"Wow", is an understatement when it comes to serving God in a place such as New Orleans. Growing up in the Bible Belt (Georgia), I thought I knew all there was to know about Christianity, however I was sadly mistaken. At the beginning of our trip, I was expecting another huge conference like I have attended in the past and I'd come home on fire for God from music, huge conferences, and fellowship amongst thousands of others, don't get me wrong...those are all wonderful things, but the experience between that and direct mission work is like night and day.

     When we arrived, we were literally driving through the projects and it put knots in my stomach, I guess being the typical American, I never actually believed any of this until I actually saw it with my own eyes. We pulled up to two run-down looking houses (which are actually quite nice on the inside) and thought to myself... What had I gotten myself into? We met up with Jesus Miracle Power church and had a meeting about the things we would be doing throughout the week. We split into two teams and set off to our houses, determined to get up and work as hard as we could for God and this ministry. 

     We've only been here for two days, however it seems like a week already. We've been organizing and operating the local VBS, feeding the homeless, making conversations with random strangers in the city and sharing with what God has led us to do here, helping a local thrift store, and planting seeds of salvation all over the city. This place is so humbling and cannot be fully represented in any other way. My salvation and relationship with God is growing uncontrollably, minute by minute. I send this message out to my fellow missionaries and say this one thing... stay strong and look to God for anything and everything... "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!"