Last day....morning

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Man...I'm beat!!! On the way to the job site for the last time. We work a half day today and then off to FABC for a time of celebration and community with our partners. 

Each day, we share learnings with the entire group...sometimes they are funny things that happen on the job site, sometimes they are a little more serious. Today, I feel like God was speaking to me through one in particular. It said:

Being physically exhausted and mentally rested is 100X better than being physically rested and mentally exhausted. 

This is SO true. It was so good to get re-rooted in this idea.  Now how do I replicate this at home!! 

Today, pray that God uses my weakness to do amazing things and that only God will be able to receive the glory!!! 

More to come!

Hard to keep up this week...

This blogging thing is hard! 

I'm trying to be present here on the trip and process through things on my blog, but being present is winning!!!

Here are a few shots from our worksite. 

NOLA is still very devastated, but the native New Orleaneans have such incredible hope! We have a lot to learn from them. 

I promise we are staying hydrated on the site each day! It's been beautiful, with a great breeze each day! I think God is happy we are here ;). 

This is the beginning of the front porch Becky and I are building. The next three pics show our progress.

It's so strong...Josh can even stand on it!!! We don't need no stinkin' ladders!!!

This was the home stretch for the spindles!

As I was reflecting on building this thing...mostly because there is some awesomeness about building things from scratch...I couldn't help but think that this will be a vehicle for community.  People sitting on this front porch sharing stories, laughter, tears. People doing life together.  Pretty cool. 

So, it's Thursday, we are all getting REALLY tired. We have been working our faces off (and eating our faces off). Now is when the injuries can happen. PLEASE pray for safety for our crew! That we might experience a fresh burst of energy that will take us on through Friday so that we might finish strong!

My mom sent this to me this morning:

I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, (Psalm 16:7-9 NIV)

It's just a great reminder to abide in God...even while I'm sleeping! My strength comes from him!

Alright! Time to get my boots on! We are almost to the site! 

Good Morning New Orleans...

What a great morning! It started off with an appropriate text from my sister. 

Today take a little time to read Proverbs 31: 10-31. God wants us to be strong women in our family, to do the work needed for our husbands, children and God. You remind me of this. Roll up your sleeves today, work for The Lord.  Take time and rest to be filled up.  Your rest may come on the job site, letting Him build into you.  Feet forward, palms up, hands open... Be ready to receive.  Others watching you receive will see and learn the love of our Lord!  Love you!     Kim

Man, is this is a GREAT reminder!!! Receive...this is such a great word! 

I looked that word up today and here's what I found: 

1 : to come into possession of :acquire <receive a gift> 2 a : to act as a or container for <the cisternreceives water from the roof> b : to through the mind or senses <receivenew ideas> 3 a : to permit to enter :admit b : welcome, greet c : to react to in a specified manner 4 : to accept as authoritative, true, or accurate : believe 5 a : to support the weight or pressure of : bear b :to take (a mark or ) from the weight of something <some clay receivesclear impressions> c : acquire,experience <received his early schooling at home> d : to suffer the hurt or injury of <received a broken nose>

As I reflect on this entire definition...I'm excited about how this word could play out. 

Acquire: What does God want me to possess? Humility that God is bigger than me? Freedom from performance? 

Contain: This one is my favorite idea! I want to soak up this experience! Being present for whatever is in store this week and soak it ALL up!!! And then be able to pour out the sweet goodness on others. when I return!  I want this trip to fill my bucket!

Mind and Senses: What new and creative gifts will God provide on this trip? How will God inspire me through community and relationships?

Admit/Welcome/Greet: Feet forward, sleeves rolled up, and palms open. Welcoming God into this experience and ready for new growth!!!

Believe: What new truths does God want to show me? Am I accepting him as the true authority? 

Bear: Is there a burden that I currently bear that I need to give to God? (Maybe a little pride...rejection...performance?)

Experience: I really love this one...I want to truly represent this. I want to be like clay. I want this trip to leave a life changing impression on me. 

Suffer: My continuous prayer...break my heart with the things that make your heart break. May I never become calloused or desensitized to the hurt that is happening in and around me from broken relationships. 

Ok...so I think I have my mind in the game. I'm ready to receive and be present for the sweet gifts that God wants to give me! 

If you are wondering what to pray for, I've bolded some big ideas above under each definition. You can pray around those ideas. And pray that God shows up in big ways today (not just for me, but for everyone that I come in contact with!). 

Starting off the trip right...

What better way to kick off an amazing week then learning from Pastor Fred Luter at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church!

It was great to be greeted by our friends at FABC! Treena, Rose, and Janice were waiting for us. There were lots of hugs, smiles, and laughter as we quickly caught up before heading into service. 

I was overwhelmingly reminded about how God wired us to be in community. We need each other to learn from which ultimately helps us all to grow! Learning together, we can ALL meet our unrealized potential. 

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” (Genesis 2:18 NIV)

NOTE: Want to see more pictures??? Follow me on Instagram @daniwatkins or follow #goneworleans on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. 

GO NOLA 2013...

GO NOLA 2013... 

(click here if you need a refresher on what this trip is all about)

Even though I've been going on this trip since 2009, I'm anticipating a VERY different trip this year.  Yes, there is always learning and growth that comes from this trip and always life change that happens...and that will be the case this year as well.  However, this will be the first year that I get to experience this trip free of responsibility. No responsibility means...no distractions.  I'm going to be able to fully engage in this experience at a level that has never been possible.  Sounds great right???  I'm still trying to decide...

I think that God has been speaking to me through others for about 7 months now. I believe that he's trying to teach me a lesson in TRUST and REST.  Through my awesome SFL leader, Katie Frazier, I'm learning that God is obsessed with my TRUST and continuously gives me opportunities to fully trust in him.  This sounds so easy to do...but I continuously rely on myself instead of him.  This is showing up a ton through my job at CityLink and just my life in general.  I'm not balanced between work and rest.  I'm constantly throwing myself into striving mode where I feel like I have to do more, take care of everything myself, and I forget to rest and abide in God.

So, last week I came across this verse:

Jeremiah 32:17
Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

I actually posted it on my wall to remind me that he's got this.  He owns what happens at CityLink, he owns my work load, he owns my trip experience, he owns me...and he can handle it!

I'm putting this out there because I need your help in my growing process.  You can help by holding me accountable for engaging fully on this trip.  That's going to require me to LET GO of what is happening at CityLink and back home while I'm away.  If you pray, pray that I can learn the true meaning of REST and reap the sweet fruit from being obedient in TRUSTING God.

I'll be keeping you posted along the way on how this is playing out.  AND I'll be posting fun stuff from the trip!