| |
We trust that this update finds you
well and strong in your faith. Before I
tell you about the happenings in
Waveland, I wanted to share an
encouraging word with you. Just
yesterday I received an e-mail form a
dear friend of ours, Edwin
Messerschmidt. (Yes he is related to the
German airplane builder.) Edwin and his
wife Ruth (who has gone on to be with
the Lord) are more than dear friends,
they were our teachers and mentors when
we set our feet on the path of service
to God in the early '90s. Well .....
when I received his e-mail I was filled
with joy to see that Edwin, at 90, is
still obeying the call of the Lord.
Both Ruth and Edwin have spent their
lives serving God ... as
missionaries, professors, encouragers,
mentors, the list goes on. Let me
share an excerpt of his e-mail and you
will see why we love this guy!
"
My Missionary Ministry Trip - November
7-14, 2009. Serving with OM on the
Logos Hope as a volunteer while based
in Barbados, West Indies.
The Lord confirmed his promptings to be
available following my wife, Ruth's,
decease in April 2009. He brought Paul
Lierman, an engineer with the Moody
Radio here (Tuscaloosa,AL) to go with
me. Paul was surely the "lifter of my
head", enabling me to go and do that
which I could not have done alone. He
was a real Barnabas to me.
.... Upon our arrival in
Bridgetown, Barbados, the large ship
was at anchor several miles out,
which required us taking a lifeboat
to the ship's side and climbing up a
rope ladder to board.
This was a challenge, having an
artificial hip and a bulky life
preserver.
.... We had the privilege of
meeting, talking with and praying
with some young people among the
over 400 on board, representing 35
different countries.
.... was privileged to speak at
morning devotions and several
meetings with smaller groups. Paul
and I met and talked with some
Barbadians about the Lord. On Friday
before returning, we joined a small
group and went to the only prison on
the island (housing 600 inmates) for
ministry there.
....
I thank the Lord for His grace, your
prayers, and am deeply grateful for
the safety in travel and for the
profitable time he gave us as we
sought to walk with and obey Him.
......... I am doing well awaiting
the Lord's next assignment "
"I
am doing well and waiting for the
Lord's next assignment"
.... how awesome is that! Why do I
share this with you? Not to puff
Edwin up ... he would have none of
that ... but to ask this. Are you,
like Edwin, waiting on the Lord's
next assignment? You are receiving
this e-mail because you have served
along side Pathfinder Mission at
some point. You next assignment may
or may not be Waveland, MS. My
question, are you ready to go?
Martie just read 'Flags of our
Father' and so she wanted to watch
the 'Sands of Iwo Jima' with the
Duke. When it was time to go Sgt
Stryker would say 'Saddle up!' Are
you ready to go? To serve the Lord
where ever He leads? I pray that
you are. We thank the Lord for
bringing Edwin and Ruth into our
lives ... they are a part of the
"shaping" process the Lord used to
prepare us for this work. Our hope
is that we have carried on in their
steps and have been part of what the
Lord is doing in your life. Saddle
Up!
We have been busy helping folks
finish their houses. There are so
many homes that were started but not
finished ... the families could wait
no longer ... therefore many of them
moved in, living around the
unfinished floors, bathrooms,
whatever. As we meet these folks we
always have the opportunity to share
the Lord with them and encourage
them.
Anna.
While working on a home this last
week, a woman (a widow) who lived
across the street saw the volunteers
and asked if there was anyway she
could get some help. She owned a
small flower shop in New Orleans
before the storm and lived in the
back of the shop. She lost her home
and business to Katrina and moved to
Waveland to get a new start. She
lives on social security ... her
house insurance is $400 per month
... you can probably finish this
story ... there are so many who find
themselves in the same situation.
Well, Martie and I met with her
yesterday and we think we can help
with her home. There is not much
left to do, but more than that we
talked about the Lord and the
importance of faith for most of the
time together. What she needed more
than a hammer and nails was a
listening ear and a word from the
Lord.
Asa.
I was called by the Waveland permit
office on Monday of last week. It
seems that Hurricane Ida snapped a
60ft pine tree off and it landed on
Mr Asa's roof. He is on a fixed
income, no insurance and rain was on
the way. As the Lord would have it,
the men from Orlando that were here
are trained in tree removal ... they
have had a lot of practice in
Florida .... so I sent them over and
in no time the tree was off of the
house and a blue tarp was on the
roof. A number of rafters were
broken and there was a big hole left
behind. A team from Atlanta was due
to arrive on Wednesday. They had
experience in roofing. Now, for
those of you who know me, you know
that I am not that good. Prophecy is
not one of my spiritual gifts.
There is no way that I could have
anticipated this need. Three days
after the incident, the roof has
been restored, and the other 60ft
tree next to the one that snapped
off was cut down. We didn't have
the funds to purchase the materials
needed but I sent a few e-mails and
the funds were sent to us. I told
Mr Asa that God was the master
planner. He provided just what was
needed to fix the problem. He is
a just in time God!
Michelle.
Michelle lives in the county, west
of here about 12 miles. She and her
husband have 6 children, all
teenagers. They
adopted 3 of the children ( children
of a family member) after Katrina.
They built most of their
house themselves, but ran out of
time and money. We are working with
the Housing Resource Center who is
providing the funding for the
materials. We needed to install
siding and ceramic tile ...
guess who showed up this weekend to
work on the house ... pretty
cool.... the tile is down, the
siding is up ... closet doors hung
... base molding in the bedrooms
.... Michelle, 3 daughters and her
youngest son came to the camp for
supper before the volunteers left
and once again we had the
opportunity to share the Lord with
them. The Alabama volunteers showed
Michelle and her family their faith
by their works not just by their
words.
Volunteers Needed!
We still need volunteers to finish
the houses we are working on and for
the many others that are waiting for
someone to help.
Prayer
Requests
For the people of Hancock County
struggling to cross the finish line
with their homes, that we can help
them finish the race
For the people of Hancock County
struggling with hurts, habits and
hang-ups… addictions, depression,
suicide, abuse, abandonment
For the lost people of Hancock
County who need Jesus, that
Pathfinder can be a beacon of hope
For
the launch of the Celebrate Recovery
ministry in January.
For
volunteers to help finish the work
here.
For Pathfinder Mission ... that the
Lord will continue to provide for
the financial needs of this ministry
... both for ministry and personal
support
Martie and I love you and thank God
for you. Be blessed
Charley
By His Grace and
for His Glory
Charley
Elgin
Pathfinder
Mission
www.pathfindermission.org
228.493.1081
Isaiah 58 Rebuilding Houses -
Restoring Lives
|
|
