Christ Made Us Holy!

I pray you all had a wonderful day celebrating our Savior's birth! My family (pictured left) spent the night at my parents' house so we could all wake up together on Christmas day. I don't think we've done that since I was in middle school. Praise God for blessed family time!

Tomorrow my friend Matt (worked with TouchGlobal last year) and myself will start the 12 hour drive to NEW ORLEANS!!! I praise God for the chance to serve there the next two weeks and I look forward to seeing friends.

Please pray:
1) We have teams from MD, CA, KS, and IL coming to serve. Please pray for them as God works in them and through them for His Kingdom purposes. They will be serving on Castle Rock's new property, Ms. Cammie's home, and Ms. Valerie Thomas's home. Pray for God to call people to come back and serve as an intern or staff!
2) I will have the chance to see ALL of my summer 2011 interns over these next 2 weeks. Please pray for our time together and that we'd all be a mutual encouragement to each other!
3) I am still in the process of raising support and will be traveling after New Orleans to St. Mary's GA, Jacksonville FL, and up the coast. Please pray that God would open up opportunities to share what He's doing through me and through the ministry and stir up in people's heart a desire to partner with me in His work! If you're in that part of the world let me know! Love to see you!

Thank you so much for praying and for your partnership in God's work through me! I couldn't do this without God and without you all! I'm looking forward to sharing all that God is doing that He might receive all the glory, honor, and praise!

Love ya!
Katie :)

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God

"Welcome to our World" by Chris Rice

click here to give online

God is working after Hurricane Irene

Hi Everyone,

Thank you so much for your prayers while I traveled around NC! It was a blessing to see friends and share what God is doing in my life and in the ministry.

Two cool God Stories from this past week were:

I had lunch with Norm from Greenville NC. I first met Norm after Hurricane Irene went through and pulled up three of his trees..none of which hit his home, Praise the Lord. Norm shared with me how one of his friends we helped and shared with their family the love of Christ has since that visit started to attend church! They were so touched by our willingness to help complete strangers and show them God's love and kindness that they wanted to know more about this faith! We praise God for using this storm to transform people's lives!

I also got to help with One Harbor Church's Crisis Response team this past Saturday. After Hurricane Irene, this church saw an opportunity to reach out to their community and started gathering volunteers from the church to hold work days on Saturdays! You can find out more on their blog: http://ohccrisisresponse.blogspot.com How cool to see the body of Christ have a desire to show His love to their neighbors! God is awesome!

This week I'll be more locally stationed out of my parents' home, visiting with friends and family. Next Monday, I'll be headed down to New Orleans for two weeks! I'm so excited to see everyone, including ALL of my summer 2011 interns!! woot woot! Praise the Lord for a chance to reconnect with them and continue sharing God's love with the people of New Orleans!


If you'd like to give towards God's work in me, click here!

Merry Christmas!
Katie :)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"
Phillipians 4:4

Go Forth and Invite!

Hi Everyone!

My blog title "Go Forth and Invite" comes from a conversation I had the other day with a fellow long term staffer who is also raising support. We coined it as we shared stories of God's provision when we are obediently inviting people to pray about becoming a ministry partner.

The word "invite" came from the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-14. This guy wants to throw a wedding banquet but no one wants to come so then he sends out his servants to invite anyone they find. But once the people arrive, the king throws out a guy for not wearing wedding clothes. haha. I definitely still need time to process the parable but the last verse is what stuck out to me. It says:

For many are invited,
but few are chosen.

This verse really encouraged me as I remember that my responsibility with support raising or ministry partnership development is to INVITE! I must invite people to pray about joining God's work through me. It is God's responsibility to pick out the ones He wants on the team. He is the one choosing who will come alongside me in His work.

I pray and ask God that He chooses quickly but more importantly in His timing. So please join me in praying that God would give me courage to invite and the Lord would choose exactly who He wants and they would be obedient to His leading!

Love you guys!

Katie :)

By the Power of Christ in Me...

This has been a really great song for me to hear and sing along to right now. I pray it encourages you as well.

It's Casting Crowns' song "In Me"
you can also watch the video by clicking here

Lyrics below:
If you ask me to leap
Out of my boat on the crashing waves
If You ask me to go
Preach to the lost world that Jesus saves

I'll go, but I cannot go alone
Cause I know I'm nothing on my own
But the power of Christ in me makes me strong
Makes me strong

Cause when I'm weak, You make me strong
When I'm blind, You shine Your light on me
Cause I'll never get by living on my own ability
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that you want me
So I'll stand on Your truth, and I'll fight with Your strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me

If You ask me to run
And carry Your light into foreign land
If You ask me to fight
Deliver Your people from Satan's hand

To reach out with Your hands
To learn through Your eyes
To love with the love of a savior
To feel with Your heart
And to think with Your mind
I'd give my last breath for Your glory

Thankful for Cookies!

Hi there!

So yes the joke is Katie does not go near a kitchen...I don't cook and have no desire right now to learn. However, because of my great friend Kristen, she showed me how to bake the most amazing cookies ever. So that's what I do, bake cookies, chocolate chip and chocolate chip-less are about the extent of my cookie baking but it's a start.

The reason I'm writing this blog is because I didn't realize how much I loved baking cookies with friends until I had to bake them by myself. It just wasn't the same. This got me walking down memory lane and I started thinking about all the people I have baked them with.

The list goes: (if I forgot you I'm sorry!)
1) The amazing Kristen who taught me how in Colorado and came all the way to NOLA to bake more with me! LOVE YOU GIRL and YOUR AWESOME FAMILY!
2) Kari from Canada and Ross from PA - it was a Sunday after church and we didn't have much to do but felt like baking. haha. Remember we even made one giant cookie and gave it to my neighbors!
3) One time after a block party with Matt, Shelby, Jen, and Jeremy in the LA house listening to Mumford and Sons in the background.
4) This summer at the guy's house on the north shore with Dustin, Keri, Ronnie, Chelsea, Jen, Shelby, and more. I did such a great job of delegating that when I asked "Who hasn't done something yet?" the response in one voice was "YOU!" haha!
5) This past November I made them twice - first with my girl Kim who even stirred in the 5+ cups of flour by hand...she's amazing! second - with Terah and Laura who came all the way from Maryland to hang out! Thanks so much girls!

So yes I'm thankful for cookies that brings friends together and provides fun and laughter and fellowship as we then eat the deliciousness the cookies and of our hard work!

Who will I bake them with next I wonder??

Katie :)

Savoring this week...

Hi Everyone!

Yes I made it safely back to NOLA. Thank you for your prayers! It was a blessing to see the staff in Haiti along with catching up with some local Haitian friends! I praise God for how He is working in Haiti!

Maxo (pictured above) is a local Haitian who we are partnering with as he invests in the local children by providing education for them and telling them of the hope they have in Christ. Maxo has over 50 students and a heart to reach even more kids with the best education possible and with the Gospel. Pray for Maxo, the teachers there, the students, and our staff members Ashlee and Mario as they invest in the lives of the teachers and students to further God's Kingdom!

I'm savoring this week in New Orleans and not just because it's Thanksgiving but this is technically the last week I'll be in New Orleans until I reach 100%. Yes I am coming back for 2 weeks at winter break but I can't stay after that unless I've reached my support goals.

So I'm seeing as many friends as possible, eating all the best food, and rejoicing in my Lord and Savior who called me to this work in New Orleans. I have a feeling once I return for good, I'll have a renewed appreciation for being here and do my best to never take it for granted. No matter what, I know God is in control, His timing is best, and "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

My prayer is that no matter where I am over these next few months I continue to draw near to my Savior, be content in Him, live each day out of my love for Christ, and obediently follow Hard after Him!

Thank you for your prayers! Happy thanksgiving!

Love you!
Katie :)

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Philippians 4:4

Praising the God of Hope!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Hi Everyone!

I am beyond grateful to God for allowing me the chance to spend 2.5 weeks straight in New Orleans! It was such a blessing to spend time reconnecting with friends and staff! I can't believe sometimes it's been 3 years and 5 months since I've moved here...and I still wonder sometimes "Where else would I live?" I really do <3 NO!

More Praises:
God has blessed me with 4 visitors over the last 3 weekends. It has been so much fun to show them around and spend quality time with them! Thanks to my sis, Kim, Terah, and Laura for making my time in NOLA a blast!

My intern-now staff Chelsea has been recruiting at colleges in PA, MO, and AR for the internship program! Praising God for multiplying me and calling Chelsea to serve longer with us! He knew I'd need her!

From the looks of it my support is up to 50%!!!! This of course is only because of my Lord and Savior who works in people's hearts and allows them to give! I praise Him for raising my support and I praise Him for how He'll continue to show Himself faithful as I strive for 100%!

Prayer Requests:
I leave for Haiti tomorrow and I'm requesting prayer for wisdom and guidance as we seek to partner with local churches/ministries to reach their community for Christ.

Travel Plans after Haiti:
Once I return I'll spend Turkey Day in NOLA, then start my trek back to NC via ALABAMA...going to see the Jones' who took such awesome care of me and my car back in September. Then I leave for Minneapolis Dec 1st and Massachusetts/Connecticut Dec 4th! Please pray for safe travels (and no wild animals running out in the street) and for God to continue to raise up my ministry partners! I'll be in NC from Dec 12th-ish to Christmas! Hope to see you if you're around!

Prayer request for traveling mercies as I'll be driving and flying around lots!

Love you guys! Thanks for praying and for taking the time to read this! Let me know how I can be praying for you.

In Christ,
Katie :)

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Even Missionaries Worry...

Hello Hello!

I'm currently in the state of Wisconsin (first time ever!) and I am really enjoying this opportunity to meet with friends who God put in my path while serving on the mission field in New Orleans. It has been a joy sharing with them how far God has brought me in my faith and how He has brought me to the place of pursuing long term ministry with the EFCA.

God is faithful and trustworthy! He continues to show Himself faithful by providing TEN new monthly supporters since my announcement of long term acceptance! He continues to show me everyday that I must put all my trust in Him for His plan is perfect (2 Sam 22:31).

Where I struggle is when I forget to trust God and begin to worry about things like "When will I reach 100% monthly support?", "When will I be able to return to NOLA?", "What will happen to the work I'm putting on hold to focus on support raising?", "Where will the next 60% of monthly support come from?", "What does the next 6 months even look like?"....so yes I start to worry and then it spirals to even more worrisome thoughts.

My prayer is that no matter what, I trust God. I pray I remember His faithfulness over the course of my time in ministry and remember that nothing is out of His control. I pray that I trust God "in the dark, when I have no light" (Isaiah 50:10)...meaning when I can't feel His presence or see how He is working...that I still always trust God! God calls me and you not to worry...that worry is a sign of "little faith" (Matt 6:30). So let's not worry, pick up our shield of faith (Eph 6:16), and trust in our Heavenly Father who loves us soo soo much!

Below is scripture I'm holding onto during this time and my prayer is you take one and hide it deep in your heart (Psalm 119:11) that you may too learn not to worry...

Isaiah 50:10 - "Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of His servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God."

2 Samuel 22:31 - "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him."

Matthew 6:33-34 - "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do NOT worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Philippians 4:6-7 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."

LOVE YOU!
katie :)

I'm Trusting God...and Going Home.

Hi There!

I am glad to announce that I have been INVITED to serve as a LONG term missionary with the EFCA. Praise God!!! Just to clarify that I’ll continue to work in New Orleans and on the internship program for TouchGlobal, the crisis response ministry of the EFCA.

Now that I’ve been accepted as a long term career missionary, I have received my updated budget which reveals that I currently have 33% in monthly donations towards this updated budget. To fully focus on reaching 100% support in monthly donations, I will leave New Orleans at the end of November and head back to North Carolina. I will transition from full time ministry with TouchGlobal to full time ministry with raising support. This is a scary decision to step away from the ministry, not knowing when I’ll be fully supported and able to return to New Orleans…but I have to trust in God and trust Him to raise up my ministry partners in His time knowing His timing is perfect.

I invite each of you to pray about what it would look like for you to come alongside the work God has called me to as a ministry partner that I may return to the mission field. I pray this is an opportunity for you as well to trust God with your time, talent, and treasure. Please ask God to raise up a team of people around me who desire to invest in the next generation of Christian leaders!

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me via email, phone, etc.

THANK YOU for your prayers and your continued support of me while I've pursued this plan God has for me! Praising God that He lets me do this!

In Christ,

Katie :)

Trips Planned:

Iowa/MN: Oct 11-16

Hopefully Wisconsin: Oct 18-22

EFCA Internship Lead Team meetings in Minneapolis: Oct 24-25

…apart from me you can do nothing. – Jesus (John 15:5b)

From Short to Long...Praise God!

Hi Everyone!

I am glad to annouce that I have been INVITED to serve as a LONG term missionary with the EFCA. Praise God!!!

THANK YOU for your prayers and your continued support of me while I've pursued this plan God has for me!

More to come with details of "Where is Katie next??"....

Love ya!
Katie :)

"Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise Him!" Psalm 147:1

He has Overcome!

Hi everyone!

I know it's been a while since my last post. I've been sending out more emails instead so if you'd like to be on that list, feel free to send me your email address to katie.hooks@efca.org

So as I'm thinking about what exactly do I want to do with my blog, I thought I'd share some cool song I heard during my Midwest adventure thus far.

I was able to attend a church's worship service Tuesday night and one of the songs they sang by Hillsong called "Take Heart" stuck out to me. Some of the lyrics read:

All our troubles and all our tears
God our hope He has overcome
All our failure and all our fear
God our love He has overcome

What an awesome reminder that anything we're going through in this world, God has overcome! Whatever it is we're dealing with, God has overcome! So take heart!

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
John 16:33

Khooks :)

Sweet Hope Alabama!

Hi everyone!

I'm blogging now from Hope Church in Madison AL. Yes we are still serving here after the April tornadoes. It's amazing to see how God continues to use a tornado to bring about reconcilation and restoration of His people to Himself.

Please pray about joining our efforts here in Alabama! God is at work here and we'd love for you to join us in that work! We are currently roofing a church member's home this week. Come and see what the Lord is doing in Madison AL!

Today I'm off to visit Billy and Pat. They are homeowners we helped take down trees for in June. I'm excited to see them and excited to hear how they've been doing. Please pray for me as I meet with them and continue to show them the love of Christ and speak the truth in love when called to.

After the visit I'm starting my trek through the appalachain mtns to HOME!! Please pray for me as I travel and that me and my car arrive safely!

Love to see you in NC if you're there! Just let me know!

In Christ,
Katie :)

"Come and see what God has done,
how awesome His works in man's behalf."
Psalm 66:5

Bye for Now Interns!

Hi Everyone!

Chelsea my lovely communications superstar boarded her flight today back to PA so I am now resuming my role of posting on my blogs! I hope I can only do half a good a job as she did!

Dustin also left today, he started his drive back to Kansas so please pray for him and for his safety! Ronnie left on Saturday and Keri leaves Friday. It's crazy to me how fast time flies!

I'm truly starting to believe the verse in James that says "our lives are nothing but a mist, a vapor..." it reminds me how precious each day is that God gives me and that I am called to live today FOR HIM!

Last week we had an awesome team of 62 from Fargo ND! This week we have 20 volunteers from Dallas and this will be our last team until October. Please pray for them as they help us finish out some jobsites and pray for the relationships they are building. They were able to share the gospel today with a 15-year old who rode by on his bike. May God continue to work in this young man's heart as he interacts with the team this week!

Love yall mucho!
In Christ,
Katie :)

"...you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes..." James 4:14b

Dave's Movin' In!!

Awesome news! Dave moved into his home on Tuesday. The team from West Shore Evangelical Free Church from Pennsylvania was able to meet him and move him and Bridget and Michael in! It's amazing to see how Dave's life has changed since last summer. Praise God!



The teams this week have made great progress on several houses! The interior of Miss Pat's house is textured and the walls are now being painted. Miss Cammie's house is moving along very well as the team from Nebraska is hanging drywall and mudding. Miss Ruby's house looks great too! The flooring is coming along, the walls are painted and we are working on plumbing. God is doing great things in New Orleans! To keep up with how He is working go to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/efcacrisisresponse) where we post pictures and stories regularly!


Thank you and God bless!



Chelsea :)

God is Amazing!!

First off, this week has been AWESOME! :)


We had a great group of teams that came to New Orleans from Illinois, Texas and Michigan. A lot of them are returning teams, so it's always encouraging to see people that come back :)


As the team from Illinois was giving devotions the other morning, one of the members told us a story about a man who came to their block party. He needed a ride to work in the French Quarter and the team offered to give him one. When they dropped him off, they prayed for him. They said that he seemed so touched that they would do that for him. The team is praising God for an awesome opportunity to reach out to someone in need! :)

Also, we received great news this week that Dave acquired his occupancy permit and will be able to move into his house shortly! It's amazing to see what God can do in the span of a year! Everyone on staff in New Orleans is so excited to see how Christ continues to work in Dave's life. Praise Jesus! :)

There are two weeks left for us interns! Pray that we'll finish strong and find rest, peace and endurance in Jesus Christ. Also, please continue to pray the teams that are still planning to come this summer. Can't wait to keep serving Jesus :)



Be blessed!
Chelsea Buffington

Welcome to the Kingdom!!

God is doing amazing things and we feel so blessed to be a part of it. God brings teams from different parts of the country here and seeing them glorify God is a wonderful experience. Last week, the teams from Pennsylvania and Florida really connected!


One of the team leaders from Pennsylvania really pursued spiritual conversations with the kids from Florida. He gave his testimony and then asked the group for their testimonies. A couple of the teenagers admitted that they did not have anything to share. Throughout the week, this leader continued to share Christ's love with these kids and on Thursday night one of the teenage guys from Florida accepted Christ! He is being discipled now so that he fully understands the incredible change that is taking place in his life.

What a wonderful God we serve! :) We are so happy to have the priveledge of seeing people brought to Christ while serving Him on the mission field! Keep praying that we continue to love others to Jesus, whether its the people in New Orleans or the teams that come down :)

God bless,

Chelsea :)

Hey there!

Hope this blog finds you all doing well. We have two teams this week in Louisiana: Cornerstone from Pennsylvania and Northwood from Florida. They'll be working on four different job sites: Miss Cammie's, Miss Ruby's, Miss Pat's, and Miss Vida's. Miss Vida's house (pictured left) had a great start last week and we are already working on the painting there. SO excited to see progress made on that house!

Cornerstone has been here before and they started at Dave's house. Hopefully, they will get to see the amazing progress that Dave's house has made! This is Northwood's first time here and we are so excited to have them!

Keep praying for these teams as they work throughout the week. Pray for fruitful conversations with homeowners and other people in the community and also that these two teams will grow in Christ and take home the things they learn.

This past week marks the last month that the interns will be here! We've been so blessed, working with Katie and the other staff members from Crisis Response. We're so grateful for our supporters and those that are praying for us. Please keep praying for us as we continue on with Crisis Response. That God will work in us even more this month and that we will keep spreading the word about what Christ is doing in New Orleans!

God Bless!

Chelsea :)

Busy Busy!

Hey everyone!

What a week! With 61 volunteers we were able to work on a lot of job sites which makes things busy but that is always an encouraging thing to see! The kids from Grace Chapel were hard workers and we were so pleased to have them come.
On Wednesday, we went on prayer walks as usual but one of the groups had 2 very awesome conversations! One with a woman who told us that she was one of the many people that lived in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. She was so willing to share her story and even invited us to come back later so that she could tell us more!
Another interesting conversation took place with Terry, a man who manages maintenance for an apartment complex located in what used to be one of the most dangerous projects in the country. He told us about how he was raised in the Ninth Ward along with some history of the neighborhood we were in. Earnest, Terry's friend, told some of us about his Katrina story. He was able to leave the city before the hurricane and lived in Colorado for about a year. He told us the thing he missed most about New Orleans was the food. Totally understandable!!
Hearing those stories renews our energy and reminds us why we are here in the first place: To love on the people of New Orleans and let Christ's light shine through us.
Pray for the two incoming teams from Florida and Pennsylvania, that they will come with an energy and passion to serve! Also, please pray for Crisis Response as we are short-staffed in some places and that the Lord will call more volunteers to come and serve!

Be blessed!
Chelsea :)

"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21

Chelsea is invading Katie's blog!

Hello Everyone!

We are really looking forward to this week and praising God for the team He brought down from Lexington, Massachusetts! There are 61 senior high kids from Grace Chapel and it is their first time down here with Crisis Response! They will be working for Miss Connie, Miss Delores, Miss Pat, Miss Vida, Miss Cammie and the Reveres.
Last week was very exciting for us as we saw God work through the teams that were here from Ohio and Illinios. Dave is still waiting for an occupancy permit, but the team was able to work on the electricity and plumbing at his house. He came to the block party on Wednesday and he was so excited about the progress and the possibility of moving in soon!

Miss Cammie visited her house twice last week and was able to see the amazing development of the inside of her house. The team last week was hanging drywall and finishing the exterior painting. You can't walk through the walls anymore and thats a good thing!

The porch is now painted and it looks GREAT! :) One of the interns has been able to talk to Miss Cammie on a pretty regular basis and she is excited about the relationship that is being built.

Please pray for Dave and his family that they will be able to move into their house very soon. Also, please pray for the relationships being developed with Miss Cammie, the Reveres, and Miss Ruby along with the other homeowners that we will be working with this week. God is doing amazing things in NOLA and we are so glad to be a part of it!

Have a happy 4th of July and a blessed week!

Chelsea Buffington :)

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." James 1: 2-4

One Busy Learning-Filled Month!

Hi Everyone!

First off, I've sent out my June newsletter so if you'd like a copy make sure to send me your email address.

Secondly, wow, this first month has flown by! Three weeks in New Orleans, One week in Alabama, Three girl interns, One guy intern...God has been doing amazing things! It's been a learning experience for me...learning how to be a servant leader, how to guide the interns in ministry, how to encourage them to continue to grow in their walks with the Lord, how to be responsible for 4 people but at the same time trust them in the Lord's hands, how to make time for God, myself, interns, friends, family...I don't think I realized how much I would grow and learn in this new role but I'm praising God for every lesson He's teaching me.

We have two teams in this week: Cornerstone from OH and Arlington Countryside from IL. We are working on Ms. Cammie's, Ms. Ruby's, Ms. Delores's, and Mr. Revere's homes this week. We are also sending a small team to Dave's house to finish up the plumbing and electric along with finding out what else needs completed to obtain the occupancy permit! Please pray for God to continue to provide all that Dave and his family need to move into their home!

Thanks for the continued prayers and encouragement!
Love yall!
Katie :)

"Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say, 'Father, save me from this hour?'
No it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father glorify your name!"
John 12:27-28a

Chelsea IS HERE!!

HI Everyone!!

Chelsea is HERE!!! I picked her up from the airport Tuesday and surprised her by taking her to Dave's home where she worked last summer. The team this week from Lifesong Community in Chino CA was there working on the flooring! It's coming along really nicely!

Also Chelsea will be taken over my blog for the summer to post God stories and update you all on needs and homes we're working on. She's doing a great job getting our EFCA Crisis Response page on facebook up and ready so be sure to "like" it!

One cool story from the week comes from a team member from the CA team. He confessed that at the beginning of the week, he was not that excited about prayer walks...he wanted to work on the house! But after this week he said that the prayer walks have been one of the biggest blessings thus far! He's gotten to pray for a community he's never seen before and for people he's never met before and God has really moved in his heart this week! PRAISE GOD for continuing to use a storm almost 6 years ago to transform people's hearts!!! He is GOOOD!

Check out www.facebook.com/efcacrisisresponse for updates and photos from Dave's home!

LOVE YOU!! So happy to have you in my life!

In Christ,
Katie :)

"But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today." Deut 8:18

Katie Loves Haiti!

pictured: half of the Lakewood team + staffers + and local Haitian helpers/friends! This is taken after we finished building one of the Samartian Purse shelters for a very thankful family!

pictured above: Cleisma, Sophane, myself, and Claudia!! Love these girls!!!

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for praying for me during my trip to Haiti! God's hand of protection was over us as we traveled and worked in the hot hot sun! God provided opportunities to build relationships with Haitians and to serve His people!

One of my favorite experiences was hanging out with the orphans at Operation Love the Children of Haiti (OLTCH). I bonded with the toddler room and even though I didn't speak creole, they couldn't really either so we just hummed songs and made noise and gave lots and lots of hugs! I also bonded with one of the nannies in this room, Cleisma. She didn't know English and I didn't know Creole so we spent time just teaching each other how to say different things around the room in each other's languages. By the end of the week she called me her friend and I can't wait to go back to see her!

One of the coolest things was being there the same week as Lakewood EFC who had 3 couples on this trip in the process of adopting children from this orphanage!! Lakewood had come down in October of 2010 and the team members went back and began praying about how to make a difference in Haiti. God has led many families from our Crisis Response teams to adopt 29 children thus far!!!! GOD really is using an earthquake to cause life transformation for these children to be brought up in a home with Christian values!

There is a lot of sadness, oppression, and despair in Haiti but there is also hope, joy, and love! Keep praying for this country and for the Gospel to spread through the arm of compassion ministries here!

pictured: Claudia and I! She's just the cutest!

In Christ,

Katie :)

"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

I am BLESSED!!

Hi Everyone!

I was listening to "I am Blessed" by Rachel Lampa crossing the causeway last night and thought how true!! Just what a wonderful reminder that we are blessed!!! Don't forget!!!

I can't believe how fast this week back in NOLA flew by! I leave TOMORROW for Haiti for a week! I'm so excited to go back and see what God is doing through our ministry there! Please pray for safety traveling tomorrow and for many opportunities to share and tell others about God's great love!

In my last newsletter I had some big rocks that needed accomplished and with time running short I had no idea how things were going to turn out.

So here's a few reasons why I'm BLESSED:

1) Through my friend Denise and her connections, we now have housing available for my girl NOLA interns for this summer!! PRAISE GOD! It's a HUGE answered prayer and of course it's another testimony that not only does God have it all taken care of but it was through Denise asking that God provided...so one more lesson for me to keep asking so God can work!

2) I have completed my application for my transition to long term status this week!! PRAISE GOD! Once my application is reviewed, there will be an in-home interview, then I'll hear back about an invitation to REV, the Readiness Event, for training and to further investigate my ministry calling!

3) With the interns going to Haiti, I wasn't sure exactly how to balance preparing/equipping them and have their curriculum set up while they are there and I'm in NOLA. So once again God provided Steve and Sarah on our staff to handle the Haiti pre-field training along with coming up with their curriculum!! God is so good!!

4) Praise God we have a guy coming to serve as an intern this summer in NOLA! Dustin came down on a team from Southwest Baptist University and will be serving this summer for 2 months! He will join Ronnie and Chelsea as my first group of interns EVER! God is amazing!

5) God has BLESSED me in BIG ways in just one week with financial support! I am so glad I serve a God who knows our needs and even when I fail at asking, He still provides! With my transition to long term status, my budget has increased. So I am inviting YOU to come join me financially in what God is doing through me and the internship program. My email is katie.hooks@efca.org if you'd like more info!

There are so many blessings God has poured out on me that there is definitely not time or space to tell you about all of them!

Love you!
Khooks :)

Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
Psalm 103:1-2

I Love You More Than Life

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to share this song with you! Click here for the youtube video. Great song, Great lyrics!

Artist: Dre Murray
Song: More than Life

Headed up north tomorrow (Monday)! Please pray for safety on the roads and divine appointments with students and faculty!

I love you more than life, more than life
I love you more than life, more than life
I love you more than life, more than life

My soul provider my abba my Father
You pulled me outta the dirt and made me from nada
And now I gotta put you over everything in my life
Even my wife and my momma
I'ma make your name known over the drama
I'ma give you everything inside of me, everything that I got
I dont care if its hot
I gotta be on point for the King
The holy day spring, the bright morning star, he's the reason why I sing
the reason why I rhyme with rhymes about when times will end
and we're done with this world of sin
and eternity begins, we're face to face
with our hands held high to the King of grace
Lord I'm like amazed at the life that you gave
the price that was paid, I was digging my own grave
I was almost in the hole, my heart grown cold
But You sent your only Son to restore my soul
Cuz Nobody knows the pain I kept hid in my heart on the inside
Tears down my face just to cry I felt like I wanted to die
but you came and reversed the hurt
you gave me a new birth and destroyed the curse
now I gotta a new name and I can feel the change is burning in my heart
I'ma show'em with my art
I'ma show'em with my life the love of the Christ
Jesus my LORD I love more than life!!

Jesus I love you more than Life,
More than life!

Katie :)

Connecticut Invasion to College Adventure

Hi Everyone,

Thanks so much for your prayers for my time at home with family! It was truly a blessing to be there for my papaw's funeral and for my parents as they moved into their new home.

I was blessed to return back to the Calvary team from Maryland. I've known these guys since the fall of 2009 and they have become like family to me. Mark the mechanic even brought down an oil filter for my car because somehow he just knows when my car is due for an oil change! Thanks Mark!!

This week we have 3 returning teams from Connecticut:
1) Black Rock Congregational Church
2) Stanwich Congregational Church
3) Crossroads Church

I was able to lead an expectation training this morning with Black Rock and my main encouragement to them was to make sure they are spending daily quality time with the LORD everyday! The priority is "our relationship with God NOT what we can do for God."
Oswald says: “Don’t rejoice in your successful service for Me [God], but rejoice because of your right relationship with Me [God].”

My next College Adventure takes me to................the Southwest corner of Missouri!! YAY!! My plan is to visit John Brown University, Southwest Baptist University and College of the Ozarks next week! These were colleges that came down in March! I'm excited to see these teams and continue letting students know about opportunities for them to serve longer! I'm also hoping to visit St. Louis for the first time ever and see some churches there that have come down! Can't wait! So if you're in the area I better see YOU!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) for the teams this week to experience God in new ways!
2) for my travels up to Missouri - I'm driving! woot woot!
3) for the internship program! There is still interest from people to come serve so please be praying for them as they fill out the application to serve and raise support to serve! May God's will be done!

Let me know how I can be praying for you!!
In Christ,
Katie :)

"Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven" —Luke 10:20

God Makes It Grow!

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:7-9

Hi Everyone!

The week has been going great thus far! We have 84 volunteers here this week! The cool thing about Wednesdays is we have our block parties today and it's the mid-way mark in the week. Please lift these volunteers up in prayer as they seek God for strength and energy to keep serving Him!

The teams are:
1) John Brown University, Arkansas
2) Southwest Baptist University, Missouri
3) College of the Ozarks, Missouri
4) East EFC, Kansas
5) Faith EFC, Kansas

Cool Story from Last Week:
God is raising up people interested in the internship program! There are a few from Dordt College interested in coming back either to serve here or Haiti. Hooray! Keep praying that it is God's will for them to move their interest towards commitment.

Pray for the teams this week that God would prepare their hearts to come serve with us!

Taking it Home:
Also a girl from Dordt college told me that because of our emphasis on prayer walking, that she was making the decision to make every walk from her dorm to her classes a prayer walk!! How cool to see God spark her desire to spend that time in prayer!

NOLA Church Plant Update:
We are now using teams to prayer walk with Eric Holtrop. He is a church planter that has the vision to plant a church somewhere on Magazine Street. Teams will aid him in praying for this street and seeing where God opens a door for Eric to build relationships with people in this community! So please keep praying for the gospel to spread like wildfire here!

Japan Update:
My Boss Mark Lewis is in Japan now assessing the damage there and how we can come alongside the church there to make disciples and plant churches in the wake of this crisis. You can find out more at http://efcacrisisresponse.blogspot.com

Thank you for praying and Praise God for all the great things He has done!

In Christ,
Katie :)

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:7-9