Thursday, September 17, 2009

Servants Unite Status Update




"No tropical cyclones at this time." Not quite, but nearly the story of the summer. While there have been a couple storms in the Atlantic and Pacific and some localized flooding events this summer, the major events we usually respond to have just not occurred. We've just passed the anniversary of Katrina/Rita (has it really been 4 years?) and Hurricanes Gustov and Ike from a year ago our last official response. Remember when our power was still out and front yards were still full of tree limbs this time last year?

Cleanup is still underway for all of these events, but it seems most people who have been involved with Servants Unite have focused more on financial crises and other events that hit closer to home. Personally, I've been consulting (I'm an IT consultant when not doing disaster relief) and been blessed with a lot of time to get in better shape with my wife and spend some serious quality time with my kids. I hope God has blessed all of you with the same. A time of peace and reassurance.

Now I believe this current lull is only that. We live in a fallen world that is subject to all kinds of disaster. In the last 9 years we've seen just about everything. It terrifies me to think what God may be preparing us for with this respite and more healthful lifestyle he's helped me and some other ministry friends into this summer. When the next big thing comes along, I will be contacting you. Servants Unite will be spinning back up. And with all that we've learned in the last 4 years we'll be ever more able to shine the light of Christ on disaster victims and engage our friends, family, and neighbors in mission work.

Next month, October 2-13, I'll be on a mission trip with Westerville Christian Church to Zimbabwe. We'll be spreading the gospel to people who have never heard it. Apparently a bunch of white Americans can really draw a crowd there. We're also taking seeds, clothes, basketballs and soccer balls. We'll be building a home for the preacher of the church we've been supporting there as he is getting married during our visit. We're also setting up some basketball goals we shipped in a container last year. Should be a busy 8 days in country and a long haul out and back traveling.

Will you please pray for this trip and for me personally to be all God intends?

If you'd like a taste, you can take a tour of an African village with "Step Into Africa", a World Vision exhibit at Westerville Christian September 25-29. For more information on that, go to www.westerville-christian.org.

If you're rested and aching for some mission work. We do need to organize a fall and winter trip to Chalmette to build out the community center for The Gathering Christian Church plant. They have their building permit and are ready to build a house for God's people to work in a previously flooded out bowling alley. If you can help with this by taking a week off this fall for missions, especially if you have some handyman type skills, please let me know when you are available and we'll start planning a trip. You can email or call using the contact information at the top of the blog.

Servants Unite!

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