A team of five women traveled to Biloxi in February to serve in a community that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Here, one shares her daily journal entries with us…

February 7, 2010

“Embrace”

Romans 5: 3-5, Romans 8: 28, Psalm 42:11

We have arrived! We left PC3 at 5:00 AM and arrived here in Biloxi, MS at 4:30 PM (Biloxi time). Rosa drove the entire way, and I must say, Lord, that I am VERY thankful for her! Before we hit the road this morning, Rosa and Juanita (our leaders) gave us today’s word, “Embrace.” Each day of our trip we will have a word to reflect and to help us push through the day. “Embrace,” for me, was really about getting to Biloxi: embracing the road, the driving, and pulling God into every aspect of those things. Though I slept most of the way down there, I was able to relate the word to embracing each other and what was in store for us in Biloxi. Having never been there before, I had no idea what to expect, and we really weren’t even sure what we’d be doing while we were there.

We are staying at Lemoyne Church, in the bunk house behind the church. Once we all got settled in and unpacked, we did our nightly devotional. God made His presence known right away! Rosa was drained and weary from all the driving and from the extra long day. The devotional was all about finding your strength in Christ and through Him you can do anything. Rosa couldn’t even get through the short devotional—she became overwhelmed with His presence. It was just amazing, and at that moment I think we all understood that Christ indeed hand-picked us all to be on that trip and we were right where we needed to be!

I pray that God will help me to be brave during this trip and that God will use me for His will and His works. I pray that He will make me His hands and His feet.

February 8, 2010

“Pace”

Matthew 14: 28-31, Ephesians 2: 6-10, 2 Timothy 1: 3-12

It is day one on the job! Lisa, Kim and I got up early and ran a few miles in the neighborhood behind the church. After an amazing breakfast (Ruth is such a great cook), we went over to “Amanda”’s trailer to help her get it move-in ready for her and her family. Juanita helped with local free clinic today—she will be assisting them today, Wednesday, and Friday. Our word today is “Pace,” Kim’s One Word for this year. Though we are all looking forward to busting out some great work and complete project after project, we need to be sure to pace ourselves. This trip is not about the work we do on the trailer, it is about doing God’s work!

Amanda and her three children were not directly affected by Hurricane Katrina, but Amanda’s parents, “Gwen” and “John,” sought help from the church for some roof repairs after the storm. During the repairs, John, Amanda’s father, accepted Christ!!! Amanda and her children lived in a trailer behind her parents’ house. A month ago, Amanda’s trailer caught on fire and destroyed the trailer. All the children made it out safely; but Amanda, in her attempt to extinguish the fire, was badly burned on her arm and her leg. She was only released from the hospital a few days ago after extensive treatment and skin graphs. Lemoyne Church arranged for the family to receive another trailer. They gave her a “Katrina Trailer.” It definitely needs some work—we will be working on her trailer until it is ready for her to move in.

Today, I mainly helped Amanda clean the kitchen. Rosa worked her magic outside, tidying up the yard and getting all the debris out to the curb for trash pickup. And Lisa and Kim started taping and priming the rooms for paint. It was a gift to be able to talk to Amanda about her story and about her family. Amanda is very shy and can be quiet. Though there was a moment today when she really perked up… She caught a glimpse of the tattoo on my arm and soon after she saw Rosa’s tattoo on her hand. Amanda proudly showed Rosa and I her tattoos. After that moment, I feel like Amanda began to feel more comfortable with us and recognized that we are normal people, we were not judging her, we weren’t making fun of her, we were there for her as her, to love her like God loves us!

Amanda and her sons, “Trent” and “Jake,” are not believers. I pray that during our time here, we will follow Christ and Christ’s will for us. I pray a seed will be planted in Amanda’s heart and her children’s hearts. I pray that God will use us and in the process help us to be more like Him!

February 9, 2010

“Focus”

This morning Lisa, Kim and I ran a little further than the day before, over two miles. Along the run, there were many concrete slabs of where houses used to be, a clear sign of the effects of Hurricane Katrina. At the end of one of the roads, there was a little cemetery, and I couldn’t help stopping my run and reflecting on how all that was around me, including that cemetery, was under water during the storm. People lost so much in Katrina, it was nice to know that even through the rain and the wind and the flood, God was able to bring us all here to help, relieve, comfort, and give hope to people. He is truly amazing!

Today we painted, and painted, and painted… It was refreshing to see what a little paint can do to a place—it is really starting to look like a home. Our word today was “Focus,” Juanita’s One Word. For me, “Focus” was about keeping my eyes fixed on God and not the brush in my hand. It was about looking at the bigger picture: not the wall I was painting, but the lives I was helping to form and change. I’m glad that Juanita was there at the trailer with us today to be able to help us get some work done and connect with the family. Amanda was there to help us again today. She did as much painting as she could; her energy is low because she of the pain she is in. Amanda’s sons where very excited to see their rooms. Trent’s room is Carolina blue, and Jake’s room is a lime green color. The rest of the house will be beige with a dark brown trim.

We invited Amanda and her family to join us tomorrow night for the dinner then service at Lemoyne Church. I hope they are all able to make it. I pray that God will continue to open doors for our group to witness and show Amanda God’s love. I am so thankful that Christ brought us all here for the opportunity to help Amanda and her family.

February 10, 2010

“Trust”

What A DAY! Amanda and her son Jake accepted Christ today!!! It was amazing! Thank You, Lord, thank You! I am honored that Christ chose us, our group to come here and help this family find Him.

We ran again this morning. I ran close to 2.5 miles, a little further each day. It was a lot colder, and the weather was only projected to worsen as we round out the week. All of us were in high spirits this morning. Our morning devotional was about looking to Christ for strength in our work and our bodies and our minds. Our word today was my One Word, “Trust.” We finished up the majority of the painting and began to work on the trim throughout the house. As the day wore on, I began to use that morning devotional more and more to keep me going, trusting that God would provide me the strength to carry on doing His work. I was so happy that they accepted our invitation and joined us for dinner and service tonight. I guess that Gwen and Amanda’s daughter are regulars at the church and the Wednesday night dinner/services. However, Amanda and her sons rarely attend.

Before the service began, Amanda pulled Pastor Bill aside to talk with him, and that is when she accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior! Soon after, Jake did the same! Amanda did not stay for the service. Pastor Bill told us the news once he began preaching. I cannot even describe the feeling that came over me. We were all very emotional and just overjoyed by the news. Pastor Bill’s message was about love, and about showing love to others by doing the right thing. One part of his message that really stuck out to me was about how sometimes as Christians we need to give up things in our lives to help another’s walk. Perhaps not having that “harmless” glass of wine with dinner… If one who struggles with alcohol sees us drinking, they may be tempted to drink, seeing that “it is okay” for us Christians to drink. I pray that God will reveal to me the things I need to purge from my life to help my and others’ walk with God.

Lord, You have really moved mountains during this trip. I am so grateful for all You have done and will continue to do. I cannot wait to see Amanda tomorrow!!!

February 11, 2010

“Discipline”

The weather keeps getting colder. We bravely got out there this morning and ran another two miles. Today’s word was Lisa’s One Word, “Discipline.” The other word circling around the trailer today was “TRIM.” We completed all of the tedious trim work today and got the bathroom fully primed. It really took some discipline to complete all that work today. Amanda was not feeling well, so we were unable to see her today. Gwen and the kids stopped by, and they were pretty impressed with all the work we had done to the place.

The weather today has not been the best. We had some sleet and rain, and they are calling for snow tonight. I pray the weather will hold out so we can have another full day tomorrow. I feel we got to a good stopping point today. I hope we get the chance to go back and finish the painting in the bathroom and give the laundry room another coat before we have to head home.

The plan for tomorrow, our last day of work, is to work at Amanda’s till 11:30, then pick up Juanita from the clinic, eat some King Cake (a New Orleans tradition), have lunch at the church, then do some sight-seeing in Biloxi. I pray that God’s will be done.

I want to lift up the four amazing ladies He has hand-selected to be on this trip. They are all truly amazing and inspiring. I also want to pray for Lemoyne Church, Jim and Ruth, Alan, Amanda and her family. I pray that God continues to bless them.

February 12, 2010

“Still”

It rained all night. We did not run this morning. We had breakfast this morning; Ruth made another tasty meal. At breakfast, we made the decision, with the winter weather fast approaching, to pack and head back home to Wilmington, NC, today. I wished we would have been able to see the family again before we left.

Rosa, our fearless leader, drove us again. It amazes me that God knew that her New York weather driving skills would come in handy on this trip, even as far South as we were. The snow began in Alabama. It was so beautiful. The weather continued to worsen; we got as far as Madison, GA, before we had to stop at a hotel to stay for the night. I have to admit that the hotel room was a nice change from the bunk houses in Biloxi. And though it wasn’t Ruth’s cooking, the Cracker Barrel we went to for dinner was delicious!

The word today was “Still,” Rosa’s One Word for 2010. During the car ride, there was a lot of stillness, with our bodies and our minds. I pray that we all were able to take a hunk of this trip and keep it dear to our hearts. I never have seen God so in my face before this trip. He was everywhere—I mean everywhere. It was truly a blessing to be apart of something so big, for God.

February 13, 2010

“Reflect”

The hotel stay was very nice, and so was the continental breakfast this morning. We got on the road before 9:00 AM. Our word today was “Reflect,” and during the ride home, I did a lot of reflecting on what occurred this week, the new relationships that had been formed, and the way God was able to use us and our skills for His work! This trip was just awesome.

We arrived back at the PC3 parking lot around 3:00 PM, and we all went our separate ways. The snow in Wilmington still blanketed the ground and covered our vehicles. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. I have to say, there is no better way to celebrate than with sharing Christ’s love and works with those around me. God gave me such a gift to be able to share in bringing two people to Christ and to be able to touch a family and a community the way that we did. PRAISE THE LORD!

Submitted by Randi Gress

Working in our public school systems has shown me a lot over these past four years. What it has shown me the most is the amount of NEED our students have: a need for love, a need for encouragement, and a need for someone to believe in them, to show them they matter. When the PC3 Mentor Program was born, I knew I had to be a part of it. I obviously couldn’t be a mentor—working in the field daily with hundreds of students and picking only one might show some favoritism. So I decided to be the Program’s coordinator at the school where I work, Snipes Academy of Art and Design.

I’ve been privileged to serve with some of our church’s most dedicated and compassionate volunteers over the past couple years, and my heart is always touched when I see them in the hallways. Others I hardly ever get to see. Yet they still come, knowing that probably no one from PC3 will actually SEE their active efforts each week. But the Snipes staff continually pulls me aside to tell me how great they’ve been for the students they’re with, and I can only be grateful for the hearts the Lord has instilled in these dedicated mentors.

So this past year the Mentor Program was blessed to partner with PC3’s Treasure Island Live Theater (better known as TILT) and have the team visit a couple elementary schools to perform for children in the community who would otherwise never have the opportunity to see their extremely entertaining talents. Maureen Hill, founder of the Mentor Program and first-grade teacher at Wrightsboro Elementary School, asked TILT early this spring if they could come to her school for Dr. Seuss week, in celebration of the famous author’s birthday. She asked if they would put on a performance based on Green Eggs and Ham and put in an encouraging word to our students. When I found out about this, I soon asked if they could put on the performance twice and come to Snipes in the afternoon, after they performed for Wrightsboro that morning. Of course, they were more than willing to come, and our partnership was born.

Watching the K-2 students being thoroughly entertained left our staff so appreciative, knowing our children need to hear from the community—and not just from us, the teachers. They need to hear that they matter and that they can do just as well as any other student in any other school. After the students left the multipurpose room, getting high-fives from the TILT team as they left, my principal immediately said she wanted TILT to come back. In the following weeks, we came up with the idea for our third- to fifth-grade students to hear from them as well through an EOG Pep Rally! When I emailed the leaders of TILT about this, having the hearts they do for our community, they jumped at the chance to come back one more time before summer vacation.

So during the week of May 12^th, the TILT team returned to Snipes to see our stunned third- through fifth-graders! I’ve never seen such stillness from our upper grades, and I believe they were truly taken away by the performance and the amount of love poured out to them from people they had never seen before. The TILT team sang songs, danced and had volunteers from the crowd take part in some hilarious games. The kids were instructed from the characters onstage to do their best and believe in themselves during the EOG week. It’s a stressful test for these kids, and it was nice to see them relax and have fun beforehand. My principal thanked me afterward, for organizing the event, and I told her all I had to do was ask, and our church responded with eagerness to help in any way they could. The church has made a deep impression not only on our students but also on our staff. I’m so proud to call PC3 home. As the heart of the Lord’s body grows here, so does its imprint on our local community, one that needs Him so badly. We look forward to partnering with TILT in school years to come, as both the school and the church see the benefits of adults coming together to encourage the next generation in Wilmington’s backyard.

— Submitted by Rebekah O’Connor