Are YOU ready to make a
difference in 2008???
A special
message from team member, Elaine Jacobs of Shiloh PHC in Godwin, N.C…..
On August 29,
2005 we all watched in disbelief and horror as Hurricane Katrina
ripped through the Gulf
Coast. Watching footage of people hanging on to
their loved ones and climbing onto their roof tops for their lives was almost
too much to bear. However, it was a reality and was happening right here in our
United States.
Many people near and far began to pray for the people of the Gulf Coast.
Pastor Charles Boyd was one of those people. As he began to pray and seek God’s
face for guidance as to what he could do for his brothers and sisters, God gave
him a vision for Missions Quest 2006. Pastor Charles knew that after the smoke
had cleared and the newness and horror of the disaster had worn off, many
people would forget about the citizens of the Gulf Coast.
God spoke to his heart that this would be the time to help.
This vision came to reality on July 29, 2006, 11 months
after the hurricane. There would be a total of 41 people with 12 churches
represented, going to serve on this missions trip.
Twenty-five of these were youth. Due to his son’s surgery earlier in the week,
Pastor Charles would meet us in Mississippi
on Wednesday. Pastor Reggie Ethridge, our conference
youth pastor, did a fine job heading up this team. Pastor Charles gave a very
serious charge to the group before leaving on that Saturday morning. He read
from 1 John 3:16-18, reminding us to love
in truth and in deed, not in word. Pastor Charles also challenged the group
of young men and women to become the “hands and feet of God”.
This trip would have not been
possible had it not been for Brother Gordon Knox. Brother Gordon is a member of
Higher Ground Church
in Ahoskie, NC and serves as the on the ground, Disaster
Relief Coordinator for the NC IPHC. This was Brother Gordon’s 11th
trip to the Gulf Coast in which he has made a tremendous
difference each time. He plans to return on September 2, 2006 with another team as he
continues to help rebuild from this disaster.
He, along with the senior pastor of New Horizon Ministries, coordinated
the jobs our group went to each day. We were up each morning just after 5:00, had breakfast at 6:00 and were on our jobs by 7:00. We worked in Louisiana as well as Mississippi. These jobs consisted of all
aspects of sheet rock work, tear outs and gutting houses, carpentry work,
ceramic tile flooring, installing kitchen cabinets, painting as well as putting
up vinyl siding, just to name a few. The youth worked just as hard as their
adult leaders and more importantly did it in unity and in love. Ernie and Diane
Denmark, homeowners from Mississippi,
stated many times with tears in their eyes, how impressed they were with the
quality of work and the difference the youth had made in the renovations of
their home. The team from Smyrna
was blessed to have the opportunity to witness to a 49 year old man from Slidell, Louisiana
who battled with drugs and alcohol. Brother Robert, from Smyrna, states that God had placed this man
under conviction each time the team was in his home. This team says they are
sure seeds were planted in the heart of this man.
There is no doubt that God had found
favor in the efforts of this missions team. The first
confirmation was the awesome accommodations in which we were able to stay. The
New Horizon Ministries church was amazing. It had plenty of room and equipped
with showers as well as a washer and dryer. We were able to have a devotional
each night using the sanctuary as well as their music equipment for praise and
worship. Evidence that God had smiled upon us was also the men of Kinston First
PHC. They woke us up each morning with the smell of bacon, sausage, biscuits,
grits and eggs. They were absolutely amazing; we all looked forward each day to
what surprise we would find for dinner that evening. They also took time to
place encouraging scriptures on each table to keep us motivated while we did
what we knew God had called us to do.
On Thursday night, Brother Charles
explained to the group what would take place on Friday morning. We were going
to New Orleans
and would see some disturbing sights. He encouraged us to pray and ask God to
prepare our hearts so that we could be a witness to the lost souls we would be
sure to come in contact with. We had prayer walks as we cleaned up trash in a
neighborhood in New Orleans.
We then went down into the 9th Ward to see the devastation. From
here we were able to see the levees which were being rebuilt. However, there
was no hope for renovating the homes in this area. This was a sight that will
forever be in our minds as we pray for the people who once called the 9th
ward “home.”
Friday night, August 4th
was our final confirmation that God had ordained our steps through out this
trip. The New Horizon Church
held a Youth Rally that night. According to the pastor, this date had been
changed once before. We know that it was all in God’s plan that our youth group
could be blessed spiritually that night—and we were blessed! It was a powerful service. A member of the church
stated that our North Carolina
teens epitomized the term “servant evangelism”. This mission trip was life
changing and one that we all thank God for the opportunity to have been a part
of. The youth on this trip accepted the challenge of Pastor Charles and became
the hands and feet of God. They also learned that to love is most definitely to
serve.
