New Link!
http://rebuildlakeshore.com/Here you can find information on the needs of Lakeshore, Mississippi, including donation suggestions, pictures, contractor information, and how you can use your skills to help the lakeshore community.
Donation Suggestions
- Brooms- Mops- Laundry soap- Cleaning liquids- Baking/cooking basics- sugar, flour, cooking oil, spices, salt/pepper- Petite and plus-size Women's clothing- Underwear (especially plus-size)- Full-size shampoo/conditioner bottles- Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, napkins)- Bottled water- Smaller size (for premature babies) diapers - Larger sized diapers - Pull-Ups- Adult diapers- Deoderant- Men's plus size clothing- Sunblock- Bug repellent- Cookbooks- School supplies- Canned meat- Belts
More Prayer Requests
Prayer Requests:- Harvey - May he know God's love and comfort.- Serena - For continued strength after losing family members.- For the 65-year old woman who just lost her home.- For church members who request on-going prayer.- For workers who live there, including Pastor Don, Greg, Joelle, Miss Bea, Betty, Lynn...Praise for so many volunteers from so many places.- For on-going support, financial and labor and supplies.- For young moms with children.- For those who have been injured or who are not well.- For families who have lost so much.- For people without jobs who have mortgages and no homes or cars.- For protection for the area during the upcoming hurricane season.- That many will come to know Jesus in a personal way.- For Emily... I pray that she is safe!Marilyn
Pointing to the Cross
I never could have imagined how difficult this trip would be emotionally. It is hard to get a glimpse of such devastation and suffering. Yet Pastor Don Elbourne kept directing us to the cross. Our Savior suffered. He was "a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering." Yet, He is in control. And Pastor Don said (on our last Sunday) that after 6 months, "Would I choose to go through this tragedy again? I think, yes, because of the impact on the community and the strength of the Cross, the awareness of God's presence, and God's glory." Praise God! Marilyn
Our Home for a Week
The trailer was made and donated by a Virginia, "Purpose Driven" church.
Lakeshore Baptist Church
Lakeshore Baptist Church as it now stands. They are in the process of buying property for a new building.
The steeple of their former building.
To Lakeshore
We stayed the night in Blytheville, Arkansas
Getting some breakfast before hitting the road!
We're Home!
We're Home!We arrived in the Twin Cities at 9pm last night, we're so relieved to be home after a 2-day, 22 hour drive.In our short stay in Mississippi, we accomplished and assisted with the following - - Supporting the Lakeshore Baptist Store, keeping the shelves stocked with food and supplies, the blankets and clothes folded.- Digging a large trench to insert wiring and pipes to provide more advanced electricity and plumbing needs to the sanctuary.- Staining and painting the floor of a small home- Purchasing a washer/dryer to a family in need- Picking up debri on the grounds around the church- Sorting and folding clothes for women and men by season in the supply warehouse.- Helping to build roof support beams for the two trailers.This trip was and will continue to be an incredible blessing for all who went. We learned so much in such a short amount of time. In the following days to come, be prepared to see many more stories and pictures provided by more of the people who went on the trip.
Day 3
Hello again, We're all doing well here in Lakeshore. Matt and Paul are working on installing a new washer and dryer for a family who has been without new machines since the storm. Later, they will work on digging a large trench behind the sanctuary in order to provide them with an appropriate sewer system, as the church does not have any running water or toilets. Marilyn, Linda, Shirley, Shannon, Robin and Ellie have been working at the Lakeshore Church Store, sorting clothes and keeping it up to stock with food, clothing, hygeine needs, etc. Basically, it's a place where anyone who is in need of practically anything can take whatever they wish off the shelves, free of charge. We've never seen so many can of green beans! Later today, most of us will probably take a drive to the beach and to Waveland, Mississippi, where the eye of the storm travelled. It's still incredible to hear all these stories of how people made it out with just the clothes on their backs and returned home with pretty much the same amount of belongings. It's amazing to see how many luxuries we have taken for granted in the past but now really want back! For instance, many people don't consider a toilet a luxury. But when the highlight of your day is when the two port-a-potties are emptied and stocked with toilet paper, it really gives you a new sense of thankfulness. We've decided to leave the campsite a day early (the paragraph above did NOT influence our decision!) and arrive in MN a day early, on friday evening. We look forward to seeing all of your faces on Sunday morning. We will have many pictures and stories to share. Thank you again for all your prayers and well-wishes.
God Bless
Day 1
Hello to all!
We arrived safely in Lakeshore around 5pm last night, via the "scenic route" through New Orleans.
It's so easy to see how Katrina caused so much damage to the N.O. area. The only way to arrive to or leave the city is via several 2-lane bridges over a huge expanse of seawater and swampland. Imagine approximately 1.6 million people trying to escape an arriving natural distaster with a maximum of probably 20 lanes of bridge highway. Yes, there are bad areas of N.O., areas that look more like a ghost town than the birthplace of jazz, but there are also incredible signs of hope. Many homes proudly display the American flag, and the blue tarps covering practically every other rooftop are a great indication that people DO want to rebuild, and that they aren't going to desert their city and more importantly, their homes.
We met with Greg London, Lakeshore Baptist's volunteer organizer last night. Please keep him in your prayers. He has been here at Lakeshore Baptist 12 hours a day, 7 days a week for the past 4 weeks doing everything he can to help anyone in need. Lakeshore, about a mile from the ocean, was completely demolished. Imagine standing on the dry land and having someone tell you that during the worst of the storm, 40 feet of water was sitting on this land and didn't fully recede until 8 days later.
Today was L.B's sunday morning service, held inside their temporary building. About 100 people were able to squeeze inside. Our very own Matt Olmstead led us all in the hymn singing :). Pastor Don Elbourne gave a great sermon about John 3:16. He is a very friendly man who is also very passionate about rebuiding this community. Please also keep him in your prayers, as the church is in negotiations with the city and its residents to rebuild a new permanent building.
We are staying in a large trailer that was provided by FEMA, as are most residents in the area. These trailers are their new homes, which more often than not rest on the concrete foundation of where their previous homes rested. Our trailer is separated into 5 rooms, the last of which being the shower room. The gnats are very bad here, so if don't be surprised if we come home resembling people who have contracted the chicken pox.
Well, I should get going here. We are going to meet tonight for a time of prayer and reflection on what we've seen and heard already. We will all come home with many stories and pictures of the wonderful people we've met and of how the landscape here looks. Your prayers are wonderfully appreciated.
God Bless,
FBC Lakeshore Team
It is now past midnight and I'm still up...argh. Why do I procrastinate like this? The laundry is drying and the suitcase is as packed as can be...and although the 5:30 am wakeup call is not something I'm especially looking forward to, this is so exciting! So many thoughts....
- What will the people we meet be like?- How warm will it be? - How many other volunteers are scheduled to arrive?- Will I and all the other light-skinned folk burn on contact underneath the southern sun?- Someone told me that water moccassins (which are prevelant down south) are actually moccassins. I doubt it, but desparately hope that is true. ;)
There's so much to look forward to (no static electricity!), but mostly for us (I believe) is a wonderment of how the gulf coast will look once we arrive. Sure, we've seen pictures, but a 500 x 500 pixel photograph does not and will not compare to standing on Mississippi soil.
On a side note, I know that I speak for the rest of the team (who will hopefully on here as well) that we absolutely appreciate all of those who approached us after the service on Sunday. It was so wonderful to hear how many of you are and will be praying for us and those we meet. The support you've given means more than you know.
So, off we go! Thanks again for all your prayers and support. An internet connection in Mississippi is very doubtful at this point, but rest assured that we'll have a mass...multitude...a plethora...a cornucopia...a swarm (?) of pictures upon our return to the land of 10,000 lakes!
Goodbye (for now) and God Bless
Update # 2
Mission Team Updates:- We will need to provide our own drinking water. FEMA trucks have left the area.- Marilyn and Ellie are still collecting hand-writting notes of encouragement, our "Lakeshore Letters". A banner has also been made.Greg London or Pastor Don Elbourne or another man will be there to meet us when we arrive on Saturday. We are all set to stay in the same bunkhouse, men and women separated, of course. There are going to be many other volunteers there the same week we're there, and that is why Joelle (another assistant) is getting involved - to keep things organized for us.
People do work on Sundays, after church. Dress for Sunday is jeans, just like all the rest of the time. They are delighted that Paul is a licensed electrician, and they will have him work on a house. They have all the materials they need, such as wire, etc. (Paul, I think you want to bring your own tools, though.) For those of us who are doing clean-up, there are limited tools, so we can bring things we need if we have space.
They do have toilets now, and toilet paper! Sometimes they have water at the sites, and sometimes they don't. But they can usually get what they need at Walmart, including most basic foods. There is an 18-wheeler at the school one mile from the church with lots of foods that we can use for free... They are bulk foods, including potatoes, vegetables, etc. They would be free for volunteers from the church. There is no meat there, but Walmart has basic meats. On Saturday and Sunday a church is going to prepare food for 120-200 people, for volunteers and the church community. That will take care of our Saturday dinner and our Sunday lunch. It may be that there will be a cook on premises for more of our time, but that is not certain. Plus we have to be careful, because sometimes people say they will do something, and then they don't show up.
There is one charcoal grill on site. There is refrigeration available. Most cell phones work, at least outside... Any other questions?
Thanks for being so flexible. I think we will need to go with the flow and be satisfied with whatever we are able to accomplish. God knows our hearts. Let's pray that we may be as effective as possible and that we may be a blessing to Him and to those we serve - and to one another. Mission trips tend to do more for those who serve for some reason. Must be God's way. I am so looking forward to serving with each of you. Remember, I have never coordinated a trip like this before, so don't feel bad to point out what I'm overlooking. We're a TEAM! May God bless you and those you leave behind for the week!
Love, Marilyn
Before and After Katrina
Taken from Pastor Elbourne's blog -Lakeshore Baptist Church before Hurricane Katrina
After Hurricane Katrina 
Prayer Requests
The trip is rapidly approaching!!!Please pray...- That we would find hard work assignments.- For a save drive to and from Mississippi.- That we as a mission group would not become "run down" and/or discouraged. Also, that we as a team would build each other up when necessary.- That we would be a comforting and helpful presence to those we meet.- That we will stay healthy.
