C4C Brings Hope in the Midst of Recovery
We have a new look in our format, but this is minor compared to the exciting things that have been happening around here over the past week. It is so encouraging to see things being done, and lives being touched.
We have had a great week of serving those who are hungry with meals, cleaning up debris, gutting homes, and skilled construction projects. Our volunteer staff- Mary Edna, Chris, Steve, Lezlie, Vance, Ryan, and myself - have been overseeing the operations here on Galveston, and coordinating short-term volunteers.
This week, we have had the Nipper family, volunteers with FriendShips, serve with us. Elena, Danielle, and Lorna are from Texarkana, TX, and were here for the week. They were such a blessing to our kitchen staff.
Meryle Lee-Gregory, daughter of Gwen Lee who had served with us several times in MS, brought a group of ladies on Thursday from the Houston area. Meryle, Chrissy, Wendy, and Bessanne all have children who attend the same school, and came down to help on the island while their children were in school. They worked in the kitchen, and plan to bring more volunteer teams on a regular basis, to assist in the kitchen. They were so refreshing and a blessing in the kitchen.
We also were blessed by two wonderful guys from Florida, Steve and Sheldon, as well as very entertained. They have done everything this week from opening cans for our ladies in the kitchen to the repairs and rebuilding here at the church. They were great teachers, and even taught Chris some greatly desired drywalling skills. They brought humor to the atmosphere, and will be welcomed back in January when they plan to bring a team to work on houses. We can hardly wait to hear the new jokes they have mastered by then.


In addition, Lakewood Church, Houston, blessed us with a group of 27 youth and their leaders on Saturday. When they arrived in Galveston, they were ready to conquer the world, and it was quite an experience for these young people to demo a couple of houses. One young man was overjoyed at the thought of taking a sledge hammer to the interior doors which were covered in mold, while others were overwhelmed with the sadness of witnessing so much loss.
It is sometimes bitter-sweet, to see so many hurting, yet be so blessed with so many who will give up their own luxuries and conveniences to come and serve their fellow man. Our motto has always been “Many Churches, One God” and what a joy it brings to the many hearts, when God’s people can come together in His name and meet practical needs while touching lives and hearts.
Some of our special blessings this past week…. Dreyers donated 6 pallets of ice cream!.... We celebrated Chris’ “half birthday” since we got some ice cream cakes!!!... The sanctuary of the church has drywall rehung…. Chris has new skills in the drywalling industry…. And we’ve had FUN!
We still need help with our Thanksgiving and Christmas outreaches. Volunteers, turkeys, potatoes, yams, breads, butter, milk, pies, 3-compartment “to-go” containers, hams, baking supplies, and cash donations are needed.
In addition to that, we have committed to assist with the local Toys for Tots distribution. We are collecting new toys, wrapping paper, candy, cookies, hot cocoa, crayons, printer ink, photo paper, etc. for this even. We are also in great need of volunteers who would like to assist us in these efforts, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, of making this year’s Toys for Tots events the greatest it has ever been on Galveston Island. Please let us know if you can partner with us in these efforts.

Update 10/26/08
It is hard to believe another week has passed, yet so exciting to see what God’s people are doing to share the love of Christ in such practical ways. During the past week, we have been blessed by everyone who has assisted in the efforts here on Galveston.
Several volunteers arrived last Sunday. Mary Edna had served with us in MS, and has returned to serve long-term in our kitchen. She will be overseeing a lot of the meal preparation and food service, allowing me to work more on the administrative side of the ministry. Chris, or “Cleatis” to many, has also returned this week, and will be serving long-term, assisting Mary Edna in the kitchen.
We continue to be blessed by Steve and Lezlie, Kara, and Alan; as well as the local volunteers, Melinda and Debra. What an awesome thing, to see God networking His people from all over the country to serve those who are so broken and hurting in TX right now.
I want to share with you a few statistics this week, rather than a specific story, as I see the urgency of getting some hard facts out. I received an update just yesterday of information put together by FEMA showing that they are predicting Ike to be the 3rd most costly disaster in our nation’s history at $21B, only to follow Katrina and Andrew. Wow! Who would have guessed, with so little media coverage? I can personally tell you, from firsthand knowledge, that the need is very great!
I was one of the many who had no clue that Galveston was a massive city of 60,000 residents prior to Ike, and far more than a vacation destination. Of those 60,000 year round residents, something like 86% of their homes were damaged in the storm. And, 2,000 homes are destroyed, beyond repair. As of yesterday, 7,380 families had registered with FEMA, and many people are currently facing homelessness. We are striving to get the word out of our services, and seeing increases in the number of local residence that are coming for meals.
As we are approaching the holiday season, we especially need your assistance with meeting the needs of so many who have recently lost everything. We will be the main distribution point for Toys for Tots on the island. So many children have lost every toy they owned, and this is a great opportunity to share the love of Christ, while adding a little joy to their lives this holiday season. We are also planning a Thanksgiving Outreach, and need your assistance to make both of these events a great success.
For Thanksgiving Outreach, some of our needs are: Turkeys, potatoes, yams, breads, butter, milk, canned pumpkin and pie shells or pumpkin pies, 3-compartment “to-go” containers, & volunteers. For Christmas Outreach we need the following: Hams, turkeys, potatoes, yams, breads, butter, milk, Baking Supplies, 3-compartment “to-go” containers, volunteers, toys, stuffed animals, wrapping paper, candies, cookies, hot cocoa mix, crayons, printer ink for family photos, photo paper, etc. For both outreach projects, as well as the daily outreach we are doing, we need cash donations.
Hungry people are being fed, tired individuals are receiving assistance with the clean up, hearts are being touched, and lives are being changed. All, for the glory of the Lord!

The Approach of The Holiday Season In A Disaster Area

As I drive around the city of Galveston, the familiar sights and sounds of a neighborhood approaching the season are missing. Piles of debris, from ruined belongings, or debris from the insides of houses that have been gutted, decorate the yards. The sounds of children playing are replaced by silence, or in some cases the sounds of demolition of the interior of the houses. At night, the neighborhoods are mostly dark, quiet and uninhabited. There are some houses that the owners have gotten fixed, but they are few.

As I drive around, I think, "If we had more volunteers we could get people back into their houses". The volunteer groups we saw during Katrina efforts, have not come, the church has not responded in mass numbers, so the work we are able to do takes longer. The neighborhoods full of various church groups and volunteers, so commonly seen during Katrina relief efforts, are absent. I thank God for the ones who are here. I Thank God for the churches who are sending workers. I see relief organizations pull out every week, not because there are no needs, but because of the lack of volunteers and funding. If it were not for the faith we have in Christ, and keeping our eyes fixed upon Him, it could get discouraging. We have found we need to keep our focus on every person we see, every person that comes by for a meal and not losing sight of the individual due to the enormity of the task. 

At this time Bibles are very much in demand, we can't keep bibles stocked, they are taken as soon as we put them out...people are desperate for the hope and encouragement. As I write this, we are all out of bibles, we still have a few Spanish Bibles, and some New Testaments in English. I pray every day that God will send more so we can send people out with His word.

I look toward the Holidays in anticipation. Thanksgiving we are planning on filling hungry bellies with a hearty Thanksgiving dinner. We are doing Toys For Tots this year, and expect to have many people signed up, we would like to be able to give each family a Bible and some Christian children's DVD's, as well as some much needed housewares(blankets, sheets, small kitchen appliances, etc.) if we are able. 

Remember the disaster victims as the holidays approach, there are still many thousands still out of their homes, many needs, keep these in prayer, and if you can do something to help, no matter how small it seems, be assured everything matters.

Vance Weesner-C4C Staff