3/28/08

The week has flown by as we are coming to a close of our trip. Today, we woke up early in the morning to help serve a breakfast for the homeless in Baton Rouge. Serving the men and women was a humbling experience as we heard many of their stories and situations in life. From war veterans to those displaced by Katrina, we learned a lot about the life's difficulties. The Dream Center reaches out to these men and women each week on Thursday and Friday. For many, it is the only time of the week that they are able to have a conversation with someone that cares. After the breakfast, we visited a town called Donaldsonville. This is one of the poorest communities outside of New Orleans that was also heavily affected by Katrina. After the storm hit, one of the local elementary schools was abandoned by the government. They decided to build another school in the neighborhood rather than renovate the old one. The local government recognized the significant work that the Healing Place Church was doing in the recovery effort. They "sold" the elementary school to the Healing Place under a contract in which they had to pay $1/year! The church has converted that school into another Dream Center where they are reaching out to the local needs of the poor and widows. Today, they have two Sunday services with 400 people in attendance.

In the afternoon, we went on a local outreach to the homeless with an amazing staff worker at the Dream Center in Baton Rouge. Donna is one of the most incredible women I have ever met! Saved from a life of drugs and depression, God called her to reach out to those who were caught in the same addictions and lifestyle. After she received this calling, she has poured out her life to serve those forgotten by society - prostitutes, pimps, drug addicts, and dealers. She puts in a 40-80 hour week providing food, counsel, refuge, and prayer to those
who are in desperate need of someone who cares. Each day we see her running around talking with people, praying for the homeless, giving food to the hungry, breaking up fights, and serving the forgotten of society. Today, she led us on an outreach to find and bless the "hidden" homeless. She led us to one of the levies located next to the Mississippi River. Hidden underneath the bridge and by the riverside are people hoping for a job and searching for meaning in life. We found several homeless living in a tent by the river. They could not believe that 16 students from Chicago drove this far to offer food and prayer. After we prayed for them, one of the men prayed for us and thanked God for encouraging them at this difficult time in their lives. It was a truly humbling experience. People like Donna are showing us that what we do for the least of these, we do unto Jesus. He is there among those that are forgotten.

We closed off our night by attending "The Hub" which is the college and 20-something ministry at The Healing Place. Our team was blessed as we sang familiar songs and worshiped together with other college students from LSU. We had a purple connection going here ;). The Healing Place has truly inspired us to serve our community and strive for excellence. We are blessed to be partners together with them in the ministry.

As we prepare to return home, our team is reflecting upon a flood of experiences. There are so many lessons that God has been teaching us about his character, ourselves, and the world we live in. We hope we can share with all of you the blessings we have received!

For Transformation,
P. Jimmy