Partners on Mission

Greetings men and women of God!

Martie and I thank (our) God every time (we) remember you. In all (our) prayers for all of you, (we) always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:3-6

I was talking with one of the volunteers this morning about the ministry. I told him that this ministry is not like a mushroom but an oak tree. With a mushroom, one day there is nothing and the next there the a full grown mushroom. With an oak tree, the seed is planted and slowly the oak tree emerges. It takes patience and stewardship for the oak to grow. We are so thankful for the many that have come along side us in the growing and maturing of the Pathfinder ministry!

For this update I wanted to share an observation ......

As time passes, some friends of Pathfinder have expressed concern about churches losing visibility of the need here. We are in our ninth month and there is still so much to do. Estimates are the recovery will be in two stages ... the first stage will take five years ... the second another five ... for New Orleans the estimate is 20 years. That kind of commitment is unprecedented for the Church in America. For support to persist it will require a constant flow of volunteers to this region to help us keep the need "fresh" in the mind of the local churches. What we are talking about is not just rebuilding homes, but re-establishing entire communities. There has been a prevailing view that much of that sort of recovery is what we have government for. I would like to suggest that the Church has a responsibility to remain engaged in the culture... perhaps to a degree that we had not imagined before Katrina.

..... side note ..... While I was typing this a young woman, Jamie, came in. One of the volunteers led her to the Lord several weeks ago. She came here to ask for help for her mother who has emphysema. Her mother needs electrical work, plumbing, roofing ..... we prayed that the Lord would stir the hearts of people with those skills to come to their aid. She also shared that her son Richard has Crohn's disease - ( The most common symptoms of Crohn’s disease are abdominal pain, often in the lower right area, and diarrhea. Rectal bleeding, weight loss, arthritis, skin problems, and fever may also occur. Bleeding may be serious and persistent, leading to anemia. Children with Crohn’s disease may suffer delayed development and stunted growth. The range and severity of symptoms varies. for more info on Crohn's click on this link --> http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/#what.) Her other son, Christian, is undergoing tests to determine if he has a tumor on his brain. (Does this sound like an impossible story to you? We hear stories like this all of the time.) We prayed for her sons as well. Please lift them up to the Father when ever your talk to Him.

As I was typing this, a couple showed up from Pass Christian (pronounced Kristy Ann) to pick up a pod ... we don't deliver north of I-10 or outside of Harrison county. As we talked, Jason told me that he was an electrician ... you know where this is going don't you :o) .... Jamie had just returned by with the paperwork we gave her mother to sign. I told him about the problem getting electricians. He volunteered to stop by Jamie's mother's house the middle of next week to finish the electrical work (no charge). He also told me that he and his crew will deliver one pod a day for us in the local area since he works here. How cool is that!

Please pray that the Lord of the harvest will continue to stir and draw workers for the field. The fields are ready.... the need is great. We don't have scheduled volunteers until the 18th of June. Please consider whether you can come down even for a few days to help.

Be blessed

Charley

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 men and women of God! Martie and I thank (our) God every time (we) remember you. In all (our) prayers for all of you, (we) always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Phil 1:3-6 I was talking with one of the volunteers this morning about the ministry. I told him that this ministry is not like a mushroom but an oak tree. With a mushroom, one day there is nothing and the next there the a full grown mushroom. With an oak tree, the seed is planted and slowly the oak tree emerges. It takes patience and stewardship for the oak to grow. We are so thankful for the many that have come along side us in the growing and maturing of the Pathfinder ministry! For this update I wanted to share an observation ...... As time passes, some friends of Pathfinder have expressed concern about churches losing visibility of the need here. We are in our ninth month and there is still so much to do. Estimates are the recovery will be in two stages ... the first stage will take five years ... the second another five ... for New Orleans the estimate is 20 years. That kind of commitment is unprecedented for the Church in America. For support to persist it will require a constant flow of volunteers to this region to help us keep the need "fresh" in the mind of the local churches. What we are talking about is not just rebuilding homes, but re-establishing entire communities. There has been a prevailing view that much of that sort of recovery is what we have government for. I would like to suggest that the Church has a responsibility to remain engaged in the culture... perhaps to a degree that we had not imagined before Katrina. ..... side note ..... While I was typing this a young woman, Jamie, came in. One of the volunteers led her to the Lord several weeks ago. She came here to ask for help for her mother who has emphysema. Her mother needs electrical work, plumbing, roofing ..... we prayed that the Lord would stir the hearts of people with those skills to come to their aid. She also shared that her son Richard has Crohn's disease - ( The most common symptoms of Crohn’s disease are abdominal pain, often in the lower right area, and diarrhea. Rectal bleeding, weight loss, arthritis, skin problems, and fever may also occur. Bleeding may be serious and persistent, leading to anemia. Children with Crohn’s disease may suffer delayed development and stunted growth. The range and severity of symptoms varies. for more info on Crohn's click on this link --> http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/crohns/#what.) Her other son, Christian, is undergoing tests to determine if he has a tumor on his brain. (Does this sound like an impossible story to you? We hear stories like this all of the time.) We prayed for her sons as well. Please lift them up to the Father when ever your talk to Him. As I was typing this, a couple showed up from Pass Christian (pronounced Kristy Ann) to pick up a pod ... we don't deliver north of I-10 or outside of Harrison county. As we talked, Jason told me that he was an electrician ... you know where this is going don't you :o) .... Jamie had just returned by with the paperwork we gave her mother to sign. I told him about the problem getting electricians. He volunteered to stop by Jamie's mother's house the middle of next week to finish the electrical work (no charge). He also told me that he and his crew will deliver one pod a day for us in the local area since he works here. How cool is that! Please pray that the Lord of the harvest will continue to stir and draw workers for the field. The fields are ready.... the need is great. We don't have scheduled volunteers until the 18th of June. Please consider whether you can come down even for a few days to help. Be blessed Charley 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.

	Pathfinder Mission, P.O. Box 3313, Bay St. Louis, MS 39521

	228-469-0507

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