Well If you can't trust church people...

This time last week I was in NJ sleeping on a couch in the prayer room of Beacon Church with my girls Becky and Jen.  Becky and I had successfully crossed the GW bridge and arrived safely in NJ.  Jen so kindly gave us the tour and introduced us to a very loving kind homeowner named Marie.

Marie (pictured at right feedng a team lunch) is a retirement aged lady with arthritis and bad knees, who has been caring for her bed-ridden husband Louis for going on 19 years now.   Prior to Sandy, she had to evacuate with her husband to a nursing home facility, where they remained displaced for eight days.  When they were finally able to return home, she found water in the entire crawlspace under the home, and water damage in her garage and breezeway where she kept many of her clothes, her food pantry and her freezer.  We have been able to remove her saturated insulation, gut her breezeway, and help clean out and pressure wash her garage.  We have also re-insulated the crawlspace, and hung drywall in the breezeway so far.

When I met Marie, she welcomed us into her home and began to show us pictures on her camera of the work the teams had accomplished.  While talking with her, she told us how she's been waiting to get her photos printed but no one has been able to wait the one hour at the photo desk to get them printed.  Well, that's all we needed to hear and we were off to CVS with her memory card to print off the 470+ photos.  As we were walking out the door with her memory card, some cash, and her name to pick up her prescriptions, she says, "Well if you can't trust church people, I might as well not get out of bed." 

That simple line struck a cord with me.  Our staff and volunteers have demonstrated the love of Christ to Ms. Marie and communicated to her through their words and actions that us "church people" can be trusted! How awesome! God is AWESOME! I praise God for putting Ms. Marie in our path!  Then of course to top it off, Ms. Marie fed us when we returned with her photos! The kindness and generosity of people who have been through so much continues to amaze me.  I pray that the Body of Christ including myself continues to show the world that we are trustworthy because Christ alone is worthy to be trusted!

Cold Weather and Warm Hearts!

So where am I now?? Right now I am sitting at the dinner table with Becky (pictured right) and Logan who make up half of THE Team Symmons who have graciously hosted me and allowed me to use their vehicle while traveling around the northeast.

Yes I'm in Massachusetts now, spent the week in Connecticut, and will travel to New Jersey tomorrow.  My special friend Becky contacted me in October about coming to visit them and churches in the Northeast before Sandy was even in existence.  In God's perfect timing, I had this trip scheduled before there was a need for a response up here.

Faifield Beach in Connecticut

One of the God stories I wanted to share came from my friends at Black Rock Congregational Church in Fairfield CT.  This church has been to New Orleans once a year since Katrina.  When Hurricane Sandy made its way towards their hometown, they were ready to see what doors God would open.  Sure enough, 2 days after the storm, 15 volunteers from BRCC loaded up and headed to a home that was flooded due to the storm.  Jeremy said his experiences with TouchGlobal in New Orleans prepared him to see the mission field that follows crisis and reach out in Christ's love.  He said they had 90 volunteers from the church come out to serve on a Saturday.  PRAISE GOD for the body of Christ stepping up to love on those in need!!

Please pray for Becky and I as we make our way to New Jersey tomorrow.  It's going to be a quick trip so please pray that we can encourage our staff and churches on the ground, catch a vision for what God is doing there and how best to tell others about it, and for safety on the roads! 

Again I have been so blessed by the hospitality and kindness of my friends here in the Northeast!  Shout outs to Craig and Nancy for letting me base out of their home in CT, for the Goulart and Wallace families for sharing life with me, for Craig teaching me how to shoot a rifle and a revolver (haha yeppers!), and of course for Team Symmons (Logan, Nick, and Papa Jack pictured below!) who have made this trip possible for me! PRAISE JESUS for the people He has put in my life!

AND of course Praise God for His perfect timing that I was up here when my lil spoon Alysha gave birth to her beautiful daughter Evelyn!!! Praise God for new life! :)

Praise the Sweet Name!

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that you can praise Jesus while reading the TouchGlobal blog about how He has provided thus far for the Hurricane Sandy response!

Please click on the link for the blog: www.touchglobal.wordpress.com

You can also get more information on how you can be involved at: www.efca.org/hurricane-sandy   

We are taking teams and continuing to share the love of Christ to those in the Northeast!  Please continue to pray for us as we seek God's will for what the long term recovery looks like.

God bless!

Katie :)

"Look to the Lord and His strength, seek His face always."
Psalm 105:4

Story from the Front Lines!

Below is an account of God's faithfulness told by Pastor Paul from Hoboken EFC! To GOD be the glory!!

I am exhausted and exhilarated. Today was a day of ministry and a day of accomplishment. A team of wonderful people with servant hearts of love from Cornerstone EFC in Easton PA, under the umbrella of TouchGlobal arrived in Hoboken to begin repairing the church basement while allowing the church to do ministry. They came with people and tools. They came with generators. They came with over a thousand hotdogs, hot chocolate, chips, cookies and more. And they came with God’s love. You see, that is what they do. They serve freely and allow ministry to happen.

As they demolished our basement in preparation for rebuilding we served the people of Hoboken. With the strength and love of Jesus, we shared the grilled food on site and delivered into the homes of people shut in. Using generators, we provided charging stations for electronic devices. We served grateful people. One woman had not had a hot meal in five days. We served National Guard troops who were delivering goods throughout the city. We fed a police officer who was sitting in his car providing security. We shared our story with a news reporter from a New York TV station. We located several from the church who we had not had contact with since the storm. And we reunited a concerned son with his father. We made new friends as we shared the love of Jesus. We were blessed beyond explanation.  God is so good

And like the account of the loaves and fishes, the ministry grew.  A couple from nearby Weehawken, who had never been to the church before dropped in and took over the grill.  A neighbor dropped by and spent the day helping. A group from Steven’s Institute of Technology came in and cleaned all our contaminated folding chairs with bleach. A team of people from Times Square Church, delivering food to Hoboken, decided to stop in and help and plan to come back next week. Another neighbor dropped off two dozen sandwiches.  People from the city of Hoboken gave us MRE’s to distribute. And still another couple, who had lost everything in the storm came to share their story and brought us boxes to store what we could salvage.

And at the end of the day the lights came on.

Last Sunday, the Hoboken Evangelical Free Church celebrated its 29^th anniversary and praised God for His faithfulness and for His gracious, good hand. On Monday, hurricane Sandy hit. On this Saturday we truly saw God’s faithfulness and His good hand.  Sunday morning we will worship.  God is good!

Next Saturday (Nov 10th), an even bigger block party is planned, as a team from Hershey EFC, under the umbrella of TouchGlobal, comes to help us multiply the loaves and fishes. I look forward to once again being exhausted and exhilarated.

Pastor Paul

Hoboken EFC

Sandy Storms the Northeast

Hurricane Sandy devastated the northeast coast and affected many Free Churches in the area. EFCA TouchGlobal staff has been seeking God’s direction, assessing the situation, and meeting with church leaders as well as those impacted.

Many people have contacted us asking how they can be of help. You can check out the website at www.efca.org/hurricane-sandy To help allow those churches in the affected area focus their time and staff to the needs of those impacted and to effectively utilize ministry resources, PLEASE contact TouchGlobal versus the churches directly.

Here is what you can do:

Pray for:

a)      Churches working in unity to bear a bold witness of Jesus to the community;

b)      Evangelism and outreach in affected communities resulting in Gospel transformation;

c)       Wisdom in the leadership of EFC’s and partnering churches;

d)      God’s people addressing the specific needs of impacted individuals;

e)      God’s provision of needed resources (The Spirit, people, finances) for the church to be the church.

Give

Financially – resources are needed for:

·         Rebuilding needs of churches (Hoboken, First EFC, Faith EFC, Brigantine Bible)

·         Rebuilding and physical needs of homeowners

·         Community outreach

·         Ongoing Crisis Response ministry efforts

(click here to use our secure on line donation link)

Help meet the following physical needs of those impacted:

·         Salem Church (EFCA) is collecting blankets, winter coats and kids' backpacks to distribute.

All items must be boxed and labeled, and received at Salem Church prior to Friday Nov. 9. Drop offs are accepted between 9am and 5pm at the church.

634 Clove Rd.

Staten Island, NY 10310

Coats must be sorted by male/female/kids/baby. 

·         Beacon EFC is seeking specific items (list attached) for their Beacon Hope Chest ministry.

All items must be sorted, boxed and labeled, and received at Beacon EFC prior to Friday Nov. 9. Drop offs are accepted M-F between 9am and 4pm at the church.

420 6^th Ave

Galloway, NJ 08205

Go

The need for volunteers is immediate.  To send a team, complete and submit a Team Application, and email tgteams@efca.org.

·         Specific skilled construction teams are needed to rebuild the damaged churches.

·         General  volunteer (skilled and/or unskilled) teams are also needed for  clean-up and repairs of impacted homes and community outreach ministry.

God bless you as you seek His will for how you can be apart of this mission field!

Meet the Friendly Faces of Fall :)

My roomies Vero & Giovi at Dordt College!

One of the many joys of my calling includes visiting college campuses to get to know students, share with them how God is working in TouchGlobal, and share ways for them to get involved! I love sitting down with students and hearing what God has given them a passion for and encouraging them to pray about how they can live out that passion on the mission field! 

This fall I have been able to visit:
Dordt College, IA
Northwestern College, IA
Southwest Baptist University, MO

Haiti 2012 Intern Chelsey with potential Haiti 2013 Intern Courtney

John Brown University, AR
College of the Ozarks, MO
[TG staff Ariealle and Carrie visited Greenville College IL]

Read through the captions and take time to pray for these students!

Dordt student Cam with TG Staff Shelby! Cam is praying about coming next summer to NOLA!

Catching up with Haiti 2011 Intern Brandon - praying about coming back in the summer!

Haiti 2012 Intern Mentor Jane - she shared with me at Crosspoint's youth group!

SBU student Ashley helping me recruit! Ashley served as a volunteer last spring break and praying about next summer!

Meet SBU students who have come down to serve in NOLA for their spring break + TG staff Chelsea!!

NOLA 2011 Interns Chelsea and Dustin at SBU - they are getting married May 25, 2013!! so happy for them!

College of the Ozarks grad Jenna who served as a volunteer in NOLA in 2011. She has become a very dear friend of mine!

CofO student Emilee served in NOLA as volunteer in 2012! What a blessing to see her again!

I can't wait to see who God calls to join us to further His Kingdom purposes in the mission field that follows crisis!  It's my job to share, but only God makes it grow!  Please continue to pray and ask God to raise up this next generation, to provide courage for these students to step out in faith in their daily lives and to join the mission field with TG!

From House to Home!! Its worth it!

December 2011(back wall/kitchen)

Today's blog post comes from my room in Ms. Val's home in NEW ORLEANS LOUISIANA!!!! One thing I've been focusing on this week is having a heart of gratitude and being settled in this home just releases huge shouts of praise and thankfulness! Why?? because this time last year this home sat empty, vacant, deserted, in need of repair, without hope, and without light...it was another statistic in the "what did Katrina destroy" list.

and Today...it's furnished, painted, full of laughter, joy, love, and women who LOVE JESUS!!! who have a desire to be the light of Christ and share His hope with our neighbors!!! This once empty house has been completely transformed into a warm welcoming home for whoever enters its doors. We are forever grateful to the hundreds (literally hundreds) of volunteers who obeyed God's call to go and serve those in need!

Not only were thousands of sweat drops poured over this house but thousands of hours of prayer...sometimes I'm standing in the kitchen and I feel the prayers of those who came to show Christ's love to this home and its homeowner Ms. Valerie.  Ms. Valerie is tremendously grateful for every single volunteer who came down, who gave up comforts of home, who took vacation time, who stepped outside their comfort zone in central city New Orleans, who showed love to our neighbors, who treated her home like their home.

August 2012 (the back wall/kitchen is behind our heads)

and tomorrow...we will continue to pour out the love of Christ you showed to this home to our neighbors and encourage them to know the everlasting love of our Father in Heaven!  We have a desire to be intentional with truly LOVING OUR NEIGHBORS AS OURSELVES because Christ first loved us!  Please join us in prayer for S. Derbigny St and Central City New Orleans.  God has me here for a purpose and I want to fulfill that purpose to bring God glory!! Pray we wouldn't miss an opportunity to share our faith and reflect the image of Christ to our neighbors that they see Him in us and want to know Him!  Pray for wisdom as we seek to build authentic vulnerable relationships with our neighbors in a way that demonstrates the love of Christ and draws them into a closer walk with Him.


So it's worth it...if you haven't come down yet or it's been a while to serve those who need the transforming work of the Gospel and who need houses transformed to homes, ...we need you! It's worth it :)

Because He first loved us...

O how I love Jesus
O how I love Jesus
O how I love Jesus
Because He first loved me...
This hymn was played at the Christian Community Development Association's (CCDA) National conference this past week.  This song caught my attention and my heart.  The verses in the hymn draw out how much our Father in heaven loves us and how His love for us sent us His Son, His one and only Son, to die for us that we may live a new life in Him.  God loves us, His love sent our Savior, His love propels us to love Him and everyone...This theme reappeared 250 miles away 2 days later at Dordt college during their worship time called GIFT (growing in faith together).  Okay God I think you are trying to tell me something. haha
I love how God continues to show His love to us which is not only meant to fill our hearts but allow us to pass His love onto others.  If we love God, we will obey His commands - one of which being love your neighbor as yourself...and to love my neighbor means I get to express the Gospel, the greatest love ever.  When I put others wants and needs above my own, when I humble myself and seek forgiveness for wrongs I've committed, when I feed the hungry, when I show kindness and compassion towards anyone, when I choose to love my enemies, when I give without expecting anything in return, when I pray with those who are hurting, when I share with others the hope that I have through my Lord and Savior...all of which I must rely on the Lord for because none of these can be expressed without my utter dependence on Him...when I submit my life to Him, His love shines through!
God FIRST loved us! AMEN! So will I choose to express that love to Him and to the people He puts in my life today?  In Christ I hope so!

Chasing after the Wind...

The verse that sparked the title of this blog is found in Ecclesiastes 4:6 which reads:

Better one handful of tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.

The word "wind" has taken on a new memory for me as I sheltered in place during hurricane Isaac. (thank you for your prayers as we were kept safe and with power!) After the storm rolled through, seeing the effects of wind on fallen trees, ripped off roofs, driving water on land...it's quite the invisible force of power and motion.

The verse implies you can't really "catch" wind...chasing it gets you no where. It's better to have one handful of rest and one handful of toil than double the toil. For me this is a blessing as in the world of TouchGlobal we do in a way "chase" after wind. We see a mission field created in the wake of crisis and recognize that the first physical wind can open doors for the more powerful wind, the Holy Spirit, to move in the hearts of those it sweeps across.

Another connection to the word "wind" was given by my boss at KRA's. TouchGlobal serves our ministry partners such as churches, church planters, etc as the wind in their sails.  We don't want the spotlight, we want to be the stage where they are the key players and create a platform of ministry opportunities that are made available through crisis.  We want the powerful wind of the Holy Spirit to guide us so we're not just chasing physical wind but chasing the Holy Spirit with God's purposes in mind.

So the verse...better one handful of tranquility...how this speaks to me is that I need to rest in the midst of toiling to focus on the greater Wind and make sure my toiling is in line with God's Kingdom purposes!  Otherwise I'm toiling for nothing...just like trying to "catch" wind.

I pray that you can find tranquility time daily to seek God's Spirit and see where He is leading and guiding you with His power and motion!

Happy Chasing :)

Thank You Lord for what You'll Do!

Of course I was all ready to title this blog "here we go..." but before I could type a single word, I received a call from a friend of mine who I met on a team back in 2009.  This just isn't any friend but someone who came to New Orleans on a team, served for a week, and on his ride home with the team accepted Christ as His Lord and Savior! PRAISE THE LORD!!

He told me how he's been meaning to call me and update me on his life and how since his trip to NOLA, his wife has accepted Christ (PRAISE THE LORD!!) and they both were baptized at the Easter service last year!  Praise God their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life and it doesn't stop there!  He went on to tell me how since his trip, he has started his own type of local ministry!  He is partnering with the schools in his community to provide backpacks full of food and school supplies for students whose parents cannot afford them.  He says he knows how meeting the physical needs of others provides an opportunity to spread the Gospel. He says his heart for his local community came from our team in NOLA encouraging the teams to not let their "mission trip" stop in NOLA but to take it home.

This is just one of the many stories of lives that have been transformed from a storm that hit the coast seven years ago tomorrow, yes Aug 29th, 2005.  Even for myself, Hurricane Katrina changed my life.  So with Isaac approaching, headed towards New Orleans, who's to say that this storm cannot transform someone's life?? In fact, I am praising God already for how God WILL use this storm to transform lives and I am praising God for how He will USE the Body of Christ to meet the needs of others for the sake of the Gospel!

I will ask for prayer requests as that is how God can use the Body of Christ during this time:

1) pray for the people of southern Louisiana who are now being reminded of Katrina because of the anniversary and for the many many homes that are still uninhabited by Katrina.  Please pray for their emotional well being and for God's peace to rest on them during this time.

2) pray for my church body Castle Rock who has decided to shelter in place.  They are also sticking it out and they are calling for lots of rain and potential flooding.  Please pray for safety and protection for them!

3) pray that Isaac rolls in and rolls out quickly!  We get street flooding on a good thunderstorm so please pray that it moves quickly over New Orleans so flooding is at a minimum.

4) pray for our TouchGlobal staff as we prepare for the storm and prepare to assess damage after Isaac rolls through.  Please pray for wisdom and guidance for our team as we seek God's will for what a response could look like.  We recognize that in the wake of crisis God creates a mission field so we want to be prayed up for being in line with God's will.

5) pray for our safety and protection as we ride out the storm.  pray that power is maintained during the storm and if not that we are able to run off the generators with the fuel we bought yesterday and that power would be restored before we run out of fuel.

Thank you for your prayers! We praise God for you and your partnership in the Gospel with us!

We'll keep you posted as we meet Isaac!
God bless yall!
Katie :)

Lord, you are my God;
    I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
    you have done wonderful things,
    things planned long ago...
You have been a refuge for the poor,
    a refuge for the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm  

Isaiah 25:1,4

THERE IS POWER...IN PRAYER! (and on S. Derbigny!)

PRAISE THE LORD WE HAVE POWER!!!

Thank you so much for your prayers for my housing situation! Yes God has answered and I found out the news this morning that the house I want to move into in central city does have power! God is SOOOO GOOD!!!

I'm praising God for each one of you who prayed for me, Ms. Val, and the house.  I have learned a lot through this trial and through a devotional on Philippians not realizing how much that book would apply to my situation.  Learning how to be joyful despite circumstances has been a tough lesson but is a definite theme in the book of Philippians. Because my joy is found in Christ who never changes, I can be joyful when circumstances change.  He is always faithful, always loving, and always there to hold me during times of uncertainty and unknown.

Yes God has answered my prayer for power and now I'm moving forward with the next prayer request which is for the AC to be hooked up by the weekend and we have some electrical glitches that need worked out.  So not moved in just yet but praying and asking God to continue to show Himself faithful!   He can do it and I just need to trust Him in His timing!

Joyful in Christ,
Katie :)

The whole book of Philippians is just awesome reminders that my life is all about CHRIST! not about a house or where I live..but about my awesome Savior!

Some verses that I'm holding onto are:

For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Phil 1:21

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as ALWAYS Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." Phil 1:20

"The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice." Philippians 1:18

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. Phil 2:3-4

For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh. Phil 3:3

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Phil 3:8

 I want to know Christ, the power of his resurrection and fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Phil 3:10

Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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. Phil 4:7

Can't You See Why I'm Thankful...

This blog is matched with the one before it...these are the pictures of some of the reasons why I'm thankful! Happy Viewing!

Ms. Cammie and her new kitchen!

building relationships at the block party

Ms Ruby with volunteers who worked on her home last year

Missouri dads and Michigan cousins on their last night in town

Loretta and Tony who sang Happy Bday to me at Zea's

Castle Rock's playground being constructed with the help of 300 volunteers!

priceless

BDAY LUNCH!!

Coke Zero and Funfetti Cake = classic!

the gospel wave "preach it" getting popular! and look Ross came to visit!