God's got an army....

Boots, Phil, Norm and Seth from Plant City, Florida.

This past week we met a group of four retired gentlemen from Plant City, FL. Their church has adopted a house north of The Garden District to rebuild. The house has been gutted and this team was taking care of the rough wiring installation. Don't let their age in the photo put you off, this group was here to work. On Thursday evening they came slowly dragging into the village after dark. Their church in Plant City will be sending a team of workers once or twice per month until the house is ready to move into. This kind of long term commitment by congregations and concerned believers/citizens is what will rebuild this city and the lives of thousands of people.

The volunteer teams are not as large as they were two years ago, but they keep coming. Once you have put your work boots on the ground here you cannot help but be infected with the need. God will continue to speak to the hearts of His kids and have them respond to the need to rebuild the gulf coast. What do you need to do to help?

God's army is large and diverse. On Friday morning Louis and I drove into town on N. Claiborne St. As you approach the Industrial Canal on your right you will see large brightly painted homes.
The shape and architecture of the homes id different than the standard NOLA Shot Gun, but they are beautiful none the less. These homes are being built by Make it Right. MIR is a non-profit foundation set up by Brad Pitt. I don't know Brad, but if you ask the folks living in one of MIR's houses, I would say they think God sent him to NOLA. The plan of MIR is to build NEW homes in the Lower 9th Ward. These homes will create a new and vibrant neighborhood and community. Brad is using his stardom to influence corporations, other celebrities and government to help rebuild an entire community. Brad may not know it or acknowledge it, but God is using him as part of His army to rebuild this city.

An MIR house complete with a family.

Dittos!

This vacant field is due to Katrina. Soon it will be a vibrant neighborhood thanks to Brad Pitt and MIR.

A group of 18 are here from a church in Montgomery, AL. A 41/2 hour drive make it pretty easy to come down for a long weekend and work hard and long for two to three days. This group touched five houses on Friday and are headed out for more this morning. This afternoon they are hosting a block party for a neighborhood around Elysian Fields and Gentilly Blvd. A hot dog and a kind word will communicate the love of Jesus more effectively than a truck load of gospel tracts and crusades.

The group from FBC Montgomery planning a block party.

Come join the army here in NOLA!