Katrina '09

It seems like just yesterday that the first group of us were driving down to Mississippi. But now, just five months later, we have our third team leaving!

This Saturday, a group of thirteen will begin the drive to Biloxi, working once again with New Life Disaster Relief to come alongside Victory Temple Worship Center in repairing damages caused by Hurricane Katrina — repairing the roof, running water lines throughout the building for hot water, and finishing the main bathroom so it is handicap-accessible. They will also be working with a church north of Gulfport to frame, drywall, and paint.

The trip is March 13-20, and the team will be staying in a recently completed house that belongs to New Life, which “just happens” to be one of the houses a few of us got to help with during previous trips.

Team Members:
(Returning members) Eric Lane, Nancy Baker, Ted Baker, Tom Drummond, Angie Kuhn
(New members) Laura Cooper, Martha Cooper, Linda Davis, Tonia Hanna, Kamie Melton, Josh Schmucker, Ed VanOsdol, Richard VanOsdol

New Blog

We recently moved our Missions Blog to a new site. You’ll still find updates from our missions teams and partners, but now you’ll also find:

• Resources connected to our current sermon series
• Stories of how Jesus is changing lives
• Opportunities for you to get involved in our church and community

Email Updates

If you would like to  receive those updates by email, simply CLICK HERE. You’ll receive an email from Feedburner asking you to confirm your address. Just click the link it provides, and you’re good to go!

It has been several weeks since we’ve returned from Mississippi, but the lessons and love given from the people at Victory Temple continue to lay on our hearts and minds.

Below is a video showing some of the work we were able to complete during our December trip. But, as you’ll see, this time we focused far more on relationships – with God, with our fellow team members, and with those at Victory Temple.

Loving God, loving each other… Isn’t that what it’s all about?

Our next trip to Mississippi is scheduled for March 13-20. If you’d like to join us, you can register HERE. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Pam Price, the Missions Coordinator (268-0188 ext 119), or Eric Lane, the team leader (268-0188 ext 221).

While we’re all still processing our time in Mississippi — the projects, the people, the things God has laid on our hearts — we wanted to go ahead and share some pictures from our recent trip. Just go HERE!

If you hover over a picture, you’ll see the names of who’s in it.

Please keep Victory Temple and our teams (past and future) in your prayers!

The last day is coming to a close, and the week seems to have been so short as I look back on it. There is so much more we feel we could have done. The joy and happiness displayed by the Victory Temple parishioners who came in today helped to show us that we had done plenty, however. I suppose the issue is not with how much we have or haven’t done for the good folks at Victory Temple…rather we are feeling the weight of the looming homeward trip. There hasn’t been a day since the Friday we arrived that Bishop Bennie Holland, Pastor Mattie, and the Victory Temple parish haven’t prayed over us and petitioned to the Lord that we might be blessed in our lives, health, and travels. Such grace and gratitude from these members of our Christian family leaves us in awe, and with a terrible ache in our hearts that we must leave such caring and loving people. The greatest gift I have received all week was Bishop Holland’s great big smile as he stood once again behind the pulpit after climbing the stairs we just finished adding to the stage at the front of their sanctuary.

As we ready for the long trek home, though, I am starting to fill with anticipation at seeing my church family, relatives, and friends once again. Regardless of how much you enjoy where you are at, whether on a mission trip or just a vacation, it is always a blessing to return home to those who love you and have been there for you your whole life. Especially at this time of the year as we all come together to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I find a great stirring in the depths of my soul to return home to the family that has loved me so greatly.

For the opportunity to come back to Mississippi and help this outstanding group serve our friends at Victory Temple and New Life Disaster Relief, I will be eternally grateful. I am once again going home with so many fantastic memories, and a few more friends. God bless all of you back home, we’ll be seein you in a few hours

May the Lord shine on you that the rest of your days may be the best of your days!
Ben Keirn

What a fantastic day! The Lord was truly blessing us today with great opportunities to serve the good folks at Victory Temple, and the ability to visit and have fellowship with Bishop Bennie Holland and other members of the Victory Temple. We made good headway on several of our planned projects, as well as on a few projects that weren’t in the plan but needed some attention. We’re well on the way to having some steps added to the stage on either side of the pulpit that Bishop will be able to navigate with his walker. It’s been over a decade since the accident that left him a stronger man in a weaker body, and he hasn’t preached from the pulpit since that day. We are really happy to play a part in giving him the ability to get back up there.

All the lights in the sanctuary have been upgraded to brighter compact fluorescents, which will also help them a bit on their electric bill. We also got some trim put up, started boxing in around the water heater in the bathroom, installed a lighted exit sign, and the kids got started painting the door to the bathroom. Thanks to the plastic we spread out, the only things that were blue were the door and the kids.

As we wrapped things up for the day we were treated to a visit from Bishop Holland at Victory Temple, and received some teaching and insightful words from him there. Afterwards we headed back to home base at New Life Disaster Relief to have a wonderful ham dinner with Pastor Mattie’s husband Johnny and the Bishop, where he shared his testimony and some further teachings with all of us after having a nice long sit down with Tyler and Tyler’s guitar. Bishop Holland has a wonderful ear for music, and was a great musician who was a fluent player of nine different instruments before the accident. It seemed to give him great pleasure to pass on some of his musical knowledge to a member of our mission family, and it gave me great pleasure to witness it.

Tom’s Blog

Hello from Biloxi! It’s hard to believe that we will be leaving tomorrow.  It seems like we just arrived.  The Lord has lead each of us in our walk with Him down here.  The service at Victory Temple on Sunday was awesome, and it touched all of us.  The people are so grateful for what small things we have done.  We’ve worked on different tasks from what we started out to do, but the Lord had other plans for us.  We have accomplished things that needed done.  We’ve grown in our relationship with these people as well as our walk with the Lord.  It is still my prayer that if you have an opportunity to go on a mission trip, please do so.

Brooke’s Blog

Wonderful day again in Bloxi Mississippi!