Hello from Waveland,
Below you will find our most recent update from Pastor Don Young. Along with all of the information below, please pray for us during the next 24-48 hours as there is a tropical storm approaching that could become a category 1 hurricane.
Thank you,
Shannon Lenox
Christian Life Center, AKA Camp Katrina
Waveland, MS
Operation Finish Well, Update #3 - September 21, 2007
Greetings Friends and Fellow Servants:
Thanks so much for your response to the last few emails. We have seen a marked increase in the interest of volunteers to come back and help us finish well in Waveland, Mississippi. It has been a real blessing to see God work in such powerful way. We are gearing up for Halloween and Christmas outreaches to the community. Thanks to the several groups that want to come down and help organize these outreaches. God is so good!
Let me quickly give you a few tremendous answers to prayer.
1. Mark and Melissa Young will be arriving Friday afternoon, September 21 in Waveland. My Wife, Marlen has been with them for the past week helping them pack and travel with the two small grand kids. what a trip. They all got sick along the way, but God has given them unusual strength and they are heading our way with great excitement. Mark will be heading up the Community Development side of the ministry.
2. David and Donna Cornelius have accepted the call from the Waveland Christian Life Center to come and work in the area of Pastoral Care and Discipleship. They must sell a home, and work through a few other issues before coming, but the fact that they sense God's Call to come and help us is amazing. They come with a tremendous track record of service to God and we are looking forward to their future ministry.
3. John and Chrissy Rohmayer have begun fund raising in order to move down and assume the leadership in Building and Recovery Ministries.They plan on moving to Waveland by mid December, early January. John is a Contract Builder and brings great experience a passion to this position. Together with the volunteer staff we already have in place, our team is coming together to provide a very powerful, Spirit led ministry that will continue to help thousands and bless many more.
Urgent Prayer Requests:
- A home has been given to us Rent Free, to use for the Pastoral Couple for at least one year. There are some much needed repairs that must be done before we can use the home. Pray that teams and materials will be provided to get this job done asap.
- Pray for the need for Certified Counselors to help in dealing with PTSS.
- Pray for HAILEY. She is a 6 year old, 30 lb little girl with Down syndrome. The Supt. of Public Schools in Bay St. Louis asked that we help her if at all possible. Hailey's mom is in prison and probably won't get out for another 15 years. She is being raised by her Step Grandmother. They live in a FEMA Trailer and barely survive. We were able, thanks to the gifts of several friends, to help them with food and clothes. We are raising funds to provide her Birthday and Christmas gifts. We would also like to care for some of her personal needs, diapers, food, etc. We are starting a "Help Hailey Fund" so if you would like to donate, please send all checks to The Christian Life Center, 1807 Waveland Ave, Waveland Mississippi 39576. Put attention Shannon Lenox. Thanks for your help in this.
Let me give you a sweet praise concerning this little gal. When I visited Hailey, I knew that we would help her. She is such a sweet lovable little child. Before I drove over to Waveland to meet with her, I received a note from a dear lady from upstate New York. She said, "Several ladies and I are sending you some Wal Mart cards to help people in Waveland. It's not much, but we wanted to bless you and them." "NOT MUCH!" Are you kidding, I gave to the grandmother of Hailey, $75.00 from those sweet ladies. They gave the seed money that will bring in hundreds to help this very needy family. That's how God works. What an awesome GOD we serve!
Again, friends thanks for your prayers and support. Without you we would not be able to continue in Waveland. I wish you could have seen the faces of the 35 people that met last Saturday evening at CLC. We had a Coffee House meeting, and shared with them our desire to stay the course and finish well. We assured them that being there for the long haul also meant staying until the job is finished. I can only tell you that relief and thanksgiving came over them and you could see it in their smiles.
Waveland/Bay St.Louis people will always be grateful to the thousands of volunteers that came their way. They have hero's like Art and Pat, Tom and Barbara, George and Allie, Shannon, Brett, Gary, Gretta, Rayan, and many, many more who sacrificed above and beyond and gave of their time and energy to help rebuild the thousands of lives in the area.
A new era has started. Built on the good things that the hero's of the past left behind. A new team led by God and facilitated by Mark, Melissa, David, Donna, Shannon, Heather,Gary, John, Chrissy, Brett, and many other Volunteers. This new team, will be the ones that God uses through you and me, to FINISH WELL!
Be Blessed
Pastor Don Young
Genesis Church