I miss New Orleans already! This week has made a bigger difference in my life than any other, and I’m sad to see it end. When I first signed up for this trip, it was mostly because the option was there, and because I had missed opportunities in the past to go on ones like this one. I asked around to see which friends of mine were going and hesitated when many of them couldn’t come because of school conflicts. In the end, I paid the hundred dollars required to sign up and committed. I wasn’t overly concerned about raising money or doing the packets, and didn’t look forward to the meetings much…I was just going to go. But when God provided almost the entirety of my funds in one day, I realized he wanted me there, and my excitement overcame me. We watched video footage of the destruction and Derek put together a slideshow of pictures from the hurricane, and my heart went out to the people of New Orleans. I counted down the days…and somehow still ended up waiting until the night before to pack. When we got there I was excited to serve, and though I’m exhausted now, it’s a good tired feeling, and I know what we’ve done has made a difference, if only for a few people. On Thursday when we (Ethan, Emily, Cory, Rachael, Morri, and myself) went down to minister in the French Quarter, I met a woman named Yvonka Wilson. She had been living on the streets for two weeks (Lawrence referred to her as a newbie) and was struggling to adjust and to find a place to stay. We prayed with her, and I held her hand as tears rolled down her face. She asked us questions about where we were from and what we were doing, and then asked us, “Do you do this sort of thing back home?” We stood and stared at each other, not knowing how to answer. Truthfully, we all knew the answer was no, but were too ashamed to say it. Her question hit me like a brick, and she and her question have been on my heart ever since. It’s so strange how it can take a 6 hour plane ride and a week in a foreign state to make you realize how much you can be doing in your own neighborhood. I’m sad to be on my way home, leaving behind good friends and warm weather, but at the same time I’ve never been more excited to go anywhere in my life. I can’t wait to see where God is going to lead our team once we’re home. Now that we’ve seen the impact we’ve made across the state, I know the impact we’ll make at home can be even greater.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Student Stories - Kaitlin N
I miss New Orleans already! This week has made a bigger difference in my life than any other, and I’m sad to see it end. When I first signed up for this trip, it was mostly because the option was there, and because I had missed opportunities in the past to go on ones like this one. I asked around to see which friends of mine were going and hesitated when many of them couldn’t come because of school conflicts. In the end, I paid the hundred dollars required to sign up and committed. I wasn’t overly concerned about raising money or doing the packets, and didn’t look forward to the meetings much…I was just going to go. But when God provided almost the entirety of my funds in one day, I realized he wanted me there, and my excitement overcame me. We watched video footage of the destruction and Derek put together a slideshow of pictures from the hurricane, and my heart went out to the people of New Orleans. I counted down the days…and somehow still ended up waiting until the night before to pack. When we got there I was excited to serve, and though I’m exhausted now, it’s a good tired feeling, and I know what we’ve done has made a difference, if only for a few people. On Thursday when we (Ethan, Emily, Cory, Rachael, Morri, and myself) went down to minister in the French Quarter, I met a woman named Yvonka Wilson. She had been living on the streets for two weeks (Lawrence referred to her as a newbie) and was struggling to adjust and to find a place to stay. We prayed with her, and I held her hand as tears rolled down her face. She asked us questions about where we were from and what we were doing, and then asked us, “Do you do this sort of thing back home?” We stood and stared at each other, not knowing how to answer. Truthfully, we all knew the answer was no, but were too ashamed to say it. Her question hit me like a brick, and she and her question have been on my heart ever since. It’s so strange how it can take a 6 hour plane ride and a week in a foreign state to make you realize how much you can be doing in your own neighborhood. I’m sad to be on my way home, leaving behind good friends and warm weather, but at the same time I’ve never been more excited to go anywhere in my life. I can’t wait to see where God is going to lead our team once we’re home. Now that we’ve seen the impact we’ve made across the state, I know the impact we’ll make at home can be even greater.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
"Now that we’ve seen the impact we’ve made across the state, I know the impact we’ll make at home can be even greater."
That is what I have been praying about for weeks :)
Post a Comment