I went to was known as the Melph. At the Melph, we played four square or had our hair done. When we started the Challenge Circle I was put on the green team. All the kids were adorable. My neck was very sore from carrying kids on my shoulders but it was worth it. Friday was extra special because it was the last day. The day was full of fun as everyone was taking pictures and all the kids and teens had huge smiles. At the Melph I said goodbye. I was very sad because the kids were amazing and they loved us being there. On Saturday morning, seven of the girls got up at 4:30 to say goodbye to other groups that were there with us. After our goodbyes, half of us went back to bed while the others stayed up to clean. The ride home was fun; we played “My Cows” the whole way. We had birthday cake for Eric’s birthday. New Orleans taught me patience and showed me a whole new culture. I loved it and really want to go back.

In Their Own Words. . .Eric Baumgartner

2008-08-04T14:56:00.001-05:00

First of all, I'd like to thank you all for your prayers and support. It was really obvious that we were being supported with prayer while we were in New Orleans. This was my fourth time going to New Orleans, and every time I've been down there, I've seen God working in new ways, and so I couldn't wait to see what He would do on this trip.There are always new changes when I go down, so I tried not to go in with to many expectations of what i would be doing. Because of the number of youth who came to help, I ended up being on a team of seven guys who went out during day camp to play basketball at a local park with any guys from the community that showed up. This was a good experience for me because I've comfortable with sharing my faith with kids, but sharing God with adults has always been tough for me, so God kind of challenged me to step out of my comfort zone. I never got the chance to share, but I did get the chance to talk with one guy about why we were there.As always, God answers many of our prayers while we are down there, and it's obvious that there are many people supporting us through prayer. One thing that always amazes me is how the weather almost never affects any of our activities too much. It rained pretty heavily on two days while we were there, both times it was around noon so day camp hadn't started yet. The rain had mostly stopped by the time day camp began and only slightly affected the number of kids. Then by the time for Challenge Circle, the grass was dry enough that we could still run around on it.One thing I learned in New Orleans, is that God ALWAYS has a purpose for you wherever you are. On one of the rainy days, we had all run over to the Yellow House after chapel and then the cook had just gotten back from shopping for food for the week so a few of us helped her bring some food over to CastleRock in the rain. On the way over, we saw a teen trying to fix his bike and when he was still there on the way back, a few of us stopped to help. A screw had come off from his gear changer, and knocked his chain off. Right when we stopped to help, he found the screw and then we struggled for a good 10 minutes trying to get it back on. Then I realized I should pray for God's help, and then right away we finally got it on. But the gear changer was hitting the spokes, so we were trying to twist it to make it work, but nothing worked. So then I prayed again, and then, it just popped into place! We invited the guy to come to church on Sunday, he said he'd try to make it, and then he rode off. Afterwards I realized that if the cook hadn't gotten back at that time, and if we hadn't all been willing to bring the food over to CastleRock at that time, we never would have been in the place to help him.Since I first went down to New Orleans, I've been considering serving down there as an intern, and so I've been praying about what I should do, Last year when I was down there, I definitely felt God calling me to serve there as a sumer. I was considering doing it this summer, but I had so many other things that were going to be happening this summer. So I prayed about it and felt God said I could wait until next summer. Then when I was there this summer, I had three of the Urban Impact staff members (including Pastor John) tell me I should serve as an intern. So now I feel certain that God is calling me to serve there, and I plan on answering His call.Thank you all again for your support and please continue to pray for the staff at Urban Impact and that the ministry down there would continue to prosper.

Livin On Your Prayer, , ,Were Half Way There

2008-07-27T00:21:00.003-05:00

We arrived in Festus, MO at about 8:15 PM, grabbed some pizza and many went for a swim. We also ran into the Dubuque group at the hotel, we had no idea we had reserved the same hotel. We will be leaving for home at about 7:30 AM. We plan to drive by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis for a quick picture and then it will be about another 10 hours of driving until we reach home. We have about 600 miles left to drive.

Prayer:
Continued driving safety, it appears we will be running into hot weather and some rain along the way.
For a good night sleep.

The Poem Ends.. . .

We kept up the pace
and finished the race

We started off on the wrong foot
going the wrong way
But then we got turned around
and it was okay

The drive was long and we were all tired
So when we got to Festus and we all retired

We wished Eric Happy Birthday
And that is all we have to say.

Sightseeing and our Last Harrah. . .

2008-07-25T21:55:00.005-05:00

Wow! What a week. As we write this we are all amazed at how fast everything has gone by. The days highlights included the guys missing breakfast (overslept), trip to the French Quarter for a walking tour and back to CastleRock church to begin a modified day camp at a nearby park. We played soccer, had bible time as well as crafts. It was very hot, even in the shade. We had over 40 children show up. Pastor Dave even got a chance to go to Tre Pennington's (CastleRock Worship Leader and National Project Director) house to check out the finished work that one of our adult work teams did back in August of 2006.

We came back to the church for about a half hour break and some water and headed back out to play with the children at the two project sites. It was nice to have one last time to just hang out, get our hair braided, spin kids and play four square. It was so hard to leave, but we know that beginning next Monday another group will be coming in to pick up where we left off. We praise God for the wonderful relationships that were developed, along with some great conversations about God we had.

Prayer Request. . .
Pray for the Urban Impact/ CastleRock Church staff as they continue to build on what the teams start.
Pray for our team as we look back at the week and reflect on what God has taught us.
Pray for Pastor Dave as he drives nearly 20 hours over the next two days after a long week.

Answered Prayer. . .
Great last day with the children, good attendance and weather.
Safety for all the groups as they all worked very hard.

Our Last Poem Installment will be Saturday Night. Check back again.

Cracking Voices. . .Loving Kids!

2008-07-24T22:01:00.007-05:00

Hard to believe we have already been in New Orleans for 5 days, it seems like it just started. Today we thought it was going to be a rain out because of the rain that came just after lunch, just before day camp pick was to begin. The rain slowed down and we changed up a few of the activities. I continues to be great to see our team work so well with the other teams as well as the children of New Orleans. Gary Weldon and Pastor Dave continued to dig holes and get fencing ready at Pastor John's house.

We were concerned about the condition of the play areas at both sites for the evening recreation and Challenge Circle. We were amazed that the areas we were in great condition with a limited amount of standing water. We had nice size groups as both sites and we are not sure who had more fun, our students or the children. Many of the team members voices are cracking because of the cheering and yelling they have been doing. Each time we get together with the kids, our relationships with them deepen and our love for them grows.

Last Minute Update. . . We all headed over to the Creole Creamery Ice Cream Shoppe for a late night snack. It was a nice cool break for the end of a long hot and muggy day. By the way, Eric Baumgartner took the Creole Creamery Challenge of eating 8 scoops of ice cream, 4 different toppings, 8 cherries, wafer crackers and whipped cream. He did it last year and made it into their Hall of Fame (see picture), however this year he went for the record, he missed it by 1 second, his time was 11:01:25. It was pretty entertaining, especially when we hit the bumps in the road on the way back to CastleRock Church.

Prayer Request. . .

Our bodies are getting very worn out, pray for an abundance of energy and love.

Opportunties to share Jesus with the children we have been working with this week

Continued safety as we finish strong and leave everything we have left for the children

Answered Prayer. . .

Every one is feeling pretty good, just tired. We are not sure about Eric after the huge Sundae

For good field conditions for our recreation and Challenge Circle times

With Much Anticipation. . . The Poem!

Hard to believe it was the last day

Where we go to Challenge Circle and play

It rained for a little while

But we were still got to see kids smile

The ice cream was really cold

but Eric was bold

So he dove right in

And finished with a grin

This trip is going so fast

it seems like it's already in the past

*Explanation of the Challenge Circle!

2008-07-23T21:51:00.002-05:00

Some of you have asked for a description of the Challenge Circle. We apologize for not giving you a brief description of it. We have dubbed it the AWANA Circle on steroids. The Challenge Circle was created by Glen Schrieber (founder of Urban Impact Ministries) back in the early 90's. It was designed with the urban/ inner city in mind. All the activities take place around a large painted circle, that is broken into four pie-shaped sections. Each section has a color that has a meaning. Green- God Loves Me, Blue- All People Are Sinful, Red- Jesus Died For Me and Yellow- I Want Jesus To Be My Best Friend. Points are loosely given to teams that win various games, show good sportsmanship and are "hyped" (loud and excited). They also learn various cheers that they need to know when the head coach asks them. Examples include: HC- I am a KIDS- Champion, Stay in SCHOOL, Who's In the House? JESUS. With some of the cheers their are sometimes actions that go with them. We play that for about 45-50 minutes. Each team has team members that serve as line coaches, circle coaches and hype coaches. As you can imagine, it takes a lot of coaches and helpers to keep the energy level up as well as keep the kids engaged.

We hope this helps.

Half Way There!

2008-07-23T21:39:00.002-05:00

Today started out really hot and then it rained. . .and it got hotter. It was another good day at day camp even though the numbers were down a little bit; all the kids had a lot of fun. We taught them about David and Goliath and made snowflakes in crafts. Day camp ended today with the kids not wanting to leave.

This evening we headed out to go to challenge circle*. When we got out of the vans not many children were there. It didn’t take long for them to show up. We played four square, tossed balls around and we colored the sidewalk with chalk. We started challenge circle with the football toss and all the kids really loved it and finished with a all team relay. After challenge circle we got out water balloons and launched them with a sling shot all the kids went crazy. Many of the team members put the kids on their shoulders to try and get hit by more balloons. So at the end of day everyone was happy and sad we had to leave.

Prayer Requests
Kids at day camp and challenge circle would continue to cooperate.
As the days are winding down that we would have energy to finish and the kids would want to talk about Jesus.
We could keep this mindset when we go home and apply it at home.

Answered Prayers:
The rain didn’t hinder any of our activities at Day Camp or Challenge Circle
Karolyn (Our Female Youth Leader) is feeling much better.

Our Poem. . .

Today we woke with our energy drained
And right before lunch it rained and rained
And even though our voices are hoarse We keep on yelling to finish the course

Gettin In the Groove!

2008-07-22T22:24:00.003-05:00

Today we had another great day at sports camp and challenge circle, almost everyone has gotten the hang of it now. Every time we eat we have fun breaking up and talking to other teams and sometimes the staff or interns, they’re awesome!!! Today our team also got to wash their clothes.

It was a great evening tonight, the temperature was comfortable by New Orleans standards, and we were much more comfortable with one night under our belt. We had kids on our backs and shoulders, others did our hair and some we just threw the ball around with them. The teams then proceeded to the Challenge Circle and got “hyped” with the children. The team is working very well.

Prayer Requests:

Pray that all of us would keep having energy throughout the week.
Pray that all the kids would have a good time and learn more about God.
Pray that Cara’s knee would keep healing.
Pray for Karolyn as she is a bit under the weather.

Answered Prayer:

We had nearly 40 children show up at the Calliope Project site this evening.

All the kids had a blast
Even those who came in last
Before we knew it the day had ended
And all our energy expended

First Day In The Books

2008-07-21T22:26:00.007-05:00

What a day! Everyone was a bit nervous, since most of our team had not been to New Orleans beofere. In the morning we had a chapel time with Mike Robinson which challenged us to consider "Kingdomnomics." I will give you a hint, it is about People, Relationship and Resources. After lunch we did some prep and were off to our duties for the first day of Day Camp. We had Unity Time, Bible Time, Crafts, and Soccer. Our group did great. Pastor Dave helped out at Pastor John's (CastleRock Church Senior Pastor) house with siding.

After a short break and supper, we headed out to the Calliope & Melph Housing Projects to do our recreation and Challenge Circle. It was a beautiful evening, things cooled down a bit, only a little bit about, to 90 degrees. Cara hurt her knee a bit as she ran with one of the kids around the Challenge Circle. We will know more on Tuesday. We ended the night with a the water balloon launches which are always a blast.

Prayer Requests:
Cara's knee injury
More children to show up at the Calliope Challenge Circle
For continued strength and endurance
For opportunites to tell the children the Good News of Jesus Christ

The Poem Continues. . . .

Today was the start of day camp
by the end we were a bit damp
During Challenge Circle we all got stoked
Then we launched balloons which got us soaked
(substitute poem writer for Cara, Eric Baumgartner)

Trained and Braving The Heat!

2008-07-20T23:01:00.003-05:00

Today we were trained in all the activities we will be doing throughout the week (challenge circle and day camp). We learned what we would be doing with the kids all week. The heat index was 102! We also had a Concert of Prayer, which included a time of worship and prayer for our nation and our group this week. Everyone is feeling pretty good, getting excited about our week ahead. Our group was divided into 2 teams that will do ministry at separate sites each evening.

Prayer Requests:
Endurance throughout the week
That God would continue to build unity
That God would work in the hearts of the kids

Before we ate we shouted a cheer
Which made us all get in to gear
We also had fun
In the very hot sun,
Later we prayed
And thought it was a good day

We Have Arrived In New Orleans!

2008-07-19T22:28:00.004-05:00

Today we arrived in New Orleans at around 3:30 where we were orientated at the Yellow House and then at Castle Rock Community Church. At the church we did introductions of all the leaders causing Dave to break dance (for real), we learned chants and cheers, after which we played an eventful game of “Eat that THANG”. Eric Baumgartner rocked it, eating a sandwich made up of turkey, jalapeños (lots), cottage cheese, yogurt, mayo, and barbeque sauce, in one bite!! That’s all for today here’s more of our poem.

We arrived in New Orleans today
When we arrived everyone said yea!
When we stepped out of the van
We realized we’d get a good tan.
Eric didn’t even flinch When he was given a gross sandwich.

This is the drive that never ends it goes on and on my friends

2008-07-18T22:46:00.009-05:00

Day 2 started at eight when we headed out from our hotel and hit the road. We drove through Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and a little bit of Mississippi. We reached our second hotel of the trip in Memphis, Tennessee at about 6:45. Went and ate at CiCi's pizza, pasta and more for dinner. And then took a dip in the pool and so far that has been our day. To end our day Logan Knutson shared a devotional with the group. Thanks for reading but now for more on the poem!

This is the drive that never ends
it just goes on and on my friends
as we did drive a lot of bends
we played Pictionary with our pens
and every one is best of friends

P.S. Our card reader broke. Sorry! We'll get you the pictures as soon as possible.

Dave drove, we rode!!!

2008-07-17T22:05:00.003-05:00

We arrived at church and loaded the trailer and had a time of prayer. We departed First Free precisely at 3:17, once we crossed the Iowa border, we stopped at a rest stop to stretch our legs ;) . The rain was atrocious, a few of our team members got soaked, trying to find the van which Dave had moved. We drove for 390 miles to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We made a quick pit stop at Subway for supper. Now we are here informing you about our day of fun!!!

We packed up the load
Dave drove, we rode
we played catch phrase
and had a good day
we made a nice poem
aren't ya glad we aren't home?

Catch ya tomorrow with some pictures and pay attention to our never ending poem!!!

FROM:
Cara Meidlinger
Heidi Florin
Karen Baumgartner

1 Week and Counting

2008-07-09T11:27:00.004-05:00

We will be taking our 9th team of youth to the Central City of New Orleans to partner with CastleRock Community Church and Urban Impact Ministries. We have already had 3 team meetings. Our Team consists of 13 student and 2 adult leaders. Each team member needs to raise a minimum of $550 as well as a prayer support team. Please be in prayer for the team as they make their final plans for the trip. Be sure to check back regularly to view pictures, team member journals, video uploads and specific prayer requests.

In Their Own Words- Danielle

2007-07-09T15:05:00.001-05:00

"Each time I go to New Orleans God continues to show me himself in so many different ways. One of the biggest ways this year was in how much hope people still have in the city of New Orleans. Many people we came in contact with want to be back in New Orleans and want the community back. They are doing what they have to do to get their lives back together. It’s probably not the first thing you would think of when thinking of the Central City. It is really neat to see how the Church is playing a role and the impact they are having in the community. It amazes me that God can use anything to bring people together. God is working and it was great getting to experience that first hand and I hope I can continue seeing that." -Danielle

In Their Own Words- John

2007-07-09T15:03:00.000-05:00

"This was my first trip down to New Orleans although the rest of my family has been down multiple times. In terms of the shape of the buildings, the city was about what I expected. One thing I wasn’t expecting was the communities being as alive as they were, even though a lot of the houses were not occupied. The people there were also very friendly, and ever more so when they found out what we were doing. I think that is something that a lot of neighborhoods back home lack is the feeling of being a community." -John

In Their Own Words- Shannon

2007-07-09T15:01:00.000-05:00

"Going down to N.O. was an amazing experience that I will never forget. Being able to serve the Lord and the people in N.O. was so much fun and was so rewarding. My favorite thing that we did was working with the kids at Challenge Circle. They were all so sweet and excited to come play with us. I also enjoyed gutting houses. It was hard work, but being able to see all that we got done was incredible. Through both of these activities, I was able to show God’s love to the people in N.O., especially the kids. I got to know one girl, Brione really well. She was a little heavier than the other girls, and noticed that none of the Castle Rock volunteers wanted to put her on their shoulders. Just by allowing her to ride on my shoulders, I could see her face brighten. I loved being the one to show her how much God loved her. Seeing that little bit of hope in that little girl makes me realize that N.O. still has hope for the future with God’s help. Yet another Godsend was how well all the other youth groups got along. We were able to work efficiently and still have fun doing it. By the end of the week, we were all reluctant to leave N.O. and the friends we’d made there. This trip to N.O. has been eye-opening, a blast, and I can’t wait to see how God will use this experience to change my life!" -Shannon

In Their Own Words- Connor

2007-07-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

"One of our first days down in N.O., we took a tour of the lower 9th ward where the hurricane hit the hardest. The first thing that struck me was the silence. It was like someone took the entire area and wiped it off the map. It just made me realize how great and powerful God really is and how our very existence is in His hands." -Connor

In Their Own Words- Theresa

2007-07-09T14:47:00.000-05:00

"As I was preparing to go down to New Orleans I had no idea what to expect. I wasn’t quite sure what God had planned for me. As the week went on, nothing really happened that revealed to me God’s purpose. I prayed about this and asked God to show me His reasons for having me there. Still nothing extraordinary happened. I thought about what happened this week and thought about what I learned. I realized that this week God revealed to me the importance of using my resources for Him. Also, I was able to meet so many new people. Everyone acted as though they had been friends for a while and it was so cool. This trip was awesome!" -Theresa

In Their Own Words- Kevin

2007-07-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

"My experience in New Orleans was amazing in many ways. God opened m eyes to the world that exists beyond my own sheltered life. But He also showed me how He works through the interns and staff at Urban Impact. Everyone working there had a selfless desire to make a difference in Central City and in the lives of the children. The last, and probably the most amazing aspect of the trip was how the groups got along together. Because we were all down there working towards the same goals, bonds and friendships formed very quickly. It seemed like we had known each other for a lifetime, not 6 days. It just goes to show God’s power of unity when we gather together for Him. This trip was one of the best experience of my life and I couldn’t have done it without your prayers and support. I am really excited to go back next year." -Kevin

In Their Own Words- Carter

2007-07-03T17:01:00.000-05:00

"New Orleans was an eye-opening experience to all of the various ministries within Louisiana. Looking at the 9th Ward showed the reality of Katrina not presented by the news. Also, working with the kids of N.O. was fun and rewarding. I thought the different teams and the Yellow House were really fun. The trip itself was fun and enjoyable." -Carter

In Their Own Words- Diana

2007-07-03T16:18:00.001-05:00

"Our teens were awesome! They were hard-working, loved playing with the little kids, got along great with everyone, and had great attitudes (even with our run-ins with giant spiders and roaches)! I also appreciate what I learned about the ministry of Castle Rock Church and Urban Impact – including the comment from one of their speakers that “Christians are called to be dangerous, wild, creative, and daring!” It has been my privilege to serve with our team. Thank you for your prayers."- Diana

In Their Own Words- Ashley

2007-07-03T16:17:00.001-05:00

"One of the best things during this missions trip for me was getting to play with all the kids at the Melph Project for Challenge Circle. The first night we got there we were mobbed by kids asking for piggy-back rides. One girl came up to me and grabbed my hand. Her name was Tiyatta, and we mostly blew blew bubbles, played hopscotch, and jump-roped until we were out of breath. On Tuesday, Tiyatta and I were coloring rainbows and flowers with chalk. When she asked me, “Where’s God at?” I was able to share about who He is and His amazing love for her. Although we weren’t able to finish the conversation I’m sure that a seed was planted in her mind. I’m in awe of our God’s power to answer prayers because earlier in the week I had asked God to give me a opportunity to share about Him with someone New Orleans. Being around such a different environment than what I’m used to has really changed my perspective on poverty and it’s effects on people. I’ve come to realize that the poverty and destruction from Katrina in New Orleans has many faces and that every person has their own story of love, hope, despair, and restoration. God has raised an awareness not just about the hardships I New Orleans but in Minnesota also. I’ve also seen what a humongous effect the Church can have on a community just by doing what Jesus told Christians to do. I pray that I will be able to transfer this experience into a deeper passion for God and for everyone around me." - Ashley

In Their Own Words- Eric

2007-07-03T16:15:00.000-05:00

"Thank you for all your prayer and support for the whole team. I have been down to New Orleans two (count em) times before, and both times I saw God work in many ways so I was curious to see how He would work on this trip. God showed himself to me in many ways on this trip. All three teams worked very well with each other ad had a unified goal of bringing glory to God in all we did. God taught me that I can glorify Him with any talent I have, no matter how small or great it is. Every time I have been to New Orleans, it gets harder to leave, and I feel like God may be calling me to serve as an intern there next summer. I ask that you would keep all of the staff and children they work with in your prayers as they try to rebuild and restore the community of New Orleans. Thank you again and God bless!" -Eric

In Their Own Words- Megan

2007-07-03T16:12:00.001-05:00

"This trip was a once in a lifetime experience – I’m so glad I got the chance to take this opportunity. Getting my application and support letters out late I had my doubts about whether I would be able to go. Down in N.O. I learned about so many lessons about the reality of life after Katrina. My eyes were really opened to God’s love for the people that have been hurt physically, spiritually, and emotionally by the storm. I will take these lessons home with me to use in my daily life and whatever I encounter!"- Megan

In Their Own Words- Quinn

2007-07-03T16:09:00.001-05:00

"God has revealed Himself to me in many ways on this trip. He provided me with more than enough support money. He gave me the opportunity of getting to know some great friends. He gave me wonderful little children to play with and to love. He has showed me His power by answering many prayers throughout the week. Most of all, He has taught me to step out of my comfort zone and to not be ashamed of Him." -Quinn

Coming Soon!

2007-06-30T22:57:00.000-05:00

We plan to have each team member share some thoughts from the trip, along with how they saw God at work. So watch over the next few days for those to be posted on the blog.

Our Ministry Week is Already Over!

2007-06-30T22:55:00.000-05:00

We are all having a hard time believing the week is already over. We were all amazed at how fast the week went by. We all had a great time seeing how God used each one of our team members in His own special way.

Friday was a bit different that what we were used to. We started the day out in the community picking up trash and talking with people we came in touch with. We were amazed at how much we accomplished in only a couple hours. Many people had conversations with many of the people in the community. What was encouraging to us, was how many of them said “Thank You” to us.

Friday afternoon we went to our Challenge Circle sites and saw many of children for the last time. It was a great week to show the love of Christ to all the children through our example and the truth of the gospel that we shared verbally. We pray that our team and future teams will continue to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ to bring hope to a community that desperately needs it.

Friday evening we had our last supper at Café Reconcile as a group and then headed over to the Church for what we called the “Say So.” This was time for people to share how that saw God work this week. We had a time of sharing, singing and a slideshow of our week.

We left Saturday at 7:15 AM and traveled 650 Miles to Festus, Missouri (South of St. Louis) and arrived at 6:30 PM. We plan to leave at 7:30 AM Sunday and hope to return to First Free by 8 PM or earlier.

Thank you all for your encouraging comments and prayers. We truly felt the presence of God with us all week and we know that is because of your prayers.

A Tour of the City and More!

2007-06-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday was bit of a different day for us. We have so appreciated Urban Impact Ministries and CastleRock Church's efforts to help us understand the community and history of New Orleans. This has been helpful for the us as we work with the children, teens and adults in the area.

Today we took a tour a large area of New Orleans (not Downtown or French Quarter). We visited the Garden District (St. Charles Avenue), Central City, 17th Street Canal Levee (middle class neighborhood that was devastated by flooding), and also some of the local schools. We were encouraged to hear that a number of great charter schools are coming into the area that should really help build a solid education foundation for the area. Urban Impact is starting this fall a high school charter school of 10 students. We stood outside one of the new charter schools and prayed for all schools, teachers, school board, Louisana Education Board and the students and families.

The weather has warmed up again, but we haven't had rain. The amazing thing about that is it rains in buckets in New Orleans regularly. We will be near 90 at 6PM tonight with only 65% humidity, so it really only feels like 95 degrees. Keep praying, we fully believe it is the result of your faithful prayer.

The Challenge Circle Update: What can we say the students have been doing a fantastic job. They are "hyped" (excited) to be working with the children even though many shoulders and backs are a bit sore from all the rides, but the smiles and laughter are abundant. We end each night with a water balloon launch, which seems to be a favorite amongst the children and our team. What's better than getting a water balloon in the face and have the water splash all over you?

Prayer Items: 1) Pray that we would finish strong. 2) Pray for us as we meet up with other groups and do a community clean-up activity called "Super Friday". 3) Pray as we say goodbye to all our new friends from the community and the other groups. 4) Pray for continued good health and weather.

Another Amazing Day!

2007-06-27T15:48:00.000-05:00

It is always nice to know what to expect, so Wednesday was great. We pretty much did what we did on Tuesday. Gutting houses, afternoon chapel and Challenge Circle. Keep praying the weather has been great for all our activities.

We are very excited about how much we were able to accomplish at all four work sites. Some of the things we ran into while on the sites, dead rat, large pet cockroaches, contents of homes that have not been touched for nearly two years. We were all a bit sobered to see the amount of things people lost. It was really sad to see family heirlooms that weren't salvagable. Our team worked very hard and is doing well with their health. We had a couple of team members from the other churches that are not feeling well.

Challenge Circle went well again, we had a great turn out of children. The children and the student leaders have really gotten a hang of the games and sayings we use. We are not sure who is having a better time, the children or our team members.

Prayer Items: 1) For weather that allows us to minister effectively. 2) For our tour of New Orleans to get a big picture of what New Orleans is all about. 3) Pray that we would finish well, we have one Challenge Circle night left. 4) That our teams will be bold in sharing Jesus Christ with the children and other people that are around.

Let The Work Projects Begin!

2007-06-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your prayers! It was a wonderful day in the high 80's today and medium humidity. We will pray for you in the midwest and your hot weather. After our breakfast we met as a team and had a short bible study on "Peace" as well as prayed for our fellow students that are serving with Royal Servants this summer.

In the morning we separated into 4 work teams and headed out. We had 3 teams gutting and removing contents from homes, while another group helped a local organization with some landscaping and curb appeal. All the teams did an amazing job and came back excited about how much was accomplished. We will have another day of projects on Wednesday.

We had an afternoon session with Michael Robinson, Community Development Director about racial reconciliation, it challenged us and helped us see the bigger picture,

We just returned from the Melph and Callio Projects and doing the Challenge Circle. The turn out at both was way up from Monday. The ground was dry and the kids were very excited to see us and we were very excited to see them. We ended the night with a water balloon launch where the student missionaries and children try to smash the water balloons as they fall from the sky.

We ended the night with a trip to the local Ice Cream shop, sorry no pictures of this.

Prayer/ Praise Items: 1) Praise God for the perfect weather for our projects and circle time. 2_ Pray for a good night sleep as many of our bodies are getting a bit tired and run down. 3) Pray for opportunites to share Jesus Christ boldly with those we meet on our projects and at the circles.

Let The Challenge Circle Begin!

2007-06-25T21:10:00.000-05:00

We weren't sure if the Challenge Circle was going to happen because of the rain and lightening in the area. After a delicious dinner, we traveled to two project sites to do the Challenge Circle. We divided up and went the Melph and the Callio. It was so encouraging to arrive and see the children come out as soon as we arrived. Our team along with the other performed great and it was great to actually put in action all the things we have been in training for.

We found out later that we had major rainstorms not more than a mile from us. We praised God for the little sprinkles we had and holding off the rain in the area. We also had an evening with a temperature near 80, that was nice.

We begin work gutting houses tomorrow in the morning.

Prayer Items: 1) Continued prayer for the weather to provide us the opportunity to share Christ with the children. 2) Pray for safety at the work sites. 3) Pray for continued health of our team, all are currently doing well.

A New Orleans View of Katrina!

2007-06-25T13:59:00.000-05:00

Today we started out with a tour of the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. This area would be the area you saw the most severe devastation. We did a walking tour and prayed for the city of New Orleans as well as meeting a few people that had returned. Most of were amazed that nearly two years later there are still houses that look like they haven't even been touched since the flood waters receeded. Also we were struck by all the areas where houses once stood and now it is just a grassy/ weedy area. It appears that only about 1-2 homes have been rebuilt per 3-4 blocks. Only a handful of people have returned to the 9th Ward, the water reached nearly 9 feet in many area. Many homes closest to the levee were moved from their foundations do to the water surge.

Our team also heard personal stories from those that survived the Hurricane and didn't evacuate. We had a time to ask questions and discuss what we had just observed.

Let the Training Begin!

2007-06-24T21:39:00.001-05:00

Sunday, was quite a day. It felt as though we moved from one thing to the next with very little time in between, wait that that is exactly what happened. So what exactly did we do today? Well the list is long, so we will give you just the highlights.

Breakfast, Culture Training , Poverty Talk, Child Evangelism, Lunch Noon, Work Project House Gutting Training, Challenge (Awana) Circle Training, Dinner, Concert of Prayer & Lights out at 10:20PM.

We have been divided into four teams that represent each of the four colors of the circle. Green- God Loves Me, Blue- All People Are Sinful, Red- Jesus Dies For Me, Yellow- I Need Jesus to Be My Best Friend. Obviously there is more than that to them, but that gives you a glimpse. The Challenge Circle is our vehicle to sharing with the children. We will be traveling tot he Calliope Projects. Rain is predicted for the evening, so we are praying God will use us no matter what kind of weather comes.

We plan to tour the Lower the 9th Ward, the hardest hit area in New Orleans by Katrina. We will also hear testimonies from two people who survived the aftermath of Katrina.

Prayer Items: 1) Pray that our team members will stay healthy with such a demanding schedule. 2) Pray for the various projects and outreach opportunties we will have through out the Central City of New Orleans.

Movin' On In, Nawlins Style!

2007-06-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

We had a bit of a delay in the morning do to a alarm clock malfunction (we won't say by who, unless you ask). We left Memphis and safely arrived in New Orleans at 2:45 PM. We went through a brief orientation with the Urban Impact interns. Then it was off to the RiverWalk and the historic French Quarter. We enjoyed some Beignets at Cafe Du Monde and stopped for a brief supper before meeting up with the other teams from Michigan & Colorado back at CastleRock Community Church.

Everyone is pretty excited! We met the all the interns and learned some of the new cheers that we will be doing. We will spend most of the day on Sunday in training.

Prayer Items: 1) Pray for the team to remember the things that learn at the training times and are able to put them into practice throughout the week. 2) Pray for a good amount of sleep, we will be early to bed 10 PM and early to rise 6 AM. 3) Pray for safety as we training and work on several projects through out the Central City of New Orleans.

Another Long Day On the Road!

2007-06-22T20:53:00.001-05:00

We really don't have much to be complaining about. We had light rain the first three hours today, but the heavy stuff was behind us and an hour in front of us. The rest of the day was near perfect driving conditions. We arrived in Memphis, TN at about 8:15 PM. We have currently logged about 935 miles so far. The hotel had a pool so a number of the team went down to relax and unwind for a while, a nice end to a long day.

We crossed the Mississippi three times we think (Iowa/Illinois, Illinois/Missouri, Arkansas/Tennessee). We drove by the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. Our group watched the movie "The Second Chance" to help us get prepared for our work in New Orleans, we also did a bible study on the road about the "Fruit of the Spirit- Joy".

We plan to leave Memphis at 7 AM so we can get into New Orleans in the afternoon.

Please Pray: Pray for safety as we travel the last 400+ miles. Pray for us as we meet up with our other two youth teams we will be joining.

Safe and Sound in Cedar Rapids!

2007-06-22T00:15:00.000-05:00

The team headed out at 6:15 PM on Thursday and arrived at 11:15 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was a rather uneventful drive, just the way Pastor Dave likes it. We seemed to miss any of the severe weather that was all around us.

We want to thank the nearly 30 family and friends that prayed with the team at First Free. We were also sent off by the Sports Camp cheerleaders, what a treat that was.

We plan to leave Cedar Rapids about 8 AM and arrive in Memphis Tennessee at about 6 PM.

Prayer Items: 1) Pray for team unity as we all get used to each other in the close quarters of the van. 2) Pray that we will have another day of safe travel.

Until next time. . .

On The Road- For a While!

2007-06-20T16:37:00.000-05:00

Our team will cover nearly 2700 miles while they are away. We leave Thursday, June 21st at 6:15 PM. We will travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and stay overnight and then it is off to Memphis, Tennessee for our 2nd overnight. We plan to arrive in New Orleans around 3-4 PM, June 23rd. We will be joined by 2 other youth teams from Michigan and Colorado Springs.

If you would like our prayer handbook, you can download one at www.seeyouattheedge.com. Please check back each day and see our lastest postings, prayer requests, pictures and videos.

2007 Set Goal Of 150 Prayer Partners

2007-06-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

We have a team of 14 going to New Orleans this summer. We have set a goal of about 10 prayer partners for each team member. We know that when we have that kind of support back at home, the Lord will provide, protect and work His will out as we serve. If you would like to be added to the prayer team and have a handbook mailed you, contact Brenda at bchermak@firstefc.org.

The team will also have a prayer time at 6PM on June 21st just prior to getting on the road to New Orleans. You are welcome to join us.

3 Weeks and Counting!

2007-05-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

We will be taking our 8th team of youth to the Central City of New Orleans to partner with CastleRock Community Church and Urban Impact Ministries. We have already had 2 team meetings and have another one this coming weekend. Our Team consists of 10 student and 4 adult leaders (see next week for more about the team). We are currently raising prayer and financial support.

Each team member needs to raise a minimum of $550 as well as a prayer support team. Please be in prayer for the team as they make their final plans for the trip.

Be sure to check back regularly to view pictures, team member journals, video uploads and specific prayer requests.