I have spent the past week in New Orleans with an amazing group of young people from Canyon Creek Christian Academy, in Plano Texas. What a joy it was to spend time serving along side of them, and building them up into who they were made to be. As I think back on the growth I witnessed this past week, I have also been reflecting on what a beautiful life I live, and how blessed I am to be doing the work of God each and every day. To think this is actually my “job” is something I find humorous because it brings me so much joy and fulfillment to be doing it! To think that God has chosen me, and called me, to serve His kingdom the way I do is mind blowing. I have the opportunity to go into the darkest places of a city and bring light, to sit with the hungry and feed them hope and love, to invest into a teenager and help them come alive to who God created them to be, to encourage the discouraged, and speak truth and love over the desperate and broken . . . this is the life God has made for me!! This is the man He knew I would become, even when I was lost myself and desperate for the light in a valley of darkness. Thinking back on the man I used to be, on the selfish life I chose to live, and knowing that all along God had something so much bigger in store for me, something so much more fulfilling, is humbling to say the least!
To recap our week would be almost impossible. There is simply too much to write about. If I had to summarize the week in a single sentence, I would say that lives were transformed and the Holy Spirit was awakened within these youth. They left New Orleans with changed hearts, changed minds, and a desire to simply love and serve the God who created them.
Despite there being too much to list here, I will mention just a few things that occurred and areas where these kids served:
– Homeless street kids were shown the love of God
– Lives discarded by the world were embraced
– An alcoholic homeless man was put on a bus to a rehab center in Nashville that agreed to take him in
– A man struggling to put food on his table invited us into his life and his home. We discovered he had taken in a homeless woman and her two kids. Combined they had nothing more than 2 blankets and an old TV. They now have food, mattresses, a possible job, and a new found hope
– Meals were shared with friends met on previous trips, friends that are still homeless and struggling
– The kids participating in this trip were stretched in their faith, and as a result God was able to move in their own lives
– Women in recovery were encouraged and loved on
I was in awe this week as I was able to see the growth in these kids, and see them come out of their comfort zones in order to serve. I believe some of them met God this week in a new and exciting way! A group of energetic, diverse, and somewhat random group of kids showed up on Monday. However, on Friday a group of united, focused, confident, and bold kids went home with a passion to share their stories of God’s love with everyone who will listen! Thank you Justin, Krystal, John, Kyle, David, Tim, Austin, Sara, Sarah, Abi, Aubrey, Lindsey, Bronwyn, Taylor, Bailey, Emily, Nikki, Annaliese, and Shelby!! Thanks for allowing me to invest into your lives and show you the glory that God has for you!
