Barbeque!

Wow, has it been hot here this week! Perhaps the Lord has been preparing us for the trip with the weather. The good news is that in New Orleans we are staying in an air conditioned building, so we will have relief from the heat in the evenings and while we sleep.

Our final team meeting is tomorrow (with parents, please) at the Hart's home from 5-7! It will combine both a meeting and a barbeque - what could be better! I hope that it will be a fun time of connecting with one another and a powerful time of prayer in our final preparation for the mission trip. When we leave the meeting, it will only be 9 hours until we all meet up at the airport for our trip. Woo Hoo!

Here are a couple of last minute reminders:

• The barbeque is not a packing party - you do not need to bring your bags!
• The leaders and I have decided you may bring your mP3 players this year, but it is at your own risk. They will not be allowed on work sites.
• Parents, please ensure that you have your son and/or daughter's cell phones to help ensure that they are not brought on the trip.
• If you have a question about what food to bring to the barbeque, feel free to call or text me!

Peace, Hannah

Commissioned

What a great morning in church! Our team was commissioned today and it was wonderful. Thank you to all who were there from the team - almost all of us made it! Thank you to all of the parents who were there to support us as well. It was such a blessing to be prayed for by the congregation and the feeling of being "sent out" from Marine View was very strong.

I particularly enjoyed Pastor Jon's words to the team at the end of his sermon. He charged us to take time to be still with God this week so that when we go to New Orleans, we are ready to listen to Him and share His love with the people we encounter. He rightly pointed out that without the Lord, we are just going to be working. Let us pray this week that we will do the Lord's work and not just work in New Orleans.

Peace, Hannah

Almost Time...

Every year, when we get within about 2 weeks of the high school mission trip, I start to get really excited. I also go into a frenzy of making sure we are really and truly prepared, that everyone has all the information they need, that all the forms and fees have been turned in and paid, etc. This year is no exception! I am excited, antsy, and totally calm all rolled into one.

I was so pleased with our parent meeting on Sunday! It was great to have the team and their biggest supporters in attendance. I am also really excited about our commissioning on Sunday morning. That tends to be a really sweet experience and I am hoping the students will be reminded that we are being sent out as ambassadors for Christ from our great congregation.

Earlier today I spoke with our great mission contact in New Orleans, or NOLA, as I like to call it. Her name is Toni and she is just a delight. She has great sites lined up for us and can't wait for the return of our team. Likewise, I cannot wait to see her again. She is a blessing to the teams that stay at Celebration Church and she is clearly a woman who loves the Lord and loves His people. Please be praying for her and the ministry of Celebration! Please also remember to pray for the team and the trip, now just 10 days away!

Peace, Hannah