Well we did it... we finally packed up and headed from Long Beach, CA to Louisiana after much planning, packing and praying. It seemed like that day would never come after our departure date had been moved back so many times, mainly since we had planned on selling our house prior to leaving (which was our own roadblock and ultimately didn't happen). I believe the Lord's will is truly in the timing of our being in New Orleans when the crisis response ministry team needs us the most (from spring break through the end of summer) and that the days leading up to our stepping out as a family were an opportunity to be humbled and learn to lean on Jesus.
It was a great trip out... we stopped over at the Vaught's (Jason & Jodi with kids Patrick, Justin & Gavin) in Phoenix, AZ for a couple of days for some great hang time. Emily and Jodi and the kids had a good time together, and Jason and I even got to do some car mods just like old times when our van needed air shocks for towing all of our stuff (though we let the mechanics do most of the work while we cruised around town).
Next we drove overnight through Texas and arrived at my dad's new place on the lake in Weatherford, TX. The kids (James 5 1/2 and Mary 3 1/2) had never traveled out of California and call my dad "Grandpa Texas" which he gets a chuckle out of, he and Sarah both being from California originally. We ate some great food, went for walks, and did some fishing off their boat dock and caught a decent size bass.
So not only was the company great along the way, but the weather was perfect as well. The only bad weather day when it actually snowed in Texas, we weren't on the road but just hanging with my dad the whole day. We also bought a Garmin nuvi 360 GPS for the trip which turned out to be the coolest, it has all the streets and addresses in the whole country in it and can get you to the nearest gas station or dairy queen at the touch of a button, has hands-free calling, and doesn't get too mad when you make a wrong turn. The thing will no doubt be incredibly useful in New Orleans as well (highly recommend).
Well praise God we made it safe... we had a warm reception when we landed in Covington, LA with a whole team of volunteers to greet us and help unload. Special thanks to everyone!
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Emily James Mary Bob
Sherwood Family
Emily James Mary Bob
Why we're here...
- Sherwood Family
- Since Katrina, more than 1 million volunteers have flooded the area giving up weekends, holidays and vacations to do their part in the rebuilding effort. We have seen the largest volunteer response in American history, in large part organized by churches around the country, to meet the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of the people affected. The Lord put it on our hearts to serve over a year ago. The first time we went was with a volunteer team from First Presbyterian San Diego, who regularly send teams to the area through the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) Crisis Response ministry based out of Trinity Church in Covington, Louisiana. The ministry has been there for the long-haul and has really seen the Holy Spirit touch the lives of many during the recovery efforts with volunteer groups that come in from all around the country to provide hurricane relief and outreach and evangelism to New Orleans and the surrounding communities.