{"id":983,"date":"2019-05-22T15:41:38","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T15:41:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.presbyterianmission.org\/weekly-offerings\/?p=983"},"modified":"2019-05-22T15:41:38","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T15:41:38","slug":"pentecost-surprised-by-the-spirit-in-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centernet.pcusa.org\/weekly-offerings\/2019\/05\/22\/pentecost-surprised-by-the-spirit-in-new-orleans\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentecost: Surprised by the Spirit in New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Holy Spirit is moving<\/h4>\n

\"\"Can there be any more inspirational words to hear from a young person than these? \u201cThe Holy Spirit took me, and changed me in ways that I wasn\u2019t expecting.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

During Pentecost, we celebrate that the Holy Spirit has opened the doors to faith in Jesus Christ. While serving as a Presbyterian Young Adult Volunteer (YAV), Cherokee Adams was changed in ways she wasn\u2019t expecting.<\/p>\n

As a program assistant at Eden House in New Orleans, Cherokee encountered human trafficking survivors seeking a new start in life. Most struggled with a past that includes social ostracism, brushes with the law, and drug addiction. Yet her relationships with the women taught her that each person comes with a unique story. As Cherokee said, \u201cThey are someone\u2019s mom; they are someone\u2019s sister; they are someone\u2019s cousin; they are someone\u2019s grandma.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Cherokee came to see them as something \u2026 else. Something \u2026 more. She experienced them as vessels of grace.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe women of Eden House spoke truth to me through love and the healing power of grace and humanity,\u201d Cherokee says.<\/p>\n

\"\"While a YAV, she sensed that the Holy Spirit was shaping her. \u201cIt was kind of like the Pentecost story,\u201d she explains. \u201cThe Holy Spirit took me and changed me in ways that I wasn\u2019t expecting.\u201d<\/em> That\u2019s so beautiful, isn\u2019t it? And not altogether uncommon. Many YAVs tell us that they come away from the experience with a new realization of what their faith truly means.<\/p>\n

Cherokee is grateful for the Presbyterians who provide financial support for the YAV program\u2014a year-long program for people between 18 and 30. \u201cThanks to these gifts, young people like me can be shaped and changed into better, more socially aware individuals and be affected by the places we serve and the people we meet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Supporting our young people<\/h4>\n

This churchwide offering opens the doors to children, youth, and young adults so that they grow in the patterns of faith meant to last a lifetime. It gives them a first-hand experience with the difference we can make when we walk through our doors to share Christ\u2019s love. Please give generously. When we all do a little, it adds up to a lot. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Let us pray<\/h4>\n

Holy Spirit, change us in ways that we do not expect, through relationships with those in need, and by the example we see in our Young Adult Volunteers. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

Join us<\/h4>\n

For more information and resources related to the Pentecost offering, visit\u00a0presbyterianmission.org\/pentecost.<\/a>
\n<\/u> This post is based on the Minute for Mission script which can be found on our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0as a\u00a0script<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please give generously to the Offering:<\/p>\n