What God taught me in staring at an empty house and broken drywall

Sunday night my squad arrived in Louisiana. Monday afternoon we arrived at Berline and Wayne’s house. We hopped in the van and passed by fully grown oak trees lying on the ground, houses completely missing roofs, piles of debris laying by the road, a railroad crossing pole completely bent over. No matter where you turned your head you couldn’t escape the devastation of not one but two hurricanes. We pulled up to the house and found part of her roof to be missing; an oak tree had literally fallen into their living room. There was broken glass, tree limbs, roof shingles, everything everywhere; you could smell the mold from outside of the house. Berline came out and greeted us with the biggest smile on her face, showed us around her house, where everything was, and took the time to meet all of us. We strapped on n95 masks and worked to gut out the house for the next three days.

As I broke down walls and cleaned up insulation and mold, I watched what had somewhat looked like a home turn to emptiness. Every time I looked down at the pieces of drywall I couldn’t help but see destruction. But as I talked to Berline, she continued to explain with excitement all of the big plans she had for remodeling. She continued to express how blessed she was, how faithful the lord was, how thankful she was for us and everything she still had. They even got us cookies from Walmart and made us an authentic Cajun lunch.

I came in ready to show them the heart of the father; and while we did that, they also did that for us. They chose to serve us and love us. While Berline watched her home be stripped down to almost nothing, she chose to see what the Lord had in store. She chose to exude joy, and she chose to stand in the Lord’s faithfulness. I can’t describe the impact Berline and Wayne had on me but wow, they were such a blessing.

By the end of my time in Louisiana I came to realize that in the emptiness, he gets to come in and fill us with more of him. It is an open space for him to work. When we are stripped of the old walls, the mold, the dead things, he can come in and be a firm foundation. A firm foundation to rebuild upon, a firm foundation that can’t be shaken. I got to witness the Lord rebuilding lake Charles upon the firm foundation of his love, I got to witness him take what the enemy meant for evil and use it for his glory. I watched people rededicate their lives to Christ, others come to him for the first time, cataracts healed, and so much more. Hope and revival are coming in Louisiana!

And…… I am beyond excited to announce that my squad will be going back to LA on SUNDAY! We will be serving in an area called DeRidder, doing the same ministry with Samaritan’s purse. I can’t wait to see God move in LA again and would so appreciate prayer for open hearts, in my squad and the people we will encounter. I would also appreciate prayer over my fundraising, as I have another $1,880 to raise by mid November in order to stay on the field. Please consider partnering with me, and if you have any questions please reach out!