December 3 trip info

Hey teams:

Hope you are all getting ready for a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please take a moment and lets remember our friends in LA who have suffered through so much for the last 3 months. I realize the media has left the area and this makes us let them wander from our minds, but stop. Consider the devastation and know the efforts are ongoing. You can see current news at http:\\whereisawjesus.blogspot.com.

The teams are still demucking houses, mostly down in New Orleans. There is ongoing tree and clean up work. Right now they have a real need for individuals who are willing to drive their Penske straight trucks who will be able to feel good about helping to get supplies and needs out to other centers. Everyone cannot be in the midst of the destruction. Drivers are needed and valued. No special license is required. (Editor's note, from personal experience, this is a very rewarding and high impact task)

The relief team has purchased a warehouse with significant opportunities and property. Their dream is to build a dorm for housing volunteers, a kitchen and then have a warehouse for housing supplies in this effort as well as other disaster efforts. To accomplish this they need licensed tradesmen from the construction, plumbing, and electrical fields. They take possession of the building the first of Dec so our team on 12/3 could be integral in getting a jump-start on this God provided opportunity to serve others. If you have these skills please make sure you email me immediately so I can let them know you are coming.

Items we need for our trip 12\3

• Trucks and Trailers - I need to know if you have a truck that can tow a trailer down to LA with our team. If you have a trailer (preferably closed in) I need to know the size, hitch size, and type of electrical hook up (4 pin flat or round). I need two of these for this trip please help.
• Funds - we are still in need of $20,000 for funding our 6 trips. Please approach your business associates, your churches and your friends with this need. Checks can be made out to Spring Road COC Katrina fund.
• Personal Hygiene items - deodorant, shampoo, and the like
• Sheet sets - full and twin
• Towels and Washcloths

Toy Drive - There is a real need for toys for many of the kids from displaced families. They have little time to consider gifts or Christmas, as they are lucky if they have the opportunity to focus on getting back into their homes. We need a volunteer to step up and help coordinate and organize a toy drive. For the 12/3 trip see the where I saw Jesus site for items, ideas etc.

Book bags - I picked up over 750 book bags filled with supplies in Springfield from a church who collected them and had no way of getting them down to LA. If we can secure the trailers these will be going with us and can serve the children who will be returning to school after the break.

Please review and consider the above needs. Take an hour out of your week and call some people and spread the word. We cannot do this without you and our faith demands that we not forget those in LA and MS who have been through so much.

I look forward to hearing from you as we continue our efforts!!

(For a current, realistic view of the need that remains, this is a great story to read or listen to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5018068)

Licensed Construction Leads Needed Urgently!!

Like the larger more established relief organizations, Tammany Oaks is looking long term and expanding into some new space, a half finished building they are buying from another church. It is desperately needed to be a warehouse, dorm, kitchen and eating area, office, and indoor showers! Work must be completed by licensed tradesmen (checking on what that means in Louisiana and Mandeville) to pass inspection.

Obviously there are a lot of details to work out, but if there is any possibility that you would be able to help on this building during our Dec. 3, Dec. 26, or January 14 trips, please contact me about this special project. Contact info is on the right.

Here's the blog entry that speaks briefly about it. That entry also has a link to a powerpoint slideshow with more detail that explains what's happening and what's needed to get this thing operational in January.

John McGuire

Couple of Tidbits...

Those of us from Ohio, West Virginia, and North Carolina who've volunteered in Louisiana with this group have so many stories to tell and found so many places where we saw Christ working in the hurricane stricken area. You can share these with the greater population of volunteers who have been working through Tammany Oaks by mailing them to katrina_update.post@blogger.com. This blog has been available for a week or so at http://whereisawjesus.blogspot.com. WhereISawJesus is a great place to keep up on what is happening with the mission.

To further illustrate the need for volunteers, as stated in the news article I pointed out last week, large faith based groups are renting facilities planning a multiyear relief effort.

Some new pictures appeared on the sharing site this week (just found them today). These were taken by "Stacey" who I've inquired about further. I built a web gallery of her pics. There are two interesting subjects. They've been working in areas right by broken levies that really are apocalyptic scenes. Also, they've been distributing school and other supplies through schools. You can see an amazing flood of yellow shirts in this work. Her gallery (which says John McGuire at the top of the pages through some frustrating settings in Photoshop Elements) is at: http://www.therenos.com/katrinaPictures/stacey/Gallery/index.htm

More people are inquiring about going on trips. On December 3, just under three weeks away, we will see off the next group. Join us in praying for the Lord to send more harvesters to his field.