RAVEN CANADA GOES MARDI GRAS FEB 1-4 2008

THE RAVEN CANADA TEAM

Seven of us made our way to New Orleans during Mardi Gras Festival. Jean Hutchins, Bethany Jacobs,Leon Morrow, Marlene Everson, Wanda Baker, Emily Baker, and Ed Baker

..."for ,'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in ?And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring GOOD NEWS!" ROMANS 10: 13-15

The main objective of this ministry time was to share the love of JESUS and spread the gospel.

We started out for New Orleans 4:00 Thursday morning. This trip would take a total of 30 hours before we would reach our destination. We were privileged to have Ed such a dedicated driver.

Witnessing and Encouraging Dwayne the Truckdriver

Wanda, Marlene, Jean praying with Dwayne the trucker in Tennessee

We arrived in New Orleans around 6:00 pm. It was just in time to have supper and fellowship with the rest of the Raven team.


Ed & Leon Worshiping

We slept on cots in a church. There were about 130 people from all over the United States and Canada. Praise Jesus the team gets larger each year!





Friday night before we hit the streets we spent time in worship and prayer preparing our hearts before the Lord.

MINISTRY IN THE IBERVILLE PROJECTS

Iberville Housing

We ministered at the Iberville Projects
the epicentre of crime. Many of the residents
are addicted to crack and heroine.

Wanda with Bruce

This is a young man that was struggling with drugs. Raven Deb and I ministered to him. He gave his heart over to Jesus. We had ministered to his older brother Darnelle and his sister back in October. This was a family affair for JESUS!



Emily the Clown

Guess who this is? Emily was acting as clown doing her favourite--MINISTRY WITH CHILDREN! It was a blessing being able to have 3 young adults accompany us in the ministry.





Sharing the Love of Jesus!

The Team Ministers to Rob
Bethany, Emily, Wanda,
Leon, Pastor George , Rob

This young man had been approached

the night before but did not want to have anything to do with Jesus. He had slept all night at the Iberville projects. He did not have any idea how he ended up there. He eventually ended up repenting and turning his life over to Jesus. All of the team had a part in ministering to him. He came back to the church with us and many more RAVENS supported and ministered to him!

Marlene Loving on a Needy Child

This was Marlene's first time doing ministry with RAVEN. She is an assistant at Lindsay Ministry Outreach Center. She is a light for Jesus wherever she goes!

A Convert from the Bridges(Jean & Steve)

This young man Steve lived in the tents at the bridges. He was celebrating at Mardi Gras the night before Jean approached him. Jean was able to minister to this young man. He turned his life over to Jesus. We brought him back to the church, gave him a meal, got him some fresh clothes. That night, during worship he gave a testimony. He told how he had decided to quit working at the bars and was turning his life over to Jesus.

MINISTRY DOWN BY BOURBON STREET

Ed and Andrew

This young man was homeless and struggled from alcohol. We were able to provide him with a meal and pray for him. We prayed and asked Jesus to deliver him from this alcohol problem.

WHAT A MIRACLE!
Deaf Man is Healed

There were some team members that knew sign language. They were able to minister to this young man. He was converted. Following his conversion he was given the option of prayer for healing of his hearing. He accepted was prayed for and instantaneously healed!



Shane, Tyrone, Pastor Sam

Christmas Dinner For the Needy

The evening started off with lots of excitement! Every other Wednesday Ed and I have been assisting The Lindsay Outreach Ministries with feeding the needy. Pastor Marion decided to have a Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings. People were contacted by telephone.

Bethany, Sarah and I decided to go out on the streets to invite some people. We prayed and ask the Holy Spirit to direct us to the people that we were to invite. We came across to a group of six young people. They accepted the invitation. Two of the young men played guitars and one played the drums. By the end of the evening they were at the front playing Christmas Carols. The rest of the young adults that could not play were singing the carols. Praise the Lord. My prayer is that someday they would be playing music for the Lord.

Lindsay Outreach

The day started off with baking chocolate chip cookies and butter tarts for the homeless and needy of Lindsay area.

Many Hands Make for light work!!!!!!

Mary, Jesse and Wanita made an awesome team.

Pastor Marion, Ed and I went out on the inviting people to the Upper Room for a Hot Roast Beef Sandwhich dinner. It was very invigorating in the Lord going from house to house roundind up the folks.

Pastor Marion and Linda. Linda explained to us that she needed a friend. She was lonely. We told her that she was invited for the meal.

Pastor Marion, Ron and Marlene

We were able to share the love of Jesus with this man. Prior to leaving, I grabbed some boots and a coat that someone had given me. Ron was in need of a new coat. We were able to give him this coat. This has inspired us to have a coat drive for the homeless and needy.

Ron, Wanda, Rebecca, Sarah, Linda ,Arlene and Pastor Marion. We are all sitting at the table fellowshipping after we have finished eating a hot roast beef sandwhich dinner. Rebecca are Sarah are two young inspiring girls. Sarah's mother actually resides above the outreach centre. I know that amazing things have been and are going to continue happen in Lindsay!

Thursday Nights
With Inspiring Young Men

Ed, Nathaniel, Craig, Kevin,
& Leon

The Thursday evening group has just finished a Bible Study on Nahum. Previous to that we were studying Jonah.

The Books of Jonah and Nahum are direct contrasts. Both are books concerning the people of Ninevah. These people were very pagan involved with witchcraft, prostitution and plundering in war.

In the book of Jonah, the Ninevites urgently call out unto the Lord and repent. God has compassion on the people and relents and does not bring on them the threatened destruction. What a loving compassionate God we serve!

Now almost 150 years pass by and the people of Ninevah are back to their pagan lifestyle. (This would only be a passing of few generations). The people had forgotten about God's compassion and who He was.

He is a forgiving God. A God that is slow to anger and great in power(Nahum 1:3). He is also a God that takes vengence on those who oppose Him and His kingdom. He says he will not leave the guilty unpunished. Nahum brings about prophecy regarding Ninevah's coming doom.

The Assyrians were people who fought a vicious fight. They were known for their battles. They were also back to their pagan lifestyle. How much more could God tolerate?

Nahum prophesizes that the wicked would no longer invade Judah(Nahum 2:15). They would be completely destroyed. That is exactly what happen Ninevah was destroyed.

These Bible prophecies are no different than today. We live a very sinful world. Are we as a church living in true repentance? Have we truly called out to God? Do we even know what living in righteousness is? Or are we like the Ninevites living a life of sin?

Canada used to be a nation that stood on moral and Godly principles. After all look at the inscriptions on the Peace Tower Give the king thy judgments, O God."(Psalm 72:1) and where there is no vision, the people perish."(Proverbs 29:19) "He shall have dominion from sea to sea." Psalm 72:8.

Are we allowing Him to have full control from sea to sea? When I was a child daily devotions and the Lord's Prayer was part of the ciriculum. If that went against your cultural or religious practice you had the choice to step out in the hall for a few minutes. The teacher's were allowed to evangelize.

The Christmas Celebration was about Jesus. We had Christmas pageants with manger scenes and sang carols. Now we call it Happy Holidays because we don't want to offend anyone. Where has the Christ gone out of Christmas? We have been turned into the melting pot society where all religious practices are tolerated. We are living in world that is involved in sexual immorality, prostitution, idolatry and materialism...and the list goes on.

It is my prayer that Canada would take a stand against the devils schemes. Let us come boldly before the throne with repentant hearts and live a life right standing before the Lord!