We are delighted to announce the arrival of Joshua Steven Barnes, born at 03:08am on 20^th March, 2007. He weighed in at 7 pounds and 1 ounce, and was 20 inches long.

As you can imagine, it has been a rollercoaster week, and we keep pinching ourselves to make sure we're not dreaming - though to be honest, you have to sleep in order to dream, and we haven't had much sleep since Sunday night!

We know that many of you have joined us in praying for a baby brother or sister for Christie, and we give God the glory for answering our prayers! We celebrated our 11 ^th wedding anniversary on Friday 16^th of March, and were blessed with a wonderful weekend in the mountains of North Carolina. We were able to have some incredible family time, and spoke at length about where God is leading us as a family. One of the things we focused on, was Christie's unwavering faith and belief that Jesus was going to give her a brother or sister. She has prayed faithfully every night, and even when saying grace, manages to slip in a "…and Jesus, please give us our baby soon." We decided that we needed to be praying just as earnestly, and spent our quiet time on Sunday night praying that God would reveal His plan for our family this week. While in a store after church on Sunday, Christie told us that we needed to buy food and clothes for our baby. We told her that we had to be patient, and that we would buy whatever we needed after we got a baby. She had told us a number of weeks ago, that Jesus was going to give us a baby "on Monday."

Imagine our delight when we received a phone call on Monday afternoon, from the midwife on duty at the hospital where Christie was born, saying that a 16 year old had come in with no adoption plans, and wanted to give her baby up for adoption. Because it was an African-American family, she wanted permission to show the family our adoption profile. We told her that race has never been an issue for us, and that it's not about us, but about the love and life we could provide for another child. She said she was going to give them our profile, but that it was then out of her hands and up to the family to decide. I called Athol immediately, and told him about the call, and we both started praying earnestly. We prayed that if this was the child that God has chosen for us, that He would make it clear to us immediately, and if not, then he would close the door, and allow us to continue searching for our chosen child. Even from the time of the midwife's call, we had both experienced an enormous sense of peace, and knew that this was of God. Athol went cycling after getting home from work, and prayed the entire time. When he got home, he said that he had asked God to give us an answer before midnight.

Just after 7:20pm, the phone rang once, and stopped immediately. My first thought was that it was someone trying to work up the courage to call, and dashed for the phone when it started ringing again a few moments later. It was the young girl's mother, saying that she'd read our profile, and would love to meet us. We were in the car and headed for the hospital a short while later. We bonded immediately, and told her that we'd be honored to be the adoptive parents, if she chose us. She said she loved our profile, and would like us to have the baby. She herself had a 1 year old child, and financially, they couldn't afford to keep the baby. We were able to look after her child, while she spent time with her daughter, Jasmine, and support her until she was settled after her epidural. The midwife told us that Jasmine wasn't progressing well in labor, and that it was going to be a long night. We then decided to go home, and get Christie to bed so that she could go to school in the morning. We arrived home after midnight, and the wait began! The ultrasonographer had been unable to tell whether this was going to be a girl or a boy, and this just added to our excitement. Driving home, we started thinking about names, and immediately decided on Joshua Steven if it was a boy. Athol insisted that this was a boy, and refused to help me find a girl's name, no matter how many names I threw at him - which was very annoying!!!

Athol managed to fall asleep, but I lay awake waiting for the phone to ring. It finally rang just after 3:30am, and we found out that we'd just had a son. I was beside myself with joy, and all Athol could say was "I told you so!" Athol went back to sleep, while I dashed into the bonus room, and started calling our family in South Africa, who are ahead of us by 6 hours. The phone started ringing almost immediately, as the news spread among the family, and it was so special to see everyone share our joy and excitement.

What a joy it was to wake Christie up for school, and to tell her that she had a baby brother! Her eyes were still closed, but she was grinning from ear to ear…After taking her to school, Athol and I were at Walmart buying baby supplies. As soon as our attorney's office opened, we called to get the paperwork moving. We were dying to see baby Joshua, but weren't allowed to see him until all the paperwork was in place, and before he was discharged from the hospital. As news of Joshua's birth spread, people started arriving with baby things, and we have been incredibly blessed and spoilt!

Wednesday saw the first hiccup, as our new attorney seemed unsure of herself, and we found ourselves talking her through the adoption process. She had still not called the social worker at the hospital, and we were told by the midwife that the hospital staff were encouraging the birth mother to contact an adoption agency, who could be at the hospital within ½ an hour. We were very frustrated, and insisted she call both the birth family and the hospital right away. We were then told that Joshua had been cleared for discharge, and that we needed to come to the hospital with our attorney to get the paperwork signed, and to bring the car seat ready to bring him home. Athol picked Christie up from school early, and we headed to Marietta, to review the paperwork with the attorney. We then headed to the hospital, and had to sit and wait while all the paperwork was signed, basically saying that Jasmine relinquished all her parental rights, and had transferred custody of Joshua to us. While Christie and Athol waited in the hospital lobby, the attorney and I were allowed into the nursery, where we were given our discharge instructions. What a joy it was to walk out of the elevator and watch their faces light up as they saw Joshua for the first time.

Please continue to pray for us, as the birth mother has 10 days to change her mind, and this 10 day period expires on the 2^nd of April. We have no doubt that Joshua is our chosen baby, but would still appreciate your prayers. Please also pray for Jasmine and her family - while we experience the joy of Joshua's birth, they suffer the heartbreak and loss of giving up their baby…

As you can see from the pictures, he has Christie's coloring and hair, and we think he is just gorgeous. Christie has fallen into her role of big sister like a pro, and just adores her baby brother, as do we. Joshua is an incredibly content baby, and only cries with diaper changes and when he's hungry - just like Christie was as a baby. We were at the pediatrician for our first appointment this morning - he has regained his birth weight, and got an all clear from the doctor.

We are headed to Philadelphia and Washington DC as planned this coming week, and will be traveling as a family of 4, instead of a family of 3. I have been given 8 weeks of maternity leave, and can take as much as 12 weeks off if I need to. Unfortunately our budget won't allow me to be off that long, but I will definitely stay home for the 8 weeks. We are now praying earnestly about my job situation, and are praying that God will lead us to something I can do from home.

Thanks again for all your prayers, and words of encouragement. We serve a mighty God, who knows the desires of our hearts. He has been so good to us! Blessed be the Name of the Lord!!!

All our love

Athol, Debbie, Christie, and baby Joshua

I was privileged enough to join an AIM Ladies Trip to New Orleans from the 18th– 21st of January. This was my 4th trip to the city since Hurricane Katrina, and though it’s good to see the progress made with rebuilding, it remains devastating to see how much work still remains, and to meet so many people still affected by the hurricane.

Whilst in it’s planning stages, this trip had about 15 ladies signed up, but as the day of departure arrived, it had dwindled to a mere 6 women. Satan did his best to thwart the trip entirely, and we left Gainesville amid an ice-storm early that Thursday morning.

Up front, I will admit that I wished I was one of the ladies who’d managed to wrangle her way out of the trip, and felt annoyed that I’d had to cram my nursing shifts into the beginning of the week. I felt resentful that I was going to be missing my weekend with Athol and Christie, especially since our busy schedules seem to rob us of family time together. Nevertheless, Athol persevered, drove slowly on cold and icy streets, loaded me, my overnight bag and sleeping bag into the AIM van, and then merrily waved us on our way.

The weather changed over from freezing rain to a steady misty drizzle as we headed south, so the trip down took us a good 9 1/2 hours. Thursday evening we were treated with a delicious chicken chowder soup, made by Elizabeth, our host and set-up person for the weekend. We then made our sleeping arrangements—snorers in one room and non-snorers in the other, padded our hard cots with as many blankets as we could find, and fell into bed exhausted.

We were up bright and early Friday morning for personal devotions, and then came together for group devotions after breakfast. After making and packing our lunches, we headed for “The Dwelling Place”, run by Mark Drouin and his Inner City Ministries. While a line of people gathered outside, we prepared the shed for food distribution, and laid out some tracts, Christian reading materials, and devotional books. While some of our group worked in the shed, Karen and I helped people sign in, and helped some first-timers fill out their application forms. Others milled around and spoke with some of the locals, allowing them time to share their stories, and any prayer requests/needs. Even though it was freezing cold, we had a good turnout of people, and we thoroughly enjoyed this time of ministry.

We ate lunch in the van, and after a time of prayer and sharing, headed for the Lower 9th Ward, the area which sustained the worst damage following Hurricane Katrina. Most of the homes destroyed have been bulldozed, and empty streets now wind through where lives were lived, and children played. A few damaged homes remain, where the owners have refused to allow the bulldozers in, but they stand as they did immediately following the hurricane. After touring the area, and praying for those who’d lived there, we headed for the French Quarter, where we enjoyed a time of fellowship over late afternoon coffee and bignettes at the famous Café du Monde. After dinner, we had an evening debrief, and a time of sharing. By this time, I was feeling terribly guilty about my attitude to the whole trip, and shared exactly how I was feeling. I was more honest than I expected to be, and shared how I’d felt intimidated by the thought that I’d be “shown-up” by being thrown together with a group of Godly and spiritual women. I was very touched when everyone came and stood around me, praying for me, and my spiritual walk. It was an incredible evening, and we fell into bed exhausted, yet again.

We were up even earlier Saturday morning, and again had personal devotions, breakfast, then group devotions.

Next, we headed to the Vierre Carre Baptist church in the heart of the French Quarter. Here, some of us helped prepare the hot meal to be served, others sorted clothes, and others made goodie bags filled with hygiene and personal care items. Once the doors were opened, the small room downstairs was filled to overflowing, as mostly homeless people rushed in to get out of the bitter cold outside. No longer feeling so intimidated by the thought of sharing with people, I milled around and met some interesting people, with fascinating, and heartbreaking stories.

The one which stands out most in my mind was Mike, who allowed me to take his picture, so that I could continue praying for him once I got home. Mike was a heroin addict for over 15 years, and has been clean since Sept 2006. He first came to the Vierre Carre church in September, and has been coming every week since. Each week, he is one of many, who get a shower, clean clothes, and a hot meal. Following the hot meal, those who stay for the worship and church service get a goodie bag filled with a sandwich, chips, socks, and personal hygiene items. Mike comes from a Christian family, who live in California, and he hasn’t seen or heard from them in over 7 years. He now works part-time with race-horses on a farm just outside the city. He has left heroin, but is now struggling with alcohol addiction. I was able to use the analogy of a race-horse heading for the finish line, and told him to think of the church, its pastor, and God’s Word as his “blinkers” allowing him to focus on the finish line, where his family stood praying for him to come home. He seemed to like that thought, and I was able to pray for him, and encourage him.

After serving over 250 hot meals, and enjoying the worship part of the church service, we slipped out and headed for the inner city, filled with housing projects and a lot of gang-related violence. We met with a woman who runs “Grime and Roses”, a ministry aimed at cleaning up and beautifying the streets of the inner city. We spent the afternoon picking up trash from the streets and vacant lots, and then gathered for a memorial service honoring a 19 year old who’d been killed in the area a few weeks before. Following the service, we planted a rose in his memory. The rose would normally be planted at the actual murder site, but since this was on a concrete sidewalk, we were able to plant the rose in one of the local gardens. The lady who volunteered her garden was a lovely Christian lady, and a mighty prayer warrior for the neighborhood. Someone from the BBC World News was there for the rose planting, and we were featured in the Monday edition of the BBC World News report, which was really neat.

While we were cleaning the streets, we heard sirens nearby, and found out afterwards that 2 people had been murdered 2 blocks away. We are grateful for God’s protection while we were there.

In conclusion, the trip was an incredible blessing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it after straightening up my attitude and allowing God to work through me. This was my first solo trip (i.e. without Athol), and it made me realize just how much I would love to be more involved with the trips he leads, and with his work at AIM. We are now praying about how we can make this happen—or rather how God can make this work …

Family Prayer Requests :

· New financial supporters and prayer partners

· Wisdom for Athol as he directs the setup for 240 mission trips for over 6000 people.

· Protection as we travel to inner city areas of Denver, New Orleans, DC, Philadelphia, in the next few weeks

· Continued salvation for the people of N.O.

· Workers to rebuild the churches

· Decrease in inner-city crime

· Quick financial relief those wishing to stay and rebuild

· Physical & mental health of our ministry leaders and partners

Dear Friends and prayer warriors

As I start this newsletter, it is early Christmas morning, and even Christie is still asleep. It is cold and raining outside, and winter seems to have finally arrived. It has been a warm December here in Georgia, not that I am complaining though, since I’m not a big fan of the cold – unlike Debbie, who’d love nothing better than to have it snow every day in winter…

Looking back on 2006, and reading through my devotional journal, I am overwhelmed by all that God has done this past year. Obviously, the disaster recovery and subsequent revival in New Orleans was the biggest part of our lives this year – prior to Hurricane Katrina, I had never been to New Orleans, but now I am practically a local!

But what else happened in 2006?

· I became a US citizen, and Debbie is just waiting for her swearing in/naturalization ceremony.

· My Grandmother and most faithful prayer warrior went home to be with the Lord.

· We celebrated our 10^th Wedding Anniversary in March.

· We were blessed with a visit from Debbie’s aunt and uncle (Colleen and Gareth) from South Africa. They are faithful prayer warriors, and an inspiration to us as a family.

· Christie started school (Pre-K), and absolutely loves it.

· I moved into the position of Director of Project Management, at AIM.

· Debbie and Christie got to experience a mission trips first hand with me in New Orleans.

· Debbie’s mom was able to spend the whole summer with Debbie and Christie in Gainesville, while I spent the summer in New Orleans.

· We were blessed with the gift of a once-in-a-lifetime vacation to Mexico and Florida

As a family, we are earnestly praying about adopting another child, and have had a few close calls over the last few months. As each situation unfolded, and then fell through, we were filled with a sense of peace, knowing that God was in control. His timing is perfect, and only He knows what is best for us, and the precious life that will join our family.

2006 flew by in a blur, and as Stuart White, a close friend said to me recently, “natural disasters will do that to you!” I have also grown so much in the past year, and was forced to relinquish all control of many situations into God’s hands. How amazing to then see how miraculously He worked, and had been working all along. I met and worked alongside so many incredibly inspiring people, who are totally abandoned to Jesus. People that are real and no longer live for self – some had lost everything, while others had given it all away.

This week marks my two year anniversary with AIM, and I’ve seen many changes in the past year. Many times during this year I have had the privilege of sitting in leadership meetings, where we have been struggling and praying over a certain issue or problem. Suddenly, the wisdom of the Lord enters the meeting and the light bulbs go on. Frowns turn to smiles and we are immediately praising God for the answer to prayer and the miraculous orchestration of events. That is exciting!

AIM has been described as “a discipleship agency disguised as a missions organization.” This has proved true, as I’ve seen so many young people (and older folk too), grow in their walk with the Lord and take that next leap of faith.

So what lies ahead? I don’t know. I do know that it won’t ever be boring!!! God is moving all over the world, even in places we haven’t yet looked at, mobilizing His army, beginning the harvest. I have taken down the New Orleans posters in my office, not because the work there is complete, but because that was a stepping stone for me personally, and an even bigger training ground. I am excited about the future - working with a good team of leaders who understand that God is doing something big, and that we are privileged to be used by Him.

Recently I visited another organization that focuses on unreached people groups, both here in the US and internationally. We have formed a partnership, whereby we will mobilize teams of missionaries to their short term mission trips. It opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of short term missions, one that only God could bring together.

In closing here are some interesting statistics from the Joshua Project: http://www.joshuaproject.net/

As a family we look forward to new adventures together. Debbie will be going on her first solo mission trip in three weeks time. It is an AIM wives mission trip to New Orleans. Please pray that they will be blessed as they in turn bless the people in New Orleans. We as a family are planning to lead at least one mission trip next year, and are blessed to be able to expose Christie to serving the Lord at an early age.

Thank you all for your prayers and support over the last two years. We definitely wouldn’t be here in Gainesville, Georgia, if it wasn’t for your faithful prayers and encouragement. May you all experience God’s richest blessing in 2007.

Athol

Prayer requests:

· For wisdom in leadership.

· For protection while traveling.

· For God to bless us with another child through adoption.

· For spiritual growth and desire for God, individually and as a family.

· For financial support for our ministry.

Final Thought.

2 Corinthians 2:12-17

When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia. 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

.

This aroma of the love of Christ in the sacrificial service of the missionary may please God, but it does not please everybody. This aroma divides the world. We must always be aware of the fact that, whether we are witnessing on the street corner or sitting in a crowded coffee shop, we are the “Aroma of Christ”

It’s hard to believe that Saturday marks the first official day of autumn here in the USA, and that the summer of 2006 is almost behind us. For those of you receiving this letter as your first newsletter from us, welcome to our prayer warrior team…

How do we even begin to describe what an incredible summer it’s been? Some of you may have kept up with all the news and Athol’s blog, which was updated weekly. For those of you who didn’t, you can still visit the blog, view pictures, and read all (or some) of the updates and newsletters that we posted. We have both seen God’s hand at work and have grown in our faith, as we have seen and experienced all that He has done.

My mom arrived in May, and was here for the 11 weeks that Athol was away in New Orleans. What a blessing it was to have her caring for Christie, and to have another adult in the house while he was away. She left on the 28^th of August, and arrived home safely in South Africa on the 29^th.

Fortunately, Athol was able to come home for a night or two every 10 days to 2 weeks, which made the separation somewhat bearable. My mom, Christie and I were able to go to New Orleans for the Fathers’ Day weekend in June, and although Athol remained incredibly busy, we were able to spend some quality family time together. A friend at my work blessed us incredibly by giving us 3 return tickets to New Orleans (compliments of her husband, a Delta pilot), so we were even able to make a second trip in July, to visit and catch up on some family time.

Athol arrived home for good on the 12^th of August, and the annual AIM staff conference started on the 17^th. After being apart for so long, we weren’t about to be separated again, so we tagged along and camped at the Mocassin Creek State Park nearby. After a time of worship on the Friday evening, Athol was presented with the MVP (annual, “most valuable player”) award, which he received along with a standing ovation. We were really humbled when AIM presented our family with an all-inclusive, all-expenses paid vacation to Cancun, Mexico, in appreciation for the sacrifices we’d made as a family this summer. It is hard not to feel guilty; when you are awarded for doing something that the Lord already blesses you for doing.

We left home at 3:30am on the 6^th of September, and were at the resort in Cancun in time for a late lunch. What a glorious few days this proved to be! We were blessed with incredible weather, and even better family time. We took an all-day Mayan Adventure tour, and got to snorkel over a reef just off the Riviera, and then in some Secret Jungle Caverns. Following the caverns dive, we were given a traditional Mexican lunch, served on a local farm. We then closed off the day with some snorkeling in some Sacred Mayan Cenote (sinkholes).

God’s blessings didn’t end here! While in New Orleans, Athol got to work again with a worship leader who’d lead worship on the 3 previous mission trips that Athol had led, Ivy mentioned a couple in his home church, who had bought a beach house and made it into a guest house/retreat/place of rest, for people involved in ministry and missions. Instead of flying home from Cancun, we flew into Orlando, and then drove down to this house in Melbourne Beach. If we’d thought Cancun was paradise, then this house was a little slice of heaven! Ed and Jeanne, who own the house and live in a home on the same property, couldn’t have made it any more luxurious, yet comfortable, welcoming, and filled with the love of the Lord! We even had our own pool, and Christie had a ball feeding the fish and turtle in the lake in front of the house. I took over 700 pictures (thank goodness for digital camera’s!!!), and will share a few of them with you. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets on our own dock on the Indian River, and watched manatees and porpoises as they swam and played nearby. What a special gift this week was, as we explored the Brevard zoo, Sebastian Inlet, Pelican Reserve, etc. Saturday night we went to church with Ivy and Wendy, and then out to dinner with a number of people from the church, including Ed and Jeanne, who made us feel so welcome.

After 12 days of the best vacation we’ve ever had, we arrived home on Sunday, and are still trying to get back into the swing of real life and work again.

I mentioned my not-so-reliable car in a number of recent newsletters, and God answered our prayers for a new one – yet another blessing in a month of many, many blessings! Close friends in our Sunday-school class called Athol just before our vacation, and said that they were buying a new family car; did we want their old one? What a question! They worked out some financing which was very generous of their part, and fitted into our budget. So, I now drive a minivan, and can drive above 60mph without my teeth rattling, and wondering when next I was going to need the AAA… With that said, does anyone want to buy a slightly used Ford Focus, with only 120 000 miles on it?

Athol and I spent a lot of time talking and praying about the future. It has been a momentous year and it almost feels anti-climactic, to return to the same routine we were in before the fateful day of August 29 2005, when Katrina struck. Well for Athol the answer didn’t take long to come. AIM’s director of project management and Mexico has stepped out of that role and Athol has been asked to take over the entire project management department. (Setup department) He knew it was coming, but would have liked a little more time to get familiar with some of the financial systems. He will be responsible for all of the mission trip locations worldwide (somewhere in the region of 40 or 50) including locations such as Peru, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Ghana, and of course South Africa. Amongst them there will be at least seven different locations in Mexico. Athol has assured me that even though he will be traveling a lot, the trips will be short and we will work around my work schedule. He already has four two day trips planned for next month: Virginia, Denver, New Orleans and Matamoros in Mexico.

Just prior to leaving for New Orleans in May, the Lord gave us the verse that would be the theme for all our summer work in New Orleans, which was Isaiah 58 v 12. We get an email everyday from an organization called Daily Manna from the ‘Net. And two days ago, Athol got the following reading:

“Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings”. Isaiah 58:9-12 NIV

It is so refreshing to look at the entire passage and be hit by something fresh and new. Our work is not over yet and there is much to be done. We praise God for the opportunity to rest and be refreshed and then to hear Him speak to us so clearly. It truly is exhilarating to walk by faith and not by sight.

May God bless you all and thank you so much for your continued prayers.

Dear Prayer warriors.

The past three weeks flew buy at a frantic pace and I realize that an update is way overdue.

I am in the process of gathering my thoughts and trying to take in all that happened over the last three months, and even this last year. As we are a week away from the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina many people are looking back at what happened, but also realizing that there is a very long road ahead for the local people.

Our final two mission trips went exceptionally well; we had 171 people on the last trip which was one of our smallest weeks. Our leadership team finished strong and served with excellence, even though they were so very tired. I saw our leaders give more than they had to give, and walking in the strength that only comes from complete reliance on God. We had to constantly keep in mind that even though this was our last mission trip of the ten this summer, it was the very first for our participants.

Isaiah 40 v 31

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.

Personally it was a very tiring week. There was a lot to undo and pack away. I had to say goodbye to a lot of wonderful people we had worked alongside in the city. I was really blessed to have Mike Anderson come back to the city for a few days to help pack and get a lot of our supplies back to Gainesville. And I know that the hardest part of his trip to New Orleans was the nine hours spent in the same vehicle as a staunch UGA supporter. But I know he will be particularly blessed for enduring such suffering. Seriously though, we had an enormous amount of logistics to undo and things to close out, before I could come home. We saw Gods hand at work in this process as well, and He allowed the entire process to go extremely well.

One of my biggest concerns was the return of the rental vehicles we had been using in the city; we had two trucks and two minivans. We averaged five thousand miles on each vehicle over eleven weeks and the vehicles were driven on some of the roughest roads you can find. I ran each of the vehicles through a carwash before handing them in and then prayed. The rental company representative went over the vehicles and declared that there was no need to charge us for any repairs. This was a miracle. But looking back on the summer we had so many miraculous events, we came to expect it and simply smile at each other knowingly. Some of the obvious miracles we tend to overlook were the ones of protection for all the people working in the city.

• We drove a total of 100 000 miles in 15 vehicles without a single accident.
• Our participants probably drove more than that with their traveling from all parts of the country, and also no accidents.
• We had people from cooler northern states working in 100+ degree heat indices, and we only had two minor cases of heat exhaustion.
• We had 12 year olds and older gutting houses every day, with hand tools and a lot of enthusiasm, and we had no injuries.
• We prayer walked in some of the most infamous areas of the country, places where the National Guard was being shot at, and we had absolutely no hint of trouble.

We serve a mighty and an awesome God, every one of our prayers was answered.

On the final Thursday night we had our cookout at Ray Avenue Baptist church. It was well attended and including most of our teams we must have had close to 300 people there. It was an evening of joy and celebration. There was hope in the community, where previously there had been despair. We had a time of worship and then we prayed for the church members. Pastor Brown was struggling with the fact that we were leaving, he was understandably apprehensive about the future. But he understood that now it was his time and the community needed him to continue the work and to continue to walk the streets of his neighborhood in prayer.

I talked to him yesterday, and he told me that they are going to keep on having the Thursday night outreach, and that he was committed to walking the streets around the church in prayer. He was and still is a tremendous symbol of strength and courage. He is giving the people hope, he is walking with them and through his testimony many people in the previously drug ridden area, are coming to know the Lord. I pray that we will see other pastors, and church members, all over the world, understand that the streets around our own churches are the mission field we are called to serve in.

I came home last week and went straight into our annual staff conference. It was a time of spiritual refreshment and prayer. It was great to reconnect with staff from all over the world, and to hear there stories. At the conference it was announced that the Director of Project Management will be stepping down, and that I would be taking his place. That would mean that I would be responsible for the setup of all the short term missions across the globe. I am currently too tired to even think about the new responsibility, and will have a few months of training and restructuring ahead of me. At the staff conference Debbie and I were recognized, for our hard work and sacrifices over the past year. I was given the MVP award for the year, and we were blessed with a three day and four night vacation to Mexico. And to tag onto that, one of our friends and supporters has arranged a house on the beach for us to use for a week in Florida.

We have been blessed.

I have so much to say, and so much to still process, but suffice to say that this past year has been the most incredible experience of my life. To see God working every day in ordinary and extraordinary ways has increased my faith tenfold. We are by no means finished with the mission field of New Orleans; there are still many years of ministry there. I am planning a large vision trip for the fall, and we are having people sign up for the next year already.

Please keep praying for us as we look to the next mountain. I don’t know what the Lord has in store for us in the coming year, but if this past year was a training ground, (and I believe it was) then we are in for some exciting times.

Thank you for your prayers

God bless you

Athol, Debbie and Christie

Dear Prayer warriors.

At the end of another week of ministry, we are all becoming aware that the end of our summer mission trips is only a few weeks away. I am beginning to look beyond the summer to our long term plan for mission teams to the city of New Orleans. I have two staff members coming from Gainesville tomorrow, one of whom plans to relocate to New Orleans. We plan to spend the next few days planning and praying about the future of the ministry here. I feel very strongly that we have only just begun the fight for the city. There is so much more to what we are doing here than simply cleaning up and rebuilding. None of the repairs or rebuilding we are doing will be here in forty or fifty years time. What we are really focusing on is the spiritual battle for the city and to see the Kingdom of Heaven reign in the city of New Orleans. We have seen thousands of people come to the city in the last two months and have been privileged to be a part of the biggest single relief effort ever in the history of the US. But that won’t mean a thing if we leave in three weeks time and the local church is not able to pick up and carry on where we have left off.

We have partnered with many local churches but one of the greatest success stories has been our partnership with the Ray Avenue Baptist church. This church, under the leadership of Pastor Brown, was one of twelve churches in a small area on the east side of New Orleans. This area was well known as an area that was infested with drug trafficking and violent crime. We have seen a miraculous transformation in the community over the last five weeks. Ray Avenue church is the only church currently open in the area, and we hold weekly cookouts there. We have seen the numbers grow at our Thursday evening meetings from 50 to over 250 last week. It has been so good to be a part of seeing a community reconnect and begin sharing their stories of the past year with one another. As we drive around the streets we are welcomed, people regularly wave at us and stop our vehicles to talk and ask for prayer. A few days ago, one of our prayer walking teams stopped at a house and spent some time praying with an elderly lady living there. As they were standing there ten different people from the street came up to them and asked for prayer. They spent over two hours sharing and praying with people.

The area I have focused our attention on, Holly Grove, is beginning to buzz with activity. We are seeing families coming back and there are children playing in the streets. This is so good to see in an area that was formerly a hub for gang violence and criminal activity. There is definite hope in the streets and people feel safe, for the first time in a long time.

Even amongst our team of leaders there is a feeling of excitement and joy as they walk the streets with the teams and share the vision of a city transformed by God’s grace. Our team leaders are tired and have had to put up with some interesting challenges. But through it all they have grown and developed into excellent leaders. As we look towards the last two weeks, we are praying that we finish strong and that we don’t simply get through the summer, but that we strive to lead with excellence. It is only by the grace and strength of God, that we have been able to do anything this summer. I believe that the biggest miracle of all is that our team has been able to lead so consistently and even though they grew weary, God used us in spite of our weakness.

The city is changing; I am seeing more and more private construction vehicles. A sign that some people do have some money to repair the damages. The devastation is still enormous and overwhelming, but there is hope. One of our ministry partners is a yard cleanup ministry called Beacon of Hope. I have attached below a letter from their director. A little effort spent cleaning up a few yards can make a huge difference to the people’s mindset and gives that little encouragement to keep them going.

This weekend marks the end of the Good News camp, we have been working this week to breakdown tents and clean up the parking lot that for ten months was a distribution center and a volunteer housing facility. This small area at the bottom end of city park has been witness to many miracles. Hundreds of thousands of meals have been served, many people have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, and almost twenty thousand volunteers from all over the world have stayed there. I was speaking to the founder of the organization, Jerry Davis, this morning as he was franticly running around organizing volunteers. He told me that they had never intended to stay more than three months, but after the outpouring of volunteers, they kept the tents up. We have seen the Body of Christ come together across denominational boundaries and be a part of something bigger than what anyone could have imagined. The local church is starting to come back and pick up where the disaster relief ministries have left off. Many churches are opening distribution centers and offering meals to the public.

Please continue to pray for the city of New Orleans, and for us as we plan to continue mobilizing armies of Christians to come and share the gospel and love of Jesus with those in need. I have confirmed a partnership with a local church that is going to continue housing up to four hundred volunteers for the next five years.

Due to my constant traveling and focus on the ministry in the gulf coast, our financial support has dropped significantly. Currently we are about $5000 behind for this year. Breaking it down, we need five people to commit to $20 per week. Please be in prayer for us as we seek to raise more support. And if the Lord is leading you to support us in ministry, please email me or use the contact details below.

Thank you for your prayers, please continue to pray for all of our team here in New Orleans.

God bless you

Athol

Dear Prayer warriors.

It is Tuesday already, and the weeks continue to fly on by. Last week was a full week with visitors coming and going. First, I had Seth Barnes spend two days with us, to check in and get an overview of the ministry. Seth is the founder of Adventures in Missions.

The day he left, Mike Anderson, my employer prior to joining AIM in 2004, and Stuart White, our Sunday school teacher and fellow deacon at Roswell Street Baptist, arrived to see first hand what the Lord is doing here in New Orleans. Both are special friends and have been used by God as a tremendous influence in our lives since moving to the United States. We spent an incredible 2 days together, and they were able to see how God is moving in such a mighty way in New Orleans.

We have seen the Lord at work through some incredible miracles over the last 2 weeks, and have seen Him clearly orchestrate events and situations. I shared with our leaders on Sunday that we had all witnessed miracles, and that we should be expecting God to show up in supernatural ways during the weeks ahead. Two days later, I met Seth at the airport and he handed me a book saying that God told him to give me that book. He was reading it on the plane and got to page 123 and knew that this was a message for our team. The paragraph is talking about Matthew 11 v 20-24, where Jesus is talking about the mighty works that were done in Chorazin and Bethsaida, and their refusal to repent. The author wrote the following in 2003, well before Hurricane Katrina:

“But there is another message contained in the story. Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom would have repented had they been exposed to the same miracles. This is a promise for today. Miracles on the streets of the “sin cities” of the world will cause them to repent…… the San Francisco’s, the Amsterdam’s, the New Orleans and the Rio’s of this world, will repent….if there is an army of saints, walking their streets, caring for the broken, bringing the God of Power into their impossible circumstances. They would repent! They simply await those with the message of the kingdom to come.”

God really spoke to me through that. We are His army here - we are only the first wave of troops, but He is working through us to bring the city to repentance. What an awesome privilege!

While Seth was here, we visited our different ministry sites and partners. I have always worked with Seth as the CEO of AIM and have never seen him in “ministry mode”. It was so refreshing to see him walking around and seeking out people to pray for, and leading people to the Lord. He has such a passion to disciple and teach the youth participants, and it was good for me to see that, and be reminded of why we are here.

During our final meeting we discussed plans and strategies for the future in New Orleans. I feel strongly that we need to have a long term approach to the ministry here in the city and not just focus on getting through the summer. The spiritual battle for this area is going to be long and the church cannot afford to give up now. So we are looking at establishing a long term base and ministry platform that will take us into the next five years. Please will you pray for all of us as we seek God’s will and direction for the future.

The day that Seth left, Mike and Stuart arrived. It is so difficult to explain to someone all that is happening here, and I was anxious that they would be able to get a small glimpse of what God is doing in the short time they were here.

We started off by going on a tour of some of the devastated areas, allowing them to get a glimpse of the magnitude of the damage. After that we had dinner at Good News relief and distribution center. The food there is typical relief food and what tasted like chicken turned out to be tuna. So the term “chuna” was created. I eat at the different relief and distribution centers most nights, and have decided that no chuna is good chuna…

The next day I had them partner with one of the ministry teams and they spent the morning gutting a house. After lunch they joined another team on a prayer walking and ministry time in the Holly Grove area. They spent the afternoon sharing the gospel with workers and residents, and had the joy of leading people to the Lord. The next day we went to our base in Mississippi, and spent some time encouraging and praying for the base directors, Rob and Kim.

It was so good to have them here, and to let them see first hand all that is going on. It is so difficult to put into words all that is happening, and the newsletters are too short to really express all that has happened each week. So, to have people see first hand what is going on, and to be able to share with others back home the vision of the ministry, is really a blessing.

We have a little under four weeks to go before our last group leaves, and I am challenging our leaders to end strong and to keep the momentum they have built up to the end. They are incredible young leaders and we have seen their leadership skills develop weekly. I have a few specific prayer requests:

• We are still looking for housing for about 60 students for the last two weeks of the summer, since one of our ministry partners is closing down their relief center.
• Please pray for the health of our leaders, there has been a flu type of infection that has plagued our team.
• Please pray for me and the AIM leadership as we hear from the Lord about the future of the ministry in New Orleans.
• And for continued safety for all of our leaders and teams. (one of the national guard captains mentioned that he had been shot at three times and that the gang members are being promoted if they kill a policeman or a guardsman.)

Thank you for your ongoing prayers and support.

Athol

Dear Prayer warriors.

Another week has flown by and we have so many stories to tell, that I will copy some of the better reports from our participants onto the end of this letter. We have seen God work in incredible ways over the past week.

Our leadership team has done extremely well in learning the logistics of two hundred to two hundred and fifty people coming to New Orleans each week. They are starting to feel comfortable with the role they are in and are all extremely competent leaders. Last Saturday during our debriefing time, I challenged them to step up now and become the true spiritual leaders of their mission teams. AIM encourages all project leaders to realize that they are the spiritual leaders of their groups, and as such they are responsible for encouraging the participants to step out in faith and stretch themselves spiritually.

Three days later seven of us had individual experiences that were all very similar. Ranging from nightmares, to waking up feeling that there was an evil presence in the room. This all happened a little after midnight at three different locations. We immediately turned to the Lord in prayer and were able to return to sleep peacefully. It wasn’t until two days later that we put this all together during a team meeting. The connection was clear, we had raised the level of the spiritual battle, and the enemy had done the same. We were encouraged that obviously we were making an impact and that satan was not pleased with our renewed level of commitment to pray for and evangelize the city. One of the devastated areas that I have been focusing on was an area of the city where seventy percent of the population was practicing voodoo and witchcraft. So it is no surprise that we are being challenged. The greatest part of this all is the realization that Jesus has already won the victory and that these battles are minor skirmishes.

On Thursday we attended a combined meeting for all the youth mission teams in the city at First Baptist Church of New Orleans. It was such a blessing to see over six hundred young people attending, many of whom had traveled over two days to come to the hurricane affected area and to help in the rebuilding of the city.

The week was a difficult one and even though the ministry seemed to go relatively smoothly, we were all drained at the end of the week. On the weekend, we had a visiting speaker come and address our team and we divided into prayer teams and spent about two hours praying for one another. It was a great time of renewal and refreshment. I was particularly challenged to pray daily for my team and their spiritual health. We have six more weeks to go and I am praying that we all stay spiritually fresh and attentive to the Lord’s voice.

I came home to Gainesville on Monday and we were able to spend independence day together as a family. This was the first year that neither Debbie nor I were working on the fourth of July since moving to America. It was also my first as an American citizen. I will be returning to New Orleans on Friday, and have so much to do in a few days. One of my projects is to redo the kitchen floor, since it had to be removed as a result of our freezer mishap. Just what I needed - some mindless physical labor!

Please read the trip reports below and be in prayer for all of us and the mission team participants who are still to come to the city. God is doing some incredible miracles daily and we need to give Him all the Glory.

Please read and signup for updates on my blog; http://atholbarnes.myadventures.org/

God bless you

Athol Barnes

Dear Prayer warriors.

Again it has been such a busy week, that I have way too much to tell and too little time.

Every day has its new set of blessings and trials.

I arrived back in New Orleans last Wednesday after taking the family home. Debbie mentioned that we had a bit of a flood. It didn’t look so bad, but the insurance company came in and removed the kitchen linoleum, they found a lot of water damage and it had already spread into three rooms. So now I have some work to do when I get back home for a few days on the 3^rd of July. But, like Debbie said, the damage is nothing compared to the thousands of homes we see every day here in New Orleans, and maybe it helps us to keep things in perspective.

As many of you have probably heard by now, the Governor of Louisiana, Kathleen Blanco has asked for 100 National Guardsmen to assist the NOPD in the fight against crime. The murder rate of the city is going back up and last week four teenagers were murdered as they were driving down the street in the central business district. This was clearly drug related, but also a sign that some of the gang activity is returning to the city.

The seventy humvees and other military vehicles arrived in the city last Tuesday. The reason cited for this action, was the increase in crime and the inability of the already depleted NOPD, to cope with the situation. A quick pole taken shows that 86% of the people are in favor of this action. This is the second time since hurricane Katrina that the National Guard has been called upon to assist the city.

For AIM and many other ministries in the city this is a welcome sign that the local government is serious about dealing with the crime in the city. We have been working in all areas of the city and have not seen any sign of a criminal element. On the contrary, we have been welcomed with open arms by appreciative local residents trying to rebuild their lives.

One of our ministry partners, Good News in Bad Places, has become a central location for the National Guard to meet. The commander of the guard troops has said that our security worries are over, and that they would personally patrol our ministry sites. Needless to say this has calmed a lot of the worried parents.

Good News has proved to be an amazing partnership, and a blessing to us all. They have had 40,000 people come and stay in their tents since September 2005, and in all that time there have been absolutely no injuries. God has protected them miraculously. One of their workers, Patrick, had a bad car accident. He tore his cruciate ligament and had a broken bone in his foot. I saw him the day before he was due to see the orthopedic surgeon, to make plans for surgery. After a time of prayer that night, he went to the doctor the next day. The scan revealed that he had six months of ligament growth in five days, over the tear and no loss of mobility. He is walking around without a brace and praising God!!

Last week we had our smallest group of the summer, only 125 people. But for some reason it was the most tiring week. We were tested in many ways and had to pray for a lot of patience, not my strong point! I had three flat tires in one day. But I guess that is to be expected with all the nails lying around.

On Saturday night we attended a Christian music concert at the central park. There were many artists including Shaun Groves and the Newsboys. We got great seats as a result of being one of the Christian relief organizations. But unfortunately God blessed us with a huge thunderstorm about four songs into the Newsboys and the organizers called it off. It was such a blessing to see so many Christians in the city praising God and also to see all the Christian relief teams there.

Yesterday I made a trip to our base in Mississippi and was able to encourage our new leaders there as they received about fifty mission trip participants. Please be in prayer for the ministry in Mississippi, they tend to be forgotten. One of the most interesting statistics I heard while there was that even though Mississippi is right in the middle of the Bible belt, seventy percent of the people of Long beach are unchurched. This is a huge mission field and one that is really hurting right now.

Today I had one of the most incredible experiences imaginable. I still find it difficult to explain, but I will try.

Our construction coordinator told me that we needed to help a local alcoholic rehabilitation home. I really didn’t want to commit to more work, and didn’t see how we could possibly help. But I agreed and we headed off to the home. It was across the street from the Baptist Theological Seminary, for those of you who know the city. I was introduced to Pastor Mel Jones, who runs the mission; he is an incredible man and has a testimony that keeps one riveted. After talking for a while, he asked me where I was from, I told him that I was from South Africa and he immediately got on his cell phone and said that he wanted me to meet someone. In minutes I was talking to Rob Wilton, he is an American working in New Orleans with Mission Lab, a short term missions program of the Southern Baptist Seminary. He was in the area and decided to come over so that we could talk face to face. He told me how his parents had come from South Africa and that they are now pastoring a church in North Carolina. After some questioning I found out that his grandfather was John Wilton, who was the pastor of the church my family attended in Cape Town over thirty years ago!!! And the church that sent our family out, when my father began his life in fulltime ministry.

After some questioning, I found out that his whole extended family is in the United States and they are pastoring three churches in Georgia, North Carolina and Alabama. And that Rev John Wilton is well and living in Spartanburg, NC.

What an incredible blessing it was to talk to him and see how the Lord has worked through generations and across continents. We plan to meet later this week again.

The week we have about two hundred and forty people in New Orleans on mission teams with AIM. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we seek to meet the felt needs of the community and spread the gospel by showing the love of Jesus. It promises to be another busy week, and one that no doubt will bring a host of miracles.

Thank you so much for your prayer and support, I will try to keep my letters a little shorter next week.

Please read and signup for updates on my blog; http://atholbarnes.myadventures.org/

God bless you

Athol Barnes

Dear Prayer Warriors

I am writing this from a very hot and humid New Orleans, where Christie, my mom, and I have been able to experience just a little bit of what Athol and his team experience on a daily basis. We left home early Thursday morning, and made stop at the AIM base in Long Beach, Mississippi, for lunch. After sharing a meal with the couple running the base – and their 3 boys, Athol and Rob started grilling 175 hotdogs and 250 hamburgers for the evening’s outreach ministry – not a fun task in the 98-degree heat and humidity. Kim took my mom and I on a tour of the area, which remains devastated, even 10 months after Hurricane Katrina. As we drove through streets still devoid of the homes and buildings, which had stood there just 10 months ago, we came across a gentleman in his 60’s. He had a gazebo set out on what remained of his home – now just a concrete slab. We pulled over to talk with him, and he shared how he was still not allowed to start rebuilding their home. Because he and his wife had had a show garden before the storm, they were working on the garden and replanting it in the meantime. He was a war veteran and missing his left arm. We told him a little about AIM, and asked if we could pray for him. Initially, he seemed hesitant, even though he nodded yes, and we held hands as we prayed for him and his family. He never did take off his sunglasses, but his cheeks were streaked with tears, and he thanked us for caring. We were also able to visit some of the local ministry sites, and were touched by the love and enthusiasm of the volunteers, who are exposed to so much heartache and devastation daily.

The apartment that Athol calls home for the summer is in the heart of the city and amid the damaged homes. It too was damaged by the flooding, and is in the process of being renovated and repaired. Housing is at a premium, and Athol shares the 4 bed roomed apartment with a family of 5, who are also with AIM. The apartment below was completely destroyed by the flooding, has been completely gutted and is being rebuilt. The house is the center of AIM’s ministry in New Orleans, and is a hive of constant activity, with project leaders and staff coming and going at all hours. There just never seems to be a moment’s peace, or quiet, and I don’t know how they all keep going so effectively. Looking out our bedroom window, you see the debris from Katrina filling the swimming pool next door, and atop the storage shed beside it. The watermarks from the flooding are still visible on many of the buildings, and piles of debris line each street. Trailers are parked in front of many homes, and families live in them as they try and rebuild. In some areas, the homes are completely destroyed, and the trailers are parked on the cement slab that was once their home. It is all very overwhelming, and very difficult to describe!

We were able to visit some of AIM’s ministry sites around the city, and meet some of the people involved in these ministries. We ate our meals at the ministry sites, together with the mission trip participants, and members of the community making use of the shelters and facilities. I have included a few pictures of some of the ministry sites, as well as some showing the devastation that remains in the city of New Orleans.

Athol decided to use Saturday as a team-building day, as mission trip participants leave each Saturday morning, and new groups arrive each Sunday. He treated all the project leaders to a day of canoeing, and we had a ball, paddling down a creek in Mississippi. Christie loved it too, and I think we were the only canoe that didn’t topple, until 10 minutes before the end of the trail! Having come through all the rapids in one piece, we hit a completely benign spot; somehow hit a rogue tree branch, and Athol and I were unceremoniously dumped into the creek. Christie sat in the canoe, squealing with joy, and shouting to everyone that paddled by that “daddy had tripped the boat!”

Well, it’s now Tuesday evening, and we have just arrived home after a 12-hour drive. We walked into the house to find it flooded, following a mishap with the icemaker. The floor is flooded and the water has seeped into the kitchen cabinets, under the hardwood floors of the hallway, into the walls, and into the basement below. It was almost like being back in New Orleans, except our damage is minor compared to what everyone there had to endure. Athol flies back to New Orleans in the morning, and hopefully all will be repaired by the time he returns on the 3^rd of July.

My not-so-reliable ford focus let us down once again, and we had to hire a car to drive to New Orleans, while it sat in the auto repair shop here. This is the second time it’s broken down in a month, and is incredibly frustrating. Fortunately it broke down within the subdivision, and we were able to pile out and walk back home. I now have the number of the auto repair shop in my cell phone directory, and am prepared for the next time it happens!

We were almost blessed with a baby sister for Christie last week, but things unfortunately fell through. At the time, we were devastated, and think I cried for 3 whole days. Now that we hear more details about the situation, we are grateful that we trusted God’s leading, and the way in which he closed the door on the whole matter. We know that He has chosen another perfect child for us, and we await his perfect timing.

I know this is a longer-than usual update, but we have had a very eventful week!

Please continue to keep all of us and the team in New Orleans in your prayers. We just found out today that the National Guard has been called in by the state Governor to assist the beleaguered New Orleans Police Department. The city is still in the midst of a lot of struggles, however we can see the beginnings of a revival taking place, and it is exciting to be a small part thereof.

God bless you