Riverbank Apatment Fire. . .

A fire occured early Monday morning and left 8 families without a home in Riverbank. Team Red has risen to the occasion. We helped set up the Shelter at the Riverbank Community Center and staffed it last night for the American Red Cross. We will staff it again tonight and try to staff it Thursday night also. The shelter is set to close on Friday morning. Additionally, other members of the team cooked breakfast this morning. It is a great to be out in our own community doing good work for God! Pray for the folks to find new housing soon. Pray aso that we will continue to be allowed to work with the Red Cross in this capacity.

make a difference for God today,

Buddy

Response Team Info . . .

The American Red Cross has canceled the drill in Visalia for the weekend of March 17th. I appreciate all who have voluntered to go.

We were called last night to be the shelter staff at the Keyes Hazmat incident from Friday afternoon. We were able torespond with four willing all night people. Thanks to Jim and Jackie Cole along with Peggy Martin for responding to make a difference for God in our community. Our team staffed the shelter from 10 pm to 8 am. It was great even though no one took advantage of it.

The ERV will be up and running later this week. I can't wait for us to take it out for some local mission work. The Red Cross called for us to bring it out this week to the hazmat incident because their ERV too was in the Shop. Maybe next time.

If you are willing to staff the ERV for future canteen events at critical incidents please let me know. Otherwise I will start at the top of the list and work down when we need responders.

I am still trying to firm up dates to go to Slidell, it looks like it will be the weekend starting on Good Friday and returning the following Friday or Saturday. I will firm this up next week and then see who wants to go

Thanks for your interest,

Buddy

A Moving Story . . .

This morning the church helped a family move from one hotel to another. Homelessness is a hard. The father spent last week in training classes for a job that was supposed to pay 1600 per month. The catch after a week was it was a commission only vacuum cleaner sales job. Many companies prey on these folks with offers that sound too good to be true and often are. Forty hours of classroom, a family of four with no income for another week. A vacuum cleaner company with a new list of leads . . . The mom and Kids attended church with us on Sunday and the mom was captivated as Mike talked about pruning. John 15 is an awesome story about how God works on us. Pray for this family to start to flourish as God works on them. The kids ages 4 and 5 enjoyed Class and Bible Hour, I hope we can continue working with them.

God is awesome !

pray that we will make a difference as we minister,

Buddy

Desparate... Stories from Central C of C Pascogoula MS

The word of the day is 'desperate' ... and I think it's going to be that way for a very long time. I spent some time talking with some people today who really touched my heart.There was the lady who sat in the chair at the end of the table. The tale she related was not so unique, but her broken heart just crushed me. She sat with an endless supply of tears as she related the first days after the storm having no where to stay. With her first FEMA check she bought a tent for her family to live in. Her in-laws, who had an undamaged home, would not let her family live with them. The agencies that she thought ought to be able to help them turned a deaf ear to her needs. She has a FEMA camper now ... but here she sits ... nearly five months after the storm ... and she is desperate. Her flooded car barely runs. She has turned to every resource she knows and has come up empty. We gave her some food, an electric heater, a bunch of clothes that she picked out, and one of the workers from Pennsylania encouraged her to give her life to the Lord. While I was meeting with someone else, she left ... but she asked someone to tell me 'thank you'. We did so little for her, but she did have the chance to tell her story.Another lady got a nice check from FEMA. She also lived in a tent for a while after the storm. She had surgery on the back of her neck right before the storm. Now it is still giving her pain. Her check looks like a big amount, but once you spend a huge amount of money to secure a rare rent house, buy a few rooms of furniture and some clothing, and pay your bills, there isn't much left. She has bed frames for her children but no mattresses or boxsprings. She wouldn't ask for a bed for herself. Just for her children. We will help them soon. The look on her face tells me she is desperate.A couple has been staying at the building the past few days. We first met them a few months ago. She needed a coat, so we gave her one. They were displaced from New Orleans, had been flown to Idaho, and were back down on the Coast. They thought they could make it, but life has a way of beating you down when you're desperate. Very down on their luck, but willing to work, we allowed them to stay in our building. She is 42, pregnant with their first child - a very unexpected child. Today they got a job in Texas and we gave them a tank of gas and some food and sent them on their way. (Side Note: an unsaved person in another state sent some money in a sealed envelope via one of the Hope Missions guys. It was given to me today and I was told that I would find a good place for it. That was about 30 minutes before this couple needed a tank of gas and some food. God's timing is impeccable.)On the phone an elderly voice said, "I'm disabled and I need help with my home. I'm desperate."A lady in her FEMA camper has been off of drugs for two weeks, but the look on her face tells me it is the struggle of her life.A young couple has not touched their home. They still live in it as if everything is OK. They have a FEMA camper in their driveway, but do not want to live in it. In their world they are desperate and do not know it.Sometimes I feel desperate when I think about all of the needs in our area, and the most overwhelming of circumstances that afflicts people who cannot help themselves.But there were flashes of grace today in all of the desperation.Chris Lockhart came over today and accompanied me on visits, lunch, and the new coffee shop in town. He is a great encourager ... and a superb listener.The Hope Missions group planted a living gift in our church yard today. We will always remember them.The group from Pennsylvania (Hope Missions) had a final devotional tonight. All thirty of them each got up and offered a brief testimonial to what the week has meant to them. Common among the comments were things like, "we were the ones who were blessed" and "this is the best week I ever spent in my life."And then Robbie expressed his desire to be more than just someone hanging around the building - he wanted to be a part of the church. So tonight he was baptized into Jesus Christ, amidst great celebration.Out of the desperation, God's grace arises in the beauty of new birth and brotherhood. Below, Robbie smiles a brand new smile!

Energy Buidling

I am excited about all the work God has placed at our feet. The churches of Christ and many faith based groups continue to do a large amount of good works for God because of the good works put in progress after Katrina. In addition to our regular around town work it appears that there is opportunity for us in other places in California and the United States.
The Red Cross is having a drill the weekend of March 17th. Jim Money has asked to cook for the operation simualtion. If you can be a part of this please let me know you are interested. We have a lot of work to do on the revamping of the equipment out in the storage yard.
I also would like to toss out the idea of a trip to Slidell for Easter Break/ Spring Break. New Orleans still has a lot of opportunity available for us. Again If you are interested let me know.

make a difference for Christ,

Buddy

Family Promise . . .

A few hours after my last post we had a turn of events . Two of the children had a scuffle(brothers), one of them could not let it go. His rage would not subside. Unfortunatley the network had to exit the family from the program. The family will have some post exit counselling and assistance from the network.

Life is messy. People and families have problems. Taking care of families in crisis is hard work and not without risk. Remember, where there is risk there is reward. God has blessed us with a great opportunity to serve him.

This morning two of the small children cried before leaving. It was cute. They refused to get in the van, one of them cried out and said they did not want to leave, they liked it at Davis Park. Who would want to leave a bunch of loving caring people?

make a difference,

Buddy

Family Promise Update. . .

It has been an uneventful week with the Family Promise guests at the church. We have had two families all week long. Both are unique in their own way. The children have been a joy to have in the building. I appreciate our volunteer corps who have been serving throughout this project. I know that this stretches many of us. Sleeping at the building is outside our normal routine, especially when there are nine other people in the building with you and you do not know them very well. The food has been good all week long, I appreciate everyone who has been involved in the food process. Today we will recieve 5 new guests into the program. Tonite we will have nine children and 5 adults as our guests. It is exciting for God to allow us to do His work.
Sunday the guests will move to a church in Ripon for the next week. The building will be quieter at night, however, I think I will miss the laughter of the children. In ten weeks they will be back . . .

make a difference

Buddy

Pic from Hilltop volunteer in Chalmette - January 9, 2006

I found this picture at a Hiltop volunteers blog. The ADT van is still on a house 4 months later. Hard for me to comprehend. . . the amount of damage there, even though I have been there.

Buddy

Poem by Lucie, a Hilltop Volunteer . . .

Lucie a volunteer at Hilltop penned these words after going to St. Bernard Parish the other day.

There wasn't a bird in the sky;
no children laughing;
no cars running;
no train whistles;
no dogs barking;
no cats meowing;
no lawn mowers running;
no one washing their car;
no TV,
or radio;
no music;
no sirens;
no fire engines blaring;
no one talking;
no sound at all.......

Katrina won't let go. . . 4 months later . . .

pray for Hilltop and its volunteers,

make a difference

Buddy

New Link added. . .

Notice the new link added. Out Here Hope Remains. Go there and read today's post

Buddy

How to evaluate success of a Church . . .

Charles Roesel (68) pastors First Baptist Church of Leesburg, FL., was recently profiled in "World" on August 20, 2005.Roesel says, "For too long we've evaluated a church by how many people stream in the front door on a Sunday...Evaluate a church by how many people serve the Lord Jesus by serving the hurting all week long."

make a difference,

Buddy

A New Year. . .

Some would say that it is good that 2005 is behind us, some would say Good Riddance to what seemed like endless tragedies lined up back to back. I guess I am glad that we have a new year to work with, but not because of the bad that happened last year. I like the idea of a fresh start. Approach the tragedies from another angle. Look at all the good that has happened because of the tsunami and hurricane season. People who would not have thought about it before have taken a leap of faith to respond to people in crisis. How great is that! Many people left the comfort zone of home and spent time in tents. Many people at home helped raise funds for others to go the hot zone. I feel renewed starting a new year . . . I am excited to move forward with more opportunities to respond.

let us all continue to make a difference,

Buddy

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.