Here is a pic inside a few house's that have never been touched since Hurricane Katrina. There are still many houses that are ready to be condemned because they pose a health hazard and no one has so much has touched them. You can see where the water level was, due to the mold on the wall. It is sad to see the devatation of almost 2 years has continued to eat away at many communities in that city. It was like you walked out of a first world country and into a third. As of today 40% of the city has never returned, leaving many neighborhoods only slightly rebuilt and the rest destroyed.
Here is Bobby, he worked hard. He is 13 and I didn't expect to see him rise up to the work level he did. He really surprised us all and he liked it! He was not a Christian when we left, but shortly after our return he made the decision to give his life to Jesus, right here on our base! We had heard from God we were to sow into his life and bring him in as on of the team. It is a first for the Freedom Project to have an outreach like this, but with this kind of fruit I know it will not be the last! Bobby is a youth we initially made contact with @ the LAPD gang prevention program - Jeopardy.
The team praying..thank you for food!
Jose worked hard...this is before the pedicure!
Reid working hard...look he's sweating!
We visited the projects in New Orleans and spent 2 days with about 40 kids...they would constantly jump all over the guys. Nearly every one of them had no dads and were being raised my mom or grandma. Here Barry is getting his share!
Reid's turn.
Ok..here is the pedicure, Jose getting his nails painted??? Look close that gang member has a blue fingernail! These kids had told him they hated Mexicans, but he pressed in, instead of hating back. It was an incredible time of race reconciliation that day and God was destroy the walls of hatred and lies. Not just doing our fingernails!
A few of the kids watching a clown skit about sin and the progression of it! We wanted to teach them that it was like a trap and it may start with something small but it always gets bigger and bigger! We also showed them the way out...Jesus. It was fun to hear the response afterwards and know that they got it!
Isela - she attended church, and working for the Bible book store. However, when we met her she was involved in an abusive relationship and addicted to text messaging to the point she couldn't sleep at night! She said she has had the most peace she could remember being on this "working" outreach. I couldn't believe it. Since we arrived home, she has cut her relationship completely off with the boyfriend and is now planning to do DTS to see what God's will for her life is!
Chris is one of the most hardworking youth's I know - in the middle of this ourteach he told me he has never worked this hard! He gave it everything he had, physically and spiritually! He served that city well! What an example and privilege to work alongside such a wide array of youth for Los Angeles...Jose is now ready to do a DTS too! From the 18th street gang in South Central LA - to a DTS...I think that is a good move for him!
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