October 23, 2006
New blog
bripatmc.blogspot.com
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September 20, 2006
Wanna buy an Explorer?
The Linda Findley Memorial Explorer is for sale and I am not much of a salesmen apparently, but if any of you have ways to better spread the word that would be great - or if you just want to buy it yourself that would be better. I drive a slightly more economical Honda these days, plus need the money to help facilitate Hellen's coming from Kenya.
It's a 93 Ford Explorer, 4x4 with 150k miles, runs great, leather seats. Dark green with light green line. I'm asking $3500 but because one window doesn't work and the dash was beat up when broken into (ahh the streets of St Elmo...) I'll sell for $3000.
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September 15, 2006
Louisiana
* Just returned again from Louisiana, this time with Randy and Gyven Nabors.
- Trinity Church, Slidell: They have called a new pastor who will be moving
there shortly. We are talking about a team heading down there possibly in
mid October.
- Lincoln Park: Most folks are still in FEMA trailers. Ran into Earl and
Clara Martin and they are well.
- New FEMA acronym: Find Every Mexican Available
- Desire Street Academy was in the 9th Ward of New Orleans, working with
inner city kids. After the storm they set up temporary hq in DEstin, FL,
now have moved to Baton Rouge where they have purchased property and have 95 kids, some 60 boarding. It's an exciting time for them - but rather
overwhelming as well. Danny Wuerfel has taken over as director. They
still need a Spanish teacher and a Band director. We met with the staff to
discuss issues they have run into and basically to encourage them and give
them a sounding board.
- My Uncle Dennis was in town so we met up with him at Roco Rescue, and then
for dinner later. We hope to put together a Roco led Disaster Response
training next Spring.
- New Orleans: I see so much progress and incredible amounts of work being
done, but most see only the insane amount undone, the houses still
untouched, the despair. Ben McLeish is trying to continue work there, both
in the old Desire neighborhood and in the 8th Ward. The 9th Ward is still
mostly uninhabited and the Lower 9th Ward is being bulldozed. Ben has a
vision for a cross cultural church focused on meeting the needs of the urban
poor, and we hope to help him with that. He needs an assistant, and then we
need to find several families to move down there with him and to assemble a
church planting team.
* My schedule is full of little things, quite a bit of travelling the next
few months, but so far all domestic. Atlanta, Philadelphia, Baltimore,
Miami, NYC. My relationship with Hellen continues to grow stronger and she
hopes to come here in January. Thanks for your prayers, would love to hear
from each of you!
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September 08, 2006
A great ministry
Those of you who know me are aware that I am sometimes a bit cynical when it comes to missions (see Stewardship entry), but this ministry is one of my favorites. I had the opportunity to visit there in March and hope to take a team back there early next year. Part of its appeal is the work with AIDS, which is near and dear to my heart, but I was most impressed with the way it was run and the relevance of the work they do. Check it out at http://www.ethiopiahiv.org
WARNING: Some pictures are disturbing, and if you have no desire to feel compassion for the sick and suffering and possibly to experience deep conviction, then go to a silly site instead, like: www.gizoogle.com
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August 30, 2006
She
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August 24, 2006
katrina plus one
A year ago this week I was attending an MTW disaster training weekend in Pennsylvania. A year ago this week I was starting education classes, thinking I would go back into teaching. A year ago I was struggling with my job and was so restless, eager to get away. A year ago I had never seen New Orleans, never heard of Slidell. A year ago I could breathe normally. A year ago I did not have strong physical and emotional responses to mold. A year ago Katrina hit.
I spent four months down there, in Slidell, in Picayune, in Bay St Louis, in Metarie, in the 9th Ward, in New Orleans. Houses filled with mold all different colors, piles of trees on roofs, the smell of a million rotten things. The depression, the fear, the shock, the unknown on every face, the weeping in every voice, despair. Anger.
And in the middle of that God was doing amazing things. Seeing lives influenced, faces lit up, walls broken down, churches palnted, ministries reborn, relationships kindled (or in Carson's case incineration, spontaneous combustion). Out of came my journey back to South Africa, the wonderful ministry and renewing of friendships there, and this new job. Out of this new job came Kenya and Ethiopia journeys, and meeting the person I have dreamed of for so long, and who knows what else has come, what other lives have been changed, what else God is doing.
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