New Orleans Five

The following is a letter written by our fearless team leader:

Hey Parents,

Have you heard enough about New Orleans? I can't stop thinking about our trip. I especially can't stop thinking about our awesome students! Not one of them gave me any trouble. We had change after change during our stay and each one of them rolled with the punches. They were ready to serve. God stretched each and every one of us and we met HIS challenge.

Please give me a moment to share my memories:

• We were deeply impacted by the "tent city" of homeless under the freeway as we turned ourselves around after a wrong exit from the interstate.
• Amanda begging me to take our leftover pizza back to the homeless who lived in the tent city.
• Gary rushing out the door to help with the VBS battle.
• Our student's solemn faces returning from that first VBS then their determined looks to go back and love them in Jesus' name.
• Olivia's strong words of disappointment in the kid's behavior and then her determined look to go back and love anyway. All because she wanted to be obedient to Christ.
• Rachel's encouraging words to love the unlovely. She wisely compared our past experiences in Juarez and challenged to students to take that same love to the children in the projects.
• Our boy's valiant faces when we told them we need them as "bouncers" for the rest of the VBS's.
• Lizzy's look of love as she befriended one to the toughest girls in the group.
• Corinn's sweet dirty face as she worked with the boys everyday at Canal Baptist Church. This is a downtown church that was destroyed by the flood and is finally rebuilding. It's a deaf church and now Brent Robertson knows sign language!
• The hungry eyes of the intercessory team while Gary and Nancy served yummy homemade meals. Ask your students about the homemade biscuits, enchiladas, sloppy joes, eggs, bacon...
• Katie Morrical's laughter as I got lost several times delivering lunch to the teams. We crossed the bridge twice and had to pay twice!! No mercy from the toll lady.
• Daniel Feller's midnight birthday party.
• The smell of homemade cookies thanks to you and Nancy Purdy.
• The sounds of worship thanks to the worship team. NOTE: Worship and devotionals were led by our students!
• Will Menzies bravely standing by my husband as he kicked out some misbehaving boys during the block party.
• Paige enduring the fact a little boy just threw up on her!!!
• Emily taking care of Cornelius, yet she left him behind. (an ear of corn she picked at the downtown mission.)
• Kelsey staying behind one day to help me clean the facility.
• All of our faces of amazement as we viewed the areas where the levee broke and how high the water rose.
• The empty blocks where houses once stood in the Ninth Ward... only street signs and fire hydrants remain...
• The sounds of car horn beeping in appreciation as we stood and prayed at the Ninth Ward memorial. One day your child will hear the voice of our Father saying "well done good and faithful servant."

Thank you for raising great warriors and allowing us to take them to serve our neighbors in New Orleans.

Have a great summer and God bless your families.

Living in the River of HIS GLORY,
Leslie