Notes from Carol Ogle

WFR Relief Ministry Survey Trip—October 27-30, 2008
Royce and Carol Ogle

Monday, Oct. 27
Clear Lake, Texas - We met preacher Byron Fike and elder Ben Glisan. What a great church! They are hosting the Hilltop Rescue group and other volunteer teams who have used their building for food, rest, and spiritual re-freshment. Ed Perry is the current on site coordinator for Hilltop Rescue. They have accommodations for about 70 volunteers. The church has constructed addi-tional shower facilities for the volunteers there to serve the Clear Lake community. Byron and Ben were gra-cious and informative hosts. If you are ever south of Houston, don't miss visiting them.

Tuesday – Oct. 28
Lake Jackson, Texas - Youth minister, comedian, and relief worker Hoss Ridgeway and many volunteers have done a wonderful job of helping the hurting. When it was decided that the dead tree in front of the church should be cut down, Hoss suggested a cross should be left. What a fitting reminder that in the face of storms God prevails!
We met with Hoss and preacher Allen Ritchie and heard about the great work that has been done from the Lake Jackson church of Christ campus. Work continues with the help of volunteers who are removing debris, mucking out houses, and repairing them. Hoss took us on a tour of the community of Surfside where there was extensive damage. The picture shows one of the the ocean front areas where only 4 of 17 houses on the street are still standing.. God bless the Lake Jackson folks who were first in with ice, food, and smiling faces.

Galveston, TX -
We enjoyed a great lunch with our sisters in Christ Jane Smith and Judy Peter from the El Campo church (where John Mc Cord preaches). We have been closely associated with these great ladies in the work at Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Jane and Judy have been making several trips a week to deliver food and supplies to the Broadway church location where Mike Baumgarner (Disaster Assistance, Inc.) has been cooking and serving hot lunches for more than a month now. He has been averaging over 800 lunches a day. Mike has done an unbelievable job. He also spent a few weeks cooking at the Goodwood church in Baton Rouge right after Hurricane Ike.
The beautiful area of the famous "Strand" and the historic homes along Broadway St. in Gal-veston bear the marks of Ike. Boarded windows, blue tarps on roofs, and debris everywhere are representative of the broken lives of the residents. There is much yet to be done but be-cause of very little press and newspaper coverage, money and volunteers are in short supply.
Two days after we were in Galveston, Daphne, Billy and Tina (from Bayou La Batre) arrived there. They brought dozens of homemade cakes and cookies from the church members at BLB to serve to the folks in Galveston. This is truly a case of Christians giving “out of their poverty ..out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. II Cor. 8:2. They spent Friday and Saturday helping Mike with the food service and also visiting other parts of town, including the Ave. K. church which is predominantly black.

Wednesday – Oct. 29
Orange, Texas – At the 9th and Elm church we met minister Barry Jones. In addition to the duties of preaching and all the accompanying duties of ministering to a sizable congregation, Barry has assumed the job of relief coordinator. Twenty families of the 9th and Elm church suf-fered significant damage to their homes. With the help of volunteers, much of the damaged dry wall has been removed. The next step will be the installation of new drywall. They have a source for the sheetrock but need workers to hang and finish it.
In addition to the stress of having two fulltime jobs, Barry has been ministering to two families in the church whose son and brother committed suicide just a few days ago. This man lost his business after the hurricane, his home was badly damaged, and in despair took his own life. In the face of so much loss and tragedy, the remarkable be-lievers at the 9th and Elm church are still smiling, still trusting the Lord, and doing all they can for others. The church building had several inches of water in it and one lady who stayed in the building had to be rescued by boat. In the nearby community of Bridge City, virtually every home was damaged with water from a few inches to several feet. Please pray for and the work at Bridge City.
Remember to keep Barry and the 9th and Elm church in your prayers. Spread the word about the need for workers.

Sulphur, LA - Maplewood church of Christ. We met with elder Roger Corley and spent a few hours with him learning about the work of Maplewood and enjoying his contagious optimism about the work yet to be done. He, too, says the greatest need is for volunteers. It is very difficult to get enough folks to do the work. They have been able to clean and help repair many homes in Cameron Parish but also have distributed thousands of dollars of appliances and bedding (from Disaster Relief in Nashville) to people who lost everything. Their goal is to plant a church in Cameron Parish. Maplewood is also hosting a Hilltop Rescue group.

Thursday, Oct. 30
Baton Rouge - We met our friends Fred and Dee Franke from New Orleans for a late breakfast. What a job Fred and his Project Nehemiah have done in New Orleans, first after Hurricane Katrina and now in wake of the latest hurricanes. Fred's ministry has helped to plant churches, feed and clothe people, supply appliances, cleaning sup-plies, and brought hope to so many hundreds of people. He also needs funding to continue. The recovery work in the New Orleans area has only scratched the surface. There is much to be done. I am very thankful for men like Fred who stepped out by faith and tackled the situation head on. Fred is not only a leader, preacher/teacher, but a brilliant strategist as well.
It is very difficult to see all the damage, destruction and oftentimes despair in the lives of people we visit who have been affected by the hurricanes and storms. But it is very rewarding to be able to give them a hug and remind them of their many unseen friends around the world who care about them and send their support in the way of funds and prayers. We pray with them and always leave feeling that we are the ones blessed by our visit.
Please remember these people and the ministries who are doing so much to help them. Thousands still need help and hope that only Christ can give
Royce and Carol