Partners on Mission

Greetings.

We trust that this update finds you well. It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks we will mark one year on the Gulf Coast.

I was recently reading an update on the New Orleans recovery (or lack thereof) posted on a Blog by Dr. Joe McKeever. Joe is on staff with a Baptist association in the New Orleans area. As I was reading about the challenges they are facing and reflecting on the challenges we face here in Waveland, I had an overwhelming feeling of dread ... no that's not the word ... weakness ... that's it. I suddenly felt very weak.... overwhelmed. (Have you ever felt that way?) My thought was "How on earth are we going to do this!" That is when it hit me ( or maybe it was the Holy Spirit smacking me on the back of the head!) ... there is no way on earth that we can do it ... but -- thank the Lord --- there is a way in heaven. While we were at Shoreline BC, I would often point to a house, on the opposite side of the road from the church, that the storm had knocked off of its foundation. I would tell people that working to help with the recovery, we have a choice much like the 12 spies had when they were sent to spy out the land of Canaan. The question is, "Do we see giants or do we see opportunity?" Do we see life from the context of who God is or from the context of what we can do in our own strength. I know what the "right" answer is, but the "right" answer is not always what comes to our minds when we are faced with an overwhelming task or challenge. Fortunately God will use another believer ... a song, or some other event to set our minds aright. He girds us up and inspires us to charge the next hill, and the next and the next. He is our Captain and the battle belongs to Him. I share this with you for two reasons. First so you know that Martie and I are challenged everyday to keep the right focus. ( and so you know how to pray for us) And secondly because I know some of you reading this are facing a giant of your own today. We all need to be reminded now and again that "the battle belongs to the Lord". He has not left Martie and me to fend for ourselves. He has not left you to fend for yourself, so be encouraged my Brothers and Sisters ... the Lord of hosts is on your side. Remember ......

Zephaniah 3:17 Yahweh, your God, is in the midst of you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.

Ministry: This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Promise Keeper's conference in Jackson Mississippi. As a former staff member, each year I receive two free registrations. I asked Harold Gillum, a good friend who attends Little Zion Baptist Church to come with me. He had never been to a men's conference and what he saw and experienced was awesome. On the way to Jackson I told Harold it would be like Elijah in the cave when the Lord told him that there were 7,000 who Elijah did not know about. And so it would be at Jackson. You men who have been to a PK conference can recall how you felt the first time ... maybe every time .... you saw the great host of men (about 9,000 men in Jackson) praising the Lord. It was also a time for me to be refreshed in my spirit and to let the Lord speak to my heart. The Lord reminded me that He is the One who called Martie and me to Waveland and He is the One who will provide for our needs and bring restoration to the Gulf Coast. I guess I needed a little attitude adjustment. And got it :o) On the way back to Waveland, Harold told me that he had tried to bring men together before the storm .. and wants bring them together again. But he needed some help. I told him that I would be happy to help him. Martie and I believe the Lord wants us to bring "new wine" to this area. Awakening the hearts of men is one way. Encouraging women is another so Martie plans to take a few ladies to the Anne Graham Lotz - Just Give Me Jesus - conference in New Orleans the 26th of August.

Reconstruction: The other day I was talking to Mark, a long term volunteer at another camp near Kiln (pronounced "kill") Mississippi. He was talking about being overwhelmed. I told him to look at the needs here like the ocean and his ability to empty the ocean like a cup. All he can do is take one cupful at a time. In keeping with my own advice ( I hate it when that happens!) we will be making a slight modification to our approach in helping folks rebuild their homes. To this point we have been trying to move everyone forward at the same pace. Waiting to see what skills showed up and then identifying what work can be done. We will never escape that completely, but we are going to sharpen our focus and concentrate of a few homes at a time. The idea is to get them to a point where the people can move in and finish them. In other words help the people get out of the FEMA trailers. We will be asking volunteer groups to commit to some portion of a home rebuild -- electrical - HVAC -- sheetrock -- flooring, etc. and then recruit volunteers with the skills to do the work. That does NOT mean that we don't need unskilled volunteers, just that we need to be more intentional and organized in the way we use skilled volunteers. Home owners will be expected to contribute with "sweat equity" when possible and by their purchasing the materials when practical. Going back to the first paragraph, this is a huge undertaking ... but we believe that God will provide.

Pods: We have about 180 pods that we still need to build and deliver. Once we have finished those, I think we will be nearly done with the pod ministry. I expect from time to time that someone will need a pod, but not in the volume we have seen. I figured the other day that with all of the ministries that are building pods, combined, we will have distributed to about 10-12% of those folks in FEMA trailers in Hancock County. But they have been a huge blessing to those who have received them.

We need folks to build and deliver the remaining pods this month. The current record is 19 pods built in one day (High Desert Church). At that rate, we could have all of the pods built in two weeks. BTW, right now we have 25 completed pods sitting out front waiting to be delivered. In the absence of volunteers to deliver them, we are calling folks to see if they can pick them up. One crew can deliver about 8 a day which means we need two 4 -5 man crews to deliver the production of one 6 - 8 man ( ok - person) building crew. That is a total of about 20 people, with two trailers. Bottom line ---- WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

Well, the day is slipping by me so I will close this update. Please pray for Harold Gillum, not only for his vision but while we were at the conference I noticed that he was drinking an exceptional amount of water. I asked him if he was having problems with blood sugar and he was. He was in the emergency room Sunday. They were able to lower his sugar level and now he is resting at home. Pray that the Lord will continue to raise up laborers for the work here. Like I said, it's been a year. The fact that folks are still coming is awesome, but we need more people to come. It doesn't matter if they come here, to New Orleans, or some other place on the Gulf, so long as they come. Also pray that the Lord will continue to provide for our financial needs both personally and for the camp.

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. We trust that this update finds you well. It's hard to believe that in just a few weeks we will mark one year on the Gulf Coast. I was recently reading an update on the New Orleans recovery (or lack thereof) posted on a Blog by Dr. Joe McKeever. Joe is on staff with a Baptist association in the New Orleans area. As I was reading about the challenges they are facing and reflecting on the challenges we face here in Waveland, I had an overwhelming feeling of dread ... no that's not the word ... weakness ... that's it. I suddenly felt very weak.... overwhelmed. (Have you ever felt that way?) My thought was "How on earth are we going to do this!" That is when it hit me ( or maybe it was the Holy Spirit smacking me on the back of the head!) ... there is no way on earth that we can do it ... but -- thank the Lord --- there is a way in heaven. While we were at Shoreline BC, I would often point to a house, on the opposite side of the road from the church, that the storm had knocked off of its foundation. I would tell people that working to help with the recovery, we have a choice much like the 12 spies had when they were sent to spy out the land of Canaan. The question is, "Do we see giants or do we see opportunity?" Do we see life from the context of who God is or from the context of what we can do in our own strength. I know what the "right" answer is, but the "right" answer is not always what comes to our minds when we are faced with an overwhelming task or challenge. Fortunately God will use another believer ... a song, or some other event to set our minds aright. He girds us up and inspires us to charge the next hill, and the next and the next. He is our Captain and the battle belongs to Him. I share this with you for two reasons. First so you know that Martie and I are challenged everyday to keep the right focus. ( and so you know how to pray for us) And secondly because I know some of you reading this are facing a giant of your own today. We all need to be reminded now and again that "the battle belongs to the Lord". He has not left Martie and me to fend for ourselves. He has not left you to fend for yourself, so be encouraged my Brothers and Sisters ... the Lord of hosts is on your side. Remember ...... Zephaniah 3:17 Yahweh, your God, is in the midst of you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing. Ministry: This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Promise Keeper's conference in Jackson Mississippi. As a former staff member, each year I receive two free registrations. I asked Harold Gillum, a good friend who attends Little Zion Baptist Church to come with me. He had never been to a men's conference and what he saw and experienced was awesome. On the way to Jackson I told Harold it would be like Elijah in the cave when the Lord told him that there were 7,000 who Elijah did not know about. And so it would be at Jackson. You men who have been to a PK conference can recall how you felt the first time ... maybe every time .... you saw the great host of men (about 9,000 men in Jackson) praising the Lord. It was also a time for me to be refreshed in my spirit and to let the Lord speak to my heart. The Lord reminded me that He is the One who called Martie and me to Waveland and He is the One who will provide for our needs and bring restoration to the Gulf Coast. I guess I needed a little attitude adjustment. And got it :o) On the way back to Waveland, Harold told me that he had tried to bring men together before the storm .. and wants bring them together again. But he needed some help. I told him that I would be happy to help him. Martie and I believe the Lord wants us to bring "new wine" to this area. Awakening the hearts of men is one way. Encouraging women is another so Martie plans to take a few ladies to the Anne Graham Lotz - Just Give Me Jesus - conference in New Orleans the 26th of August. Reconstruction: The other day I was talking to Mark, a long term volunteer at another camp near Kiln (pronounced "kill") Mississippi. He was talking about being overwhelmed. I told him to look at the needs here like the ocean and his ability to empty the ocean like a cup. All he can do is take one cupful at a time. In keeping with my own advice ( I hate it when that happens!) we will be making a slight modification to our approach in helping folks rebuild their homes. To this point we have been trying to move everyone forward at the same pace. Waiting to see what skills showed up and then identifying what work can be done. We will never escape that completely, but we are going to sharpen our focus and concentrate of a few homes at a time. The idea is to get them to a point where the people can move in and finish them. In other words help the people get out of the FEMA trailers. We will be asking volunteer groups to commit to some portion of a home rebuild -- electrical - HVAC -- sheetrock -- flooring, etc. and then recruit volunteers with the skills to do the work. That does NOT mean that we don't need unskilled volunteers, just that we need to be more intentional and organized in the way we use skilled volunteers. Home owners will be expected to contribute with "sweat equity" when possible and by their purchasing the materials when practical. Going back to the first paragraph, this is a huge undertaking ... but we believe that God will provide. Pods: We have about 180 pods that we still need to build and deliver. Once we have finished those, I think we will be nearly done with the pod ministry. I expect from time to time that someone will need a pod, but not in the volume we have seen. I figured the other day that with all of the ministries that are building pods, combined, we will have distributed to about 10-12% of those folks in FEMA trailers in Hancock County. But they have been a huge blessing to those who have received them. We need folks to build and deliver the remaining pods this month. The current record is 19 pods built in one day (High Desert Church). At that rate, we could have all of the pods built in two weeks. BTW, right now we have 25 completed pods sitting out front waiting to be delivered. In the absence of volunteers to deliver them, we are calling folks to see if they can pick them up. One crew can deliver about 8 a day which means we need two 4 -5 man crews to deliver the production of one 6 - 8 man ( ok - person) building crew. That is a total of about 20 people, with two trailers. Bottom line ---- WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!! Well, the day is slipping by me so I will close this update. Please pray for Harold Gillum, not only for his vision but while we were at the conference I noticed that he was drinking an exceptional amount of water. I asked him if he was having problems with blood sugar and he was. He was in the emergency room Sunday. They were able to lower his sugar level and now he is resting at home. Pray that the Lord will continue to raise up laborers for the work here. Like I said, it's been a year. The fact that folks are still coming is awesome, but we need more people to come. It doesn't matter if they come here, to New Orleans, or some other place on the Gulf, so long as they come. Also pray that the Lord will continue to provide for our financial needs both personally and for the camp. 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.}

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