Good News from New Orleans

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