Camp Katrina Update #16 January 28, 2006

Editor’s note: God continues to provide, bless, and expand His Kingdom through the compassionate outreach of hundreds of Alliance volunteers and benefactors. Pastor Don Young gives another breathtaking account of God’s Divine intervention in the rebuilding of Waveland, Mississippi. 
 
To all of our partners in blessing: 
     It is such a blessing to help these dear people, and all of you are such a huge part of every blessing. It would be impossible to do what we are seeing done without you…so THANKS! 
     Let me give you some updates. First, Pastor Jimmy will be moving to start a church near Nashville, Tenn. in the coming weeks. He has done a tremendous job in directing the overall ministry of Camp Katrina. Many have felt his pastoral heart, and we will miss him terribly. However, God doesn’t close one door without opening another. Pastor Art and Pat Baruffi from Vineland, New Jersey, will be replacing Jimmy as of February 12, 2006. This team brings to Camp Katrina unusual skills:

     

  • Art has a background in construction and rebuilding. He has been involved with construction and development for many years. His family owns and operates a construction company. This will allow us to streamline our rebuilding operations at Camp Katrina. We will be able to have a better handle on the rebuilding jobs simply because of his expertise. 
  • Art is also a pastor. He will continue the fine work of Pastor Jimmy with the volunteers. Art will also be able to begin the discipleship ministries needed among the many who have prayed to receive Christ during these past 20 or so weeks since the storm hit. 
  • Art will be coming with his wife, Pat. She brings to the ministry an added dimension that has been so needed, a woman to minister to the needs of women. There have been so many needs in this area. Pat will be able to love on these gals and demonstrate to them the love of Jesus. What an answer to prayer! 
  • Both Art and Pat are an extension of the Vineland C&MA Church in Vineland, New Jersey. This great church is sending Art and Pat down to Camp Katrina as part of their staff for a six-month period to help in the rebuilding effort. What a demonstration of partnership! This represents just a part of what the entire Metro District of the C&MA has done over the past 5 months. They have sent tons of goods, tens of thousands of dollars, and hundreds of volunteers since early September. 
  • They also bring with them two very capable men to work with them in construction. This will allow Art and Pat to focus on Discipleship Ministries. Shannon Lenox, a C&MA young man from Wisconsin, has signed on for a year to help with the efforts as well. He will help Art in the scheduling and finding of work.  
  • Art will return one week a month to New Jersey to share with the church family what God is doing and gather continued prayer support.

 
     Do I hear someone out there shouting, “PRAISE GOD!” I thought so. Now for some great stories for you to share with your friends and families:

     

  • Last week a team came to Camp Katrina and brought with them a doctor who wanted to “Volunteer” for a week with them. On this team was a former football player with the New York Giants. Sometime during the middle of the week, after days of working, praying as a team, blessing people, etc, this doctor friend said, “I don’t have what you have, I need to have it.” Well you can guess what happened…right on! The football player led this guy to the Lord. What a testimony. That night he shared with the entire volunteer crew, his salvation experience. He came to help “save” people from their mess, and in reality, God saved him from his mess. Please pray for him. His name is Dave, his wife is not a believer, and he is extremely concerned for her salvation.  
  • A few days ago, I was in Waveland, meeting with a team that returned to see if they could “bless” a church and help in the rebuilding process. They had in mind to find a church that was destroyed and then ask their church to help in the rebuilding. Well instead, God led them to an African-American Church that had just missed the destruction, all around this church, other buildings were completely gone…but God spared this little church. The Pastor, Rev. Allen Jenkins, is a very godly man who desires to be a light in the darkness around him. He needed work done on his church to complete the construction in order to minister effectively in the area. Well, he now has it. Between what we at Genesis Church and CLC are doing, and this Church group from New Jersey, Pastor Jenkin’s Church will now be completed, and he will be able to work full time in the church for the next year. This will allow him to focus on church growth and not try to drive 60 miles a day doing a second job. God is so good. 
  • We also have funds to completely rebuild Miss Ellen’s house. Remember my last update? Miss Ellen is the 85-year-old black lady that is blind. She lost her home in the storm and is living in a FEMA unit. She has no family, but the family of God. And as you well know, that family is large. We will begin rebuilding her home very shortly as teams and permits get in order. Funds came in from several sources to finance this effort. I’m sure some of you are getting happy about now!!! 
  • Last, at least for this update, remember that team from New Jersey that came seeking a church to help. Well, you are gong to love this… while they were here, they returned to visit a home they had helped to clean up several weeks prior. They wanted to visit the man who was blessed by their visit and was so close to receiving Christ several weeks ago. This time when they arrived, they went out to lunch, and continued their conversation about Jesus. Several hours later, this man, said, “Ok, I’m ready to pray now!” He then called his 17 years old son, who was visiting him, told him the story of his conversion. The son said, “Great Dad, I was saved not long ago as well.” Some of you are probably jumping on tables now, that’s OK. We all can rejoice over what God is doing. The team leader told me by phone of this mans conversion experience, and then he added…Pastor Don, “The truth is, we didn’t just come down to look at a church that needed help, we also came to check on this man who we helped weeks ago, and look what God did!” 
    Partners, we are living in tremendous days. Days of opportunity and blessing. I want to again thank you for everything God has allowed you to be a part of during these past 5 months. You see…God is building His Kingdom. When we follow His agenda, the King gets glorified and we get blessed. It doesn’t get any better than that!

 
     Here are a few Prayer request:

     

  • Pray for the transition between Pastor Jimmy and Pastor Art. 
  • Pray for the new church plant in Tenn. That Pastor Jimmy will enjoy the anointing of God over this ministry and many will find Christ. 
  • Pray for Art’s wife, Pat, that she will find strength for the ministry among the many women who so desperately need her help. This is a big transition for her and she needs God to touch her physically as well. 
  • Pray for the much needed discipleship training. That we will be able to locate these new Christians and get them started in follow-up classes.  
  • Pray for wisdom in the timing of starting a new church. Pray that God would raise up the needed leadership team for this church plant. 
  • Pray for the health and safety of the many volunteers who come to camp Katrina to work, we have need for more skilled labor as the re-building process demands more expertise. 
  • Pray for the volunteers that come. We need them to continue to have a servant spirit. Some will need to stay back and cook, clean the camp, maintain the equipment, etc. Not everyone can go out to the job sites. 
  • Pray that the churches that send teams will honor and understand the age limits for volunteers. There are reasons that the age limits exist. Not to limit volunteers, but to protect them and also limit our exposure to liability. 
  • Pray for a much-needed Warehouse of 20,000 sq, ft, or more. This is a must if we are to store the equipment and materials needed for re-building. 
  • Pray for Pastor Rick Long of Christian Life Church and Pastor Don Young of Genesis Church, as we continue to provide general oversight of this relief effort. We both have growing churches that demand our time and energy and yet we cannot leave this ministry behind. There are too many people that need help.

 
     Again thanks for your love and sacrificial giving. Continue to Pray, come and visit us, and stay awhile…we will leave the lights on for you. 
 
     In His Love, 
 
     Pastor Don Young 
     Genesis Church

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