MISSION TRIPS & INFO 2006/2007

2008-05-03T11:21:00.001-07:00

Getting the park ready for our guests!

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2008-04-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

Mr.Web

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Back From Kansas

2007-08-03T12:16:00.001-07:00

Four days of exploring the plains of Kansas and we still did not find Dorothy or Toto. Instead, we found a state full of disasters and damaged hearts. However, along with the devastation, we were able to find hope and an exciting opportunity to see and learn how individuals, churches, and organizations are responding to these disaster sites, and how we, North Shore Church, can offer hope and healing to victims of past and future disaster by shining the love of Christ and becoming involved in "first response disaster relief."

Our journey in Kansas consisted of exploring four different disaster sites, talking with and learning from a variety of different organizations that have responded to these disaster, and visiting a couple of friends and ice cream shops along the way. Our first stop was the little town of Osawatomie, which was hit by the flooding of two rivers on July 1st. We spent the morning driving around town, talking with some victims at a local diner, visiting a local church whose entire second floor has became a food pantry to assist flood victims, and learning from FEMA, the local fire station, salvation army, and a couple of other organizations about first response disaster relief. After learning as much as possible there, we headed south towards the Oklahoma border where we encountered two more towns, Coffeyville and Independence, which were also victims of the July 1st flood. However along with the flood waters, Coffeyville was covered with a layer of crude oil that spilt as the water rose and destroyed a large majority of the town. Homes, cars, trees, and everything else in the path of the flood was marked with crude oil lines. It looked like a ghost town. Because of the type of devastation around Coffeyville and Independence, relief/recovery is at a stand still. However, we were about to talk a little with FEMA, American Red Cross, and a couple of organizations about their response to the flooding.

The next day, we traveled west across the state to Greensburg. Greensburg, a rural town of about 1600, was hit on May 4th by a devastating tornado. As you enter into the town, it is hard to image that there was anything there before. The court house, a few cement slabs, broken trees, and FEMA tents was all we could see. James Bond, the program coordinator of Kansas Tornado Agency (I think that was the name), graciously came and gave us a tour of the town and informed us on the first response that took place and the future rebuilding plans for this devastated community. Greensburg is moving from the relief stage into the recovery stage, so we were able to see and learn from a variety of different organizations, what they did, and what they are going to do. We learned about necessity of disaster relief organizations working together and partner with one another in order to adequately respond and rebuild a disaster site.

Over all the trip was an amazing experience where we learned a ton, grew together, and now we are back home and our heads are hurting as we processing through what we learned and where God is leading North Shore in this First Response stuff. God is doing some amazing stuff in many different areas at North Shore. It's exciting! Continue to pray that as a community at North Shore that our eyes and our hearts would be open to where God is leading us. Also continue to keep the victims of the numerous disasters sites throughout our country in your prayers. Behind every crude stained home, smashed car, flooded business, and blown away home, is a soul, a child of God whose heart is also hurting.

"persecuted, but not abandon; struck down, but not destroyed" 2 Corinthians 4:9

2007-08-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

Just a sign

2007-08-02T16:28:00.001-07:00

Oil damage

2007-08-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

2007-08-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

Coffeyville, kansas. Flooded with an oil slick.

2007-08-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

2007-08-02T15:39:00.000-07:00

The real damage

2007-08-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

Devastating!

2007-08-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

Osawatomie site day 1

Letter from Buras La.

2007-07-23T07:09:00.000-07:00

This is a letter from one of our contact people in Buras- her name is Lynn-
Hey Pastor Chris,

I'm glad to hear your group is planning a return trip to Buras, the area can still use all the love it can get.

I'm wondering how your Mother's surgeries went, and hope this message finds everyone happy and well.

Below is a list of people who have endeared themselves to me, and I pass them along to you in case you're able to help them, 'cuz I'd like to if I could...

John Soileau is at 37389 Hwy 11, (right next door to Faith Temple and Pastor Jessye) has a dead tree on his lot he'd like taken down and removed. Its a smallish oak, I think. Anyway, he's 70some, and a good guy on Social Sec. He's also wanting to plant a satsuma tree planted over his septic tank so that no one drives over it. p: 985.855.7176

Poppy and Jane have been moved out of thier FEMA trailer at Cop City and someone donated them a green 1976 motor home that they're living out of across the street from the Black Velvet and the Buras Volunteer Fire Dept. They have their lot fixed up really cute. They're not going to rebuild, insurance is going to be just too high, but, they are hoping to recieve one of the FEMA trailers coming down from Arkansas (god knows when), and to build a deck out in front of it on top of the slab of their old foundation. She'd also like a green house as they're avid gardners. They've started an outdoor shower, but, Jane doesn't feel safe using it when Poppy's not home...its a fenced enclosure on three sides with the open end facing the back of their lot and shed, with some concrete bricks they plan to mortor in on the ground and a hose with a shower nozzle connected- with plans for brick benchwork in the back of it. They've been scavenging lumber, bricks, and windows for these projects for a while and have amassed a tidy heap of stuff. They're waiting until the FEMA home arrives, if it arrives, before getting a washing machine and dryer...now that EC's closed the only public laundromat between Venice and Belle Chase is in Port Sulphur with only 4 machines...its tied up all the time...most people drive to Belle Chase. I'm really hoping you can help them if you come down, the area is a lot better for the people they are and for them being there. Jane kinda' runs the show on the home front, her cell is: 601.447.1210

J.U. is another good guy, he grew up split between his strict grandmother who loved him immensely- and his father who owned and operated a dance hall with a whorehouse in the back. He seems always to be busting his ass the right way to get ahead...and all that history seems to work against him often times. I'm not sure where he's at currently with his rebuilding plans, but, his number is: 504.912.2383. I think he's in Sunrise, one town north of Buras.

AC is retired army, and a master mechanic. He and his wife Diane are waiting for their Road Home money to come through at which point they plan to relocate to Florida to be nearer a daughter there. In the meantime they have another daughter in Washington State with a granddaughter who is just coming out of treatment for Meth use, they're trying to bring them both down to Buras to live with them there until they either get them on their feet, or possibly I guess move them with them to Florida. They're currently in what looks like a FEMA trailer at the North end of Hwy 11, and they drive to Belle Chase to do their laundry. address: 129 Brown Lane 850.238.9559. Its not a rebuilding thing, and I know whole families live up in those tiny FEMA trailers, I just don't know how they do it...and I'm wondering how they'll manage if and when they get their daughter and granddaughter there. anyway, it'd be nice if you just dropped in to say hello.

Ed Wilkerson is just a nice guy caring for his elderly father who is a WWII Airforce vet, he never lets on that he needs anything, and he may not, but, I know after caring for my parents by myself that its a hell of job some days...and well, being in Buras I'm sure doesn't make it any easier. They are both delightful men. Ed's p: 504.274.7677

Amongst the many challenges People for Plaquemines is facing, funding is the major one. I'm finding that two years after the storm the general consensus outside the area is that if they haven't gotten it together by now, they never will...and inside the area we have the looming grey cloud of EC to overcome, not to mention we're a start-up. The Committee for Plaquemines Recovery, commonly referred to as CPR still isn't clear if its stepping out on its right or left foot...and is just tripping over itself in my opinion, and causing everyone else, including us to be "off-balanced". The United Way said they were behind us, but, after EC, its clear they're holding us at bay with a 10 foot pole.

The council woman's distaste for EC can not be understated, and she jammed up our permitting process to the point that now it can't be easily undone...even if now she feels we have an iota of good intention and the intestinal fortitude to go along with it. As a result we have to hire a professional architect to draft renovation plans for the site, have worked performed by licensed contractors (they're a dime a dozen in these parts) and the site has been declared overall unstable, flood plain elevations...blah,blah, blah, Pete's considering getting around it in what I deem various "back door" tactics, the main reason I got behind him is he's relentless, however, at this point I don't want to get muddied up in the process of his bulldozing around, and to top it off, CPR had put in their minutes that we're living together "out of a camper"...we're partners in the non-profit only...and that wasn't the only inaccuracy...and I'm not driving and paying the gas to Belle Chase and back for one more meeting in which nothing gets done, and not much is even recorded correctly, and so far they've done a better job at putting people into mobile homes due to the fact that they can't get their stuff together to build or rebuild the stick built ones. And I let fly at the last meeting, I was so put out with it all...and that, well, probably didn't really help us- because down here in the South a woman isn't supposed to say s*** for a mouthful of it...she's supposed to find a way to spit it out so its foil wrapped candy kisses...something I just never figured out how to do very well, I just don't have the patience for it.

As I see it, for me to stay and get this off the ground would mean me deciding to relocate to the area, and I'm not in love with the mosquito ridden, levy locked, sand bar enough to do that. I'm just not willing to fund Plaquemines recovery out of pocket...I'm willing to bust my tuckus for a year in order to get something churning that would help these folks get back on their feet, but, my basic expenses have got to be covered in the process- otherwise I just don't feel I can afford it. Pete's willing to put everything he's "got" into it, but, he honestly doesn't have a pot to piss in, he's using volunteers to gut two homes of a relatively wealthy business man in order to have a place to live and to house a few volunteers, with the idea that this business man "might" help P4P down the road..., in the meantime, he's worried that he might get evicted for housing the volunteers there...I'm just not comfortable with any of it right now on any front...and there's simply too many fronts. this is just a synopsis of the half-time highlights of late.

Anyway, probably a whole lot more than you wanted or needed to hear...needless to say, I'm frustrated and feeling thwarted, because I can see a whole lot to do, and a whole lot that needs doing, and I feel that the most effective thing I can do is to leave and try to raise funds for P4P and Pete someplace where I'm settled feeling. So, I'm going over to the Beaumont Texas area where I can help in the rebuilding efforts there and have a full hook-up for my RV and have some internet access all of which I don't currently enjoy in Buras. If that doesn't work out, although, I'm not foreseeing any reason why it shouldn't, the National Parks like RV'ing long-term volunteers...so there's options...
This has become an unintended novel...irish gift of gab I guess...anyway, glad to hear from you, thank you for all you do, and continue to do, and if I can help anyway from where ever I end up, let me know.

*´¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)(¸.•´ (¸.• Best, Lyn

2007-06-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

The keeper band

2007-06-16T08:01:00.000-07:00

Our house band rocking the keeper!

2007-06-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

Unloading food at metro ovtreach!

2007-06-14T15:12:00.001-07:00

Overloaded for jesus, 1600 bags of food!

2007-06-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

Food distribution!

2007-06-14T11:49:00.001-07:00

Clothes distribution!

URBAN-SUBURBAN MISSION TRIP! June 13-16

2007-06-07T05:11:00.000-07:00

Itinerary for Urban-Suburban Mission trip (June 13-16)

Wednesday June 13, 2007

Noon-6:00pm: Arrival and registration
Pilgrim Church & Scripts Park clean up

6:00-800pm: Dinner, Orientation, and free time

8:00-9:00pm: Street and compassion ministry training.

9:00-?: Hit the streets and intercessory prayer.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

9:00-10:00am Breakfast

10:00-11:00am Devotion and prayer (Meet in sanctuary)

11:00-4:00pm Work groups assigned
Pack bag lunches
Daily work areas

3:00-9:30pm DWO to sort food

10:00-11:00 Evening prayer and devotion

11:00-? Night street ministry

Friday, June 15, 2007
7:00-8:00am NSO to serve breakfast

8:00-noon Community prayer and flyer hand-out

12:00-1:00pm Lunch

1:00-4:00pm Work projects

4:00-6:00pm Dinner and free time

6:00-8:00pm Prayer and preparation for Saturday (Meet in sanctuary)

8:00-10:00pm Street ministry

Saturday, June 16,2007

6:00-7:00am Breakfast

7:00-9:00am Set up for Love Fest

9:00-3:00pm Love Fest

3:00-5:00pm Tear down and clean up

6:00pm Church service

Daily drive in trips with skilled labor needed in the following areas:

Carpenters
Painters
Physical labor (rakes, shovels, assorted gardening tools needed)

******

June 16^th Stage Schedule

9:30 Romulus Church Stewart Kerr

10:30 North Shore Bud Stade hstade3385@wideopenwest.com

11:30 King Solomon Trio

12:30 Damascus Road Bernie Long pfslong@hotmail.com

1:30 MBK Pastor Henry (313) 614-7167

2:30 Righteous Players

2007-02-28T17:58:00.001-08:00

Mike's job interview at cafe du monde!

2007-02-28T12:40:00.000-08:00

Cannot stay away from dirty dishes!

2007-02-24T15:02:00.000-08:00

Vineyard site

2007-02-24T10:26:00.000-08:00

We are close...

2007-02-09T09:04:00.001-08:00

Katrina drive at metro airport

2007-01-02T15:30:00.000-08:00

Lots of pastors!