ReliefCast

A team working in New Orleans came down from Canada on a bus, and they needed a vehicle for transportation to and from the jobsite.  The team used one of the ministry's Suburbans, and on Wednesday afternoon a staff member got a call that the vehicle wouldn't start.  After making some calls, arrangements were made for staff in the general area to pick them up.  On Thursday, a staff member went to the job site with a replacement starter. When he arrived, he heard the rest of the story. The previous afternoon, the team was hanging out by the vehicle while they waited for their ride.  As they waited, people from the neighborhood started talking with them.  One neighbor asked if they had ever had crawfish.  They hadn't...so he went to the store, bought 12 pounds of crawfish, and taught them how to eat crawfish.  Meanwhile, the team continued to interact with others from the "hood."  After an hour of waiting, their ride finally arrived and they said to the neighbors who had gathered, "We pray before we leave the jobsite, would you like to join us?"  One neighbor asked them to wait while he ran home to get his wife. In the end, the team had 25 people praying in a circle.  God allowed a starter to go bad opening a door of opportunity for this team to engage the community. 

This is an area where we have two ongoing jobs, so there will be more teams in this neighborhood in the coming week. What could very well have been considered an inconvenience, turned out to be an opportunity to see God at work. Only He knows what impact that inconvenience will have on the lives of those involved.
 
How do we view the occurrences in our lives?  Yesterday, I had a choice to make.  Things did not go as I had planned.  I had to decide whether I would grumble or rejoice.  Would I see the occurrence as an inconvenience or an opportunity?  I'm still processing this, but I know that God works all things together for good.  I know He desires for me to see His hand in all that happens.  So often it's easy for me to be distracted.
 
Fixing my eyes on Jesus,
John Horst
EFCA Crisis Response

February 26, 2008 the Central City neighborhood lost a loving neighbor and amazing man of God. Many of you who have stayed at the Yellow House have met Mr. Lee. His gruff voice and wacky sense of humor is likely something you remember. News of his passing grieved those in the neighborhood--especially those living on Terpsichore, but it also made us smile. We know Mr. Lee is in heaven whistling as loud as ever and probably playing that harmonica before the throne. He left a quiet but lasting legacy, and he will be deeply missed.

The need is still great as New Orleans continues to rebuild. Thank you teams! 

Current statistics
Teams to date: 948
Volunteers to date: 11,152
Volunteer hours to date: 432,313

Facebook
We've created a Facebook group called, "I served with EFCA Crisis Response" so volunteers can stay connected with staff and other groups.  Post your missions photos and videos here! 

Staff blogs
The following staff members currently have blogs about their ministry experiences in Louisiana...check them out and stay in touch!

Phil and Amy Stokes - http://iheartno.blogspot.com/  
Jon and Mandy Prince - http://efcacrisisresponse.blogspot.com  
Elizabeth Martin - http://thebigmovetoneworleans.blogspot.com

Web site
Go to http://www.efcakatrinaproject.com for up-to-date photos of the projects teams are working on and to see what churches have served with Crisis Response. Also, check out our team blog where you can leave stories about your time in Louisiana.