Friday, September 26, 2008
Prayer Requests for Mark Day
Mark flew to Houston today to help June White of Hilltop Rescue set up camp. Your prayers for Mark and our Hilltop partners are earnestly requested.
Ike Missing
After seeing the devastation and hearing of the lack of evacuation, I've been afraid we'd see this story emerge. The Houston Chronicle has posted a list of 331 people who have been reported as not seen since Hurricane Ike. http://www.chron.com/databases/ikemissing.html
From the home page of the data source:
From the home page of the data source:
The Laura Recovery Center is providing a hotline to report information on people missing as a result of Hurricane Ike. This data is actively shared with appropriate law enforcement agencies.
When using this data, please consider that things are still very confusing in the wake of Hurricance Ike. Some data may be inaccurate or incomplete. Please help us improve this data. We are updating and verifying the data as our resources allow.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Hilltop Rescue Release on the New Camps
Dear friends,
I'd like to introduce you to a family from South Louisiana. They are Cajun by birth, with a long and rich heritage of Louisiana traditions. They are a hard working family who enjoy the blessings of good Cajun cooking and the fellowship that goes with great food, good family and faithful friends. They've seen many hurricanes come and go through the years, yet they keep rebuilding their lives each time, refusing to leave the area. They recounted that, when the twin hurricanes Katrina and Rita roared through their homes three years ago, they found hope and help from some new friends at the Maplewood Church of Christ in Sulphur, LA. As I spoke with the matriarch of this family, tears formed in her eyes and a lump caught in her throat. Even after three years she still finds it a bit difficult to talk about the wonderful young people who came to her home to muck out the filth that Rita had left behind.
For the past three years this family has continued to rebuild. not just their homes, but their entire community. This past week we all stood side by side on the muddy floor of their son's home. He had completely remodeled it, tearing out walls and replacing them with beautiful wood columns, tongue-in-groove paneling, and a solid wood kitchen bar. It was coming along beautifully when Hurricane Gustav blew into town. Amazingly, they were all kept safe as that storm blew by the coast and tore into the inland areas around Baton Rouge. This proud Cajun family sighed a big sigh of relief, praying that God's mercy was available to those who were not so lucky. And then, a week later as Hurricane Ike headed into the Gulf, they all held their breath once more. With mixed emotions they watched as Ike headed for Texas, and they once again felt like they were safe. They had no idea that Ike's sheer size would drive a wedge of water into their homes once more.
We joined Brian Spicer, the minister of Maplewood Church of Christ in neighboring Sulphur, and arrived once more to see what aid could be provided. Proud, and putting on a bold face, we heard the shake in her voice and saw the tears in her eyes as she challenged her family to rise once more to the challenge of rebuilding their lives. Hilltop Rescue has heard her challenge, and recognized that her plea is echoed throughout Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas. As we begin the process of answering that call, we are praying that you also hear it. Are you willing to go into the heart of disaster, either in Louisiana or Texas? Are you ready to help change other's lives, and have your life changed in the process? Our new friends need you. Sign up today!! If you are unable to go, please consider a financial donation. And, above everything else, keep us all in your prayers. (This message was sent to me by Stan Cunningham, a member of Hilltop staff who spent 6 days driving in southern Louisiana and Texas to assess damage and talk to hurricane victims.)
Partnering with the Maplewood church in Sulphur and with the Clear Lake church of Christ in Houston, we are setting up two volunteer camps which will run at the same time. We are stepping out in faith that God will provide volunteers and supplies needed to keep both operations running. Our focus will be smaller communities where aid is not as available; and just like always, our priorities are the elderly, the handicapped and disabled, single mothers, and those without resources. There are many families like the one described above in need of help. Will you join with us in meeting this need?
Sincerely,
June White
Director of Communications
Hilltop Rescue & Relief
www.hilltoprescue.org
I'd like to introduce you to a family from South Louisiana. They are Cajun by birth, with a long and rich heritage of Louisiana traditions. They are a hard working family who enjoy the blessings of good Cajun cooking and the fellowship that goes with great food, good family and faithful friends. They've seen many hurricanes come and go through the years, yet they keep rebuilding their lives each time, refusing to leave the area. They recounted that, when the twin hurricanes Katrina and Rita roared through their homes three years ago, they found hope and help from some new friends at the Maplewood Church of Christ in Sulphur, LA. As I spoke with the matriarch of this family, tears formed in her eyes and a lump caught in her throat. Even after three years she still finds it a bit difficult to talk about the wonderful young people who came to her home to muck out the filth that Rita had left behind.
For the past three years this family has continued to rebuild. not just their homes, but their entire community. This past week we all stood side by side on the muddy floor of their son's home. He had completely remodeled it, tearing out walls and replacing them with beautiful wood columns, tongue-in-groove paneling, and a solid wood kitchen bar. It was coming along beautifully when Hurricane Gustav blew into town. Amazingly, they were all kept safe as that storm blew by the coast and tore into the inland areas around Baton Rouge. This proud Cajun family sighed a big sigh of relief, praying that God's mercy was available to those who were not so lucky. And then, a week later as Hurricane Ike headed into the Gulf, they all held their breath once more. With mixed emotions they watched as Ike headed for Texas, and they once again felt like they were safe. They had no idea that Ike's sheer size would drive a wedge of water into their homes once more.
We joined Brian Spicer, the minister of Maplewood Church of Christ in neighboring Sulphur, and arrived once more to see what aid could be provided. Proud, and putting on a bold face, we heard the shake in her voice and saw the tears in her eyes as she challenged her family to rise once more to the challenge of rebuilding their lives. Hilltop Rescue has heard her challenge, and recognized that her plea is echoed throughout Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas. As we begin the process of answering that call, we are praying that you also hear it. Are you willing to go into the heart of disaster, either in Louisiana or Texas? Are you ready to help change other's lives, and have your life changed in the process? Our new friends need you. Sign up today!! If you are unable to go, please consider a financial donation. And, above everything else, keep us all in your prayers. (This message was sent to me by Stan Cunningham, a member of Hilltop staff who spent 6 days driving in southern Louisiana and Texas to assess damage and talk to hurricane victims.)
Partnering with the Maplewood church in Sulphur and with the Clear Lake church of Christ in Houston, we are setting up two volunteer camps which will run at the same time. We are stepping out in faith that God will provide volunteers and supplies needed to keep both operations running. Our focus will be smaller communities where aid is not as available; and just like always, our priorities are the elderly, the handicapped and disabled, single mothers, and those without resources. There are many families like the one described above in need of help. Will you join with us in meeting this need?
Sincerely,
June White
Director of Communications
Hilltop Rescue & Relief
www.hilltoprescue.org
Monday, September 22, 2008
Time to Hit the Road!
If you’ve been following our survey results last week on the blog, you know we need to be responding to Hurricane Ike. If you haven’t you can get the details here. In short, this is no Katrina. People have food and water and a place to stay. Neighbors are helping neighbors. There is a large area of destruction though and outside volunteers will be essential to helping many start their recovery.
Now that most of us have power back and have taken care of Ike’s damage here, we are ready to send a team as early as this next Saturday morning, September 27, 2008. Our long time partners, Hilltop Rescue are setting up two camps to help cover the 200 miles of gulf shore affected by this storm. One between Houston Texas and Galveston at Clear Lake Church of Christ will be ready for volunteers Sunday evening. The other near Lake Charles Louisiana at the Maplewood Church of Christ will be ready for volunteers Monday, but it will be rougher accommodations to start out.
It’s time for Servants to Unite! Please find your part in the following list of needs
Donations may be made by mailing a check (please identify yourself in an accompanying note) to 5511 Copenhagen drive, Westerville, Ohio 43081, or using the Paypal link on the blog and web site. Servants Unite is a 501(c)3 non-profit which makes your donations tax deductible. 100% of donations will go to the care and feeding of volunteers working in the disaster zone. Primary expenses are fuel, food, vehicle rental, and support of our hosts’ expenses to have us.
Normal retail and other stores and restaurants are open in the areas where you will be staying. This is not the uncertain circumstance we went into right after Katrina. You will be staying in safe suburban neighborhoods. The people you will be working for will be extraordinarily grateful for your sacrifice of a small portion of your life for them in the name of our Lord. And just like those we’ve met in the New Orleans area, people are just ridiculously friendly and happy just to have someone listen to their story.
More information and updates as they are available.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
Now that most of us have power back and have taken care of Ike’s damage here, we are ready to send a team as early as this next Saturday morning, September 27, 2008. Our long time partners, Hilltop Rescue are setting up two camps to help cover the 200 miles of gulf shore affected by this storm. One between Houston Texas and Galveston at Clear Lake Church of Christ will be ready for volunteers Sunday evening. The other near Lake Charles Louisiana at the Maplewood Church of Christ will be ready for volunteers Monday, but it will be rougher accommodations to start out.
It’s time for Servants to Unite! Please find your part in the following list of needs
- Please forward this notice to your friends, family, and church family.
- Start organizing people you know would be interested in this opportunity and pick a date to join a team. To sign up or ask quesitons, email john@servantsunite.org.
- Consider donating to cover expenses, and talk to your church leadership and missions team about contributing to our financial needs of shipping people to Texas to work for a week.
- We have a special need for people with plumbing skills in Houston ASAP and people in Lake Charles with construction skills. This task is to help prepare facilities for volunteers who will be working there over the coming weeks.
- We need team leads to step forward and vehicles for teams to use.
- We need your prayers for the success of our mission, for the safety of our volunteers, and for the faith of those we are going to help.
- Teams will go every other week for the next 6 weeks and on demand after that.
- Ike team 1 September 27-October 5
- Ike team 2 October 11-October 19
- Ike team 3 October 25-November 2
- Special teams may be ran by request for special group circumstances.
Donations may be made by mailing a check (please identify yourself in an accompanying note) to 5511 Copenhagen drive, Westerville, Ohio 43081, or using the Paypal link on the blog and web site. Servants Unite is a 501(c)3 non-profit which makes your donations tax deductible. 100% of donations will go to the care and feeding of volunteers working in the disaster zone. Primary expenses are fuel, food, vehicle rental, and support of our hosts’ expenses to have us.
Normal retail and other stores and restaurants are open in the areas where you will be staying. This is not the uncertain circumstance we went into right after Katrina. You will be staying in safe suburban neighborhoods. The people you will be working for will be extraordinarily grateful for your sacrifice of a small portion of your life for them in the name of our Lord. And just like those we’ve met in the New Orleans area, people are just ridiculously friendly and happy just to have someone listen to their story.
More information and updates as they are available.
Servants Unite!
John McGuire
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)