New challenges...lost FEMA trailers

I just talked with Matt on the phone and he shared some very disturbing news. All those displaced by Katrina in Bayou La Batre and living in FEMA trailers are being told that they must give up their trailers within 30 days, though they were originally told they had 18 months. Now where will they go?
Most people including Robin, the lady we have been assisting have no where to live. She is still waiting for the resources to rebuild. She told Matt it looks like she will need to pitch a tent on her front lawn once she loses her FEMA trailer. Once again these wonderful people are forced to make very stressful decisions.
It makes me very upset.
There was also an article in the news on this which you can read at the link below.
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=4834798&nav=8fap

Sugeon, kittens and fire

I met with the orthopaedic surgeon this morning and she will be booking me for arthriscopic surgery in the near future. Exact dates are unknown but I will likely have the surgery done in the summer. The sooner the better. Hopefully it will show what the MRI was not able to clearly show. She did share with me that this type of surgery has often revealed problems that MRI's have been unable to.
For those of you who have been following the progress of our cat having kittens, well the day of delivery came on Saturday. Four kittens were born and Erin's cat had no problems in delivery. This is a huge weight lifted from our daughter as she loves her cat.
We are still in need of a financial miracle. Our support has been down since the new year, please remember this need we have. It is essential that we see a breakthrough.
Sadly, there was a tragic fire on one of the local Indian reserves. An apartment building was burnt to the ground and a five year old boy died in the blaze. I am seeking the Lord and talking to others in the area about what kind of response we could have towards this time of loss. I am not certain but I do believe that this family is one we have reached out to before.

Interesting and true statement

I have been working with our staff in the gulf and I continue to be amazed at the "rumors" of what is happening there.
Here is some truth though:
FEMA has demanded repayment of $4.7 million of close to 2200 families since they were mistakenly overpaid.
Bayou La Batre has been given almost $1.6 million to haul some of the remaining boats that are "shipwrecked" and up on land, but only if they are salvagable. If not ship owners must pay for this themselves. They hope to move the first boats by the middle of May.
New Orleans is having a mayoral election on Saturday to elect a new mayor going forward.

And finally there remains a large need for electricians, carpenters, plumbers and laborers. This quote sums things up: 'Every movement has its galvanic moment when the world takes notice, and then comes the hard part -- sustaining the effort long enough to make a real difference.'

"I really believe when the hurricane hit it was a galvanic moment," she explained. "Everybody wanted to help. Now's the hard part -- sustaining it long enough to really make a difference in the lives of these people."

Update on gulf coast

Many have asked when I will return to the gulf coast and be a part of the rebuilding. The answer is I am unsure. I am involved on a daily basis in our work by working with the teams going as well as giving direction to our staff presently there.
I have been very blessed to see the wonderful things being done though the COI ministry in Alabama and Mississippi. We continue to help people rebuild, by putting roofs on homes, hanging sheetrock, painting and other manual tasks.
Kids ministry continues to be a high priority fo us. We are working towards building relationships with parents and children.
Hurricane season is only about six weeks away and this has the people in the gulf very uneasy. Sadly they go into this season very unprepared. So many homes and schools and communities are not close to being back to "normal". It saddens me to think what might happen if another "Katrina" visits the coastal region.

Personally next week is a big week. I see the surgeon on Monday and I am hoping that we can move forward towards a more aggressive approach. Possibly surgery or at least a cortisone shot.
Financially we are in need of new supporters. Our support has sadly fallen off since the new year and that needs to change. I am going to host a softball tourney in May which might help. Pray for us in this area as it another burden I would rather not have to consider. I know there are those out there who would want to be involved, I need to meet with them and share what is happening and how we are making a difference.

Meeting with the surgeon

I will have a meeting with the surgeon on the 24th, hopefully I will be able to convince her to do some exploratory surgery or a cortisone shot to alleviate the pain.
Yesterday was the first day in some time that I was able to deal with the pain. It was still there but a bit more bearable than it has been.
Thanks for your prayers, please continue as they are so needed.

Rooting for the underdog

As most of you know I am a big sports fan. This weekend I was flat on my back due to the pain, I decided to do something new. I watched the PGA golf tournament on the internet. Yeah it is true!!!
What made it most interesting was looking at some of the players on the tour and their struggle to survive. You can read their bios on line and how much money they have made over the last five years as professionals.
There is one man named B.J. Staten and he turned pro in 2000. Here is what he has earned for the last six years: 2000--$0, 2001--$0, 2002--$1700, 2003--$2708, 2004--$1508, 2005--$4530. So over the last six years he has earned a total of $10406. But he persevered and had the opportunity to play this past weekend.
This year of 2006 he did not earn any money in his first three tournaments. I am sure he had to be discouraged and felt like giving up on his dream. Maybe others told him he needed to do something else. Maybe others encouraged him to follow his dreams and reminded him of how far he has come.
This weekend he finished in a tie for 34th place. That means 33 players were better than him. But, since he finished in the top 70 he earned a paycheck. In fact he won $25639, which is more than he ever won in the past six yeas combined. Hooray for the underdog.
I tend to cheer for the people in life who are the undedogs. I think that God does this too. I think he sees things in you and I that we cannot see ourselves. I think he is concerned about you and I and the challenges we face.
I am so thankful for friends like Bill and Suzette who stood in their church and were annointed on our families behalf. I am thankful for those who encourage us to press on even in the midst of very discouraging times.
On the other hand there are those who are naysayers, who want to discourage and say give up. I find those people to be draining. I am thankful that these folks are in the minority.
On a final note, please pray for Matt who is leading things for us in the gulf right now. He is the ultimate underdog who is doing as great job. He was a lot like me. The least likely candidate to be a missionary. God has radically changed him. With God's power anything can change.