Missions Trip

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:31-32

Hey guys! By the way, I'm so sorry I didn't blog last week. I was in New Orleans on a short term missions trip with my youth group. We worked with an organization called Kaleo Missions. And that is my topic for today's post. Here's what happened:

Sunday: Left church at 11 for a 6 hour road trip with our youth minister and intern and 9 other youth, stopped for lunch at Raising Cane's a third of the way in, stopped for gas two thirds in, and then arrived in New Orleans. Confession time: We were a little late because we stopped for boba at Kung Fu Tea before arriving at the church we were staying at(Kelsey and Caitlyn- if you're reading this, we're sorry!). Then we met the interns there (which were really nice) and had dinner. After that, the Pastor gave a little spiel about New Orleans and the dos and don'ts. Then we played card games and went to bed.

The team and Troy, a man we met during
the storm drain project

 Monday: We had breakfast at 7:30 and then left at about 8:30. Our first stop was Bethel Colony, which is a rehab place for people who abused drugs and alcohol. The way they earn money is by running a thrift store, car wash, and coffee shop. So we worked in the thrift store. My job was to take clothes on racks and find a place for them in the store. We also had a chance to hear a woman's testimony about how God worked in her life which was really cool. Next we had lunch at the church and then headed to our next site. In the afternoon we cleaned storm drains in a neighborhood, and used that as an opportunity to build relationships with the people there and just get to know them. The only thing is, it was HOT. But overall it was a good experience. When we were done with that, we went back to the church and showered and ate dinner. Every evening except for Wednesday we would have debrief, which was a time to share what you thought God was teaching you the past day, and surprisingly I really enjoyed it. Then Jamie (a rising freshman in college who's has a lot of musical talent and is really nice) lead us in worship. After that we hung out and went to bed.

A couple of us and Thomas, a man we met
and talked to at Magnolia

The team at lunch

getting snowballs

Tuesday: On Tuesday we had our usual breakfast and leaving time. Our first site was Magnolia Community, which is a place for adults with special needs and just hung out with them. Even if we couldn't really have a coherent conversation with them, I think we all enjoyed it. For lunch, we packed lunches and ate in park nearby. Our next site was a Habitat for Humanity restore place, where we helped organize and put away things. As a reward for a long work day, we got snowballs afterwards which were really good, but there was WAY too much syrup but oh well, it was still good. Then we had the usual evening schedule, and went to be
d.

at the food bank with another
volunteer

In front of the river

Wednesday: We only had one site on Wednesday, and it was volunteering at a local food bank called Giving Hope. The team helped wherever we were needed and it was pretty fun. We also helped people take their food to their car and asked if they wanted prayer, and to my surprise, a lot of people actually want prayer. After that we went back to the church and played games and listened to a podcast the pastor at the church wanted us to listen to. Wednesday was also free night, so we went to a restaurant called The Gumbo Shop (or something like that) and after that we went to Cafe Du Monde, which is a famous cafe there, and had beignets, which were really good. Then we went and sat in front of the Mississippi River and took pictures and enjoyed the view. Then we went back and went to bed.

the team at Cafe du Monde

talking at the food bank

The girls and the interns before Grace
at the Green Light

Thursday: We didn't have our first site till ten, so we just hung out at the church in the morning. Then we did Grace at the Green Light, where we gave water to the homeless people under a highway. I thought it was pretty fun, except I was pretty tired after a long few days of serving. Then, half of the team (the ones who felt up to it) took lunch to homeless people, and the other half stayed back and had a mini Bible study. Then, in the afternoon we had the choice to either clean storm drains again, or do the coffee shop ministry. I opted for the coffee shop ministry, which is where we pray in a local coffee shop for a conversation with someone and for the other team who's out cleaning storm drains.By the grace of God we were able to have a couple conversations with people there, and were able to get to know them. After that we went with the interns to get boba (especially since one of them had never had it before) which was really fun. When we finished, had our usual night routine along with some packing, and went to sleep.

the girls on the team

the girls and one of the interns named
Caitlyn

Friday: Sadly, Friday was our last day in New Orleans. In the morning we slept in a little extra and then packed up. We then said our final goodbyes, took some pictures, and left at about 9:30. We stopped for lunch in Lafayette and then for gas with a couple hours left. We got back home at about 6.

What I learned:

1. How many opportunities there are to serve locally 
2. How much of an impact prayer can make 
3. That we all have different spiritual gifts and strengths and that they are all equally important
4. That a lot of people actually want to talk if they are given the chance to
5. How privileged I am to live so comfortably- it was very eye-opening 
6. How we need to serve with the right heart- I realized how prideful and selfish my serving could be, and how I need to be more humble and not judge others who are different then me, because we are all equally broken sinners 

So that's all for my post today! Sorry that it was so long, I just felt like God taught me a lot through this trip. Thanks for reading and come back next Monday for more!😉💚