Outreach Day!!!!

Today was the day! It finally came! All of the preparations were worth every minute, every drop of sweat and every sleepless night!

The photos are of various areas of the day. You can see Pastor Rick and wife, Vickey, greeting everyone as they wait at the gate for the "go".

Each area was filled with people all day long. From the food tent, the children's play area (complete with water slide), the community service tent (where Convoy was located), the prayer tent, the entertainment stage and the handout of grocery bags of food. An absolutely incredible day!

The weather was a bit "iffy" first thing this morning but God had it all under control. The clouds stayed around, a nice breeze was blowing all day and the temps were bearable! Diane and I were under the tent all the time and it was actually nice.

Convoy of Hope signed up 34 more "work tickets" from people coming to our tent and asking for help. It's heartbreaking to listen to their stories and not be able to tell them that "we'll be right over and get your home back together". We instead had to tell them that it all depends on the volunteers and with them slowing down we are slowed down in our ability to respond.

If I could wish something I would wish that it could have been YOU sitting there, hearing their stories, seeing their tears and broken hearts, reaching for any kind of help they might get, and then realizing that you can't really do anything to help them right now and might not be able to -- ever! I know, without a doubt, that then you would be motivated to do something, anything, to help! I wish you could have heard the story of the sisters living in the family home, who just buried their father a few months ago, who are willing to shingle their own roof to repair it, who just need the extra hands to help and the ladder to reach the roof! They have black mold growing all over the house because the blue tarp that FEMA placed on the roof 11 months ago has torn and blown off due to the weather. They have torn out what they can, they cannot get a FEMA trailer to live in, they are raising 2 very small children in the house and are more than desperate! What would YOU do? Could you tell her you don't have the help? Could you tell her you don't know when you will be able to do something and she shouldn't be living in the house because she is endangering not only herself but the lives of her children? What WOULD you do?

Please think about it and please keep all of these people in your prayers. Remember all of us when you go into your house of worship tomorrow.

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty