In Their Own Words- Danielle

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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

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!

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.