On October 30th we had our annual Thanksgiving Day Lunch at Jason and Jennifer Laird’s house. Yeah, yeah, yeah…..we know Thanksgiving in October is a little strange, but we like to be a little unconventional sometimes. So, we all dressed up like pilgrims and indians, ate the traditional turkey dinner together, and had some fun bowling with a frozen turkey.
We had a tie for best dressed between Lacey Dotson and Mallory Morgan. They both won a gift card to Piccadilly Cafeteria (which is a great gift for a broke and hungry intern). The frozen turkey bowling champion won the turkey we bowled with. AND, the worst dressed, Sean Wyatt, had to wear a pink and black princess hat all day the next day and tell people why he was wearing it.
Unconventional, but fun! That’s how we do it in HPSM! Don’t just take our word for it, though. Check it out for yourself…
Sometimes, living the dream God intended for your life involves helping other people live their dream. That’s exactly what our interns did at LTD 2008. They came together with HP Women and served it up the entire week of conference.
They danced in openers, took out trash, worked concession stands, ushered women, greeted women, cleaned up, set up, tore down, stayed up late, woke up early, and cared for women however they could. Whatever they did, they did to glorify the Lord. Whatever they did, they did so that maybe even one woman would be touched by the love of Jesus. We believe that Jesus would put on a production that extravagant just for one woman, so we count it an honor to be able to play a part no matter how big or small - regardless if one woman comes or 1500! It’s all worth it. We believe that all who came seeking were touched forever. We believe dreams were awakened, marriages were restored, souls were saved, women were empowered, and so much more.
Thank you interns for serving faithfully and joyfully no matter what was asked of you. May the Lord bless you for your kind hearts and for caring for what is so precious and valuable to him - HIS GIRLS!
Oh what fun we had at Catalyst Conference 2008! It was really incredible. The theme of this leadership conference was “Together”. There were 12,000 leaders in one location all hearing the same messages. That’s definitely a great way to bring the body of Christ together. With the leaders of all these great churches united, just imagine the people we could reach!
We heard from some amazing world renowned speakers like Craig Groeschel (delivered a totally compelling message), Andy Stanley, Dave Ramsey, and Franklin Graham. We even got to attend a pre-conference lab session with our very own Pastor Dino Rizzo! It was so encouraging to see our Pastor sharing what we do here with the leaders from churches all over the country. It was a very refreshing reminder of why we do what we do here at HPC! (check out this link to take a look at the sermon summary from Craig Groeschel’s message…http://www.catalystspace.com/dl/2008_groeschel.pdf)
Pastor Dino showing 15 year video at Catalyst lab session
Speaking of together…our full time interns really got to experience togetherness with one another. We spent many hours in vans together. We ate lots of meals together. We stayed in the same house together (guys and girls separated, of course). We prayed together. We worshipped and danced together. We laughed together. We left together refreshed and ready to to be catalysts for change!
This past Monday, our interns participated in what we called “The Gathering”. It was a time of remembering who God is, what He has done, and who He has done it for.Throughout the day, they were able to partake in a part of each of the feasts celebrated by the Jewish people. At the end of the day, all of the interns had a new sense of the reality of God and the history of His people. They all saw new significance in the seven feasts mentioned in the Old Testament.
All the interns started fasting on Sunday evening at sundown to prepare their hearts to hear from God. The next day began with a historical teaching on the shofar and the Feast of Trumpets. This was a reflective time for them to search their lives and hearts for any un-confessed sin.As an external symbol of this internal act, they all took a handful of bread crumbs and dropped them into a lake as is custom in the Jewish culture. They all watched as the bread crumbs sank deeper and deeper until they could no longer be seen, and they thanked God even deeper for forgiveness.
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.Micah 7:18-19
Next, Jordan Gautreau led everyone in communion. This was followed by an incredible time with Mrs. Myrna Wright as she opened up her home for us to come over for a time of Sabbath. Everyone ate together, swam together, talked together, and most of us napped. It was a great time for us to just enjoy each other’s company and the gift of rest that God had given us.
Some of the girls hanging out during Sabbath Celebration
From there, the interns headed over to the Highland campus to participate in the Feast of Atonement and spent some time in devout worship and prayer. They all prayed about something they would sacrifice that would free them up to be closer to God. This was done in remembrance of the animal sacrifices the Jewish people were required to make in the Old Testament.
“Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any alien living among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to the LORD -that man must be cut off from his people.”Leviticus 19:8-9
During this time, the interns heard a teaching about Hanukkah and participated in the festival by going to the altar and lighting a menorah candle. They rededicated themselves to God and acknowledged that He is a trustworthy provider. Different interns came up and read one of the traditional Hallel Psalms in celebration and thanksgiving to God.
Pastor Mike Davis led us in the Feast of Tabernacles. Each intern received a palm branch. They struck a chair with the branch as a symbol of how Christ was beaten for our sin so that none of us would have to be. It was a symbol of victory.Isaiah 53 was read aloud in remembrance of Christ. They carried out their palm branch to a replica booth out by the lake. In this festival, the booth represents the tents of the Israelites who would camp around the Tabernacle. Traditionally, they would construct these booths and stay in them for 8 days - 8 days in the presence of God.
All of the interns gathered around the Feast of Tabernacles booth
The day ended at Danny and Stephanie Musso’s house with the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This feast reminds us how God has saved us and restored us. He’s chosen us to be His people. They prepared a traditional meal for us of roasted chicken, olives, fruit, and unleavened bread. Everyone ate, celebrated, prayed, and worshipped our GREAT GOD!
We never wish for natural disasters to happen, but when they do, it is an opportunity like no other for the church to reach out to the people in affected communities through practical acts of service and meeting their basic needs. Our interns were serving on the front lines during Hurricane Gustav relief efforts. They were sent out basically as our “first responder” teams. They were serving people in shelters during the storm and stayed after to help with relief efforts. God really used all of the interns and their service to touch people in communities all over southern Louisiana. Here are some of the things that we were able to participate in at each campus and in the community during the hurricane relief…
Highland Campus:
·Distribution of food, water, tarps, gasoline, and generators
·Coordinated shelters, volunteer teams, and relief efforts in the “Command Center” at the outreach building
·Prepared and distributed between 1500-2000 meals a day from Cooking for Christ
·Joined teams sent out into the community to provide FREE tree removal and yard clean-up
Donaldsonville East and West Dream Center:
·Cleaned up West Campus to shelter 250 people from the community
·Housed 250 people from the community during the hurricane
·Assisted government distribution of food, water, tarps, and ice at the Lemon Center daily
·Prepared and distributed 1000 hot lunches daily
·Housed out-of-state relief teams
Winbourne Dream Center:
·Housed Nursing home evacuees
·Distribution center for food, water, MREs, and ice
·Housed out-of-state relief teams
We thank God for such a great time of outreach. Communities were restored, church and government joined to meet the needs of the people, and hearts were touched and changed forever by the love of Jesus! Not only were communities reached, but the interns walked away with a new capacity for compassion, service, and commitment to people for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven!!!!
