Partners on Mission

Greetings!

We trust our update finds you well and walking in the Lord's strength. As you read this we included a paragraph about Virtual Volunteers. After reading it and the information on our web site, if you want to help, please let us know so we can provide contact information about a family you can contact. Thanks

The hurricane season is approaching once again. Please pray that the people of this region will be spared from the stress of the threats of hurricanes and tropical storms. Weather forecasters are predicting another "active" season, but then, they did last year as well. We know Who controls the winds and waves … so we look to Him as our refuge. Prov 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

Happenings on the Gulf

As you may already be aware, the Federal government has extended the period that residents may occupy FEMA trailers until March 2009. That's an additional 2 years. We trust that the people who live elsewhere understand the implication of that extension. There are no quick solutions to recovery … In an interview with MSNBC a local resident said “I just think everyone is tired, I don’t think anybody has a fight left in them.” Click this link to read the full story [http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com/2007/04/overview_story.html] I just read a report that pre-Katrina there were about 2800 apartments in Hancock County. Today there are about 325. The good news is that someone has started working on the apartments on Waveland Avenue that are behind the Circle K.

Have you ever felt like that when dealing with life? We meet so many residents are worn out from the work … and the stress of rebuilding their lives … The "American Dream" is to work, save, accumulate and then retire to a life of leisure. Imagine if you were 65 and you watched your plans wash out to sea, leaving you with nothing. We recently helped a couple like that. Through an administrative error, a month before Katrina, their insurance lapsed. They have spent the last 20 plus months trying to rebuild their home and their lives. They both have injured their vertebrae, the husband has a detached retina and was recently diagnosed with the early stages of leukemia - related to agent orange exposure. During the storm they were trapped on the second floor - the only one way to get to the main floor was under 10 feet of water! The wife has lived in fear of being trapped again. A case worker had asked that Martie and I meet with them to encourage them … both being very depressed. We did and then we got to see the Lord go to work. As we talked with them, they told us that they had talked with a number of volunteer groups. Promises to help were made, but never materialized. (One reason this happens is that the group doesn't have the volunteers to send …. Another is that they are not considered to be a high enough priority for one reason or another) Have you ever been talking to someone and your heart hears the Holy Spirit speaking to you at the same time? Well, that is what happened to us. What they needed was a set of stairs built outside to provide another means to evacuate. I agreed that I would provide the volunteers to do that. As we talked I told them about a book (the Purpose Driven Life) that we would be studying in the coming weeks and asked if they had read it. When I mentioned the author, Rick Warren, they told us that they had attended Saddleback when they lived in California. As it happened, that next month, a work team was coming from Saddleback for a week. We sent that team to build the stairs and encourage the couple. They accomplished both. You can see the stairs on the Volunteer Photo page of our web site [http://www.pathfindermission.org/volunteers.html] God's timing is always perfect.

Virtual Volunteers

In Exodus 17:8-13, Israel was fighting against the Amalekites. So long as Moses held the Lord's staff in the air, Israel prevailed. But his arms became weary so Aaron and Hur came along side him, pulled up a rock for Moses to sit on, and each held one of Moses' arms up. Israel defeated the Amalekites. That is a picture of the role of the "Church" here on the Gulf Coast. We are called to be Aarons and Hurs to hold up the arms of the people here so they might prevail in this battle. During the last 12 months we have met nearly 600 families in the Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pearlington area. It is not possible for the two of us to stay in contact with them all nor is it possible to have a persistent relationship with them. As a way of doing that we have initiated a project called "Virtual Volunteers". The concept is simply this. We are asking that folks who receive this update commit to call a family once a month to encourage them. It would be a time to pray with them, ask how they are doing with their home, tell them about activities at Pathfinder, and to talk about their evacuation plans in the event of another storm. When and if a storm is looming, you could call them to check on them. John Maxwell said "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." It's true. Your calling these folks would be a huge help to our ministry here. It is like multiplying ourselves. We would ask that you send us an e-mail after your talk with them to summarize their needs and let us know if there is anything that we can do to help them from our camp. To help you do that I have added a web page (http://www.pathfindermission.org/VirtualVolunteer.html) which explains this project in more detail and has a PDF form that you can fill out and email to us each month or whenever you contact "your family" here on the Gulf Coast.

So how do you get involved? If you are interested in helping please send us an e-mail. We will send contact information to you. In some cases, the phone numbers are no longer valid. In those instances, you can send a card or letter to let them know that you are praying for them and asking that they contact you by phone.

Pathfinder Mission

After much prayer and many discussions we have initiated the paperwork to make Pathfinder Mission a non-profit corporation in Mississippi. The incorporation will allow us to establish a formal relationship with the Mississippi Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), own property, apply for grants for residents from the National Relief Organizations (currently we go through other organizations to do that) and simplify our accounting. We will have 6 people on the board, all of whom have participated in meaningful ways with the hurricane recovery and with Pathfinder. We expect the incorporation to be completed later this month. The next step will be to request 501(c)3 status from the IRS. That can take up to 6 months but we expect it to be less than that. Until everything is in place (we will let you know when it is), please continue to send your financial support as you always have. Support for camp operations comes to Pathfinder Missions and personal support is sent to Gateway Baptist Church (our sending church). Our support needs will not change with the formalizing of our organizational status. We have been amazed and thankful at how the Lord has been providing for our needs through you all. Thank you give glory to God.

Prayer requests. (New and Updated Requests in Italics)

Martie. Martie met with her Neurologist yesterday. He called today and told her that she has two bulging disks in her lower spine. He wants to try medication before surgery. So we will be making another trip to Montgomery later this month for that treatment. Martie is in pain every day. She doesn't sleep well ... 5 out of 7 nights per week and must lie down for several hours during the day. If she has surgery it requires 30 days recovery which means we will need to find a place for her to stay in Montgomery that does not require traversing a lot of stairs. So, please be in prayer with us for her healing.

Craig. Continue to pray for Craig. He is struggling with drug addiction - crack cocaine and is ready for a life change. I have shared the Lord with him and prayed with him. Craig has moved back to New Orleans to work with his dad .... The latest word is that he is using drugs again.

Pastor Howard. Continue to pray for Pastor Gordon Howard and his wife Patricia. Pastor Howard's liver biopsy came back confirming that sclerosis had begun. He has Hepatitis "C" He will be taking medication for the next 48 weeks.

Pathfinder Mission. Continue to pray that the Lord will provide the resources we need for this ministry. Not just financial, but the volunteers as well. Currently we do not have many volunteers scheduled for May or June ... (Click Here to see our calendar)

40 Days of Purpose. Pray for the 40 Days of Purpose Campaign ... that there will be seeds planted and a harvest reaped ...
Pray for Kenny and his family. He is struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, as well as other issues. He is currently in VA rehab.

Sam and Marie. Pray for Marie and Sam. Sam is in his 70's, Marie in her 60's, working 40 to 50 hours per week to pay the bills. They aren't greeters at Wal-Mart ... they are washing dishes and serving food ... on their feet for hours at a time.

Tim and Alma Phillips. Pray for Alma and her husband. He had a heart attack while trying to remove a tree from his father's roof right after the storm. His health has been declining since. And that they will continue to come to our service on Saturday nights.

Lee Cunningham. Pray for Lee. He had a heart attack two weeks ago and will be evaluated at the Houston VA Medical Center in two weeks after the blood clot is dissolved.

Chet. Pray for Chet. He lives in a FEMA trailer park about 30 miles from any town which makes it difficult to find work. He wants to relocate nearer to Waveland/Bay St Louis so he can find work.

Rebuilding

I moved the information on the homes we are working on to the Web. It was making the e-mail too long. I plan to add pictures to the web page in the next few days. http://www.pathfindermission.org/Rebuild.html

Charley
Charley & Martie Elgin
Pathfinder Mission
Waveland, Mississippi
http://www.pathfindermission.org
Office: (228) 469-0507
Cell: (228) 493-1081
Isa 58:12…. you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

	Greetings! We trust our update finds you well and walking in the Lord's strength. As you read this we included a paragraph about Virtual Volunteers. After reading it and the information on our web site, if you want to help, please let us know so we can provide contact information about a family you can contact. Thanks The hurricane season is approaching once again. Please pray that the people of this region will be spared from the stress of the threats of hurricanes and tropical storms. Weather forecasters are predicting another "active" season, but then, they did last year as well. We know Who controls the winds and waves … so we look to Him as our refuge. Prov 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe. Happenings on the Gulf As you may already be aware, the Federal government has extended the period that residents may occupy FEMA trailers until March 2009. That's an additional 2 years. We trust that the people who live elsewhere understand the implication of that extension. There are no quick solutions to recovery … In an interview with MSNBC a local resident said “I just think everyone is tired, I don’t think anybody has a fight left in them.” Click this link to read the full story [http://risingfromruin.msnbc.com/2007/04/overview_story.html] I just read a report that pre-Katrina there were about 2800 apartments in Hancock County. Today there are about 325. The good news is that someone has started working on the apartments on Waveland Avenue that are behind the Circle K. Have you ever felt like that when dealing with life? We meet so many residents are worn out from the work … and the stress of rebuilding their lives … The "American Dream" is to work, save, accumulate and then retire to a life of leisure. Imagine if you were 65 and you watched your plans wash out to sea, leaving you with nothing. We recently helped a couple like that. Through an administrative error, a month before Katrina, their insurance lapsed. They have spent the last 20 plus months trying to rebuild their home and their lives. They both have injured their vertebrae, the husband has a detached retina and was recently diagnosed with the early stages of leukemia - related to agent orange exposure. During the storm they were trapped on the second floor - the only one way to get to the main floor was under 10 feet of water! The wife has lived in fear of being trapped again. A case worker had asked that Martie and I meet with them to encourage them … both being very depressed. We did and then we got to see the Lord go to work. As we talked with them, they told us that they had talked with a number of volunteer groups. Promises to help were made, but never materialized. (One reason this happens is that the group doesn't have the volunteers to send …. Another is that they are not considered to be a high enough priority for one reason or another) Have you ever been talking to someone and your heart hears the Holy Spirit speaking to you at the same time? Well, that is what happened to us. What they needed was a set of stairs built outside to provide another means to evacuate. I agreed that I would provide the volunteers to do that. As we talked I told them about a book (the Purpose Driven Life) that we would be studying in the coming weeks and asked if they had read it. When I mentioned the author, Rick Warren, they told us that they had attended Saddleback when they lived in California. As it happened, that next month, a work team was coming from Saddleback for a week. We sent that team to build the stairs and encourage the couple. They accomplished both. You can see the stairs on the Volunteer Photo page of our web site [http://www.pathfindermission.org/volunteers.html] God's timing is always perfect. Virtual Volunteers In Exodus 17:8-13, Israel was fighting against the Amalekites. So long as Moses held the Lord's staff in the air, Israel prevailed. But his arms became weary so Aaron and Hur came along side him, pulled up a rock for Moses to sit on, and each held one of Moses' arms up. Israel defeated the Amalekites. That is a picture of the role of the "Church" here on the Gulf Coast. We are called to be Aarons and Hurs to hold up the arms of the people here so they might prevail in this battle. During the last 12 months we have met nearly 600 families in the Waveland, Bay St. Louis, Pearlington area. It is not possible for the two of us to stay in contact with them all nor is it possible to have a persistent relationship with them. As a way of doing that we have initiated a project called "Virtual Volunteers". The concept is simply this. We are asking that folks who receive this update commit to call a family once a month to encourage them. It would be a time to pray with them, ask how they are doing with their home, tell them about activities at Pathfinder, and to talk about their evacuation plans in the event of another storm. When and if a storm is looming, you could call them to check on them. John Maxwell said "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." It's true. Your calling these folks would be a huge help to our ministry here. It is like multiplying ourselves. We would ask that you send us an e-mail after your talk with them to summarize their needs and let us know if there is anything that we can do to help them from our camp. To help you do that I have added a web page (http://www.pathfindermission.org/VirtualVolunteer.html) which explains this project in more detail and has a PDF form that you can fill out and email to us each month or whenever you contact "your family" here on the Gulf Coast. So how do you get involved? If you are interested in helping please send us an e-mail. We will send contact information to you. In some cases, the phone numbers are no longer valid. In those instances, you can send a card or letter to let them know that you are praying for them and asking that they contact you by phone. Pathfinder Mission After much prayer and many discussions we have initiated the paperwork to make Pathfinder Mission a non-profit corporation in Mississippi. The incorporation will allow us to establish a formal relationship with the Mississippi Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD), own property, apply for grants for residents from the National Relief Organizations (currently we go through other organizations to do that) and simplify our accounting. We will have 6 people on the board, all of whom have participated in meaningful ways with the hurricane recovery and with Pathfinder. We expect the incorporation to be completed later this month. The next step will be to request 501(c)3 status from the IRS. That can take up to 6 months but we expect it to be less than that. Until everything is in place (we will let you know when it is), please continue to send your financial support as you always have. Support for camp operations comes to Pathfinder Missions and personal support is sent to Gateway Baptist Church (our sending church). Our support needs will not change with the formalizing of our organizational status. We have been amazed and thankful at how the Lord has been providing for our needs through you all. Thank you give glory to God. Prayer requests. (New and Updated Requests in Italics) Martie. Martie met with her Neurologist yesterday. He called today and told her that she has two bulging disks in her lower spine. He wants to try medication before surgery. So we will be making another trip to Montgomery later this month for that treatment. Martie is in pain every day. She doesn't sleep well ... 5 out of 7 nights per week and must lie down for several hours during the day. If she has surgery it requires 30 days recovery which means we will need to find a place for her to stay in Montgomery that does not require traversing a lot of stairs. So, please be in prayer with us for her healing. Craig. Continue to pray for Craig. He is struggling with drug addiction - crack cocaine and is ready for a life change. I have shared the Lord with him and prayed with him. Craig has moved back to New Orleans to work with his dad .... The latest word is that he is using drugs again. Pastor Howard. Continue to pray for Pastor Gordon Howard and his wife Patricia. Pastor Howard's liver biopsy came back confirming that sclerosis had begun. He has Hepatitis "C" He will be taking medication for the next 48 weeks. Pathfinder Mission. Continue to pray that the Lord will provide the resources we need for this ministry. Not just financial, but the volunteers as well. Currently we do not have many volunteers scheduled for May or June ... (Click Here to see our calendar) 40 Days of Purpose. Pray for the 40 Days of Purpose Campaign ... that there will be seeds planted and a harvest reaped ... Pray for Kenny and his family. He is struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, as well as other issues. He is currently in VA rehab. Sam and Marie. Pray for Marie and Sam. Sam is in his 70's, Marie in her 60's, working 40 to 50 hours per week to pay the bills. They aren't greeters at Wal-Mart ... they are washing dishes and serving food ... on their feet for hours at a time. Tim and Alma Phillips. Pray for Alma and her husband. He had a heart attack while trying to remove a tree from his father's roof right after the storm. His health has been declining since. And that they will continue to come to our service on Saturday nights. Lee Cunningham. Pray for Lee. He had a heart attack two weeks ago and will be evaluated at the Houston VA Medical Center in two weeks after the blood clot is dissolved. Chet. Pray for Chet. He lives in a FEMA trailer park about 30 miles from any town which makes it difficult to find work. He wants to relocate nearer to Waveland/Bay St Louis so he can find work. Rebuilding I moved the information on the homes we are working on to the Web. It was making the e-mail too long. I plan to add pictures to the web page in the next few days. http://www.pathfindermission.org/Rebuild.html Charley Charley & Martie Elgin Pathfinder Mission Waveland, Mississippi http://www.pathfindermission.org Office: (228) 469-0507 Cell: (228) 493-1081 Isa 58:12…. you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.

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	228-469-0507

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