Here I (James) am! The kid on my lap asked a lot of questions...but it's all good. Anyway, we all worked hard today; I am EXHAUSTED. The thing that made the work and the heat bearable was being with my friends, the ones I've known and the ones I've made on this trip. Shout out to the whole Reach Global team! We all had fun working together and fixing up Pastor Darryl's church. I don't think any of us would have been able to do anything without each other. God has definitely shown me what it's like to work for something that doesn't fulfill my selfish desires; I'm not getting paid or anything. My reward is seeing the smiles of the children at VBS, being around Pastor Darryl's positive energy, and most of all, allowing God to show the people of NOLA that there is still hope. I want to thank my beautiful mother and my amazing father for sending me on this unforgettable trip. I initially had doubts, but all of those disappeared once I got to the Challenge youth conference and even more so now that I know I will never regret serving in NOLA. We've done so much and experienced a lot with each other over these two weeks. These have definitely been some pretty epic times. I got to learn a little bit working at the church, including painting and cutting tile. No one is more lucky than I was to work with a team that never complained and always worked together.
Aloha!
This is Kealoha here, and today was yet another jam-packed day. Our morning started at 6:30am with breakfast and devotions, the latter of which was spearheaded by MCC's very own, Kekoa Keopuhiwa! After that we dispersed back to the warehouse to complete the chores that we had each been assigned. These chores include cleaning the bathrooms, hallways, sleeping areas, and hangout areas that we all use. We then prepped for our work day and ended up arriving at the job site at 9:30am. This is when our day really gets started. The jobs we participate in include sanding, mudding, drywalling, painting, and even tool organizing. The construction day ends after about 7 hours of grueling, arduous, and meticulous, yet satisfying work. By this point we are exhausted but we still have a VBS to do! As the MC I have to be super enthusiastic and energetic, which is often times kind of difficult after working the long day but it helps seeing the whole team pull through with me. I absolutely love working with the kids! They are an absolute blast to hang out with after they warm up to you. Working in New Orleans has opened up tons of opportunities for our team to cultivate relationships and grow ourselves. We really get that radical koinonia going, ya know? While the day may be exhausting, it is gratifying knowing that we are doing it for the glory of God; we're not working for ourselves. It has truly been a pleasure, thus far, to grow as a team with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I plan on approaching the rest of the week with enough enthusiasm and energy to bring me home! 
