6.20.07 ~ New Orleans

On Wednesday morning we returned to the house we'd been working in the previous day. The difference was that when we arrived this day, most of the contents of the house had already been emptied. The work, therefore, was much less emotionally draining. It was simply (?) tearing down walls, removing ceiling, and the like. I was assigned to something a little less labor intensive...removing nails from the studs. Even so, I was sweating (I mean...glistening) like a pig within minutes of starting, though my sons tell me pigs don't sweat. Anyhow, I was so proud of our kids and the great work ethic they displayed. They were working in some pretty intense and difficult circumstances, yet they set a great example for all of us. Probably the most memorable moment during deconstruction that morning was the removal of the refrigerator. Keep in mind that this refrigerator...including its contents...had not been touched in almost 2 years. Just imagine the smell and the mysterious leakage that spilled out during removal. 'Nuff said.

During one of our breaks, I found myself wandering over to the previous day's junk pile of appliances. Within the pile was a new-ish looking plasma tv, a sewing machine, stereo system, washer/dryer, and yes, that infamous refrigerator. All these "things" formed a big mound in the street. As I stood there alone, once again trying to absorb the enormity of this disaster, God encouraged me with this passage of Scripture:

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves to not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

What a powerful visual and timely reminder God provided for me that morning. I was reminded of how easily I make gods of the stuff of life. I often put far too much emphasis on my home or my clothes or things that will pass away. I invest in the temporal rather than the eternal. So as I had my moments of solitude with the Lord last Wednesday morning, He gently reminded me that all of life is about investing in the Kingdom...loving and serving God and loving and serving others.

As we took our lunch break that day, we got word that one of our guys on another worksite had concussion-like symptoms following the untimely meeting of his head with a falling 4X4 beam. We immediately picked him up and raced to the ER. That is a story in itself, but let me just say that God filled me with such peace as we sat at the hospital during the 6 hours that followed. I still haven't found out how she did it, but during our hospital visit, a dear friend of mine in Georgia called our cell phone and reached my husband. To this day, I don't know how she got our cell phone number...she's never called it and I've never given it to her. Anyhow, at a time when things were chaotic and somewhat frightening, God impressed on this dear prayer warrior to give us a call. When my husband arrived at the hospital and told me that Barb had called and was praying for our current needs, I was simply awed and overwhelmed how God had orchestrated the whole thing. Thank you, Barb, for being used of Him to encourage us and remind us of God's loving care!

I hope you can see from this and previous posts that God's Hand was so abundantly seen in our lives throughout our week in New Orleans. There weren't necessarily any fireworks, but we saw God faithfully at work in the day to day stuff of life. What a thrill it is to know that He calls to each of us to be involved in what He's doing. He doesn't need us, but He chooses to use us. Wow...