Organized Acts of Kindness and Sacrifice

Miss Marie's Home and More....

2009-05-31T06:58:00.000-07:00

It won't be long and Miss Marie will be in her home. We are almost ready with Hai's home as well.
When it gets this close each team that comes in wants to be here for that official day to come. Just knowing that we are baby steps away is very exciting. Miss Marie has been waiting for several months but has not missed a night sleeping in her home since the storm. She refused leave and was steadfast in her desire to not leave the home here father built in the 40's. There is a bathroom to texture and paint, cabinets to set in the kitchen and bathroom, flooring for the kitchen, bath, two doors to be hung and some work that needs to happen on both porches. Then we will either paint or reside her home... more to come on that.

Miss Hai's home needs the bathroom sheetrock finished, primed, painted and her siding completed. When that is done she and her 5 children can move back home!

We were able to bless many people on Friday and yesterday again! We are needing to move out supplies from our warehouse to the smaller unit right next door to us over the next few weeks so while we are working on homes we also need to accomplish that! With that being said, we had to downsize some of the products such and Vitamin water, cases of coffee, a gaylord(super-sized box)full of shampoo, soap and toothpaste. We took two large loads down to Galveston, pulled up at our favorite outreach spot on the corner of Broadway and 51's and each day it only took about 1/2 hour and it was gone. We always cause a bit of a traffic jam but talk about blessing people in a big way... FREE Stuff... Amazing! Yesterday we also took three pallets of excess light fixtures to Light House Ministries... the people in San Leon will be hugely blessed by these lights. We kept enough for what our needs are so it was our pleasure to pass that donation on to them.

I know I have mentioned on the blog in the past to watch Susan's blog for day-to-day updates on what we are doing.. She and Monty have connected with the San Leon Community Church and will not be keeping current on the jobs that Mercy Response are doing so I am in the process of having www.mercyresponse.com website updated in order to keep you all more current on what happening. We have made a solid commitment to the victims of Ike and encourage all of you to stay tuned!

God Bless you and thank you all for continued prayer!

Rebuilding in Masses

2009-03-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been following Susan's blog at www.msmission.blogspot.com you will see that we are actively rebuilding 11 homes and a church. Over the last weeks our volunteer numbers ranged for the mid sixties to last weeks 31 responders. Being in rebuild it is our desire to have teams at a 4 to 1 ratio of skill. One highly skilled person to four people who are willing and teachable.

Over the past 8 weeks we have been helping with a home that as of yesterday the owners were able to move back in. That is one of the 11... we are dedicated to get two or three more done in the next week or so.

It has been a great time for the sense of family.. last week a dear friend, Shirly, from my home church came to spend a week to support me and believe me, it was just the support I needed. She worked like crazy, we were able to have great times outside of the work hours and I miss her already! Gregg and Pam from SD are here again and the three weeks they spend here will be up by Friday of next week. It would be great if they could spend more time but they need to get back to their business and all that life has ahead of them. It will be an awesome week spending time with them working with tile, drywall finishing and painting at 3 different locations.

My two daughters and my 3 grandchildren will be here during Easter week so it will be a long awaited time to see them. My youngest daughter is not able to be with us that week. It would be incredible if she could make it.

My mother who is 91 was in the hospital again last week so I ask that she is held up in prayer. My Dad 's 88th Birthday was Friday... Come this May they will celebrate their 62nd Anniversary.

For a day by day look at what we have been working on click on the link above for Susan's blog.

Prayers and Blessing!
Diane

Progress, Progress, Progress

2009-02-27T15:30:00.000-08:00

Here it is nearly a month passing and I can only say that when there is progress happening in so many directions it is difficult for me to get to the blog. I can say this... a huge "Thanks" to the countless numbers of responders from TX, IN, GA, MO, IA, OR, MN, MI, and GA (again)!!! The work on rebuild that has been happening is, for a lack of a better word "AMAZING". I hope I don't miss any as I try to list them, Miss Marie, Miss Naomi, St. Paul's Church, Spring Church, Miss Pilar, Miss, Hai, Miss Terri, Mr. Richard, Miss Clarise, Miss Jeannie, Miss Cathy, Paul and Susan, Mr.Ralph, Nareen and Clinton, Miss Terese, Mr.Randy, Vern and Nina, Pastor Nathan, Miss Dennings, Carl and Marilyn. Of all these listed only about 4 of them were demolition. We are head strong into rebuilding homes.

The skilled laborers have been coming on all teams and those who did not have a skill when they came are going home with one. The leaders of the teams and other skilled people were just incredible when it came to teaching other responders.

We have been so blessed to have all of them. The home owners are seeing more than hope they are experiencing love from all the efforts being poured on them.

Within camp there have been some amazing GOD moments! I wish everyone would be able to tune in during the after dinner hours to be a part of the days experiences. The life-changing occurrences that have been shared are next to and even qualifying as miraculous!

There are 6 more teams in next week starting to arrive as soon as tomorrow afternoon so it will be another quick turn-around week-end. Our prayers are for those leaving and those coming in. Next week the teams are coming in from NY, VA, MO, and 2 from IN. It is spring break for some so the camp will be filled with nearly 70 people once again. We love a full house! Lives will be blessed by all the PROGRESS!!!!

We were blessed today by a donation from a local school. One of the classes has been holding some fundraising and they presented us with their donations today. I just did not know what a huge area I am in.. oh, I know the population is the 4th largest in the nation but, this school was only 9th grade and there were over 1000 kids in the school. It was a glass of about 30 who blessed us by there efforts!

Continued prayer for all we are doing to help and for all the travels of those going and coming into camp. We also ask for prayer over their families as the answer God's call to come help!

Back Into Her Home

2009-02-06T03:01:00.000-08:00

Miss Dennings was the first home owner I met when I arrived here at the Houston Mercy Response Camp last October. My second day here we (I and a team from Ohio) went into her home to gut it out. She is in her late 70's and put on the first pair of pants she had ever worn and pitched right in to help. She has had continued help from her friends ans a local church to get her where she is today... Back Home!!!

Yesterday my brother and sister-in-law and I went over to secure her home by putting up a fence in her yard. She is in an area that warrants her concern. She was beaming when she walked out of her back door and saw us already at work. Our plan is to finish the job today apparently right in time because the business across the alley from her is planning a huge MardiGra party next Friday night so she is feeling a lot more comfort that she'll have the fence up.

As for what is coming up... starting Monday the 16th of Feb we have several skilled people coming into camp to go head strong into rebuilding. The homes we are going to be in are Miss Marie's, Miss Naomi's, Miss Hai's, 2 trailers to skirt, 2 small porch decks to build, 2 roof jobs and the Galveston Vineyard Church plant to move ahead. I expect that over the next month we should be helping more people to move back home and a church ready to hold services again.

It is so exciting to see all the hope in the eyes of all these people.

A prayer for skilled responders is my ask for today. It's time to get more people home!

Miracles Happen More Often Than You Think!

2009-02-04T03:24:00.000-08:00

Last week we had the great pleasure to spend time with a team from WI not only because it is my home state but for the fact that they were a great group of people who were here to leave a impact on the lives of the many that they helped by serving God in whatever way he led them. Susan, Monty and I had a great time working with them and spending time with them in camp.

Many times when teams are planning their trips here we hear of the roadblocks that occur and we all are very aware that when we are asked to go out in faith, something inevitably happens...Satan rears his ugly head and tries to step in to do whatever he can to prevent it. The following message that was sent to me is one of many that we have heard.. God if Good!...ALL THE TIME!

Hi Diane,

Just an interesting little story for you:)

As you may or may not have realized, we experienced many "close calls" on
our way down and during our time in Texas. I even stated to the kids once
that with as many "near misses" as we had, if anyone denies that God's hand
of protection is on us, they are crazy!! Well, we drove back, safe and
sound and got back on Saturday, as you know. The maintenance man at our
church took both vans out today to fuel them up a couple of miles from
church....when he drove into the parking lot of our facility, the pewter
van's brakes would not work at all! They were able to safely secure it,
and had to have it towed to be fixed. Narcy (the maintenance guy) called
Jim straight away and first thing he said was "you guys must have had the
hand of God upon you!"
Wow! God's not kidding when He says that when He opens a door, no one can
shut it.
Hope this encourages you, Susan and Monte!

Love
Tanya

This week my brother Jim and sister-in-law- Connie and I have been continuing the work started in in the Galveston Vineyard Church plant. Other things we have on our platter for the week is to build the tool crib in the warehouse, hook up the 2nd shower trailer, build a security fence and anything else that may come up.

We are planning for several weeks of highly skilled labor coming in ... so are we busy. Yes! Are we excited... Over the top!

!!

2009-01-29T04:14:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin is dear to my heart of course and the people that have helped so far this week here in the Galveston County area are feeling warmth in their hearts as well. The blessings keep coming each time a new team comes in.

This we have been able to work on a roofing job that began last week while a them from LasVegas was here. Hai (owner of the home and mother of 5) has been so excited she is almost floating! Her home was gutted last week and this week we the new roof in going on! We will be continuing to have teams work in her home and with God's grace we will be bringing it through to completion.

Other members of the team went into the Galveston Vineyard Church plant building and completed the remaining gut out...insulated...are drywalling and today the plan is to start mudding!

Other team members are continuing the work on Marie's home... they are drywalling as well along with completing some plumbing. Our responder from WA is up to his elbows in that project.

Also another team is in Paul and Susan's home... completed the sub floor, hung insulation and are now drywalling.

Yet another team... the ladies... with a start from my brother and sister-in-law who took out the door frames, light fixtures and a few other things, completed a gut out with the home owner still amazed! Carl was more than shocked when I drove up and the ladies began unloading from the van. He did not expect the team to be women and he surely thought when he saw Jim that he was going to be staying with the team of ladies... I needed Jim to get them started.. take care of the things that may have been a challenge for them and get him to another job. Carl went home to get his camera!!!! Within 4 hours these ladies had the rooms that need to be gutted done, all the ceilings out, every nail pulled and the tile floor in the kitchen pulled up. When I came back to collect half the team for another job I found that Carl was still in dis-belief and had been calling all his friends to tell them of this team of women. He told me now knows that ladies can work just as hard as a team of men. He and his wife we blessed in a huge way.

As you can see the days are very full.. I have not been able to get to the blog on a daily basis but Susan has been able to be in the office a bit more than I so please look at her blog www.msmission.blogspot.com for a daily report of what we are doing. I will be updating my more on a weekly basis.

Miracles and Blessings

2009-01-17T06:15:00.000-08:00

Each day we continue to see miracles happen and this week was no different. People opening there hearts, hearing God call on them to go serve and reaching out within their own team of men! This week was what they called their "Man Trip" which is one of the times throughout the year that the men from their church go on a mission trip. They are able to bond a men of God. Devotions were part of each morning and evening. One thing is for certain, they are going home tired! Not because they burned the midnight oil. It is due to the spent energies in completing the jobs that we assigned to them. Gutting homes is not an easy task and throw in the mix the family connections that are made, emotional energies also a spent in most time a much bigger way.

Families that thought they would be left to fend for themselves were extremely blessed this week. A man in his 60's was given help getting his home ready for the next steps to rebuild. He did not know what he was going to do but when I was able to call him and let him know that a team of six men were coming the following day... I could hear him choke up thought the phone. When they arrived the next morning all I could see in him was thankfulness beyond words. How blessed we are to be here pouring out God's love on these people.

That same pouring out of love was shown to a young mother of 5. Her home had 7 feet of water which destroyed most of her personal items but she remained focused enough to continue to be the mom to her children that she is. The five men from Las Vegas that went in to help her tear out her house bonded with her in a way that they and she will not be forgetting. We (Mercy Response) will be helping her rebuild her home step by step.

The other half of the Las Vegas team and Hugh from WA worked all week in Miss Marie's home. They replaced rotted boards, fixed the flooring which had buckled, tore an old window and replaced it, framed in her rooms, redesigned her bathroom configuration provided her with a propane heater to keep her warm at night. It was down into the 30's at night and she was using 3 hot water bottles to lay on to provide her heat until morning. Miss Marie is in her 80's and simply takes one day at a time knowing that God is in control. Amazing!! Her connection with these guys will always be near and dear to her heart, as it will be for them.

As you can see... our weeks here are endlessly blessed! God is in everything that we do... We feel him reaching down and filling us with is joy! We have three busy months ahead of us. There are teams in every week some exceeding 70 responders with the average of 35-40 each week from the 26th to the end of April. We prayed for teams to come in and remained faithful that our prayers would be answered...
THEY HAVE BEEN!

Reaching Out Continues

2009-01-13T17:04:00.000-08:00

First I need to PRAISE THE LORD once again for laying his healing hand on my Mother. She was in the hospital for a few days this last week needing to have the fluid on her heart drained again. She had some other tests done and was sent home with new medication and the doctor saying her heart is strong. Thanks to all who covered her in prayer.

This week the team of one from VA, another team of one from WA and the team of 9 from Las Vegas have been very busy blessing some home owners and many people from the community.

Yesterday, Susan and I spend a good share of the day bagging up food supplies to be given out this morning to anyone who stopped by our certain corner in Galveston. The teams loaded two trailers with drinking water, vitamin water, bags of granola bars, bagged cans of french onions and some toys. We all went to the island and parked them on the cornert. As in the past, before we could get set up the cars began to stop. People are in such a great need for these types of things that within 35 minutes... all that we brought was handed out!!!! Blessings were given out and Blessings were received. We really love that we are able to give out theses donated items. Our plan for this week is to load up again but with pet food and water and for the ladies we have a few plastic bins of perfume preducts. It doesn't matter what it is we are able to bless any and all who stop by.

The homes thjat are in the photos are those of two diffent women. One who is our first rebuild project and believe me, Miss Marie is excited but somewhat nervous. Her father built the house in the 40s and she is totally attached. We will be making it look new again but new in a much different way. The other home just needed to have the ceilings pulled and the insulation taken out. I say just but, it is blown in insulation and a really big mess!!! The guys are really working hard and I know they have no idea how appreciated they are.

I pray that they are feeling God's love for them and what they are doing!

Ike ...Lost In The Mix of Life

2009-01-11T06:46:00.000-08:00

It is always amazing to me to see what is depicted important in the news. Most times what is looked at as important is teetering on the wall of just plan old gossip. What has happened to the people in southeast Texas is that these type of stories and of course the timing of the election, they have been lost in the mix of life! Ike came in and affected the lives of hundreds of thousands with hundreds of lives lost and on Galveston Island alone there are approximately 60 thousand homes that are in need of repair. If the thought is that these people who own or live in these homes are all able to hire and rebuild, think again. The majority of them are either uninsured, under insured and on top of that have lost their places of employment. In that regard it was not only the small businesses that lost out it was some of the major places of employment. UTMB (University of Texas Medical)had to let 3800 of their employees go because of the damage that occurred to their buildings. That damage was 710 million dollars! Many of these employees also have sustained severe damge to their homes. There are 3 schools that are no longer able to hold classes as well.

What do the people throughout the country hear...nearly nothing, What did they hear on the onset of the storm...that it happened, then the news turned back to the election and other stories. Believe me I realize that our economy is in jeopardy and it will take all of us to make that turn around. I know that there are reasons to cut back in all areas and with that I still pour out my heart to those who are able to step out and give of there time to come help the people in Southeast Texas. I pour out my heart to all the people here in Texas an am blessed each day that I am here to give them hope through my OAKS Ministry from home and Mercy Response here in Texas will continue to send out our plea for help.

Other than the hands of labor our camp also need some building materials... sheet rock, trim, doors, paint, drywall mud... one other important item is an ice machine. Buying ice each day to cool the drinks that the volunteers need to sustain themselves each day may seem like a small thing but it all adds up!

Please don't let these people in Texas be lost in this limbo that exists today. My prayers is that this message reaches the hearts of many!

Moving Camp Supplies and More...

2008-12-14T06:49:00.000-08:00

This week was very busy again. While Susan and Monty stayed in Camp Houston doing intake assessments with people who are very close to beginning their rebuild, I left to assist at the Kenner Camp. The trip over to the camp is becoming quite familiar, this is the third trip and as you may have noticed in the pictures we were able to empty the containers of all the supplies, sort them into three groups, stay at the Vineyard,pack them onto three trailers or if they were unusable, then it was trashed. One of the containers was built between two others so it needed to be demolished. It did not take long for Phil to get the bobcat moving to knock it down.

One would think and believe me we were hoping for a day of good weather but.....God definitely has a sense of humor!! Snow in New Orleans area!!! No Joke! You may have heard it on the news, it was for real! We couldn't let it stop us and thank goodness that all but one of us that were working on that day were from states that were not unfamiliar with working in the cold, wet, unpleasant conditions. If it hadn't been for the fact that we needed to work in it, it was quite beautiful and a wonderful surprise for many people in the south who have only seen snow in books and on television. Not only the kids were enjoying it, the adults were having a great time getting out into it.

By noon we were wet through to the bone but when there is only a small window of time to complete a task, you just keep trudging ahead.

Friday morning we finished up what began on Weds and hooked up all the vehicles to the trailers and began the small convoy west. Phil took the lead, his son Phil Jr. followed and I took up the rear. We left Kenner at 10:15 only made 2 quick stops to gas up and grab a burger and we rolled into the Houston Camp at 5:00. The weather was great, the traffic was not too bad aside from a couple of slow areas and we all made it safely back. Praise God for that!

Over the weekend the trailers will be unloaded and organized in the warehouse. Pastor Nathan and his assistant Edward have rallied the church members to lend a hand. It is Sunday morning as I am posting this and guess what... today is the day that the trailers will be emptied...It's raining...imagine that! There goes that great sense of humor again!

We are very blessed to have all the tools that we have so believe me I am not complaining.

Within the next few weeks Susan and Monty will be continuing to move the Kenner Camp to the completion of teardown and to make additional assessments with some people to move them closer to the beginning of their new beginning. Permits will need to be acquired, plumbing and electrical work will need to get contracted and then we will be ready to put teams in the homes to get insulation, drywall and so for! Hope is in the air!

As this preparation is being done and the Christmas season is here, I will be going home for a visit with the plan to return after the Holidays to get the scheduled teams out and into these homes to deliver more hope!

I wish all of you a very Blessed Christmas Season... please remember the this is the season of Christ's birth ...Rejoice in it! Go out and bring joy to someone in a way that will be pleasing to Him!

Blessings to you all!
Diane

Mable Could Be Home For Christmas!!!

2008-12-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

If you remember just a few weeks ago I along with Gregg and Pam from SD were asked to come to the New Orleans area to help finish the drywall and trim out a couple of homes. By the way... Gregg.... the tile floors at Mable's look incredible! You work along with Pam's were very much appreciated... I miss you both! We did all we could at that time but had to leave for the Houston Camp because we had a large number of volunteers coming in during the week before Thanksgiving. Gregg and Pam are back in SD now and we (Susan, Monty and I) were asked to help with these homes once again. The goal is to get them finished within the next few days. Mable's needs the bathroom fixtures, a few lights, some electrical plugs, the kitchen sink, the hvac, and two bedrooms carpet laid. It may sound light a lot to some people but if everything would come together it could be done in a day or two. It would be awesome if her Christmas would be celebrated in her newly finished home.

On Friday we went over to another home where Susan was finishing up the trim and there were a few rooms under the house, which is partly the garage, that needed to have the fire-coat of drywall finishing done. By one o'clock we had completed the jobs and headed back to camp to load up the shower trailer that needed to be pulled over to Texas. With a few delays in loading and getting the lights to work on the trailer we set out at about 3:30. As we traveled it wasn't often that the speed was above 55. We pulled in at 11:15 so the normal 5 1/2 hour trip did take a bit longer but the great thing is that it is here and we made it without incident.

Yesterday we loaded some water to take to the people in Galveston and again, within 15 minutes it was gone. I truly believe if we had a semi load of water it would be gone in less than 2 hours. There is such a great need for good water and vitamin water...it is just amazing to see how people express their gratitude with just water. We take so much fro granted!

Our plan to take a few more loads this week before we head over to New Orleans again to get more supplies from the Kenner Camp.

After we distributed the water we traveled on to the city square known as The Strand where the city was holding the first festival since Ike. It was called "Dickens on the Strand" the theme was Victorian and there were thousands of people from all over the country dressed in all the attire of the era. There was a parade with carolers, bag pipe bands, horses and carriages, military troops, entertainment on several stages and even the Queen. There were endless places to indulge in food and as many stands serving food and beverages. Some of the pictures I added to the sight will give a glimpse of the event.

The great thing is that it brought so much back to Galveston. This section of the city had also been devastated by Ike. Some of the shops had not been open until Friday, the first day of the festival. For this weekend this 3 by 5 block square of the city brought smiles and as it appeared, a great deal back into the local economy. What a blessing for everyone.

Be-building Ahead! A Call For Skilled Teams

2008-12-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

With the majority of the tear-outs completed it's time to shift gears. It's time to re-build. As we spend the next week moving the remaining equipment, tools and other items from the Kenner, LA Camp here to the Houston Camp the excitement of beginning of re-building the homes in Galveston is all around us. We have a list of people who Susan will need to visit while evaluating the validity of need. As blunt as that sounds it is important that we continue to help those who are in the greatest of need yet have some funds to purchase materials. It would be an incredible blessing if we as an organization were in position to supply it all but where we stand now is to supply the labor through volunteers.

This call for skilled volunteers doesn't mean that we can't use the unskilled. The perfect team of volunteers at this point is a mix of both. Their are many teachable steps to rebuilding a home. Believe me I was one of the unskilled. It didn't take long for me to realize that when there is a need...learn how to fill it! According to Texas laws electrical and plumbing work needs to be licensed within the state. That doesn't mean we wouldn't welcome a willing worker. Almost anyone can insulate a home, hanging drywall can be taught, finishing drywall happens to be what I knew very little about but I have been able to teach many teams how it is done. Most anyone can also be shown how to paint on the primer and color. Then comes the need for skilled. Trimming out a home, hanging doors and installing cabinets is definitely an art. Assistance is again a great thing.

With over 60,000 homes in need of repair volunteers will surely be kept busy. Susan is attending a meeting today that will give us a better picture of all the organizations who have come to the area to help. We know that UMCOR, Salvation Army, Americor, Lutheran Aid and Help4Galveston are active along with Mercy Response. It will be helpful to see who else there are in the area.

As the new year approaches and you are planning your vacations, please open your hearts to include a week of serving. It would be great if you formed a team of like minded willing workers to head south and lend a hand.

Contact www.mercyresponse.com

Ever Thankful

2008-11-29T07:35:00.000-08:00

I am thankful beyond words for all that God has given me. This Thanksgiving Day was filled with many emotions with joy being at the top of the list. As you view the images on this entry you will see work being done on a trailer which happened a couple of days before Thanksgiving. My thankfulness is for the people who are doing the work... Susan has the drill in her hand replacing the bolts on the shower trailer. She has become like family to me over the years. she and her husband Monty and I have spent over two years together since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Now that another storm has brought us together we intend on serving our call from God in the every way we can.

Another couple in a photo who are dear to my heart are Gregg and Pam from South Dakota who have been here for a month. While they were here they helped with many projects and were able to be here while the team from my home church were here. they had worked with 3 of them on a Speed Build (building a house in 6 days) in Mississippi last October. Gregg and Pam were suppose to leave on Weds to spend Thanksgiving with her two brothers in Dallas but when we did an outreach on Tuesday to the people in Galveston and saw the need for people to have meals they opened their hearts and said they wanted to be part of another food outreach on Thanksgiving Day.

The planning began..... On Weds we went to Sam's Club and bought all the things we needed to feed 350 meals. There was ham and buns for 700 sandwiches, pasta for 350 salads, 17 spice cakes for 350 pieces and chips for each plate. The picture shown is a sample of what we served. We planned to pack it all very neatly in brown bags so it would be easily served to anyone who stopped by. The day was spent cooking pasta to make the salad, building sandwiched, filling the bags, and creatively packing the slices of cake. It took about 7 hours once we returned to the church to prepare what we could and on the morning of Thanksgiving we finished filling the bags and packed the van and trailer.

As we drove to Galveston and parked at the selected spot it was only seconds and people were there for meals. In fact, some of the men there began helping us set up and stayed to the end handing out food and water to anyone who stopped. For a while we thought that we were working the drive-thru at a fast food place. All the people needed to do was drive up and the men that were helping us ran to there cars to bless the families. It was amazing. What a great way to reach out on Thanksgiving Day! We loved it! In less than one and one half hours all the meals were given out and as we were leaving Galveston we stopped at the police station to drop off a tray of pasta salad and several sandwiches. They need the blessing as well!

It was about 1:15 when Gregg and Pam pulled away to head back to SD. There is a very large whole in the parking lot now with their camper gone but it does not compare to missing them. They are such awesome friends that I am so thankful for.

The other emptiness was when I spoke to all of my girls, their special friends and my grandchildren. I miss them all so much and hope that I will be able to get home for a bit for Christmas. I am thankful that God helped me through the feeling of loneliness.

One last thing... once again I am thankful that my mother has successfully gone through another lung tap. She went in the day following Thanksgiving and breezed through the procedure. She is back home, resting well!

I am ever thankful to god for all that I am blessed with!

A Picture is Worth More Than Words

2008-11-23T07:34:00.000-08:00

This is just a glimpse of what this past week was like... The 44 Relief Workers from all over the country moved mountains of trash. We worked at 24 different sites and were able to complete all but two of them. One still has a bathroom to be gutted and dear Marie has to be helped to sift through her belonging before we can get to the home structure needs.

Mercy Response Outreach has made a huge connection with the city of Galveston this week. If it were not for my home church out reach of OAKS this connection may not have knitted us together in the same way. God certainly had his plan and is remaining to work in us and many other churches and organizations.

I remain thankful for the call that He has placed on me to be able to come along side the less fortunate and lift them up in hope of a better day!

I am thankful for the team from my home church to have made the trip and to close the gap that is is my heart. I miss my family so when church family comes it is such a huge blessing to feel the closeness.

Thank you to the other teams from IN, CO, SD, NY, and FL you are now all family as well... Be Blessed in all that is ahead of you and know that you are in our prayers.

Emotions Take Over

2008-11-17T20:09:00.000-08:00

Twenty eight people were sent out to two jobs today. Nineteen went into Miss Ninfa's home to continue where the team from Sturday left off. There were a couple of layers of sheet rock over boards that needed to also be taken off. As I mentioned yesterday, this homes' history covered 5 generations. When Miss Ninfa stopped by at about 11a.m., stepped into her home, saw through her studded walss and immediately was overwhelmed with emotion. She stepped out and I tried to comfort her with love after a very short while she walked to her car, I thought to get tissues to wipe her tears, she got in and drove away sobbing. It was very hard watching her and knowing that her grieving came to the surface. I prayed for her as she turned the corner, asked God to take away her pain. I knew he would answer. I moved on to another job to check on the progress. It was about an hour later when that team called for more supplies and I asked if Miss Ninfa happened to come back. She had and was helping the team pull nails... God is so good. I am sure that it will take a long time for her to end the grieving, but God helped her take a giant step today! Thanks to the teams from SD, WI, CO, IN and TX.

There will a team spending a few more hours there tomorrow to finish up but that does not end our connection with her. We hope to assist her with moving forward to rebuild.

The other job today was done by another team from CO. They were assisting the Pastor of the Vineyard Church Plant in Galveston complete the tile stipping, panelling removal and some sheet rock removal in the fellowship hall of the church. They worked non-stop doing very hard work. They came back to dinner knowing that they made a difference for not only the Pastor but for all the members of his church.

We all shared dinner and fellowship. we also had a birthday in the group. Tiffany from IN said that it was one of her most memorable birthdays. What a great way to spend a special day....serving the Lord!

A Very Busy Day & Night

2008-11-16T02:46:00.000-08:00

The teams from GA and TX went out today on a mission! The GA team was split in three ways, I took one of them to a home on the water where the home was damaged to the point that the owner is looking at a long rebuild. His yard was covered with not only his things but the path of the storm brought in most of his neighbor's things as well. We focused on the twisted cyclone fence and removing a washing machine that was wedged in a hole near his house. The plan was to send an additional team to clean up the rest of the yard next week but as it turned out one of the projects was completed early so the entire GA Team went back to the property in the afternoon and blessed the owner and included most of the neighbor's yard as well. this couple both work for UTMB and it was announced that 3500 jobs at this medical complex will be losing their jobs due to the damage that occurred to the complex. Most of the people who work there have also lost their homes. Imagine that!

The other homes that GA helped with went very well. They were able to finish gutting out the apartment that they worked on yesterday and help a grandmother pull up some carpet, some insulation, some wet walls. Miss Susan had been given full custody of her 14 and 9 year old grandchildren. They have been helping her gut out the house but it just got to be very overwhelming she simply needed to be blessed with helping hands.

The 5 people form TX and 3 others from another GA team went to Miss Ninfa's home to find out that nearly everything needed to come out of her home. The water level was 7 feet in her 5th generation family home. The pile on the street was already incredible but the team kept adding more. Within an hour one of the contracted removal teams drove up and began loading it up in their trash trucks. This hose has so many drawers still filled with water, the appliances needed to come out and if you have ever done removal of a refrigerator that has not been opened for weeks without the electricity running to it and it was full of food... look out! It gets duck taped shut so there is not a chance for it to open but the stench is still unbearable even for the strongest of stomachs. Many people have lost lunch over this. The walls in this home were painted over drywall, the next layer was wallpaper over another layer of drywall and not it's down to a layer of tongue and groove and who knows... on Monday we may find another layer of drywall before we get to the insulation and finally the studs. This was just one room but time ran out for the day.

Even with all of that going on each and every member of all the teams were moved in such a way that they were brought to tears. What a great God we serve!

The three men from GA pulled out at about 3:00 to get to their flight. As dinner was being prepared I needed to pick up a couple people from the airport, friends from my home church. it is always good to see home church people!!!! The rest of the home church team who were driving had reached Arkansas by this time so they expected to arrive at about 2a.m. The other GA teams' plan was to leave at about 4a.m. so needless to say I was in for a busy night. CTR Team from home made it in at about 3:15a.m. so with the GA team leaving within an hour... I have been up since. It is now about 5:30 so it's time to start the day. Sunday mornings, there are no cooking staff so I will be getting breakfast prepared for 8:00.

I know that I will be blessed with another great day so I am giving praise to God for all that has happened and will happen.
The 3 Men

Bringing Down The Walls And Limbs

2008-11-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

The 2 teams from Georgia, along with local church ladies and Gregg and Pam from SD we were able to nearly complete gutting out two homes and trim some limbs at another home. The day flew by with all the energy spent on pulling drywall, floors, cabinets and several walls of blown in insulation. Pam and Gregg have always been on the building end of projects so with this being their first tear out... They had a great time. As we talked on the way back to the church it was mentioned that it doesn't take much planning or the precise measuring of materials to tear the walls down. Next week we will have several others that they will be able to participate in.

The second location that the teams went to was part of an apartment complex. There were two apartments that needed to be cleaned out and the drywall stripped out. The team from GA and TX worked very hard to get it done... it will only take a couple hours tomorrow and it will be all finished. Mary, the owner, is feeling extremely blessed by all they have been able to accomplish. It is so great to be a part of this ministry that truly are the hands and feet of God! Loving what we do it a joy beyond explanation!

Blessings to you all!

Finishing Touches to Mable's House

2008-11-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

It won't be long now... the tile was laid in the bathrooms and the kitchen today. One of the bedrooms is about two thirds finished with laminate, the living room floor was prepped so the laminate can be laid tomorrow in it and the master bedroom. there are two bedrooms that will have carpet installed. The family room floor is also going to be worked on tomorrow using glue down laminate.

As you can see from the photos the trim was all painted today as well. If all goes as planned the doors will be installed on Thursday and the trim will be ready for the guys to hang along with the doors. Who knows, if the electrician and the plumber can fit it in their schedule it may be ready for Mable to come home. I wish she had not have had to move so far away, it would have been great to meet her. I know she will be excited.

Gregg, Pam and I, along with their dog Cooper, will be heading for Galveston at about 8am. We have a big week in store for us next week so a lot of planning needs to happen. The teams from several states start arriving on Saturday. It will be great reaching out to help the community.

Your prayers are always appreciated.

A Parents' Dreaded Phone Call

2008-11-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

The snow storm that happened in the Dakotas over the weekend was surely the cause of many accidents but the picture you see above involved the son of Pam Stern. She and Gregg are here in Kenner, LA helping finish the last two homes for the camp. On Friday Pam got that dreaded call from her son Kyle that he had been in an accident. He and 5 other students from the Bible College they attend were on their way to a conference and the driver came upon some black ice. The van flipped over and rolled down the embankment ejecting all the passengers who were not wearing seat belts. Three were and three weren't. Kyle was in the front seat and just minutes before the accident he decided to buckle up. According to Pam she is forever needing to tell him to use his seat belt. It's amazing how we hear from God sometimes, Kyle is sure that he would not have been so lucky if he had not used his belt. He is bruised but doing very well.

Praise and prayer are both in order. Praise God for all of them being alive and prayer for all of them. Each of them have injuries, some more intense then others.

Atlanta Team Makes a Difference

2008-11-08T07:35:00.001-08:00

The week went by quickly with the help from half of the team from Atlanta and Pam from South Dakota. In a total of five days we were able to pick up from the weekend crew to finish the first coat of mud and begin the not so pleasant job of sanding... I know of no one who likes that part of the building process. One thing that helped was that there was little to no humidity unlike the case when I was here in 2007. It seamed like forever but in truth, it took only a little more than two days doing the sanding part of the job. Once the texturing began it was totally up hill(in a good way) from there. The coat of primer was sprayed on and with adding just an hour and a half to the last day the job was complete. On Monday the paint will be applied and we are on to the flooring, trim, doors and cabinets....Guess what then!!! Mable will be able to move back home soon!

Martha, Mabel's daughter didn't have a chance to stop by the house since Monday and I surely would like to be a fly on the wall to see her expression when she opens the door, hopefully this weekend, and sees the progress. I know she is going to be thrilled and that's what this is all about...giving hope back to the family to have a place where Mom is and the family can gather again. What a blessing it will be if we can have this all ready for them to celebrate Thanksgiving Day!

Prayer Request...
The week was so busy that when I was adding to the blog I didn't think at the time to ask for prayer for my mother. She was once again in the hospital with fluid on her one lung. She has congestive heart failure so once again she needed some added care and prayers. This was the fourth visit to the hospital this year, even at 90 she is fully aware of what is going on in her body and called my sister to bring her in. She spent a 2 1/2 days in the hospital and is now back home under the care of family. That is the greatest thing about our family size...someone is always there to help my parents. Dad is 87 and was in the hospital once this year as well.
Please add them to your prayer list. I know that there lives are with God and that speaks for itself... Thank you!

Always Room to Learn Something New

2008-11-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of learning. As many walls that I have done I was never part of the texture application before painting...until today. It is a little messy but it sure goes on easy and what a difference it will make after the walls are primed and painted. We only have three more bedrooms and a bathroom to prep in the morning. The texture will go on and the primer will be sprayed on all the walls tomorrow so the painting can begin on Monday.

Pam and Gregg, my dear friends for South Dakota have been here all week to help with this home and one other. Pam has been my sidekick while Gregg was sent to the other home. We will be packing up on Saturday to head back to Texas. there are over 50 volunteers coming into camp. I will need to schedule the jobs for each team. There is plenty to do so it is just a matter of making the calls and getting the right people to lend a hand. The main thing that we will be doing is still gutting homes and tree removal. Guaranteed it will be a very active week.

Your continued support and prayers are always needed... Thank you for holding us all up in daily prayer.

Back in New Orleans

2008-11-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

When I left New Orleans last year I didn't think I would be back for additional rebuild but ... here I am. The Kenner, LA Vineyard Camp is relocating to the Houston Camp but still has two homes that need to be completed. For those of you who know me, you may recall that I was doing a great deal of drywall finishing while doing relief work. Well, that is exactly what they needed to have done for one of these homes so they asked me to come here to help with the church teams and the team from Atlanta to get the job done. We started on Saturday with every wall from celling to floor needing to be done. There were a couple of people who have limited experience so it took some training and a great deal of supervision. I am happy to say that as of today, Weds, we are about 90% ready for the texture to be applied and then we can paint. Miss Mable has not seen her home yet, she is staying with relatives in northern LA. Her daughter came through on Monday and was very excited to see it coming as far as it has. She said she would like to bring her mother down to see it but she knows that she would not want to go back. The problem that has come up with the house completion is that the funds that were expected from another organization have not come through yet so once we get it painted, we will be at a standstill. She is about 10K away from getting back into her home. The trim, the floors, doors and cabinets and Mable is home again.

Please pray about that because it is now over 3 years since she has been able to be home and she is in her early 80s. It would be a great blessing to have her come home. If we had funding for her it could happen as soon as 10 days from now.

The plan for me at this point is to go back to Houston sometime over the next few days to get ready for the teams that are arriving form all over the country including my home church...Christ The Rock. It will be great seeing church family for that week.

Missouri Entends a Hand in Faith

2008-10-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

It's never easy to step out in faith but one thing is for certain when you do.... God will give you the strength to get the job done even when you think you should be exhausted. The four guys from Missouri have worked non-stop since they arrived. Fred was even suffering from a respiratory problem but remained on task.... just amazing to see the dedication. The house that they were working in today was that of a woman who when they evacuated she and her husband for got to take their meds with them so when they were not allowed to get back home for over a week later, they had already crashed. Unfortunately the husband died as a result. The woman is now in a nursing home and her son is taking on her loss of property along with his own home and his business. By the grace of God the Pastor of the Vineyard Church in Galveston, they were led to Mercy Response. We and this small team of men from MO are blessed to be able to help them.

James (the Son) and his wife Debra expressed being overwhelmed with all of it but amazed that we came in and helped them get it done.

There will be a few people from a local Houston Vineyard going in to this same house on Saturday to tear down the ceilings and to clean up the back yard of debris. there are a couple of trees that we hope to get cleared out as well.

Stepping out in faith like these guys is not always easy but one thing is a given.... it is always rewarding!

Home and Back Again

2008-10-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

It was quick, it was needed, it was fun and it was great to see my family! When I left from home in Sept. my plan was to be here a month and as in the past God had other plans for me. As of today the thought is to be here for another month to six weeks but again, only God knows! I was given a flight home to be at the events of family and to take care of some other things such as collect mail, get the house ready for winter and even voted for the upcoming election.
Attending Grandparents Day at my 10 year old grand-daughter's school and celebrating my 5 year old grand-daughter's birthday, a little early, visiting my parents, voting and more. It all got done in a blink and here I am back at camp.

A 4 man team from MO arrived Monday mid-afternoon. They were sent out today to pull sheetrock at two places on the Island. One of the ladies they helped is now ready to rebuild. Her insurance and FEMA funds are in hand so it won't be long and she will be good as new. The second lady was told yesterday that she will be getting a FEMA trailer very shortly. Until last week they were not allowing trailers of any kind on the Island because if the storm potential. The lifted the rule to get people into some sort of safe housing while they rebuild. I am sure that decision will begin to lift some spirits.

I was asked today to take some time to go to the Kenner Camp in the New Orleans area to help finish up a couple of homes that need to have the drywall finished, painted and trimmed out. I will be leaving for the camp on Friday for, who knows, days or a week...... The goal is to finish up what was started there and close that camp to relocate all that is there to this site.

The prayer for today is for God to show favor on the direction of the Houston camp. Our desire is to go strong into rebuild so please pray that the applied for grants are approved and funding comes pouring in.

Trees Come Down

2008-10-20T18:02:00.000-07:00

The Omaha Rapid Response Team came in on Friday to take down some trees and that is exactly what they have been doing all day Saturday and again today with plans to continue tomorrow and the rest of the week if need be. The pictures don't give justice to the enormity of these trees. Ryan from California literally jumped in to complete the team. He and Lance from Omaha climbed the limbs and began taking it down. The others clearly knew that they were a part of the team that made the task do-able. It was fun today joining the team on one of the jobs. There is definitely a skill to cutting up trees and these guys really think it through so no one gets hurt and the limbs fall in a safe place.

I had some camera problems during the time that the second team from TN were here so as soon as one of the team sends me some of the shots they took I will add a new posting.

God has been leading us to some very incredible people, I am looking forward to sharing their stories as we get the teams in to help them out.... Speaking of that .... We would love to have your team come to the Houston Camp. Just go online to www.mercyresponse.com click on the volunteer icon and take that step that God may have been wanting you to do! You won't regret it!!!

Teams Coming Together

2008-10-14T18:25:00.000-07:00

All of the 3 teams came together today pouring more blessings on some of the local families and a local church. Mary and Louis needed their lower level torn out and tear out happened by noon. These teams are like the recreation of a hurricane in motion. Their energy was endless! I had the chance to visit the sites today and speak with some of those being helped. It is a very emotional thing to see hope fill up their hearts again. I LOVE IT! God places the right people in each place to be his hands and feet.... that's what it is all about... be like Christ! Love pours forth!

Miss Freddie left her house before I arrived but the ladies from Chattanooga helped he with a very difficult task! Parting with her personal belongings that were damaged by the water! This is not an easy thing to do....more difficult than ripping the walls down. I wish we could have taken her to the end but God has another plan for her. She is already being treated for cancer and He knew when it was just enough! We will aim to get back to help her with the rest.

Ms. Blanche was another, after packing her things yesterday today some of the walls needed to come down. She will be having more help on Saturday from another church to tackle her kitchen.

The team left Mary, and Freddie (she's a lady) to go take up the tiles from the fellowship hall floor of The Vineyard Church plant in Galveston. Pastor Ken has been very active in all the things that are happening in Galveston. It was his turn to receive a blessing. It will be great for him to hold a gathering inside church. There have been tent services happening since the storm.

The Convoy of Hope truck full of water rolled in just a few minutes ago. the driver will spend the night with us, have breakfast, we will unload it and he will be heading to Dallas for another load of vitamin water and will return tomorrow evening to repeat the same night and morning. We are so thankful to them for this awesome gift!

Keep praying.. Thanks!

Worship Teams Volunteer

2008-10-13T16:36:00.001-07:00

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It was a busy day today. The worship leaders from North of Houston and from Lake Charles, LA came to lend a hand and they did it in a big way! Three of the guys went to Howard and Carol's mother's home to take out some flooring, trim, sheet rock and insulation... I dropped by at around noon and they were just finishing up. Howard and Carol became part of the team and before they knew it, their mom's home was cleaned out. They were feeling to blessed by the help. The guys took some time to pray with them... it is what they probably needed the most.

Four guys from Lake Charles who knew just what a hurricane can do after living through Rita only 3 years ago, were in Naomi's condo.... a bit of a surprise happened when they began to break up the drywall, it was two sheets thick!!!! I guess that is the way to keep the noise level down between wall. They were working just a couple of blocks from the seawall so they walked to see the water at lunch. Tide was up so high today that you couldn't even see the rubbish pile along the wall. It was such a beautiful sight. Anyway, since the other fellas finished their job I called them over to help out at Naomi's. They finished up and were all had a great dinner and fellowship before they all went either home or to the friends house that was housing them as a blessing for them.

The other home was that where the ladies went to. The three of them met Pastor Ken in Galveston and he went on to Ms. Blanche's home to help her sort through and pack her valuables.... and valuables they were. She has many antiques so it took a lot of tender loving care. Ms.Blanche had a few "break-down' moments so the ladies blessed her with some TLC. We need to go back to her home again tomorrow to try to finish up... the plan is to send some men to start gutting her kitchen, dining room and living room. I already know that it will be another very emotional day for her.
She as well as all of those in Galveston will be in my prayers again tonight.

Temporary Camp is Ready for Volunteers

2008-10-12T15:59:00.001-07:00

We are ready to start receiving volunteers from 5 different churches this week. Some are here for a day, two days, the week so there will be a lot of activity. The photos that you see are the rooms that will be used for sleeping quarters and a fellowship room.

The kitchen staff (volunteers from the church) is ready to serve. This church has not had to serve in this way in the past but are up for the challenge. As far as I can tell they are all ladies who love to cook and love to bless everyone with their great gift.

We will be working in several homes this week... I fully intend on getting snap shots of all of them to post on the blog.

The first team just arrived so I will be posting this short message for today.

I would like to Praise The Lord now for all the great things he has in store for this week!

Preparing The Camp

2008-10-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today was finally a day to make some strides toward the camp being ready for the 3 teams plus 2 coming in next week. Staring on Sunday we will be having teams come and go throughout the week. Over all we have 25 people coming in to this new camp so it will be a test of its efficiency. I believe we are more than ready! If all goes well we plan to have them in 8 or 9 homes which will be a great help to the owners.
Tomorrow will be filled with more preparation.

The 3 guys went out today packing chain saws and the will to get some very large trees cleared from the home that we gutted yesterday. I was at camp so if I can get some photos from them I will add them to today's blog. They came back full of wood shaving and dust but hadn't lost their sense of humor. They are a great threesome that brought the love from Idaho and California together to bless another person in need. The Idaho two are leaving at about noon tomorrow so it will become a bit quiet as they begin their trip back.

The Clear Lake Vineyard Church families have been more than hospitable to us. The meals that have been prepared are incredible, there is nothing like home cooking, especially when it is done with such a pouring out of love.

The worship team just began to practice and they are amazing. Pastor Nathan and his team have great talent. A real joy to listen too.

Please keep us all in you prayers!

From Valuables to Waste

2008-10-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

The four of us went out today to do some 'house gutting'. Thew people we were able to help we so grateful to have us come. We were able to help them get some things out of their garage that had been totally drenched during Ike. Some of the photos were of the guys handling some very heavy boxes of wet books. They also had to get all the appliances out of the house. I was kept busy pulling wet moldy drywall off the walls. We had a few unexpected guests of the crawly nature that set the tone for a lot of laughs. We all need that occasionally! We were able to finish the house with a little time left to take a run down to the seawall in Galveston. It is a must see for all the volunteers to try to get a picture in their mind of the surge that rose over it. The pictures you see are of the trash that washed back out of the city when the surge returned to the Gulf.

The other picture is a shot of what is now called Mt. Ike. It is the acres of piles of trash that is being picked up from on front of the homes throughout the city! these were all their valuable items...now on a huge pile! Soon that area will be filled and they ave barely scratched the surface of what needs to be done yet. I do have to give it to the people of Galveston, they are not wasting any time getting their homes torn out. I believe all that was learned from Katrina and Rita has given everyone that sense of urgency a catastrophe like this needs.

Again we were blessed to be God's hands and feet... tomorrow is yet another opportunity.

Keep us and all of this area in your prayers!

Rain Doesn't Stop Hunger

2008-10-07T19:53:00.001-07:00

Monday and Tuesday we blessed not only the workers that came in and out of the local Home Depot but many families that came up tired and hungry. On Monday it only took about one and a half hours to hand out about 300 meals, before we knew it everything we prepared was gone. It was very difficult to have to turn some people away. We even handed over our own lunches in order to feed just a few more.

Today with some weather difficulties, we went out with enough food for over 400 meals. The forecast said that we should expect some rain so we got the grill started early in order to get it prepared before the rain. As you can see in the pictures the guys were dedicated to the task at hand. Once the meat was cooked we set out to the Home Depot lot once again. As we drove there we watched the sky turn from rain clouds to some breaks and appearances of blue sky. We set up and started to let people know we were ready to serve them. The rain must have been much heavier in this area by the conditions of the lot. Not only the wet areas but the lack of traffic. People were more than likely in their homes attending to their needs. It did take about four hours to hand out all the meals but indeed we fed the hungry once again.

There were many wherry people. A retired couple came to the store just to get a tape measure were blessed with food and conversation. They said that all that was left of their home was 5 pylons. A man that road up on his bicycle and couldn't believe there was food to eat, he hadn't eaten in two days. The construction workers who were so dirty that they just wanted to have some napkins to clean their hands before taking a meal.

It was great working with Scott and Simon from Boise, Idaho and Chris from San Francisco, CA. The team was small but the outreach from their hearts was huge.

Each day we are all blessed with something whether we are aware of it or not. Today I was blessed with the memories of faces of strength and hopelessness. The great thing is that those who portrayed hopelessness, as the walked up to the food line gained strength with a mere blessing of a meal and a friendly smile.

God moved in a great way today... I praise Him above all!

FYI: Over the 8 days of handing out water and/or food we= gave out more than 2300 meals and over 6000 single bottles of water

Tomorrow we will be going out to gut out a house.... another way to give a blessing!

Online Once Again

2008-10-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

I think all the bugs are out of the system and my personal computer so I pray I will be able to be more consistent with information fro the Galveston, Texas area. The pictures I have posted are from several days of many different projects. I will try to mention a little about each of them. Miss Lee is an 87 year old woman who had 4 feet of water damage. She is a neighbor to the Pastor of a new Vineyard Church plant in Galveston. She was just delightful. This was the first time in her life that she ever wore a pair of slacks/sweat pants. She was known for many things but one was that she was always dressed very nicely in a matching outfit from head to toe! A team from Ohio, a volunteer from California, myself and the pastor helped get her home gutted out. We were there for a good share of the day and we had her home ready for mold remediation. It was quite wet yet so that project couldn't happen for a few days but she was ready with all the supplies to get going!

On Friday Margaret (volunteer from CA)and I went into the neighborhoods with cold water and a needs list form to begin getting names of people who are in need of help from volunteers. The pictures of the uprooted tree, and the piles of rail ties and utility poles in the driveway are some that were taken that day. Here's an interested twist to the piles of very heavy wood! The family was told that they needed to remove anything that was on their property that was not in the front yard near the sidewalk. That left them with all the things in the driveway. I have since went back to see if things were picked up. Well... here's the scoop... the front yard mess was cleared up, the utility company was contacted to remove the poles but
they said that there was no telling that they actually belonged to them so they would not remove them. As you may have guessed the home owners need to get someone hired or a volunteer group to remove the pile!

The next picture of the car packed with what appears to be all that's left of the family belongings. It was parked in the city park. What a sad thought to have lost nearly everything plus your place to live!

From Monday to Friday we had quite a different ministry. The pictures you see are not of people waiting in line for concert tickets although it may look like that. They are people from Galveston who traveled about 15 miles to another small city to pick up their mail. The Post Office in Galveston was not spared from the wrath of Ike. The wait in line was from 1-2 hours depending on the time of day. The temperatures were in the high 80's each day. Our mission was to bring cold water and some food for any and all who wanted it. For each of the five days we went to Sam's Club bought 30 cases of water, 30 bags of ice, enough meat (hot dogs or burgers)and buns to feed about 500 people. The meat was cooked on the grills at the church, packed in hot boxes and we ices down the bottles of water in several coolers and three of us set out. Daphne (from Indy), Margaret and I would set out. Each day we were blessed with the help of Pastor Ken from The Galveston Church and his family to help us. On one of the days we had the help of Janelle who is the administrative guru of Mercy Response. She was amazed at the site as we drove up. The line that day was nearly a city block lone. The great hing was that we not only showed them the hands and feet of God we had a chance to listen to their stories. When disaster happens...people need to talk about it. We were His ears too!. The officers trying to keep order were blessed as well and according to them we were angels to reach out in this way. Oh! The Postmaster and his managers all came out each day to express their gratitude. The people in line were much more patient than what they had been dealing with before we come along. And... we were able to collect nearly 100 names of people who need help!

The pictures of the boats on the highway is just a glimpse of a few that washed. It is quite a site to see. The next picture is inside a house that was built in the 1800's and had been remodeled. The man is undergoing cancer treatment as I write this. The team from Sugarland Vineyard, about 4an hour and 1/2 away, a couple of guys from Boise,Idaho, and I gutted it this morning. On my way out of that neighborhood I snapped the last picture of what the streets look like.

Please continue to pray for more teams to come down here. I looks as thought here will be a good six-to eight months of house gutting and tree removal.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!
Please pray about what God may be asking you to do to lend a hand!

What Water and Hope Can Do

2008-09-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

On Saturday Margaret (volunteer from California) and I went on s mission to meet people where they are at. We left church with a van full of water and coolers to ice it down. We headed for Galveston and just went into the neighborhoods.
Our first stop we met two woman who were moving things out of an apartment. It turned out to be two sisters, one helping the other move out the things left that were not destroyed buy the 5 feet of water that went in. Not only did this woman lose everything on the first level of her home but it was in the projects and the landlord gave all the tenants a week to remove their things so the buildings could be demolished. We were told that some of the people just were not coming to go through their things because it was too stressful. We prayed with them left them water to drink and went on to the next home. This lady was attempting to sort through her things with her sickly husband on the second level of their house. She was in her sixties, you know you do what you need to do. Ike did not spare the old or the young, he simply created a path of destruction over 800 miles wide. Again we were able to pray with here and amazing as God is, a visual gleam of hope was seen! He is so good!

Margaret and I continued to several homes repeating the same extension of love to every home we stopped at. Then came a young man.... we were so moved by his reaction that we were all brought to tears. He cried because he wanted to fix his home so his children and wife could come back. He missed them so much tears came again as he spoke of them. He was lost for what to do first! We were able to guide him in what to do and his desire was to have the tools and materials to rebuild. He did not have insurance so he felt that it may be months before he would see his babies again! It was heart breaking. When we prayed with him, he lost control again, this time praising God for what he saw as a miracle that we came to him like two angels. I pray that he sees God working through all he has ahead.

At one of our stops we were told that the Post Office of Galveston was completely lost and the people from there needed to go another city to pick up their mail...wait in line in 90 degree weather for 1-2 hours... That is where we went with the rest of the water.

3 Down, Thousands To Go

2008-09-28T12:52:00.000-07:00

On Thursday and Friday it was time to get back into what was very familiar in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita... 'gutting houses'. For those of you unfamiliar with the term it means removing damaged/wet items and tearing out the trim molding, sheet rock, paneling,insulation, flooring and carpeting. The mold grows at a very fast rate here because of the humid weather so if we get to the walls quickly all that needs to be pulled out is the bottom four feet unless the water line was higher than that.

The team from Ohio and I went out on Thursday to a plant nursery business which also housed 2 families. We were able to gut both homes so these 2 families can get on the road to recovery. On Friday we went to the home of a 74 year old woman and were again able to clear out her home. All three families felt very blessed for the help we were able to give them.

It's just a start.... thousands of homes need the same thing and sometimes more. All we can do for now is gut out the homes because there are no finances or people ready for the rebuild to begin. The great thing is that we are at least able to get them out of the danger of living in mold infested homes.

We are praying for more teams of people to come from all over the country to help! If you read this and have a desire to help out, please contact a local Vineyard Church and ask about Mercy Response!

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-26T16:17:00.001-07:00

Day 1 of Travel

Answering your call doesn't always go smoothly but one thing it does is give you perspective on all the things that can get in your way. As with all the times I have set out in the name of His Kingdom aimed to help people devastated by disaster, leaving today was full of set backs. I won't share all the details but know that the two hour delay and some particulars were not enough to stop me from getting on the road to Houston, Texas. The anticipation of what's to come out-weighs any delays. As I look back on the first time doing first response I recall the looks on the faces, the tears of loss and the overwhelming dis-belief. We all wonder what would happen if it happened to us..... these people are beginning to know the answer to that now. What we don't know is how God can show His love through all of it. One thing I learned 3 years ago was that I was attaching my self-worth to more material things than I care to admit. Just like those who lived through the wrath of the hurricanes I was brought down to the realization that things are just things, it's the lives spared that make the difference. The lives that through the ugly head of a disaster are shown what really matters is that God is always reaching out and that all we need to know is, open our hearts to him and turn it all over. Trust in Him to lead us in the right direction, starve to know what He has ahead of us, live our lives in a way that is pleasing to him and guess what...Salvation is to come!

As I travel tomorrow the anticipation will be building as the miles mount behind me. I long fore the chance to be the eyes, ears,hands and feet, blessed by God, to reach out to any and all who are in my presence. I pray that I speak through him, listen with compassion, touch those who need to be touched and walk in His footsteps letting the victims know that there is a community of people hopeful to help in whatever way possible.

Organized Acts of Kindness and Sacrifice (OAKS) is committed to reaching out to the needs of others. I will be reporting those needs to CTR once I arrive in Houston. I am very anxious to get on site to start reaching out to all those in need! Please keep them in all your thoughts and prayers!

Day 2... Still Traveling

Again the day was filled with trains, planes, and automobiles. No, I did not take a train or a plane but there were plenty of them in site. The other vehicles that in abundance were semi-trailers! Industries must to be booming if I were to gage them on the amount of trucks on the road. Also there were several convoys of commercial electrical maintenance trucks heading north. The power throughout the Coast must be getting back to normal. As with other hurricanes that I have responded to, electricians from all over the country respond immediately and work endless hours to get the affected areas up and running. These workers are to be commended for their commitment!

Driving for 13 hours gave me more time to spend with God. I always feel like he is in the passenger seat so there are many deep conversations that happen. Many prayers said and worship songs to fill in the non-talk times. As I look back on the day, it flew by as if only a few hours passed. Spending time with those you love is always that way. Isn't it? I will have another 4-5 hours to go yet tomorrow before I reach Christian Temple Church in Houston. I spoke with the office director today and am excited to hit the ground running once I arrive at around noon tomorrow.

Internet service is not as accessible as what I would have like which did not surprise me, so as you read these it may have three days grouped together.

One of the things that the CTR Church body may have some interest in is that the family in Black Creek, WI are very close to having their home project completed. The foundation has been completed and wheels are in motion to set the home and seal it up. Allen and Crystal are praising God for all the help that all the volunteers have done to get their home completed. In my absence, I had to turn it over to some other hands while I am in the South but again, confident that it will be only be a matter of weeks until it gets done. Praise The Lord!

Until tomorrow, God Bless you all! Your prayers are so appreciated!

Day 3.... Almost There

After about 5 more hours of driving I was nearing Christian Temple Church and guess what... God had other plans... The need was greater for me to go to The Vineyard Church in Webster, Texas which is only about a half an hour from Christian Temple. So mid-way between Houston and Galveston I was eagerly met but The Mercy Project leader and the Pastor of the Church. A team from one of their other operations on New Orleans was due to arrive within a short time. The Church did not suffer any damages other than loosing power for five days but are blessed to be located near a lot of the damage and additionally blessed to have warehouse space to set up a volunteer camp. It was said that getting the "camp" ready would be one of the tasks we would undertake. The first thing on the agenda though was to feed the hungry. We loaded up the vans and trailer with all the supplies needed to have a good old cookout.
Found a spot in a neighborhood that looked in need and started cooking burgers. there was lemonade, water, burgers a cold veggies salad, cookies and a lot of love. People started coming, and the word spread. We were there for just a couple of hours and were able to bless over 500 people with meals. How great God is! He knew just where we needed to set up. t us out be we he mosquitoes were trying to drive out but we were not leaving until the food was gone. There were a few meals left when it was pretty dark so we decided to bring them to the Fire Fighters at the station next to our outreach spot. They were thrilled!!!

Once back at the church we were able to fellowship a bit and get to know each other. The volunteer team from Columbus, Ohio has some really wonderful people with huge hearts. It is always great to get to know the members of the teams. It was about 11:00 when lights went out. Another day of great things!

Thank You!

2008-09-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Because of you, and the generosity of our corporate partners, Convoy of Hope has delivered $1.9 million in aid to victims in the Gulf following Hurricane Ike.

More than 50 corporate manufacturers like Allen's, Coca-Cola North America, Culligan, and Niagara Bottling Co. work with Convoy of Hope throughout the year. These groups also contribute significantly during disasters.

There is still a lot to do, and you can help! Donate Now!

"We are extremely grateful to our corporate partners for their generosity. Through their contributions of supplies and hundreds of thousands of Gulf and Caribbean residents are getting real help," said Convoy of Hope President Hal Donaldson. "For corporations to give during these difficult economic times, it demonstrates what they're about."

"Allen's was one of our first donors — they've been consistent, always ready to give, whether it's a disaster or not," said Erick Meier, Convoy of Hope Procurement Director. "Coke has always been interested in ensuring that people have clean water — their products are invaluable on the field during disaster. And Niagara has partnered with us for years, helping out during disasters."

These corporate partnerships enable Convoy of Hope to multiply every donated dollar into about $7 of actual relief product. But it takes people like you, providing that donated dollar to complete the process.

Many people want to help during a disaster. Cash and credit card donations are particularly important because they enable Convoy of Hope to get the most essential products to those with the greatest need. A case of bottled water would cost a consumer more than $5, but that same $5 in cash can be converted into $35 of relief supplies.

To date, Convoy of Hope has:

• Distributed relief supplies: 66 truckloads, 1.5 million lbs., valued at $1.9 million
• Helped Texas communities: Cleveland, Houston, Humble, Port Arthur, and San Antonio

You can be a part of this ongoing relief effort! Your secure online donation will have an immediate impact on hurting families along the gulf coast. Thank you!

More From Convoy of Hope

2008-09-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Although Hurricane Ike's winds have stopped blowing, the impact on the lives of Gulf Coast residents remains. Hundreds of thousands of evacuees remain displaced. Leaders in San Antonio are endeavoring to arrange long-term living accommodations for 10,000 Galveston/Houston residents that may be there for up to five months. More than 2 million remain without power, others have lost everything they own.

Convoy of Hope is currently addressing multiple disasters and working to meet a wide range of needs. You can help!

Donate Now!

Though the public may not have seen the immediate devastation that was visible post-Katrina, the recovery will be as long-term and demanding. The hurricane delivered a wallop to the Texas and Louisiana coastlines, leaving Galveston totally unlivable and crippling the fourth-largest population center in the United States. With long-term power outages, flooding, and large debris throughout the state, search and recovery continues as emergency responders slowly move into a relief effort.

With your help, Convoy of Hope is making an impact:

• Relief supplies distributed: 34 truckloads, 1.2 million lbs., valued at $1.7 million
• Texas communities helped: Cleveland, Houston, Humble Port Arthur, and San Antonio

At our Port Arthur Point of Distribution (POD), a victim who had lost her home said, "I just don't have anything. You have no idea how much the food, water and ice has helped me." After the volunteer gave her water and ice, she prayed for her to have peace and hope. The woman said, "This little bit of hope is gonna get me a long ways."

Your gifts are having an impact!

"We anticipate distributing food, water, ice and other life essential supplies for weeks to come — as people return to their homes and try to put their lives back together," said Convoy of Hope President Hal Donaldson. "The needs will still be there even after the media has moved on to another story."

Convoy of Hope's response to both Gustav and Ike includes 57 loads of relief supplies with a value of more than $1.5 million.

We need your help! Will you donate to this long-term relief effort. With the distribution of relief supplies in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the United States, cash donations are a tremendous help in assisting with Convoy of Hope's efforts here in the United States and around the world.

Corporate and private partnerships enable Convoy of Hope to multiply every donated dollar to about $7 of actual relief product; $6,000 can fill an eighteen-wheeler with relief product, serving upwards of 7,000 people. Your secure online donation of $25 will provide $175 of relief supplies. Your $100 gift will place $700 of water, ice, and food in the hands of needy families.

Thank you for your compassion and for your willingness to have an impact on the lives of hurting people!

Words From the Texas Coast

2008-09-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Several days after Hurricane Ike's landfall, Convoy of Hope is actively working to help meet the needs of victims in locations such as Cleveland, Houston and Port Arthur, Texas, after the 500-mile wide storm tore through the state this weekend.

Convoy of Hope established its first Point of Distribution (POD) in the Port Arthur area. Opening at noon, Sunday, more than 500 vehicles and another 300 walk-ups were served by 4 p.m.

Another POD will open in Houston on Wednesday. Today, Convoy of Hope is working with local partners and actively assessing damage in Beaumont and Orange, Texas. Requests for help are also coming from Houma, Louisiana and nearby communities. We anticipate providing additional relief supplies to affected parts of Louisiana as well.

Donate Now!

More than 2.2 million homes remain without power. Some areas are predicted to remain without power for up to eight weeks. The strain and the pressure this puts on families is beyond measure. President Bush has declared 29 Texas counties major disaster areas. Hurricane Ike's area of impact is being compared to the size of New York State, affecting the fourth largest population center in the United States.

Your gifts, large or small, are what enable Convoy of Hope to respond.

To date, Convoy of Hope's Hurricane Ike response in Texas is as follows:
• Relief supplies distributed: 12 truckloads, 469,000 lbs., valued at $396,000
• Communities helped: Port Arthur, Houston

"Convoy of Hope relief teams are also on the ground in Haiti and Cuba, where thousands are receiving help," said Hal Donaldson, President of Convoy of Hope. "This is all being done on the heels of distributing $1 million worth of aid in Louisiana following Hurricane Gustav."

With ongoing hurricane relief efforts in Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica and the United States, you can best help by making cash donations to assist with our efforts here in the United States and around the world. Won't you extend your compassion to desperate people in the United States and around the world? By making a secure online donation,you are having a seven-fold impact on desperate, hurting families.

Corporate and private partnerships allow Convoy of Hope to multiply every donated dollar to about $7 of actual relief product; $6,000 can fill a tractor-trailer with relief product, serving upwards of 7,000 people.

Thank you for your compassion! Thank you for your efforts in helping hurting people around the world! Your donation will have an impact!

Leaving for Texas... "Ike" Has Hit Hard

2008-09-16T15:17:00.000-07:00

Diane Jacobson
OAKS Ministry
Christ the Rock Community Church
W6254 Hwy 10-114
Menasha, WI 54952

Once again the devastation of a hurricane (Ike) has affected countless lives in the Gulf Coast Region. As with hurricanes Katrina and Rita, I am being called through faith to assist in whatever way necessary. In my role as the National Disaster Relief Responder for Organized Acts of Kindness and Sacrifice (OAKS), I will be leaving for Texas within the week seeking to assist with the physical clean-up efforts and to minister to any and all victims that may be placed in my path. I will also be the eyes and ears for CTR OAKS Ministry leaders here in Menasha, WI. I am asked to discern how we as a church body and a community can come along side the victims and their community to aide in their recovery. Restoring hope is the beginning of restoring their lives.

I prayerfully ask for your support, be that with prayer and/or financial assistance. Please include me in your daily thoughts and prayers and if your feel called to support me financially, a tax deductible donation can be sent to CTR for my support. Gas gift cards are also welcome provided that they are able to be used throughout the country.

You may also know individuals who wish to help in some way, please share this letter with them.

I first and foremost appreciate your prayers for my health and safety and for all those in the Texas and Gulf Coast Region affected by this disaster. I thank you for you kindness and consideration.

God Bless!

A Stretch? Not For God!

2008-08-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

About 3 weeks ago I received a call from a woman who was looking for help for her sister. She mentioned the OAKS Ministry and who gave her the contact so as she began her request for help I saw no reason why we could not help her. It was to be moving her disabled sister from an apartment to another which was to be about 3 to 4 blocks away. Sounded pretty simple to me! As she talked she mentioned that she herself was from Texas and then when she said that her sister lived in Oklahoma....well.... that certainly brought some difficulty into the picture. I asked if she new she was calling to a Wisconsin number. Her answer was that she new it was out of state but was not sure where and how large our Ministry was. We talked for a while and I left her with saying that I would try to do what I could and made no promise to her yet left her hopeful that God would have his hand in this.

My next call was to Sean Kelly at CTR. I explained the story and and he said that he would send out an email to the Church Staff to see if anyone had a connection in the Oklahoma area. I told him that I was going to call some of the churches in her area to see if they might lend a hand. It was about 2 days later that I received an email from Sean stating that he himself had a friend that would ask her church for help in the Oklahoma City area. As you may have already guessed, they indeed wanted to lend a hand.

There are many times when we want to do God's work in what we see as a just a little thing, Satan wants to stick his head into the mix. Well, this time was no different!
When I tried to contact the lady who called me to let her know that her sister would get the help needed, the message on her phone was that she was not accepting calls at this time. I did not know what part of Texas she was from so I thought she may have been in the area where Hurricane Dolly came ashore an service to the area may have been interrupted. That ended up not being the case. She was my only contact to the sister other than having an address which I needed to search for the churches in her area. It was several days that the same message came up during which I was getting messages from Scott Young Life Church, anxiously waiting to meet the lady and plan the move. I told the Pastor of the dilemma and it was decided that he would send a couple of ladies from his church to knock on her door to let her know they were willing to help. No one came to the door so they thought maybe she was either resting or out so they left a note in her door. As it turns out she was at home but when she looked through peep hole they were unfamiliar to her so she did not open her door to them. Who could blame her!

When Scott emailed with this news we again tried to call the sister. The same thing... not accepting calls! It was the next day, which now over a week and a half has passed by since the first contact, I was able to leave a message. When she called me back I was told that what had happened was that her cell phone had been stolen so she had to suspend the service until she got her new one.

She was so excited to hear that Life Church was going to lend her sister the help needed but.... her sister was apprehensively concerned about her things and if there would be any damage to her items, were they insured? Once she was able to invite them in to go over the moving plans, her fears were lifted. Yes! The moving date is planned for the 15Th-16Th of August!

We really serve a Great God! Always keep in mind that whenever we do things in His name... He will guide the path and open the road for whatever we need! Just Trust Him!

Local Flooding

2008-07-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

We sometimes become so complacent with our lives that we think nothing unusual will happen to us. Natural disasters can strike anywhere and the residents of Oshkosh and FondDuLac found that out.

As I drove through he streets of FondDuLac it reminded me of the daily site I witnessed over the past three years of spending a great amount of time in the Gulf Coast. FondDuLac experienced what looked like a "Little Katrina". In comparison it what tiny but when you are the one who is throwing your belongings to the street, it is no different. When water comes in, nothing is spared, furniture, appliances, books, clothing, pictures.... this list is endless, but just picture what you store in your basement or if you live in a home without a basement... the loss is massive!
The stories were being told about neighbor helping neighbor, of strangers showing up to lend a hand. Love for one another being built through pain. Truly an amazing thing to see.

CTR OAKS Ministry volunteers and church members were able to assist with donations of food, water and much needed toweling. The faculty at Sabish Middle School in FondDuLac opened the doors to the school as a place to receive and give out clothing, shoes, linens, and other household items. We were able to assist them not only with donations but were able to come along side them assisting to organize. As people came in to pick up items, stories were pouring out. As I had experience in the South...people need to tell their story, just lending an ear is a great blessing.

Thank you to all the CTR volunteers who assisted and to all those who made donations.

God's Love is Shared When We Share Our Lives in Times of Need!

Why Are You Blessed?

2008-06-05T07:40:00.000-07:00

There are a few questions that we must ask ourselves daily however there is one that stands out to me most which is "Why am I Blessed?" We could come up with a number of wrong answers that we comfortably fit into our lives but the one true answer is that we are Blessed by God so that we can bless others. So many of us are so content with our lives that we take for granted our abilities to give blessings. You know, some blessings may be least often of the monetary nature although, there are times when that seems the easiest way and for many of us the most practical way to lend a hand and to honor God. In many situations such as natural disasters it is the best way to get aid to the people affected. Donations for the aide to Myanmar is one of those. I've just received a message from Convoy of Hope that I am going to insert here so you can see first hand what they are doing there.......

Dear friends:

We wanted to update you on our disaster relief efforts in China and Myanmar.

In Myanmar, we have implemented a 6-12 month emergency relief and recovery plan that includes shipments of food, water purification units, medicine, seeds, tents, fishing nets, boats and more. A long-term staging area for food and supplies has been established in Bangkok, Thailand. Your donations are making this full-scale response possible.

After clearing initial authority inspections, truckloads of supplies were sent to in-country partners. Upon arrival, these supplies were distributed to victims of the cyclone. Three large shipping containers, (approximately 120,000 lbs.) are currently en route to Myanmar, and several more are being staged for shipping. These containers are filled with protein-enriched rice casserole (donated by Feed My Starving Children of Minneapolis, Minn.) and other nonperishable food items and supplies.

In addition, Convoy of Hope has shipped 10,000 water purification units that will provide up to one year's supply of safe drinking water. Federal Express has generously donated the transportation of these life-saving devices along with five-gallon buckets, latex gloves, face masks, and more. An additional 5,000 water purification units have been ordered and will be supplied to an in country partner for distribution upon their arrival.

While continuing to respond in Myanmar, we are also working with partners on a response to the horrific earthquake in China. As the relief efforts there continue, Convoy of Hope has again teamed up with Federal Express to send a charter plane to China filled with latex gloves and N-95 Grade face masks. The items are key to the recovery and cleanup efforts being undertaken by the Chinese people. More shipments are planned. With the mounting death toll and extensive cleanup needs, we are committed to doing everything possible to relieve human suffering.

Your ongoing support is making a difference in the lives of the Myanmar and Chinese people. Please continue to help Convoy of Hope bring help and hope to the victims of these tragedies by donating to our International Relief Fund.

Sincerely,
Hal Donaldson

Christ The Rock Community Church, in Menasha, WI has had a long time relationship with Convoy of Hope and other relief organizations, they are actively receiving donations to send on to those who are on the ground in Myanmar. Prayer is something we can also give freely, so please include these disasters in your daily prayer list.

Closer to home there are needs that may be right next door so I am encouraging you to open you eyes to your surroundings and prepare to open your hearts to honor God by blessing others whenever there's a need.

Always remember that Christ dwells in you, glorify Him at all times!

The "Willing Workers" Answered The Call

2008-05-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

This National Holiday was a day to give back! We had nearly 30 people today come to help tear down more walls, discard of the materials, unload trailers into storage and to minister to this family in need.

CTR and OAKS is so very thankful for all the hands that were there to help. There was even a little girl who was celebrating her birthday who put on her gloves and pitched right in to help. Young and old and then some older... worked together sharing blessings.

You were all amazing.... I hope the pictures tell a great story. There are a couple of pictures that I would like for you to take note of. One is where you see John Slotten with his hand in the air, the couple next to him are Allan and Crystal the home owners. The other picture is that of two men walking toward the camera, this is Allan again with his brother Dave. I think it just helps to get a picture of those who we are in deep prayer for.

By the end of the week we should have the new trailer placed on the lot..Please keep praying about the foundation needs.

God Bless you all, whether you were able to come out to lend a hand or if you were able to pray for us and for those who so far have been very generous in giving financially to this project. We've all come together in HIS Great Name!

....And the Walls Keep Coming Down!

2008-05-24T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day for walls to be coming down! We had group of adults and some youth from Narrow Path working together to empty out, clean up and tear down the walls of the trailer in Black Creek. Some of us and prayerfully some new volunteers will be going back on Monday to go at it again.

The picures really say it all so i am keeping this short.

God Bless all the helpers today! You all did a Great job!

Black Creek Family Blessings

2008-05-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

The time has finally come for OAKS to move quickly to clear out the old trailer and prepare for the replacement trailer to be moved onto the property. There has been a lot of activity over the last week or so as you can see from the photos. But... there is still a lot of work needing to be done. Getting the remaining part of the trailer demolished is not the only thing, there is storage of belongings, a large wood pile that needs to be moved, two out buildings that need some clean up and the grass needs to be mowed. We are trying to bless this family in every way that we know how.

This Saturday and Monday are days that we could use all the help we can get, so if you haven't made plans for the Memorial Day Weekend then we have just the way that you can give of yourself and know that God is smiling down upon you. If this tugs at your heart at all, then please contact the OAKS Ministry at 920-751-8383. All information will be made available to you.

Keep watching for more throughout the week.

Nothing's Too Hard For God!

2008-04-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

Ms. Ollie's home was built in 6 days with the help of volunteers from 9 different states. Being part of this was again an amazing accomplishment. This home was the second of it's kind in the South Coast, headed up by Joe West from West Virginia. The tentative plan is to build another one or possibly two in October 2008.
The volunteers from CTR were the first official Oaks Global Team to take part in this type of build. I am praying that there will be many more to come. All it takes is to answer God's call and He has you be a part of changing a family's lives. The pictures below are not all inclusive but will show what can happen in just six days!

This home was built on "Faith", by people of "Faith" and was presented to a family of great "Faith"! The Praise and Glory is all given to God!

Tennessee added to "Tornado Alley"

2008-03-14T18:37:00.000-07:00

It's been quite some time since I was able to add some news to this BLOG. The Internet availability and cell phone services were not at the touch of a hand in the remote area of TN that I was in. The rolling hills are beautiful but were a real factor whenever I tried to get a call out. I was able to use the Cragfont Baptist Church dial-up on a couple of occasions. As for WIFI.... not available. You just learn to make due!

This area of TN has been added to the notorious "Tornado Alley"

The people of Castalian Springs, Cragfont Baptist Church are warm wonderful people. They became a Disaster Relief Center in full force at the onset of the tornado. Ginger, the church angel, kept an unbelievable vigil over the entire community of people who reached out for help. Miss Grace was relentless with cooking 3 meals a day for not only the volunteers but for anyone in the community who needed a meal and a kind word. She had a stream of ladies who volunteered serving. They were all appreciated, a special note of thanks to Miss June.

The food and clothes closets needed tender loving care with the endless supply of goods that came in from all over. I had the great pleasure in helping out and working with Miss Carla. My prayers are with all the people at Cragfont Baptist. A prayer request for all who read this is for this church to find a Pastor, they have not have a permanent Pastor for 4 years. God has continued to send then interim Pastors so they could remain connected.

The rest of today's entry is more like a report of what I experienced so far. There are more contacts that will be followed up on but this story is where God led me. Please pray for this family and all of those who experienced great losses. The death toll reached 33 on Thursday of this week.......

I arrived in Hartsville, Tennessee anxious to find out how the people were after a month of cleaning up after the tornado that took approximately 30 lives and left a path of destruction for several miles. The small community of Hartsville showed some damage but I was quickly made aware that the intense damage was more in the surrounding areas. Castalian Springs was one of those places, it is a small unincorporated town but believe me there is a great amount of people who know exactly where it is on the map due to the damage and lose of lives here. One of the most publicized reports was that of a mother whose life was taken in the storm and her young child was found in a field about 250 yards from where their home was ...alive. As of today, I was told that h was doing well in the hospital. Another story that was told to me was of an older couple who heard it coming, not buy warning signals, there are none, but by the sound of it's howl, took the only choice they had and lied in the hallway of their home and before they knew it the house was ripped away from around them. Here is the most intense part of their story....they were picked up and recall being inside the funnel, spinning around they woke up lying outside away from the hose very near to each other. They are both alive to tell their experience with some bone fractures. Is that incredible or what? God must surely have plans for them to tell a story like that to those who feel there isn't really a God, a God who can and does perform miracles!

If you have never been in this part of the Tennessee region you wouldn't know that there a rolling hills everywhere, there are homes on top of the hills and many homes in the valleys. What appears to have happened was that the majority of the damage and the total destruction of homes was more in the valleys. I for one was surprised by that, I thought the higher homes would have been leveled. As with many storms of this kind mobile home parks were hit very hard, I was given information that in the Lafayette community near here, there were at least 20 lives taken and most were in a particular mobile home park.
Volunteers and donations came pouring in to several of the towns that were hit. I have seen and heard of at least 5 places where there is some sort of Disaster Relief Centers set up. FEMA Command Center is stationed at the Castalia Springs Cragfont Baptist Church where I have been able to be housed and blessed to be able to be lending a hand. Their food and clothing closets are filled with donated supplies. They were blessed with a semi-trailer of furniture that was sent over from Virginia Beach. We surely live in a great country to have caring people take the lead to get supplies and other items to areas in such a timely way. Everything from toiletries, baby items, cleaning supplies to endless boxes of Russel Stoffer's boxed chocolates are just waiting for people to come pick up or call with a need so a delivery can be made.

I have been given a few names of people who our OAKS Ministry may be able to lend a hand to. I will be meeting with them throughout the week and send the information back to the CTR Pastors and Leaders. Last names and some details will remain private and only used at the digression of the Church leaders.

Here is one story...
Wayne, Rhonda and their young daughter were spared by the storm but have some needs for the damage done to their mobile type home. The home was shifted from its foundation, the roof was damaged, the end bedroom wall was opened up and clothing from that room was taken in the wind. Water damage has destroyed some of their personal belongings furniture and electrical wiring..
They had 3 contractors come in to estimate the repairs on this 1976 model. All of them said that it would cost more to repair it than to replace it. What their prayer is that with the $2,000 that FEMA issued them and from what ever they can put together, they would use it for a down payment on a newer used trailer.
The items that are needed are girls size 5-6 clothing, women's size 22-24 and men's size XXL. The Cragfont Baptist Church in Castalian Springs, TN has been able to provide some food and a few articles of clothing from their food and clothes closets.

The human interest part of their story is that Rhonda is a recovered crack addict who has adopted the daughter of her friend to prevent her from being placed in foster care. Rhonda herself was brought up in foster care and did not want this "crack baby" to be caught up in the system. She and her husband took her in at 2 weeks old and within 2 years was able to adopt her. She regards Katiesha as her reason to stay clean and Katiesha needs her parents just as much.

I prayerfully ask that you consider helping this family, whether it be in prayer support or financial assistance. If it is the latter please send it to CTR Community Church W6244 Hwy 10-114, Menasha, WI 54952 with a notation to OAKS TN Project.

Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.

She's Singing Praise to God

2008-03-03T05:47:00.000-08:00

This story of one of a lady (Melvinia) who since Aug. 29, 2005 has been on a roller coaster of immotions. Her home along with thousands of others was flooded buy the rath of Katrina. What makes her different in my life is that her home was the first home that a small team ( Larry and Patty, I know if you are reading this you will remember her) from CTR tore out and threw out much of her personal belongings. It was heart breaking for all of us.

It was the 2nd week in October of 2005 when in some ways we added to her stress level and in other ways we were there to give her a new beginning. We only had a day and a half to go through her entire home to throw out all the things that were damaged buy the storm and then tear out her drywall and insulation. The mound along the roadway in front of her home was massive, too difficult to imagine unless you were there. there were time throughout the day that we just needed to stop and give her time to collect herself from the overwhelming feeling of loss!

We got as much done as possible by Friday midday but had to leave. Melvinia was very thankful and as we all gathered for prayer she prayed for us as well. She never left my mind since that day.

On a return trip Patty and I were curious as to whether she was in her home but when we were not able to catch her at home. I llater found out that things just got too much for her and she went to stay with a sister in another state to try to bein to heal. It was in October of 2006 that I finally was able to catch her at home. I was again leaving to come home within days but was totally shocked that very little more that what we had done a year prior was done. She had no family to help her and was depressed living in the FEMA trailer so she decided to put here bed in and live in the house as is. Mind you there is no kitchen, no flooring, half walls, some rooms had no ceilings but she did have a working bath tub and comode. Her tub was also used for washing dishes. She ran electricity with extension cords so she could have lighting and use small appliances.

There was good news though, she was working again. You see along with loosing a good share of the personal belongings and much of the structure of her home, she lost her job. The casino she worked at was also destroyed by the storm. It was now re-built and she was working again.
bidding her good-bye again was not easy. I asked her to get her name on the lists of Relief Agencies to get her some help.

I was home for 3 months we spoke a few times so I knew that she was not helped yet. When I went back the list of homes that had prioity over hers seemed endless, but.... I stopped in to see her and she became my mission again. I pleaded with the leaders to get a team in to help her out. Finally in April of 2007, it was going to happen! A team from Christ The Rock came down and we were able to do some work again, trim was cut and installed in a few rooms and a much needed shed was assembled so she could free up some space in her home. Guess what... not done yet!!!! There was one last team from Iowa that was coming in before Convoy Relief Center was moving to New Orleans. The week was full of finishing touches for several homes, Mel's being one of them. At the end of the week, my heart ached again because as much as we tried, she was still not back into her home. Her case was sent over to another Relief Effort and we had to bid her a prayerful good-bye.

I have kept in touch with her and found that that agency, even after she contacted them never got back to her. She had to hire out and found that to be just another problem. It was not that Mel didn't have the funds to pay for materials, she just became a victum of countless unfortunate circumstances.

Take a minute and put yourself there... what would you be doing? Mel went through the up's and down's keeping faith that God was there and someday it would all be done.

This past month when Tony and Shirley Slaats from CTR were volunteering in Ocean Springs that I asked Shirley if she could check up on her. Shirley called me while she was there to get more details, which brings me to the conversation that I had just last night. Melvenia called be and the minute I heard her voice I knew that things were getting done. She had never sounded so full of joy! What she found that had happened was that her paper work was lost and once this contact was made... work could get done. She was beaming with thankfulness not only to me that I never forgot her but more importantly to God that she is being blessed. I can't wait to see her and her home when I get there later this month. Her roller coaster ride is nearly at the end and she is singing praises to God for all of it.

So often we let go of people thinking that everything is okay. Don't let go, always remember, God doesn't ever let go!

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will fulfill, his purpose for me; your love endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your hands.

Smiles From His Wheelchair

2008-02-24T19:13:00.000-08:00

Local Oaks Leader Dean Roddy was contacted a few months ago by a County agent and was asked if it was possible to help out a wheelchair bound man with advanced MS. The things that this man needed down were outside the guidelines that the county handles but they heard about The OAKS Mininstry.
Dean payed the man a visit and found that not only did he need some general help with clean-up but also needed some structural help with his home. This is also a mobile home ...can you imagine being confined to a wheelchair and then in some of the confinements of an older mobile home?

This man also has a teenage autistic daughter to care for.

Dean sent out a request and was able to get a team out there to help do some clean up. From there the structural needs still needed to be met. I soon found out that this man was a family acquaintance so I asked Dean if I could try to rally my family to his aid. I have a large family so I sent out the plight on our family website. Some of my sisters were quick to respond which was great and they will be a big help but what I needed was my brothers and I knew they were not the ones reading the site. I needed the builders (Ver Kuilen Builders to be specific)! I was able to contact them and because they were already building a home their time was limited, The OAKS Fund was used for the materials and in a day and 1/2 the structural part was completed. Mr G. was smiles from ear-to ear as he saw his home take on the needed changes. Now as soon as it warms up enough to open the windows, the drywall finishing can be done. That is where my sisters and I will come in, when I get back from the south we are planning to get it done and paint. We will also give the house a complete cleaning.

I love working with my Ministry family and this project brought an added dimension being able to have personal family step up to the need.

Psalm 138:8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever-- do not abandon the works of your hands.

God is in the House

2008-02-23T05:39:00.000-08:00

As I stated in the intro, OAKS Global responds to needs outside the 30 mile radius of Christ The Rock Community Church. In this case this family lives right outside that mile line.

It was in October of 2007 when a request to help this family of 6 who lived in a mobile home that seemed to have a re-occurring rat problem. At that time the young mother was 7 1/2 months pregnant with their 5th child, unable to work and the father was having some health problems that rendered him unable to work as well.

A request for some assistant to evaluate the cause was sent out to the vast and growing list of OAKS volunteers. As always an OAKS volunteer team went out to investigate and to minister to this couple. Several things came out of this initial visit such as the need for food for the family, countless repairs to the mobile home, general clean-up around the exterior of the home and to show them that God is always waiting to be welcomed in.

Their situation was already in the hands of County case workers so their names were given to some local organizations and corporations to see what additional assistant could occur. From there not only OAKS came to their aid, a group of employees from Kimberly-Clark Corp. took them on as their Thanksgiving and Christmas family. They blessed the family with food for both Holidays and gifts for the entire family for Christmas. Some members of the OAKS Team made weekly food delivery and ministry. The family began attending Church Services, God was moving in them in a big way. Just seeing how total strangers came along side them gave them reason to praise God. So you see...God is in the house!

Once the structural assessment was complete it was brought to the OAKS Task Team assigned to them through CTR. An effort to gain funding for a newer mobile home began and it was decided that an alternate living arrangement needed to be found as soon as possible. The new baby was now here so all the more reason for the urgency. I was able to speak to a local realtor who happened to have a suitable place for them. I know God orchestrated that as well.

On one of the coldest weekends in this Wisconsin winter another OAKS Team gathered to assist with the move. They got the move made in just a few hours. On that day and many days since people who have heard the story have been moved buy just knowing that there are people who do come along side those in need. There have been many opportunities to be a witness for God.

Were we are today with this is that there is a mobile home available to be moved onto the property, the cost for the home and the transport of it are above what was gathered but we are not letting that get in the way of moving forward because we serve a generous God and we know that all things are possible.

Psalm 145:16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

OAKS Introduction

2008-02-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is the first entry for this new blog. The OAKS (Organized Acts of Kindness and Sacrifice)Ministry was birthed out of Christ The Rock Community Church in Menasha, WI about one year ago with the vision that we are all called to help our neighbors no matter how small or large the need. At a local level it might be assisting with a move, giving someone a ride to church, or coming along side the entire community to eliminate poverty. There is nothing that God can't handle and as long as our focus is on Him. We will be able to meet countless needs giving praise to God our Father for all things in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. Christ the Rock Community Church is a non-denomonational Bible based church committed to living, loving and reaching out.

The Global branch of OAKS covers all areas outside a 30 mile radious of CTR with the vision to lead other churches through partnership and example on the path to meeting needs at all levels whether it be a natural disaster, fire or whatever.

There have been hundreds of volunteers from our church and the community deployed out from CTR to the devastated Gulf Coast Region. In January we responded to the tornado that occurred in Kenosha County, WI (a special thank you to Robby, who helped me bless the people there with needed supplies) and during the first week of March I will be heading to the southern states that were affected by several tornadoes. The path went through Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi leaving several areas in shambles and taking a number of lives. My mission is to evaluate the needs and report back to CTR with any immediate, short term and long term needs. The time frame of this evaluation and another building project in Gautier, MS should take approximately 4-6 weeks.

I prayerfully request your deepest prayers which will support all those involved in the OAKS Ministry and my personal involvement as a ministry leader. For those who would also like to make a financial, tax-deductable donation to either the OAKS Ministry or directly to my (D. Jacobson) needs, it can be sent to Christ The Rock Community Church, W6254 Hwy 10-114, Menasha, WI 54952 to the attention of the OAKS Ministry with a notation stating it's distribution.

I am committed to God first and formost. I am also committed to you by keeping this blog up to date with whatever information I find as I travel to make these assessments while witnessing God's word to as many people that He places in my path..

Phil 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.