Thursday, December 2, 2010

Connecting the dots...

Happy December Everyone!

I hope you all had a lovely turkey day filled with great food and fellowship with family and friends! I was able to run a 5-mile turkey trot (so yes I still like running...for now) and spend time with Castle Rock families and the McCain Family.

The McCain family and friends (pic right) come down every Thanksgiving to serve a thanksgiving meal at a diner in the 9th Ward. It was through this family that we made the connection with Pastor Gerald of House of Hope and began to work on the church. "What had happened was" (a common nawlins saying), last year Jennifer noticed Pastor Gerald at the diner reading a book on the Holy Spirit. Jennifer was also reading a book on the Holy Spirit and approached him to discuss the book and the conversation went from there to Jennifer emailing us about helping him rebuild his church. It was great for them to see the church and see how their desire to serve the LORD last year created a connection between us and Pastor Gerald that begin the restoration of House of Hope. God is soo cool in how He connects the dots!

A cool bit of fruit from my trip up to PA is that a college ministry I spoke with has now decided to come to New Orleans for their spring break trip! Praise God for moving in their hearts to come serve in NOLA!

Praises:
1) God continuing to provide for my needs at the right time!
2) Excited to head home next week and be around for 2 weeks! Well this is bringing up mixed emotions...my parents have decided to move next year and this will be our LAST Christmas in the house I've lived in my WHOLE LIFE! I'm pretty sure I'm going to cry and I've already asked if I can buy it but it's way out of my price range...haha. No matter what we'll enjoy the Christmas season together!
3) My first committed intern had her interview with the Engage team this week and it went well. Another committed intern has turned in her initial application. There's 2 more who have shown interest so yay God!

Prayers:
1) for safety traveling home!
2) It's easy for me to whine and complain about the workload but that's the opposite of how I should feel so please pray for my attitude towards the work I have on my plate right now:
a) long term application - going to keep moving forward unless God says otherwise
b) equip online course on healthy missions partnership - really neat course on how to build healthy partnerships which is what our ministry is all about
c) the homework for my Body Builders conference which is in mid-January in Dallas on how to raise a healthy support team - I could always use help in my methods for raising support.
d) the internship program - banging out more of the fine details and pray that God would raise up the interns He wants for the program.
3) I really want to grow in my walk with God and get to know Him more and more and use this knowledge to love and serve my neighbors near and far. Please pray that this desire would grow and when I hear the Spirit prompting me to do or say something, I obey right away. I find that in the moments I obey Him, this is when I know more about Him and grow the most.

Thanks for praying and let me know how I can pray for you!
In Christ,
Katie :)

Devo from Oswald Chambers:
To say, “Thank God, I know I am saved and sanctified,” is in God’s eyes the purest expression of humility. It means you have so completely surrendered yourself to God that you know He is true. Never worry about whether what you say sounds humble before others or not. But always be humble before God, and allow Him to be your all in all.

There is only one relationship that really matters, and that is your personal relationship to your personal Redeemer and Lord. If you maintain that at all costs, letting everything else go, God will fulfill His purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purposes, and yours may be that life.