Post from Another Blog. Out Here Hope Remains . . .

John a minister in Pascagouola, MS shares his thoughts after returning home after a few days away. Listen to what he has to say.

Still There
We made it back from Birmingham safely this evening. What a great time we had! We had the energy of over a thousand teenage believers joining their voices together in praise. We enjoyed staying in a beautiful hotel. We laughed and cried and made new friends. I saw old friends and even some blog friends! The preaching and singing had my spirit soaring!Tonight when I drove our church bus into the lot at the Central Church of Christ, I must confess there was a bit of a sinking feeling. It's still there. The needs are still there. The scattered vans from various places are still there. The tools and piles of supplies are still there. The people who are spending the night in the church building are still there.Please don't get me wrong. I rejoice in how God is using us. I am truly amazed and humbled by the grace that is being lavished upon us. I can't believe the workers who keep coming, and I continue to praise God for their compassionate hearts.Still there, though. The piles of rubble along the street tell me that homes are being gutted. The featureless white campers that line our lanes tell me that entire families are crammed into aluminum boxes and trying to live there. The makeshift stairs and porch landings on the campers tell me of the crippled and elderly who struggle to get into their government provided shelter. And the tears ... yes, they are still there. They are the gritty reality of people who's greatest wish for 2006 is to walk through the doors of their own home and sit down on their own chair and know that it is all over.Because of those of you who are coming, praying, sending supplies and money - that dream will be realized. I hope each of you is fully aware of what an incredible impact is being made when you serve the strangers of our community. It is hard work. It is exhausting work. But one day an elderly lady ... someone's grandmother ... will lay her gray head down at night on a pillow in her own bed and thank God for you. A child will climb up into his father's lap in a chair in thier den and he will not know to pray for you. His heart will simply be content that all is well again. In this effort to restore, we also hope that a good word for Jesus will take hold and heal the broken life even as we rebuild the broken walls.The workers are still there. The mission is still there. And so we return from the mountaintop to the valley. Even in the valley, His light shines and He carries us in His strong arms.

Amen! John has a sermon for us in his blog today. My prayers are with him today because he is still there!

May we seek to help change our community like John seeks to change his. . .

Buddy

Family Promise is coming. . .

The past ten weeks have flown by. Thanksgiving, Christmas and now the New Year are soon to be in the rear view mirror.

Our week to host family promise is the week of January 8th. We will need lots of volunteers to make this project a success. What a great way for us to make a difference one person at a time, by helping a few families at a time.

make a difference,

Buddy

Texas Fires, California Floods

The idea of catatrophic events unfolding around us makes me feel kind of strange. On the one hand I know that people's lives are changed because of these events. Life is never the same after one sustains great loss. However, because of this event these people are seeking a new normal for their lives. That's where the strange feeling comes in. Opportunity occurs for the void to be filled by Jesus and His love for them at this point. Strange feeling because I sit poised to minister when people's lives are upside down.

The strange feeling is ok for me to experience and for our team to experience. We don't just sit and wait for bad things to happen, we are busy trying to make preemptive strikes before the tragedy occurs. It is always better to have Jesus and God on board before the crisis.

I wanted to add a picture to today's post to remind us of a family that experienced God's love by using the Response Teams Hands. May god continue to bless each of you.

Buddy

Christmas Boxes. . .

It was my priviledge to deliver to a family yesterday. The family was a family of nine. It was a blended family with 7 kids who are spread out over a lot of geography except for the holidays. Dad had recently moved to Modesto because of work. Last week the company closed its doors still owing Dad a couple of pay checks. The family came to us via Red Cross duty officer Rod Booth. On Wed night they asked for a little food to get them through the holidays with the kids. After talking to them we huddled with others and collected funds to purchase a lot of food and presents for all the kids. When we brought the boxes in we filled their living room with gifts. The father a very muscular tattoed fellow buried his head in my shoulder sobbing with gratitude. Something got in my eyes and they started tearing up also.

Thank you God for letting me be your hands and heart in Modesto yesterday, it was an honor to serve for you. In Jesus Name -- - Amen

Buddy

Merry Christmas

I would like to wish any of our readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! The challenge of 2006 will be to continue to Respond with the love of Christ. Let us all dig deep and give of our time and energy to serve the one who given us an "indescribable gift." See 2 Corinthians 9:15!

later

Buddy

Spencer Ave.

Last night God allowed me to go on a Red Cross DAT Team call. A garage fire that displaced a family from their home. Thanks for your prayers! God has put me back on the playlist. The Red Cross is a great group to work with. A family displaced by a fire needs time to reassemble their lives and figure out the basics, like where they are going to live and how are they going to eat now that most of their food is going to ruin. The local Red Cross provides a few days in a motel and groceries from a local grocery store. What a relief for the family! It was affirming to help provide food and shelter in a time of need. Additionally and maybe more importantly the members of the team let the family know that people that do not know them care about them.

Buddy

Quote from Servants Unite Blog: Tammany Oaks Affiliate

"I don’t want to go back to church and dress up and everything be nice and pretty. What we’ve been doing here is real church, it’s getting dirty and helping people." --Angie G.

Maybe Angie has hit the nail on the head for me. I have been meloncholy since returning from Slidell and Bogulusa LA. Somehow, as Christmas approaches I dont have the spirit this year. Maybe it is the knowledge of knowing that there are hundreds of families still desperate about living conditions. It is hard to ignore the needs of fellow Christians and others at this time. But I recognize that this is an immense problem and I sit in Modesto without a plan to help even one more person in LA. I remain overwhelmed...I seek your prayers for God to grant me peace with this or have God kindle the fire with in me so that I will act on in some way.

I guess I want to experience real church. Church that seeks to bind up the broken hearted, Church that seeks to clothe the naked,Church that does not hesitate to give shelter to the homeless, Church that is willing to get dirty when the need arises!

Buddy

Christmas for Katrina

Here is a letter I recieved from Robert Machen, Please consider this giving opportunity:

Buddy

Dear Buddy,
Christmas for KatrinaHurricane Katrina has created a humanitarian crisis unseen in America since thegreat depression. The children of the affected region have especially sufferedgreat loss. In fact, Hilltop Rescue volunteers have had to remove thousands ofdamaged and mold- stained items from homes including toys, baseball cards, sportsitems, dolls, video games, clothes, trophies, books, crafts and much more. Thesepersonal, treasured items are gone forever. At Hilltop Rescue and Relief, we realize that this will be a particularlydifficult time of the year and the personal loss will be most evident. It’s aperfect time for us to put a few toys back into these children’s empty bedrooms. This will greatly assist in restoring hope in these families’ lives. We need your help! Over the next several weeks, we’ll be collecting “wish lists”from the children of Slidell, LA. Santa’s helpers will then shop, wrap anddeliver these gifts to the children. Our desire is that we can spendapproximately $50 per child to make this a very special Christmas. We employ you to join with us with this special project. You can donate in one of the followingways:(1) You and your family can donate one or more Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart, or Targetgift cards in denominations of $25. These cards should to be received byDecember 15th to expedite our shopping. Please send cards to the Hilltop Field Office at:Hilltop Rescue–Field Operations Center1241 MagnoliaSlidell, LA 70460(2) Click on this link: http://hilltoprescue.org/christmas.html and donate $50 for one child or any denomination that you feel appropriate. Please reference “Christmas Fund” in the “Message” area of the form. All of your tax-deductible donations to the Hilltop Christmas Fund will be usedspecifically for purchasing gifts, wrapping paper or other necessary costsrelated to this project. Thank you so much for being a part of Hilltop and participating in the Christmasfor Katrina project. We also ask that you take this opportunity to forward thismessage to all of your friends and family members, so they may also help thechildren of Southern Louisiana giving glory to God our Father, who hasimmeasurable compassion for these little ones. (Please read the attached messageby Ray Baca’s-Hilltop Volunteer)May God bless you and fill you completely this holiday season. Robert MachenExecutive Director.