Faith Mission Articles

Be the Light

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0500

""You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16 ESV)

We cannot thank you enough for your willingness to be the hands and feet of Jesus during these trying times. By God's grace we have had the privilege of helping many families and individuals by helping them apply with FEMA, giving them food that you have donated, and have their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs met.

There are many stories to be told of how your generosity has enabled us to serve the evacuees. Last week there was a family of 5 who had decided to camp at Lake Somerville thinking that they would be returning home in a few days. However, as the storm passed and word of the destruction of their area came, they realized that they would not be able to return home. One of the children in the family was developmentally disabled, and their resources were drying up. God graciously allowed us to serve this family and our friends at Miracle Farm were able to provide a place for them to stay.

With an estimated 2,000 evacuees still remaining in the Washington County area, the needs are continuing to be made more clear. Join us in praising God as we have already received over $5000 in donations that we are distributing with careful efficiency. We invite you to continue your support of Faith Mission through your prayers and gifts. Below is a list of immediate needs that we have. We invite you to 'Be the Light' through partnering with us!

Current Needs:

1. Money - Your charitable donations enable us to continue to meet the needs of those who benefit from our services. Our operation is extensive and requires a great deal of resources to continue offering these services. Donate Now or make a check out to:

Faith Mission
500 E. Academy
Brenham, TX 77833

2. Non-Perishable Foods - Canned Soup, Canned Meat, Crackers, Cup-O-Soup, Microwavable Rice, Low-Sodium Soups.

3. Baby Supplies - Diapers (especially sizes 3-5 and Pull-Ups), Wipes, and Formula

4. Gift Cards - Gas, Wal-Mart, HEB, Local Restaurants

5. Clothing (Plus-sized clothing needed) - Please take your clothing donations to Higgins Branch.

6. Housing - Rental Properties, Apartments, Temporary Stay, Long-Term Stay, and Possible Permanent Re-location (All eligible participants will be thoroughly screened)

We welcome your help both through your gifts and your time. Please come by 314 E. Alamo and see for yourself what God is doing! We'd love to have you volunteer with us as well!

Grace and Peace,

Hurricane Ike - Day 7

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0500

ke has disappeared off of all the maps, but the destruction he put on our neighbors will be around for a long time. The Faith Mission Emergency Relief Center opened its doors last Monday morning to a steady stream of evacuees. Over 500 individuals have been serviced during that time by a corps of volunteers determined to be a blessing. Donations have begun to filter in which increase our ability to help them in very meaningful ways. The motels remain full of evacuees. Some are leaving, others are moving in.... We believe some 2500 remain in Washington County today.

This has been a week of individual stories from people that were damaged by the storm. I walked into a storage area yesterday and one of our hardest working volunteers was standing there crying. She had been so touched by the difficult circumstances of a family, she had to excuse herself and find a moment alone. She went to the storage room so the family would not see her without a smile.

I am reminded of a man that whenever his friends would ask him "how he was" he would respond with "richly blessed". One day when his son and family were back home for a visit from the mission field, his son was killed by a hit and run driver. The next day someone asked him "how he was doing" he answered " richly blessed".

If we are "richly blessed" regardless of our circumstances, how much more should we count ourselves blessed by not meeting Ike face to face. May God give us the grace to help those less fortunate.

Kindess May Be the Best Help of All

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

It's another normal day at Faith Mission. People in running every direction, serving and being served. People moving from station to station, filling out forms, scanning computer monitors, making new friends and occasionally sitting for a few moments to eat a sandwich and drink a cup of Java. We call it organized chaos.

In the back room, among stacks of boxed food, six people sit in a circle planning and re-planning. Attached to five different churches in this community they sit in this room with one common purpose and question. We are here to serve and how can we better serve. Ideas are thrown against the wall and some stick, but all are given serious consideration. The word "can't" is never mentioned. The meeting breaks and each one sets off on his mission. And each one carries the knowledge and the comfort of knowing there is a greater power at work.

An afternoon visit by some FM volunteers to the Brenham Dept. of Human Services found a line of more than a hundred waiting to be processed for assistance. One lady, quiet and shy at first, when asked about her situation slowly begins to tell her story. "I never dreamed I would ever be asking for assistance. We live near Navasota and have not had electricity since Ike came through. We don't know how long it will be before we can go back to work and our money is gone." She adds, "This is the third time we have tried to sign-up but the offices where we went before (other counties) were rude and basically asked us to leave. The people here are overwhelmed but they have been very nice and respectful."

At the request of the Brenham Dept. of Human Services office, the Faith Mission Emergency Volunteer's are organizing a team to help them with their heavy workload. If you would like to be a part of the FM Volunteers please call 979-830-1096 or email your contact information and hours available to email: jd@faithmission.us. Volunteer team training sessions are each morning at 9:00 AM. Come on down and join us.

That's all for now. From all of us at the Faith Mission Emergency Service Center, 314 E. Alamo, Brenham. God bless.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

It's already looking like a normal day at Faith Mission. Preparations for volunteers began very early. The birds are now up and the first light of the new day is beginning to eliminate the landscape. There is a light cool breeze and the freshness of the morning is exhilarating. Soon the morning volunteer training class for today will begin, followed by the sounds of evacuee families looking for answers to hundreds of questions. The situations range from "when will my power be back on" to "my house is unlivable (or gone), what do I do". Of course, we only have some of the answers at this point... but we are getting more every day and there is an abundant supply of shoulders to lean on.

I looked up yesterday and saw a family as they walked down the hall toward the dining room. They were in single file led by dad, six of them, in order of size. Meet Bob, Judy, Donald, Mary, Jason and Sue. At first glance, you knew they did not arrive in their new SUV and it was very unlikely they had a pocket full of credit cards. But they did have a story. Some six months ago, they lived in Kansas which had been their home for many years. Bob's employer had closed his business and after using all their resources trying to find another job they moved to the gulf coast and started over. Things were actually going quite well until they met Ike. Their rent house was submerged and all was lost except the belongings that could be stuffed into an old Camaro. There new mission was to return to Kansas and its familiarity. It was marvelous to watch as everyone pitched in to help in any way possible. Not to be deterred, the car was soon packed with food, full of gas, and on its way to Kansas. Their memory of the loving people in Brenham will be with them for the rest of their lives. You guys make me proud.

The Emergency Service Center is equipped to provide a variety of services including: general up-to-date information, telephone services, Email service, FEMA registration, emergency Food Stamp information, Workforce referral and information, medical assessments, prescription assistance, doctor referrals and other special needs. A children's center is provided and staffed with volunteers. Food services are provided for the noon meal.

If you would like to be a part of this work, please call 979-830-1096 and volunteer.

Faith Mission ... Emergency Services

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 01:00:00 -0500

"DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN"

As the day stretched into the night yesterday and as today began to unfold, it began to feel like three years ago for all of the workers involved in helping the evacuees of Katrina/Rita. The good thing is that the previous experience with Katrina/Rita was a great educator. Our frantic activities are somewhat tempered with some knowledge of what to expect. While we already know that Ike has left his own set of problems, the people are much the same. Hope for many has transitioned into shock and shock is beginning to transition into dispair. As the money disappears and the credit cards reach the limit, thoughts of where to find basic essentials begin to loom on the horizon. Help seems to move at a snails pace as the mind races in every direction. Elderly, families with small children, houses damaged, houses gone, jobs gone.... and resources gone.

But, in the middle of the darkness there is a bright light. It is on the faces of those that selflessly give themselves to helping their neighbors. Smiles, hugs, reassurance, and all kinds of assistance from people that see how easy it would be for them to be the ones in need instead of the givers. They open their hearts and live their faith. My hat is off to the immediate responders like Pastor Beckworth and his church in Chappell Hill and Rosa Dean and her group from Freedom Hill that immediately opened their doors to those they found in need. Wow....

As we move forward there will be many more opportunities for courageous and selfless service. If you are a part of our team at Faith Mission, we thank you. But most of all, if you see a need, minister to it where it is.... you will be richly blessed............jd

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HELPING WHERE IT IS MOST EFFECTIVE AT THIS TIME

We are beginning to receive many requests of "how can I help?" We thought this over and have the following suggestions based on priority of need at the present time:

Money (this provides us with the flexibility to service almost any emergency need)
Food (non-perishables)
Home Furnishings
Clothing

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We are pleased to announce that the Calvary Baptist Church has joined with local Boy Scout District in coordinating a food drive. This effort includes donations at the County Fair or you can call Britt Vincent at (cell) 713-818-2795 or the Calvary Baptist Church at 836-5537.

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NEWS RELEASE

FAITH MISSION OPENS A "STORM FUND" FOR ASSISTING EVACUEES

Faith Mission announces the opening of a Storm Relief Fund for assistance to evacuees of Hurricane Ike. J.D. Young, Executive Director of Faith Mission stated "We are beginning to see needs from people that are stranded in Brenham. Some have homes but they are in areas where services don't exist. Some, literally have no home remaining. We are beginning to get a lot of housing, gasoline, medicine and other types of requests. Some have exhausted all their funds and don't know what to do. The Faith Mission Emergency Service Center opened this morning with some 50 volunteers ready to help people. Faith Mission can assist them with clothing and some food, but there are other items that require money. In an effort to meet these needs, Faith Mission had opened a Storm Fund at the Bank of Brenham. Donations may be made at the Bank or at the Faith Mission main office. This is a great community and we know if our citizens see the need, they will respond."

Faith Mission is a charity and all donations are deductible.

Faith Mission Emergency Bulletin #6

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0500

The Faith Mission First Responder services were shut down as of 7:00 Saturday evening. Our thanks go out to our local police, fireman, street crews and utility workers that worked through Friday night and Saturday providing essential services.

We are now preparing to re-open the Emergency Service Center for people that may be stranded in our area and have needs while they are here. This will happen at 10:00 AM, Monday morning. We are calling for volunteers to be present at that time and we will discuss work schedules, etc. If you know of those that want to volunteer but cannot attend the meeting, please collect names, phone numbers, emails, etc. so we can put them on our contact list.

We do not know at this point what the volume of service needs will be; however, we do know that there are some remaining local shelter residents that have lost their homes and the motels remain full of evacuees.