Dear Friends of the Christian Life Center/Camp Katrina,
Hello once again dear friends from your home in Waveland, MS! I am so excited to send you this update! We are now through a short season of minor challenges. Late August and September saw low volunteer numbers and a couple of troublesome hurricanes. At the same time, though, each of our long-term team members was able to get some much needed rest and refreshment through visits with friends & family. We have also seen our team grow and expand! We are always thrilled when we see God’s servants saying “YES” to His call to be a part of the mission here.
Construction Update:
As we get into the cooler months we are seeing our volunteer numbers increase. Fabulous!! This means we all get to participate in more of what God is doing in the hearts and lives here! We all know that the reconstruction is not complete – we continue to be dependent on and thankful for your valued contributions to get the job done. We continue to praise God that you have all remained so faithful to the work that is required here. We are praying for a very full 2009 as we continue to work with families that are struggling to rebuild – it is like watching a miracle! Though it has been three years since Katrina, we continue to be burdened by the many families still not in homes…and even more burdened by the brokenness of the lives and families in this community. Our heart’s desire is to show forth ‘evidence of His grace’ here, that those who do not know Jesus will be drawn into Him. May His Kingdom come.
Thrift Store Update:
WOW!! The Thrift Store is booming and we are seeing God’s blessing every day. We anticipate receiving the equivalent of three semi-trailers of goods over the next 4 to 6 weeks! Isn’t that amazing?! Quality goods for the community are the life blood of the Thrift Store as folks are clamoring to buy items that they would not be able to afford at a local retail. David, our Thrift Store Manager, can attest that you will often see customers crying because they did not think they would be able to get a bed or sofa. It is truly a privilege to serve this wonderful community.
Our long term passion, however, is for the Thrift Store to become the catalyst in helping us develop a Training Center for the neediest in the community. We are hoping to offer life skills training as well as vocational training in computers. We work with a lot of single moms - the ability to read, type and work with Microsoft Office would be a huge asset to them as they seek employment as receptionists or administrative assistants. In all this we want to intentionally develop relationships and share the Good News of Christ’s redeeming love.
Lastly I want to invite you to consider the possibility of volunteering in Waveland for the specific purpose of helping us with the Thrift Store. The Thrift Store is a key part of our long term hope of seeing a sustainable Training Center established in Waveland. We are praying for God to awaken in our network of volunteers a passion for the long term ministry of the Christian Life Center. Our prayer is that more and more volunteers will sense God’s call to Waveland to specifically help us in the Thrift Store and, one day, in the Training Center.
CLC Team Expanding:
It is with much excitement and anticipation that we welcome our new Director of the Christian Life Center, Tom Barbour! Many of you know Tom as he worked diligently along side Art Baruffi in the first year of the ministry. I will be moving to Genesis Church in Foley, Alabama to work as the Community Relations & Outreach Director. Genesis Church has been involved with the ministry from the beginning and will continue to provide leadership towards a sustainable local ministry in Waveland. I will continue to stay involved at CLC as we all work together to help the Waveland Thrift Store become a long term reality. We are grateful for Tom and Barbara Barbour responding to God’s call to Waveland. In addition we are doubly blessed as they did not come alone! They brought with them their daughter and son-in-law (Lily and Carlos Saavedra) who are also called to full time ministry and have a deep passion for the broken hearted. Welcome aboard Tom, Barbara, Carlos and Lily!
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are dependent on you and God’s grace for constant grace and discernment. May God’s Kingdom be evident wherever you go!
Mark D. Young
Christian Life Center
** For information about volunteering, please email Shannon Lenox at info@clcgulfcoast.com
** Contact Information for New Director: Tom Barbour
Email: Tom@clcgulfcoast.com
Phone: 228-466-3880 or 856-305-2371