Wildfire update from June White at Hilltop Rescue

Dear Friends,

As you know from watching the news, the situation in Southern California is growing more desperate. We're now in the third day of seeing the images of homes burning and residents fleeing from the rapid fires sweeping through this region. The reports from churches in San Diego County indicate that there are countless brothers and sisters displaced and in a state of shock after abruptly being forced to leave their homes. Many do not know what will be left for them after the fires subside.

The fires have forced the evacuation of more than 350,000 houses, most of them in San Diego County. With the area's average household size of 2.6 people, that means the evacuation could encompass nearly one million people. It's basically a mass migration in San Diego County. Many of these families are lower income residents with limited means to start-over. The numbers are staggering.

This is our backyard.Southern California is the home of Hilltop Rescue. Just as many from this area responded to the hurricane Katrina relief efforts of the Gulf Coast, it's now time to set our sites on the broken lives here. Having a brother or sister available to lend a hand through this process will be a life giving eternal moment.

An assessment team will be working with local churches and communities to determine the best way to assist. Please visit our website as we'll update it with the latest information on the situation and our response. As a reminder our website is www.hilltoprescue.org.

Through your service and involvement with Hilltop you've come to know that the value of what we provide is labor, "strong backs" willing to assist with the recovery process. If you are willing to assist and help those needing to start over, please let us know by going to the Hilltop Rescue Website and volunteering for service. If you're not able to come and serve at this point, please consider donating to Hilltop and to enable others to come and serve in the recovery process.

Please pray for the fire victims of Southern California. May God bless the broken lives and use Hilltop in the process of recovery.

In Him,

June White
Director of Communications
Hilltop Rescue & Relief

Ohio Flooding and California Wildfire Relief Info

Couple updates for you all this week. There will be a need for volunteers in Northern Ohio for quite a while and this week’s rains may cause additional flooding in other areas. I’ll keep track, but please keep me posted of any needs you come upon that we should respond to.

Here’s an update from the Churches of Christ Disaster Response Team web site:

DRT is continuing to work with the church in Findlay, Ohio. We continue to purchase building material and household supplies for those without insurance. We are in need of skilled volunteers for the completion of sheetrock and flooring especially. Thousands of people are out of their houses and in need of assistance.

Their web address is www.churchesofchristdrt.org. You can feel free to contact them directly, or I can hook you up.

Hilltop Rescue is contemplating setting up operations in California for wildfire relief. We are very early in the process and it is not yet certain what organizations like ours can do in this type of disaster or how it will be accomplished. I’ll keep you posted and you can monitor www.hilltoprescue.org for more information. If you want to think this far ahead, round trip on Skybus to San Diego looks to be around $280 with a week advance, but some days are cheaper and a couple are more expensive.

I have a request to help roof a house in Gahanna from Cindy at New Life Church. The roof is leaking down a wall and some internal repairs may be required. The homeowner has materials, but needs assistance installing the new roof. This would be a good weekend job before the really cold weather hits. To volunteer, contact me, or Cindy Schmidt at (614) 475-8500.

There is a short notice, local work mailing list that I use to send all requests like this and short notice Habitat opportunities. If you’d like to be added to that list and get those extra notifications, please send me an email.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. -- 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

John McGuire
Servants Unite!