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Disaster Relief: Divine Appointments

Many of you don't know this because it happened so late notice but I just spent the past week and a half up in New Jersey leading a disaster relief team! At work last week we decided that I needed to get up to Jersey for some planning and set-up for our disaster relief efforts and we also needed a project leader for this weeks trip. So within 24 hours I was packed and driving our 15 passenger van the almost 14 hour drive to the New Jersey coast. The trip was incredible. I cannot begin to tell you how many divine appointments the Lord set up. Before I left Georgia a friend and I were praying and she interrupted and told me that she felt like God needed me to be patient (i was eager to get up to the coast); that before I could leave town there was someone I needed to meet first. I kinda laughed a little at the thought of "really God? who do I need to meet here in Gainesville before I can leave." I went on about my buisness, found out a little later that day that I was heading out and as I loaded the van and went to the bank to get the money needed I met Bobbie. She is a manager at a Suntrust here and happened to be covering the counter for a little while. We chatted a little bit while she was processing my request and my trip came up. She informed me that she didn't have any plans this week and wanted to come. I gave her some basic info for Adventures including my number and within a couple hours she called me and said that she was coming. Everything got processed and she made it up for the trip. She even had just enough sky miles to cover the cost of her ticket and luggage fees! The Lord certainly opened a huge door to get her there and I think He did an incredibly work in her life this week as He did in many more as well.



Bobbie cleaning up after gutting a house.
 
Monday was our first day of work. We headed over to Venice Park in Atlantic City to help a retired firefighter gut his parents basement. Well our team of 9 girls and 2 guys can work. Jesus certainly provided strength and speed because we finished this job, which should have taken at least the first day, before lunch. As we were cleaning up a couple of the girls wanted to walk around the community and just meet people and see what they needed. This small group of girls didn't know that we didn't have another worksite lined up for the day. I was doing everything that I could to find out where to go next and just prayed that God would lead us. About 30 seconds after I prayed one of the girls called me and said they have been directed through a few people to a home a few blocks over belonging to Mrs. Simpson who had lived there for 67 years. This home, as many in the community, had over 3 feet of water in it from the storm. They literally lost everything. Mrs. Simpson's son Carlos was trying his best to do all of the work needed there. Immediately we knew this is where God was leading us. 

Carlos
 

"I thought God had forgotten us."  Carlos and his community expressed to us over and over how they felt like God had forgotten them. How fun it was to remind them that God sent us literally from all over the US and Canada specifically to help them. Is that not our God? What a cool picture of the gospel. God knows are situations and our needs. God is zealous for us and so eager to pour out his love on us. So good. Carlos said that he hadn't smiled in days. Look at that grin:) We saw that alot!  

Overall the trip was very fruitful on many fronts/ Please continue to pray for Carlos and his family. Pray for Venice Park that God would begin a revival in that community. Pray for the many local volunteers and their familes as they are exhauting themselves for their neighbors in need. Pray for all of the relief efforts that Chirst might be central and that true hope would be restored. And please continue to pray for us at Adventures as we plan and strategize for long-term relief to the battered Northeastern shoreline.

Love you all!

robin

ps. thanks to my awesome team this week! Rockstars!