Julie Whiteman is still serving God with Crossroads Missions in New Orleans, LA. It’s been a busy summer with the volunteer groups that came throughout the summer. In an update from Julie, she said Crossroads’ team of interns and staff “was small but strong and we really had a chance to be united in community with one another as we shared the joys and frustrations of leading volunteers and serving our communities and were able to encourage and build each other up each day!”

Julie has been working in the community specifically through Zumba as a ministry, leading the Praise Team at St. Roch Community Church, and leading volunteer teams every week to work at the New Orleans Mission, a homeless shelter in inner-city New Orleans. She said they’ve had amazing opportunities to build relationships with people at the Mission and it’s been “exciting to share the gospel in word and deed to some of the ‘least of these’ in New Orleans.”

Other recent Crossroads’ New Orleans projects: working with the Leona Tate Foundation, a summer camp focused on academics and civil rights; A Desire For Change, a summer camp for kids in the 9th ward; working on a house for a new pastor at a church called Desire Fellowship that has extra rooms for people in the community that he and his wife will minister to and love; construction on a house for a new staff person at St. Roch; and working with Hope Christian Church’s “Nola Connect Bus”, which makes computers available to the community.

Brian Hurley has been working as an intern for Crossroads Missions in Maytown, KY this summer. When CSF was there for Spring Break, Stacy made an introduction video for the new volunteer teams and Hurley said it was a hit! He said the staff is as great as ever, the team chemistry is great, and he’s had a great time learning and being challenged.

It’s so great to see Julie and Hurley’s enthusiasm for missions! Please continue to pray for them, the Crossroads teams, and the areas that they are impacting!

[written by Julie Adams for the August 2011 Newsletter (pdf)]

My name is Renee Pugh and I just started working at CSF!! I never thought that I would have the opportunity to be an intern at CSF, but as always, God finds a way. I lost my job unexpectedly and was completely broken inside. As a recent WVU grad and newlywed over the summer, I was scared for my future. I felt John 14:1 speak to me so strongly. ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.’ It’s amazing what happens when we trust in him!!
--- Renee

Hi, my name is Katy Riley and I started my journey as Student Intern at CSF in May. I grew up on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in the little town of Snow Hill. I am a member of Spence Baptist Church of Snow Hill, MD. I graduated from Snow Hill High School in 2006 and came to WVU for Mechanical Engineering. During my time in college I was a member of the Marching Band for four years and am a Brother in the Band Service Fraternity (all service greek organizations are fraternities) Kappa Kappa Psi. I attended Wesley United Methodist Church in downtown Morgantown and was a member of the bell choir until I started attending CSF in November 2008. I became a life group leader Spring 2010 with the Beta Girls Group and am now Student Intern. I am now a life group leader of AIM for this semester. I am excited to have Renee join the team recently and can not wait to see what God has in store for our journey together as interns.
--- Katy

[Written for the September 2010 newsletter, which can be downloaded here]