Wednesday, January 24, 2007

I need your help

I hate to do this, but here goes!

I am going on a mission trip to Waveland, MS in March. For those of you who don’t know Waveland is considered ground zero for Hurricane Katrina disaster. It is located 90 miles east of New Orleans. Although New Orleans suffered great losses due to the high number of people in that city, Waveland suffered the more dramatic losses as 35-foot storm surge pushed 10 feet of water, 5 miles inland. The town was completely flattened. As we all witnessed, the rescue efforts through out the gulf were minimal, and although the government has done a tremendous job of helping out cities like Mobile and New Orleans, the citizens of towns like Waveland have relied on the generosity of private donors. FEMA has picked up the slack recently, but can only provide temporary solutions as to a long-term problem.

Enter Pine Ridge Fellowship (PRF). PRF is a church that I attend here in Deltona. A month ago it was mentioned that they were looking for volunteers to go a mission trip to help out Katrina victims. My first reaction was, “they still need help”? As the slideshow began, the pictures looked like they came straight from a war zone, yet they were snapped the week earlier, almost a year and five months after the hurricane. The town was in shambles. I looked at my calendar and made plans to attend. In the process I canceled a trip I had for that weekend in order to help out.

I have been blessed many times to survive storms that have ripped through Florida. I was living in California when Central Florida was devastated by 3 hurricanes in a 5 week span. My family was fortunate to survive these storms unscathed, but my heart was in my throat each day watching news reports from the region. I was so thankful to all the volunteers who helped my mom remove debris from our house and also who helped replace our roof. The strength of our society is the ability to answer the bell whenever it is rung. I now have an opportunity to help others who have been less fortunate to survive such a powerful storm. I am overwhelmed with joy just thinking about this opportunity to service others, even if it is only for a week.

So, how can I help you Oliver??? Very good question, here’s how. I am asking for donations for this trip. The cost per person is $400, plus personal sacrifices from work or school. Right now our congregation has 40 people signed up to go. These people vary in age and economic status and represent a true melting pot of volunteers who share one passion of helping others. The cost for each person is a larger burden for some even though their hearts are there. So we have decided to pool our money and raise enough for those who have a desire to go but maybe not the means. Our goal is to raise enough money to not only send our volunteers, but also present the city of Waveland a love offering with anything surplus collected. I am not asking anyone to break their banks, but if you think you would be interested in helping to sponsor this trip please drop me a line with your address so I can send you out an official letter explaining the trip in a little more detail.

More than anything, the biggest support you can offer the people of Waveland are your continued prayers and warm wishes. The road to recovery will be long and continuous, but our shared compassion for those in need will once again prove why we are a great nation. I ask that you remember us volunteers in the coming weeks as we prepare for this trip and especially during the week of March 17th – 24th as we embark on this mission.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and God Bless,

Oliver

Ps – here is a link for the city of Waveland, you can see the effects of the storm first had.
http://www.wavelandcity.com/

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