Partners on Mission

Greetings Friends!

Martie and I trust that this e-mail finds you well, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The Christmas season is a great time of the year, isn't it? It's a time that we celebrate the incarnation of our Savior - Jesus and a time for us to gather with family and friends. We pray that during this season you will be refreshed and encouraged in all of your relationships.

Speaking of Christmas, I was listening to a news program the other day where they were discussing whether it was appropriate to wish someone Merry Christmas verses Happy Holidays. At first I was amazed they were using valuable air time to discuss something so trivial. But as I listened, I realized it wasn't a joke, they were serious. It reminded me see just how far our culture has moved away from Biblical values. It also stressed the importance of the Church being salt and light in the midst of the culture we live in. Jesus said we are to be a light on a hill ... Matt 5:14-16 ¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

It's a wake up call folks ... Our culture needs to see the light of Christ that shines in each one of us. The people here on the Gulf Coast have seen it ... They have seen the Church in action, showing unconditional love and sacrifice. How about the people in your neighborhood or city? We don't have to look far to see the need. We pray the the Lord will open the eyes of your hearts to see ....

Matt 25:34-40 ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

I was just looking at the Christmas Cards hanging on the wall of our trailer and thinking about how the Lord has blessed us with so many new friendships over the past months. People who are very dear to us that we would not have met had we not been on the Gulf Coast. We are so fortunate and blessed. God is Good ....

Pod Ministry

As I have indicated to you in the past, the Pod ministry is about come to an end. We have about 15 pods remaining at the camp, built and ready to go. They are all committed to families ... we are waiting for volunteers to help us deliver them. We delivered several Pods last week. I wanted to share two stories about people we met with you. I won't use the people's real names.

We delivered a pod to "Bob". He lives near the Lakeshore area which is not near a lake but a bayou. I called Bob to tell him that we would be delivering a pod and would he let his wife know. He told me that his wife had shot herself the week prior but he would like us to bring the pod anyway. When we delivered the Pod we talked at length with Bob. It seems his wife had showed no signs of depression. He came home one day and found her lying in the hall way, fatally wounded. Please pray for Bob. A local church is ministering to him. We plan to stay in touch with him as well. So many people here are struggling with depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That is not something you necessarily see in a 15 minute encounter when they come to the camp, but as you talk and pray with them, they open their hearts and you see and feel the great pain and struggle.

Mary lives about 10 minutes from the camp. Her FEMA trailer is sitting on an empty slab the was once her mother's home. When we delivered a pod to "Mary", she introduced us to her sister. It seems a few months after the storm, Mary's husband left her, so Mary moved in with her sister. Her sister's husband then left her so they moved in with their mother. As I prayed with Mary and her sister, they were both sobbing. Friends, this is a hard place ... people are hurting ... struggling with tremendous financial, emotional and spiritual hardships.

Rebuilding

We are working on four homes right now.

Heidelberg Home. Bell South Pioneers have sponsored this family and has the home very near completion. The owner is a single mom with two children in school.

Harris Home. The home owner is a elderly woman. Demotte volunteers replaced the external doors and windows. Orlando volunteers installed the hurricane straps. (Hurricane straps are metal straps that are nailed on every framing stud on exterior walls. The straps are nailed to the top and bottom plates ... two straps per stud. In most homes there are over a hundred studs on the exterior walls.) Next week, volunteers from Thorsby, AL will install the HVAC system. We need volunteers to help with the rough in plumbing, insulation, and sheetrock.

Gillum Home. The home owners are a couple who attend Little Zion. Victorville, CA volunteers repaired the roof, installed the hurricane straps, installed the windows and doors, and rewired the electrical system that other volunteers (not ours) had installed ( yes, there are times when volunteers do it wrong. The key is to not cause a negative impact on the home owner's finances ... so if we do it wrong, we will pay to fix it.) The next phase includes rough-in plumbing, insulation, and sheetrock.

Davis Home. Orlando, FL volunteers and AmeriCorps teams, along with Vicksburg, MS volunteers hung sheetrock. They need plumbing help. Volunteers from Eclectic, AL will be installing cabinets in about 4 weeks.

We are helping homes as well, but not to the extent that we are with these families.

8 Days of Hope volunteers are on the Gulf Coast for 8 days ( you are thinking Duh!). They will be here until the 22nd of this month. They are like fire ants swarming over the homes. What a blessing.

Computer Classes

Our first computer class has gone well, Introduction to the Internet and Web Mail. A friend from Faulkner University in Montgomery is sending the lesson plans and handouts for classes in Excel and Word which we will teach after the first of the year.

40 Days of Purpose.

We have received materials from several churches to help us with this teaching emphasis. I am reviewing the materials and preparing to lead the 40 Days of Purpose. As you know we don't have a "physical" congregation. We have been giving Purpose Driven Life books to the folks who receive Pods for the past two months. We plan to contact them and others who have received Pods but no book and invite them to Pathfinder. Please pray that the Lord will use this time to draw unbelievers to Him and to encourage the saints.

Celebrate Recovery.

Starting next month, Jerry Wells will be coming to Pathfinder on a regular basis to help us establish this much needed outreach ministry. Celebrate recovery is a ministry the addresses "hurts, habits, and hang-ups". I was reading the local paper this morning, and noticed a question in the "Sound Off" section asking about help with tobacco/nicotine addiction. They wanted to know if there was a support group for people who are quitting. Although this may seem like a "tame" issue when compared to drug and alcohol addictions ... it isn't to the person who is trying to quit. Check out this web site if you want to know more about the Celebrate Recovery ministry.

Our House

We are making steady progress thanks to our friends. This past week Tony Dell, from Orlando, and I have been working on the sheetrock, hanging it and doing the taping and mudding/texture. It does not appear to be one of my spiritual gifts, so I don't plan to quit my day job :0). We bought the paint yesterday and will be painting next week. We already have the flooring and cabinets on site. Robert and Sue Lumpkin are going to install the cabinets next week and folks from the Starkville, MS area will help us with the flooring. This experience has really helped us understand the decisions and challenges that every home owner in this area faces as they struggle to rebuild.

I guess that is about it for now. The Lord has been gracious to us this year. Please pray that He will continue to provide for us, personally, and for Pathfinder Mission operations. If you would like to support our ministry I have included the information below.

Personal support

Make the check out to Gateway Baptist Church - Katrina Mission, Include a note indicating that it is for Charley and Martie

Mail the check to the following address

Gateway Baptist Church

3300 Bell Road

Montgomery, AL 36116

Camp Operations

Make the check out to Pathfinder Mission. If you want to designate it for a specific purpose, e.g., building materials, include a note indicating that.

Mail the check to the following address

Pathfinder Mission

P.O. Box 3313

Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520

Martie and I want to thank all who have supported this ministry financially, prayerfully and/or by volunteering during the past year. It's you that makes this ministry a reality.

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.

Merry Christmas

Charley & Martie

Charley & Martie Elgin

Pathfinder Mission

Waveland, Mississippi

^{http://www.pathfindermission.org}

^{(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 Friends! Martie and I trust that this e-mail finds you well, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The Christmas season is a great time of the year, isn't it? It's a time that we celebrate the incarnation of our Savior - Jesus and a time for us to gather with family and friends. We pray that during this season you will be refreshed and encouraged in all of your relationships. Speaking of Christmas, I was listening to a news program the other day where they were discussing whether it was appropriate to wish someone Merry Christmas verses Happy Holidays. At first I was amazed they were using valuable air time to discuss something so trivial. But as I listened, I realized it wasn't a joke, they were serious. It reminded me see just how far our culture has moved away from Biblical values. It also stressed the importance of the Church being salt and light in the midst of the culture we live in. Jesus said we are to be a light on a hill ... Matt 5:14-16 ¹⁴"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. It's a wake up call folks ... Our culture needs to see the light of Christ that shines in each one of us. The people here on the Gulf Coast have seen it ... They have seen the Church in action, showing unconditional love and sacrifice. How about the people in your neighborhood or city? We don't have to look far to see the need. We pray the the Lord will open the eyes of your hearts to see .... Matt 25:34-40 ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' I was just looking at the Christmas Cards hanging on the wall of our trailer and thinking about how the Lord has blessed us with so many new friendships over the past months. People who are very dear to us that we would not have met had we not been on the Gulf Coast. We are so fortunate and blessed. God is Good .... Pod Ministry As I have indicated to you in the past, the Pod ministry is about come to an end. We have about 15 pods remaining at the camp, built and ready to go. They are all committed to families ... we are waiting for volunteers to help us deliver them. We delivered several Pods last week. I wanted to share two stories about people we met with you. I won't use the people's real names. We delivered a pod to "Bob". He lives near the Lakeshore area which is not near a lake but a bayou. I called Bob to tell him that we would be delivering a pod and would he let his wife know. He told me that his wife had shot herself the week prior but he would like us to bring the pod anyway. When we delivered the Pod we talked at length with Bob. It seems his wife had showed no signs of depression. He came home one day and found her lying in the hall way, fatally wounded. Please pray for Bob. A local church is ministering to him. We plan to stay in touch with him as well. So many people here are struggling with depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. That is not something you necessarily see in a 15 minute encounter when they come to the camp, but as you talk and pray with them, they open their hearts and you see and feel the great pain and struggle. Mary lives about 10 minutes from the camp. Her FEMA trailer is sitting on an empty slab the was once her mother's home. When we delivered a pod to "Mary", she introduced us to her sister. It seems a few months after the storm, Mary's husband left her, so Mary moved in with her sister. Her sister's husband then left her so they moved in with their mother. As I prayed with Mary and her sister, they were both sobbing. Friends, this is a hard place ... people are hurting ... struggling with tremendous financial, emotional and spiritual hardships. Rebuilding We are working on four homes right now. Heidelberg Home. Bell South Pioneers have sponsored this family and has the home very near completion. The owner is a single mom with two children in school. Harris Home. The home owner is a elderly woman. Demotte volunteers replaced the external doors and windows. Orlando volunteers installed the hurricane straps. (Hurricane straps are metal straps that are nailed on every framing stud on exterior walls. The straps are nailed to the top and bottom plates ... two straps per stud. In most homes there are over a hundred studs on the exterior walls.) Next week, volunteers from Thorsby, AL will install the HVAC system. We need volunteers to help with the rough in plumbing, insulation, and sheetrock. Gillum Home. The home owners are a couple who attend Little Zion. Victorville, CA volunteers repaired the roof, installed the hurricane straps, installed the windows and doors, and rewired the electrical system that other volunteers (not ours) had installed ( yes, there are times when volunteers do it wrong. The key is to not cause a negative impact on the home owner's finances ... so if we do it wrong, we will pay to fix it.) The next phase includes rough-in plumbing, insulation, and sheetrock. Davis Home. Orlando, FL volunteers and AmeriCorps teams, along with Vicksburg, MS volunteers hung sheetrock. They need plumbing help. Volunteers from Eclectic, AL will be installing cabinets in about 4 weeks. We are helping homes as well, but not to the extent that we are with these families. 8 Days of Hope volunteers are on the Gulf Coast for 8 days ( you are thinking Duh!). They will be here until the 22nd of this month. They are like fire ants swarming over the homes. What a blessing. Computer Classes Our first computer class has gone well, Introduction to the Internet and Web Mail. A friend from Faulkner University in Montgomery is sending the lesson plans and handouts for classes in Excel and Word which we will teach after the first of the year. 40 Days of Purpose. We have received materials from several churches to help us with this teaching emphasis. I am reviewing the materials and preparing to lead the 40 Days of Purpose. As you know we don't have a "physical" congregation. We have been giving Purpose Driven Life books to the folks who receive Pods for the past two months. We plan to contact them and others who have received Pods but no book and invite them to Pathfinder. Please pray that the Lord will use this time to draw unbelievers to Him and to encourage the saints. Celebrate Recovery. Starting next month, Jerry Wells will be coming to Pathfinder on a regular basis to help us establish this much needed outreach ministry. Celebrate recovery is a ministry the addresses "hurts, habits, and hang-ups". I was reading the local paper this morning, and noticed a question in the "Sound Off" section asking about help with tobacco/nicotine addiction. They wanted to know if there was a support group for people who are quitting. Although this may seem like a "tame" issue when compared to drug and alcohol addictions ... it isn't to the person who is trying to quit. Check out this web site if you want to know more about the Celebrate Recovery ministry. Our House We are making steady progress thanks to our friends. This past week Tony Dell, from Orlando, and I have been working on the sheetrock, hanging it and doing the taping and mudding/texture. It does not appear to be one of my spiritual gifts, so I don't plan to quit my day job :0). We bought the paint yesterday and will be painting next week. We already have the flooring and cabinets on site. Robert and Sue Lumpkin are going to install the cabinets next week and folks from the Starkville, MS area will help us with the flooring. This experience has really helped us understand the decisions and challenges that every home owner in this area faces as they struggle to rebuild. I guess that is about it for now. The Lord has been gracious to us this year. Please pray that He will continue to provide for us, personally, and for Pathfinder Mission operations. If you would like to support our ministry I have included the information below. Personal support Make the check out to Gateway Baptist Church - Katrina Mission, Include a note indicating that it is for Charley and Martie Mail the check to the following address Gateway Baptist Church 3300 Bell Road Montgomery, AL 36116 Camp Operations Make the check out to Pathfinder Mission. If you want to designate it for a specific purpose, e.g., building materials, include a note indicating that. Mail the check to the following address Pathfinder Mission P.O. Box 3313 Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520 Martie and I want to thank all who have supported this ministry financially, prayerfully and/or by volunteering during the past year. It's you that makes this ministry a reality. The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. Merry Christmas Charley & Martie Charley & Martie Elgin Pathfinder Mission Waveland, Mississippi ^{http://www.pathfindermission.org} ^{(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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