By Eddie Exposito

It’s hard to imagine that it’s five years later.  In some ways it feels like it has been a lifetime of swimming through concrete.  In other ways, it seems like just yesterday we came back home to a new normal – freshly renovated by the hand of God and a fist of furies.

As you travel through the tri-parish neighborhoods, you see a suffering urban triad. New homes sit next to empty lots that lay in between yet-to-be touched properties.  Blight sits like an ugly blind date among two other more attractive choices.  Much has yet to happen, but no one seems to want to dance.

There is an ADD view of charity in America. While we do give abundantly through many benevolent organizations, we are still a nation of distraction. One day our attention lingers over one disaster and then, just as quickly, it shifts over to a new area with little thought about long-term commitments. Devastated cities are not rebuilt quickly and people take even longer.

Yet, even through the confused difficulties and mire of mountainous and lethargic bureaucracy, we can see light. Hope was transported by God’s grace through thousands of churches and car after truck after van of volunteers. FEMA, the military, Red Cross and other agencies showed up week after week to help and assist in cleanup and recovery.  We were overwhelmed by a continuing trail of faithful servants who helped us sew up wounds and re-lay new foundations and in spite of all the delays, political pandering and illogical insensibilities; help arrived. Mercy is beautiful even when born next to death.

In long-term urban relief ministry, we’ve seen a juxtaposition of opposing truths that seem to wage war in a paradoxical fist fight.  Great blessings coexist with intense trials. One hand seeking to serve and love like Christ, while the other demands a better menu and preferential work projects.  One hand is grateful for whatever help it receives, while the other is never satisfied with the free labor it gets; even though it could never afford in the first place.  Grace and demand live as sneering neighbors sobering up those who pay attention.  Sometimes it seems like a miracle that anything gets done. It is.

Beyond the waterline, we’ve learned much about our own weaknesses and self-interests and have been made clearly aware of our ongoing need for sustaining grace – the grace that only Christ can bring.  When funds disappear and interest wanes, the real fiber of your heart is tested.  As promises laced with good intentions break away into disappointment’s wake, it is through His sufficiency and new provisions that we press on. In the long haul, you notice both your utter dependency and inadequacy. God uses hard-baked vessels to bring truth and life, even when they are bruised and cracked.

Establishing our internship program at Homeland Missions has been a deep passion as we have sought to anchor and transfer the heart attitudes and practicalities that we’ve learned in half a decade. We know we are mere pups, but He’s taught us so much already.

As we move past another August 29^th and into more unknowns; one thing has not changed. We are even more committed to sustaining a generational beacon of salt and light in our community. We aren’t sure about exactly what the end product will look like, but we are faithful to see it through. He never abandons us no matter how much the darkness feels empty.  Pray for us. Pray for the people we help. Come lend a hand. We need you.

In Brooklyn’s industrial district, a few urban re-thinkers designed, and built, a pool party prototype out of dumpsters.

Yes, dumpsters.

Those unsightly, grody, stinky, and huge metal containers that run alongside practically every city building, restaurant, and construction site can be made new again.

David Belt, president of Macro-Sea (a company that exists to rethink and energize the urban landscape), borrowed the idea of creating these dumpster pools from Curtis Crowe, a musician in Georgia.  Taking this rudimentary design, Belt sought out a space in New York to build, and immediately went to work.

What came about was a sort of urban country club, complete with three connected dumpster pools, a pool deck, grills, cabanas, and even a bocce ball court.

This concept of repurposing and redeeming ordinary, common, even repulsive objects bespeaks to what Christ has accomplished for and in his people through the work he has done on the cross as well as to what he calls his people to: being excellent stewards of the world he entrusted to them.

Projects like dumpster pools, urban gardening, and reclaiming lumber from abandoned houses are just the beginning of the possibilities for urban rethinking and renewal.  With a bit of creativity, ingenuity, and tenacity, God’s people could, and should, be at the forefront of this movement.

To see the entire article about the dumpster pools, click here.

We have come to expect great blessing and encouragement through those who come to work with us here in Southeast Louisiana and this past week’s crew was no exception.   For months, we looked forward to seeing our old friends from Harvest Bible Chapel in DeKalb, Illinois as well as meeting new friends from Calvary Bible Church in Roger’s City, Michigan.

They arrived Friday night, and were already hard at work on Saturday morning, beginning a series of on-site projects.   After only 48 hours, the group was already tight knit and working as a unified body.

“Its been fantastic!  We’ve only been here for a couple of days, but we’re getting a great feel for what the church is doing here and we’re feeling right at home.  The team here is very hospitable, and put us to work already!  We’re having a great time.”  Dan Sullivan from Harvest told us.

On Sunday, Steve Best, Pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, preached for us a very challenging and encouraging sermon on what congregations can do to improve their pastors.  To listen to Steve’s sermon, click here.   After lunch, the group got the chance to take a swamp hike and experience the beauty, heat and challenges of Southeast Louisiana’s terrain.

The rest of the week was full of rewarding work and opportunities to connect with the community surrounding us.  For the first time, we partnered with the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity and pitched in on some of the work they are doing in Covington for aspiring homeowners.

Along with finishing up major projects here at the church, such as fencing off the front of our property, some of the guys were able to help elderly and disabled community members with smaller projects in their houses.  At the end of the week, we got the chance to take the crew to the Lower Ninth Ward Community Center to once again work with Mack and help his mission move forward.  For most of the crew, it was an eye opening experience to see the devastation that still exists five years after Katrina.

Led by our intern Tim Young, Matt and Dan from Harvest visited a total of ten local households as part of our EPC (Evangelism, Prayer and Counsel) mission work. These followups are a great way to minister to those who we’ve helped in the past by providing updates and current needs status as well as spiritual counsel.

“I was left feeling so touched and in awe of the power of listening as a form of servant-ship.  There are many everywhere waiting for the opportunity in which someone will listen to them and give them answers that aren’t generic, but heartfelt and genuine.” Tim said in describing the experience.

By the end of the week, no one was ready to say goodbye.  More friends were made and old friends became closer and God was glorified by the ministry of the Word, prayer and practical mercies being displayed by His people. It was an incredible encouragement to everyone.

Thank you, Harvest Bible Chapel and Calvary Bible Church for your willingness to serve and help us in our labors!

If you would like to book a short term mission or an EPC mission trip, click here.

Check out our flickr page for more photos of the Harvest and Calvary crew!

Women of the Storm, a diverse and nonpartisan group of ladies that banded together after Hurricane Katrina, are now focusing their efforts on restoring the Gulf Coast by urging Americans to sign a petition that they will present to Congress and the Obama Administration.

Anything less than complete coastal restoration is unacceptable. This nation requires a healthy Gulf of Mexico for a number of reasons involving domestic energy, shipping, seafood, ecology, recreation and culture.

To learn more about this movement, and to sign the petition yourself, visit their website here.

Every one gets to a point in their lives when they think they’ve got it bad, that their life sucks and nothing can possibly go right.  Yet, it’s not until we start living for others that we realize that our lives are not all that bad and there’s always somebody else with the same layers of problems, with different people playing the parts of Wronged and Offender.

Usually, when I get to a point when I start thinking to myself or vocalizing that things aren’t going well, it is because I’ve been out to “get mine”.  I mean, was I not raised as if I was a manufactured cookie in some industrial cookie factory, with massive cookie cutters designed to produce identical cookies?   I was told to go to school, get the best grades so I can go to the best university, to get the best degree, to make the most money, to buy the biggest house to surround with the tallest fence so that no one can partake in my “best”, and somewhere in there marry a trophy wife and produce a few kids to carry on the family name so that I can leave them at home to be raised by a nanny while both mommy and I work our tails off.   Going in, I would already know that I had a fifty-fifty chance of having “irreconcilable differences” and getting a divorce, which destroys the kids who then get put on anti-depressants for being sad, which in turn turns them into lethargic robots.  Yet is that all not “the dream”?  Am I not supposed to live for myself and get mine?

So why is it then that people can’t seem to understand that that “good feeling” they get when they put on a food drive, donate gifts on Christmas, or every once in a great while ride the roller-coaster high they get while working on a community project for a day is a normative feeling they are meant to have all the time because they are fully capable of serving others consistently?  Happiness does not come from within, but from outside ourselves.  Why do people fail to see that working for the man is not and never can be as fulfilling as serving men?

As if God is shouting the message, “You think you’ve got it bad, you whiny baby!” into my ear with a bullhorn, He continually reminds me that showing love for others by serving them in any way I can shows me that this world is full of disappointment because when everyone is trying to serve themselves, there is no one left to be a friend, call family, or love at all.

People are lonely and hurting.  I know this because when I, a complete stranger, visited three households today, I was greeted like a king, shown hospitality that I thought did not exist anymore and people may think of as “old school”.  I cared just a little and it was like floodgates were released, releasing a tsunami of stories full family strife, death, incarceration, hatred, malice, sadness, guilt, and bitterness.

After longing to evangelize and visit with those in the local community since arriving in Louisiana, God gave me a gift and it had nothing to do with me.  With the companionship of Dan and Matt from a crew of volunteers from Harvest Bible Church in DeKalb, Illinois, I visited the homes of Elcy and Elaine, Florida, and Danielle and Geraldine.

We three heard amazing stories, filled with struggle caused by hurricane Katrina, but we also heard more personal stories about the death of a husband, a son being put in prison, a sister who is so hateful that she has alienated all of her relatives and went as far as to admit she was trying to break up the marriage between her brother-in-law and sister, the death of a daughter/sister at a young age from breast cancer splitting apart a family of six, and feelings of guilt for wrongdoings.  One of those we visited even broke down crying and could not express herself other than to say she felt guilty.  Possibly the most in-depth and heavy conversation we had was about praying to deceased people instead of God.

To those who are reading it, it probably seems there is no hope and those we visited seemed very lost.  However, there was light and hope.  It came shining through during the conversations when all of those we visited expressed they couldn’t be more appreciative of Dan, Matt, and I simply visiting them and taking the time to listen to them and pray for them.  We were told, “You come back soon now, ya hear?” genuinely.  The gospel message was shared and the worthiness of the Bible was discussed.  One of those we visited is now thinking about hosting a Bible study so that we come back and visit and can invite her neighbors.

These people, with their broken hearts, guilt, and loss have experienced more hurt than I can possibly imagine, yet they sat and talked to us for hours, bought us lunch, cut us pieces of cake, refused to let us clean up our own dirty dishes, and let us inside their homes to talk to us for hours.  They told complete strangers about their lives and some of their inner-most struggles.

I am left feeling so touched and in awe of the power of listening as a form of servant-ship that I can barely write this blog post without coming to tears.   How should I, the master complainer, be so blessed as to be used to bring joy into the lives of strangers?  There are many any where and every where waiting for the opportunity in which someone will listen to them and give them answers that aren’t generic, but heartfelt and genuine.  There are many waiting to be told that they don’t have to live within their hurt any longer.

And that’s how I continue to learn why I have no reason to complain.  Ever.

— Timothy Young

P.S.  If you are interested in an evangelism-centered retreat, check out information about our Homeland Missions EPC Retreat option:  http://sghm.org/news/2010/06/20/epc-mission-trips/

Colleen Bosley from Catholic Charities graciously agreed to visit Slidell this Friday past as a part of a luncheon held here at Sovereign Grace, to educate the public, non-profit organizations, and churches about the response to the oil spill.  Catholic Charities is a non-profit faith-based foundation that was chosen by BP to be the provider of charity help in Louisiana, to provide help to those who have been affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which has now been spewing into the Gulf for 86 days.

Colleen explained that Catholic Charities has received $750,000 from BP to provide food and money for utility bills to those affected by the oil spill.  This amount of money provided help to over 1,000 families in $100 increments a week for groceries and $200 a month for utility bills.  However, that money has dried up and people are waiting on and expecting BP to come through with their promised financial help.

Currently, Catholic Charities is seeking out ideas and trying to find ways to provide families with items for babies, such as diapers and formula, as well as trying to find help for those with pets.  The number of pets being abandoned or left in shelters is rising quickly as people can’t afford to take care of them anymore.  Also, individuals do not have money to pay for fuel and this has created a problem.  BP does not have stations in Southern Louisiana and refuses to buy gas cards to use at other gas companies.

There are still a lot of things that are without answers, but help is needed.  Right now, churches and non-profit organizations are trying to set up ways to reach people in affected areas, but are being turned away.  Outside of official personnel with badges, others are not allowed to enter many areas and talk to those who are in need.

Many questions were asked about claims, how to help out, where to seek answers, etc. during a question and answer time at the end of the meeting and some of those questions could be answered, which was a great help.  The meeting was cordial and well-attended, including a BP claims associate who gave specific information about how to get help.

Even now, much of the information seems vague, but as the situation with the oil spill continues, we hope we can help to inform the local area and others through blogs and status updates.  If you are interested in more specific information about how the oil spill is affecting the coast, we have had some contact with NOAA biologists, the Coast Guard, BP personnel, and the Chief of Police of St. Bernard Parish.  Here is a link to my oil spill diary with the information we’ve gathered.

— Timothy Young