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| Not Forgetting Those Effected By Katrina |
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It has been over a year and a half since Katrina ravaged the Southern Gulf Coast. National media coverage has moved on to other topics but the fact remains that thousands are still not back in their homes. A FEMA report dated March 7th stated that they still had 27,837 temporary housing units in use in Southern Mississippi alone. This does not take into account those who are out of their homes and living in apartments or with family and friends. During our last trip a doctor in Pass Christian told me that many people have just lost hope. Suicide as risen 300% and substance abuse has skyrocketed in the area since the hurricane. God has given our church a ministry in helping get some of these dear people back in their homes. We will be leaving for Gulfport, MS this coming Saturday. This will be the 6th trip we have embarked on to not only fix-up houses but also share the love of the Lord with those we serve. Please pray for our 16-person team that the Lord will grant us many opportunities to bless people with hope that comes from above. Hope in seeing progress made to their homes and hope in knowing that God has not turned His back on them. They need to know that He is able fix their messed up houses and their broken hearts all at the same time. A pastor in Pascagoula shared with me that he was asked to lead a morning devotional with a group of utility workers that were working to restore power after the storm. When he challenged them about their walk with Christ, 17 men asked Christ to be their Saviour. I was talking to a Christian young man with a wife and two sons who got four feet of water in a house they just bought. He had a major mess to repair and they lost just about all their contents including their furniture and cloths. He had every right to lament over his situation. I was impacted by what he told me. He said, “I am so blessed. I have my family, we have our health and we have God sending y’all; His Church to help us in this time of need. God is so good.” We sing a song at C3 entitled “God of Justice” the song has a line in it that says, “We must go and feed the hungry, stand beside the broken, we must go”. To do that it requires getting out of my easy chair and stepping out of my comfort-zone. That is never easy but if this trip ends up like the other trips in the past it will be worth every minute of it. When was the last time God burdened your heart about work He wanted you to be involved in that was going to help build His Kingdom? Tell us about it. After our team returns from Mississippi on April 21st I am sure that we will have more encouraging stories and information to share which we will add to this blog. Stay tuned. Please remember to uphold our team in your prayers. May God receive all the honor and glory! Mark Wigley <>< James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers; if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. |
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| To add a comment to "Not Forgetting Those Effected By Katrina" |
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| April 08, 2007 |
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| I'm sure those who have turned their lives over to Christ as a result of post-Katrina outreach would consider loss of all their belongings a fair tradeoff, wouldn't you? Mark, our small group WILL most definitely keep your team in our prayers. ~Your brother, mike |
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| April 08, 2007 |
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I will pray. Also check with webyouthpastor (Pat). He is in New Orleans (he lives and pastors there), He would maybe be of assistance getting out "needs" lists for that area. |
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| April 09, 2007 |
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Mark, thanks for the "what to take" list. I'm off to purchase my very own sleeping bag. I hope they have purple!!! I can't wait for Saturday :-) |
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| April 09, 2007 |
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Hey team! I wanted to go, but not knowing when my mom was starting her chemo treatments, stopped me from going this time. My prayers are with y'all! Keith |
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| April 09, 2007 |
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God's blessings as you serve Him! |
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| April 10, 2007 |
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| Go team C3! Joe and I will keep ALL of you in our prayers. |
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| April 10, 2007 |
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Who of the "mychurch"ers are going? |
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| April 10, 2007 |
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| Angie, The screen names of those from mychurch you may know include Pastor Mark, Mary Ann, Ginger and me, Mark Wigley. We have 16 in all. This will be the 6th trip to Mississippi we have taken. Thank you for your prayers! Mark <>< |
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| April 10, 2007 |
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| And Mary Ann has her sleeping bag at the ready |
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| April 10, 2007 |
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| but not purple!:( |
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| April 10, 2007 |
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| I wish I could make it there to meet y'all, but just not possible. It is about a 5 hour trip for me. Maybe next tim! If y'all go during the summer, I am off and can go! I will be praying for safety, productivity, and the glory of all He is to shine through y'all! |
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| April 11, 2007 |
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| Mark and team...you are on my prayer list for each morning next week. I know God will do a great work through your efforts. Bring back the testimonies and TGBTG! |
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| April 11, 2007 |
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| Thank You Brother, We greatly appreciate it. Mark <>< |
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| April 11, 2007 |
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| Whats TGBTG? |
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| April 11, 2007 |
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| To God Be The Glory...PTL! |
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| April 11, 2007 |
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O.K. Got it. hey voice, thanks for praying for my friends and fellow church member while they are on this trip. You are awesome! |
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| April 11, 2007 |
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| Hey guys, bring me back some gumbo with okra in it !!!! Yum! |
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| April 12, 2007 |
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| 1 day and counting down guys. What time do you leave on Saturday? |
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| April 12, 2007 |
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| Keep the prayers commin folks. |
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| April 13, 2007 |
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7AM tomorrow morning... 
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| April 13, 2007 |
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| Father, guide this team with your hands as only You can do. Show them your wisdom through the decisions they will be making. Let them fulfill Your plans for this trip. Protect them. Place a hedge around them. Let Your word be a light unto their path. Let their light shine so that others will see and give glory to You. |
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| April 18, 2007 |
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Father, thank you for those willing to answer the call. May their time be fruitful, needs met and souls saved to the glory of Your name. Keep them under the shadow of your wing and grant them travel mercies. In Jesus' name. |
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| April 23, 2007 |
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| WE ARE BACK AND GOD IS AT WORK IN SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI! Thank you for your prayers concerning our latest Mississippi Gulf trip to help rebuild the homes of those effected by Katrina. There is still much work to do to restore the homes of many thousands of people in the Gulf. This report is a little lengthy but I believe you will be blessed to hear how God worked this past week and become more informed on exactly what is happening in the Mississippi Gulf region in the wake of the worst natural disaster to hit our country. This was the 5th trip our church has taken to Mississippi since Katrina. God granted us many safe miles on the road with only one minor vehicle problem that could not have happened at a better place and time. God even had someone waiting there at that exact moment to take one of us to a parts store to get what we needed and we were back on the road quickly. In Southern Mississippi there were 64,120 homes totally destroyed, 77,670 homes damaged, 506,650 people have visited disaster relief centers seeking help and 45 million cubic yards of debris has been cleaned up. Enough to fill 230 football fields 50 feet high. We were blessed to work with the North Carolina Baptist Men. They have been responsible for rebuilding 513 houses since the storm. When we arrived at the headquarters of “NCBM - Operation Katrina Rebuild” on Sunday April 15th and were over-whelmed by a number of things we saw and experienced. First we were made to feel so welcomed by the staff and other volunteer groups. When we walked in the door we knew that Christ was in this place. We found the North Carolina Baptist Men to be a very organized group. The construction coordinator had the homeowners needs clearly laid out for us when we arrived. The support staff had well-stocked supply rooms with equipment that we did not have with us, ready for sign-out as needed. They had the materials for the jobs on hand with men ready to deliver larger items to the job sites for us. They had bunk rooms for our team and commercial kitchen facilities staffed with the nicest folks. Meals were great and they packed us a bagged lunch to take each day to our jobs. To say that they had their act together would be an understatement. God gave us the opportunity to work directly in the homes of two people. One home was owned by Denise and Jim owned the other. Denise had Katrina blow the roof off of her home and about ten inches of rain came into her house destroying just about everything. She had the roof fixed and lived in the house till the mold made her sick. For some reason FEMA did not supply her a trailer to live in. This schoolteacher only received $5100 from her homeowners insurance and worked for over a year to get assistance wherever she could. When we arrived we were given the task to finish hanging sheetrock, spackle, repair plumbing and get one of the toilets to function properly. While we were doing this work we found that the wall studs between the kitchen and a bathroom were rotten. We replaced those with pressure treated lumber. Our teens painted an outside entryway at the front of the house and hung new house numbers by the door. We took out the upper kitchen cabinets and replaced the sheetrock behind them. While working at Denise’s house we heard a knock at the door. The local utility company, (Mississippi Power) was serving notice that they were going to turn off her electricity the following day. Folks in Denise’s situation who are trying to recover from Katrina not only have to pay rent to live somewhere else but they also need to pay the mortgage and maintain the utilities at their house they are not able to live in. On top of that find enough money and help to fix the place back up. We felt lead of the Lord to cover the cost of that turn off notice for her. She was so grateful for that and all the work our team was able to accomplish in her house. She is a believer and we were blessed to pray with her and fellowship with her and her daughter before we left. Denise’s neighbor was good to let us use their bathroom until we fixed her bathroom. We found out that the neighbor had an electrical receptacle in their home that would not work and they had a storm door they needed installed. A husband and wife on our team did this work for them just to say thank you for their goodness to us. While part of our 14-member team was at Denise’s house others of us were at Jim’s home. Jim was a veteran and a retired policeman who was recovering from heart surgery. His home was 3 blocks from the Gulf of Mexico and received storm surge resulting in over 3 feet of water entering his house. His next-door neighbor had to have his house put back on the foundation after the storm. Like Denise, Jim got a small settlement from insurance and the mold grew in his house while he figured out how he was going to get help to repair the damage. NCBM took on the task to totally gut the home and start the process of rebuilding this tattered residence. We entered this project at a time when Jim was somewhat discouraged with the fact that the job was stalled due to some poor work by well meaning volunteers. They had improperly installed drywall corner bead and done a less than adequate job of spackling. Our ladies and teens sanded and sanded to straighten out the spackle while I worked to fix the corner bead issues. We also fixed a sheetrock problem around his tub and patched some holes in his floor. Before we left we got Jim’s living room spackled and primed. We also got all the other rooms in his house closer to the point that they could be primed and painted. Jim was often there with us while we were working and we were able to share God’s love and the Gospel with him. Please pray that these seeds we have planted will take root. God promises that His Word will not return void. We prayed with Jim before we left. He seemed very pleased with what we accomplished while there. I have discovered that as we help these folks fix their houses we give them hope that is in short supply down there right now. It has been almost 20 months since Katrina. Many houses are just now getting worked on with many more waiting. Other people are still living in a FEMA trailer next to a concrete slab that once cradled their house which is now gone. The only new construction I see in the area seems to be large homes near the beach and commercial reconstruction. I had more that one Mississippi resident tell me that the only way people with minimal resources are getting back in their homes is with the help of faith-base organizations. I have heard over and over from folks there that it is the churches that are getting people back in their homes. We were also bless while in MS to attend a Wednesday evening service in Pascagoula and fellowship with the pastor and two families we helped six weeks after Katrina over dinner. Before we left town Pastor Mark stopped in a gas station to fill up our van. The lady behind the counter spotted his Operation Katrina t-shirt. She asked him, “Where are you from?” He told her Maryland. “You came this far to help us?” Pastor Mark said, “Yes” She was in tears when she responded by thanking him and the team for coming that far to give them “HOPE”. The people of the Mississippi and Louisiana Gulf Coast not only need their houses fixed but they also need their broken hearts and spirits lifted. Christ through His church is accomplishing this work. Not even a sparrow falls out of a tree that our Heavenly Father does not take notice. You too can be a person that God uses to minister to these dear folks the love that surpasses all understanding. If you want to know more on how you can be involved please do not hesitate to contact me. Folks have asked me how they can help in some direct way to bless a family victimized by Katrina. While we were working in Denise’s house we observed that she is in desperate need of new windows and storm doors. They were in need of replacement before the storm and naturally the storm did nothing to help make them any better. We are estimating it will cost somewhere around $2250 to buy new ones. Volunteers with NCBM will install them at no cost. If the Lord would lay it on your heart to help with this project please make checks payable to Calvary Community Church and mark memo on the check “Windows for Denise” and send the check to C3, 9180 Rumsey Rd. Columbia, MD. 21045. In His Service, Mark Wigley <>< |
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| April 23, 2007 |
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I found an excellent verse to add to Mark's recent update. I read it in the Living Bible and couldn't find it worded any better in the other translations. Please bare with the paraphrase, but you get the point :) Ezra 1:4 Those Jews who do not go should contribute toward the expenses of those who do, and also supply them with clothing, transportation, supplies for the journey, and a freewill offering for the Temple. Here is the KJV for you "Only-est" :) 1:4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that [is] in Jerusalem. |
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| April 23, 2007 |
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Mark, Thanks for the update. You are awesome !!!!! |
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| April 23, 2007 |
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"You came this far to help us?” What a witness it is to offer hope when hope has been destroyed. Well done team! We have a team from our church going down in July. There is so much to do. I was honored to have been a part of this trip, albeit only through prayer. |
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| April 23, 2007 |
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Mark, thank you for making this trip possible. You are such a blessing! It was an honor to work with you. You are amazing... it must be the Christ in you :-) your sis, Mary Ann |
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| April 24, 2007 |
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| Mary Ann, God put together a great team of which you were a part. I have never seen such love and unity of purpose like I did last week. It was truely God working among us. Thank you for your part in making it a special time. Also thank you to all of you who prayed for us during this time. God was honored and people were blessed! Mark <>< |
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| April 26, 2007 |
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| Mark, you da man !!!! |
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| April 28, 2007 |
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Hello Friends, There are a number of things out there on the internet about our awesome Mississippi relief trip last week. I am not putting this out there to say, "Look what we did". That has nothing to do with it. We were blessed to be used by God to help some hurting folks. He gets all the glory. I hope getting this information out there will inspire more people to go and help these dear folks who are still recovering from the worst natural disaster our country has had to endure. Here is the run down. James 2:14-17 What good is it, my brothers; if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. | |
On calvarycommunitychurch.com there is a video slide show of a previous trip to Pass Christian, MS on November 06. After clicking the link below select "PLAY NOW" The video is entitled "Make A Difference" On flicker.com I have posted pictures that I took during our trip last week. On mychurch.org there is a blog I started before last weeks trip called, "Not forgetting Those Effected By Katrina". Don't forget to star it !!!!!!!!!!!! CBS did a news story on the North Carolina Baptist Men who we worked with. They were awesome! Here is the video. Mary Ann Hall posted some of her pictures on flicker.com from last week. Before we left on the trip Mary Ann posted a blog on mychurch.org about the new sleeping bag she bought for the trip. Yes you read it right, the blog is entitled "My New Sleeping Bag". It got 22 stars and is one of the all time popular blogs on mychurch.org. Mary Ann you are incredible. You will have to do one on spackle-boggers next! Back home while we were in Gulfport. Cathy Deimer was holding down the fort by daily posting progress reports and prayer requests. She efficiently handled this task by blogging it on mychurch.org by posting, "Mary Ann And The C3 Team In Mississippi". When we got back home Mary Ann started yet another new blog posting pictures entitled, "Mississippi Picture Blog" on mychurch.org. Stay tuned forks for future trips that are coming. So far our church has had 30 different people go to southern Mississippi since Katrina. We hope to encourage 50 to 100 more to go before the end of this year. Consider what God would have you do. Be blessed and inspired as you check out these links. In His Service, Mark Wigley <>< |
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| April 28, 2007 |
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Mark, dude!!! You gotta copy and paste your updates to a new blog so more folks will see it. Maybe some of our new mychurch family brothers and sisters will join us on a Mississippi trip. That would be awesome!!! Love to you my brother, Mary Ann |
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| April 28, 2007 |
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Yeah, Mark. I loved this, and so many might miss it thinking "I already read this blog." I also really enjoyed your slideshow on flicker. I am also comforted to know that Mark Wigley ask for stars....now I know it's okay :) |  |
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| April 28, 2007 |
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Yes!!! Stars!!! More STARS!!! I will star you each and every time you blog!!! |
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| April 28, 2007 |
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| Hi Mark, I agree with Mary Ann and Sue. This is great stuff and should be seen by more people. I would've overlooked it (because I've already read this blog) had I not been on-line when Mary and Sue posted their comments. I have done a couple of trips with the NC Baptist Men, and they are just as you say! To God be the glory indeed! |
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| April 28, 2007 |
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I think asking for stars is just bad form. ;-) Thanks for the updates Mark! I wish that some Espeys could have gone to MS. But alas, for various reasons that was not possible. Maybe next time..... ~mike ps... I already starred it. I was probably the FIRST to star it, in fact. |
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| August 08, 2007 |
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[bump]
This is an AWESOME testimony. I'm adding a link to it to the bottom of my blog on our church's trip to the Gulf. |
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| August 08, 2007 |
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Sword,
Thank you. May God bless your church for all they have done. We are going back to Gulfport, MS the week of November 25th. If you know anyone interested in going have them contact me. One of the folks we helped joind mychurch and posted a blog yesterday. It is a must read. http://www.mychurch.org/blog/47467/im-in-my-new-home#comment Mark <>< |
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