Here I Am Lord

Did you miss the presentation given at church?

Check out the site below and view the video clip.

Here I am Lord

Interested in hearing more? Ask any of the team members one on one or contact Bob and Mary Lord to arrange a small group to visit your Sunday school class or small group.

The will of God

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

The following poem was contributed by Connie and shared at our last devotional in Mississippi:

The will of God will never take you
where the grace of God cannot keep you
where the arms of God cannot support you
where the riches of God cannot supply your needs
where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you
where the Spirit of God cannot work through you
where the wisdom of God cannot teach you
where the army of God cannot protect you
where the hands of God cannot mold you.

The will of God will never take you
where the love of God cannot enfold you
where the mercies of God cannot sustain you
where the peace of God God cannot calm your fears
where the authority of God cannot overwhelm you.

The will of God will never overtake you
where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears
where the word of God cannot feed you
where the miracles of God cannot be done for you
where the omnipresense of God cannot find you.

author unknown

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As Mississippi Nazarene Disaster Response(NDR) site directors it is a thrill to have all the teams come to help Katrina victims. Every week the community leaders tell us how much they appreciate what NDR is doing. The people are so grateful and you were a wonderful team. We appreciate what you did both out in the community and at "home base". Keep watching for those "God sitings"!

And all God's People said--- AAAAAAAAAAAAAmen

Jim and Dee Tooley
Crossroads Church of the Nazarene
6150 Firestone Street
Ocean Springs MS 39564

Mailing address: PO Box 1268
Gautier, MS 39553

(228)282-5506 ndrjimdee@yahoo.com

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Making a Difference

It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. Psalm 118:8

Let go and let God. After our misadventure on the trip down to Mississippi,the confusion created by a change in the administration of the NDR program and worrying about keeping 18 people busy rebuilding Gautier; I was pretty frazzled.

During my prayer time Tuesday morning, I implored God to help me deal with all these problems. As I closed my time with Him, I felt a sudden calm come over me. It was as if God was saying, "Let go, quit worrying, I've got you covered."

I realized then that even though confusion reigned and maybe our jobs seemed small, we were making a difference in the lives of the people we were working for. As team leader and having specialized skills, I have been able to move around Gautier and the surrounding areas. I watched our teens make a difference in a park as they cleaned up litter left by Katrina. I have talked to folks and heard their stories. I have listened as they expressed their feelings of gratitude for our help.

Today, a team helped a 72 year old woman with four foster children who were all under the age of 5. The team made repairs to her home. It made a difference. I worked with Andrew on a project where we are trying to get a handicapped man out of his FEMA trailer and back into his house. We are making a a difference.

I know now that by placing my fears in God's hands that with His help, we will continue to make a difference in our lives and in the lives of the people of Gautier, Mississippi.--Bob

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Alligators & Air conditioning

At 5:45 am the lights came on in the gym. I’m lying in my bed basically closing my eyes tighter so I do not see those annoying lights. I also try to ignore the annoying wake up calls. Once everyone is up, I might as well get up . . . I got up 10 minutes later, then 15, then 16, then . . .

Today’s work was hard I guess. Becky, Nico, Steve, Gilligan, and I went to Shepard State Park to clean. The weather was sunny, hot, muggy, icky, and just humid. We picked up tons of trash, lots of it coming from houses or trailers. A pond was just filled with debris. The things we found and saw was just amazing. All of this debris—huge pieces of wood, furniture, washer/dryers, personal belongings, boots, shoes, clothes, and a whole bunch of stuff. All of this by Katrina. . . the wind and water are powerful forces combined together. It destroyed/washed out everything in the state park.

The day was not “too” bad. Lunch was pretty fun. We found a trailer that no one occupied and ate there. The best thing about the trailer was, it had AIR CONDITIONING!!! Oh my! The AC felt so great!

Well that is about it! Tomorrow should be good!--Josh

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The lights came on at 5:45 am. It was early. I got up and got ready. We ate at 6 am. We had eggs. The group I was in went to a state park and cleaned up trash and anything else we found. It was hard. We got bit up a lot. It was also very hot. The good thing is we found a cool place to eat lunch. We also got to see an alligator and I petted it.—Nico

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Our second day on a house that survived Hurricane Katrina, it belonged to an elderly couple. The husband was on oxygen and his wife was in a wheel chair. They lived in their house with black mold and half a roof until the end of December before they were able to move into a FEMA trailer in the front yard. They now have a roof and ceilings. We cleaned up debris in the back yard from the hurricane. We cut grass and weeds. Installed fence post to repair the back fence. Installed two ceiling fans. Insulated the attic. Sanded and primed two bathrooms. Installed cement board in a bathroom shower. Listened to the stories as told by Charles and Bettylou Douglas, the homeowners.—Bill

PS. Saw alligators at the park and drove around the beach area to witness the damage done last year. It is still there.


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Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good

"Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good; His Love endures forever."

Psalm 118: verse 1 and 29.

On my first day here we met Becky. She was renting a house when the hurricane hit. They were evacuated and when she and her husband, Sam, came home most of their belongings were destroyed. At first they were lucky enough to be able to rent an apartment but then the landlord jacked up the rent and they couldn't afford it. Now they live in a FEMA trailor at the house they evacuated and wait for the house to be repaired. They are representative of the people down here. There is tale after tale of woe--insurance companies who won't pay, dishonest contractors, aid money gone, etc.

We walked down by the gulf, which is very close to Becky and Sam's. Some houses are still standing as if the hurricane never occurred. Other homes have been reduced to the studs and roof only or simply a slab, or a fence or a chimney. It appears that Katrina was very selective in when she chose to attack. As the saying goes, " You may be the only Jesus some people will ever see." I hope we have been Jesus to those we've comein contact with so far.--Arla

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Digging fence posts was sooooo fun--Steve

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We woke up at 5:45 and we had eggs,hashbrowns, and bacon for breakfast. During devotions Theron went up and sang with three members from the Missouri team. Jim Tooly, our project director, talked about overcoming fears and how people look at you. We then loaded up into the vans after a shower of sunscreen and we were on our way.

We passed another Walmart and another Waffle House and soon we arrived at our project. We were greeted by an overjoyed elderly man named Charlie. He and his wife, Bettylou, have been living in a FEMA trailer the past 10 months.

Our team dug post holes after clearing some debris. We tore out drywall and installed cement board to a bathroom shower. We also installed two ceilings fans and primed another bathroom. When we were waiting for jobs to be completed so a different job could be done in the same area, we talked to Charlie and Bettylou.

During lunch, Charlie and Bettylou told us their story. Charlie explained that after Katrina they were without power for three weeks and without a phone for 10 weeks. He talked about how he could not get FEMA to clearly explain what help they were to receive. He still has not received any money or clear answers from FEMA. He has done alot of the work hisself or through various church groups. We were the fifth group to help out. We enjoyed spending time with him and his wife and their two dogs, Champ and ChiChi.--Becky

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Commissioning of the Team

Let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Katrina: Destruction! Response! Hope!

All are intertwined throughout the various pages of the 2006 Report for Katrina and Gulf State Hurricane victims recently released by Nazarene Compassionate Ministries(NCM).

Who can believe that soon it will be a year since the fiesty and full of fury Katrina blew onto the shores of the US and across the coast? Who can remember the unimaginable images flashing across the television screens? Yes, Hurricane Katrina reaked havok, mayhem and left a trail of destruction more than a mile long.

Our Heavenly Father will not forsake us and through Him not only Nazarenes arose and sacrificially gave of their time,money and skills but many others also. The response by those who are called Nazarenes by themselves was overwhelming--145,824 Crisis Care kits distributed to survivors, over 5,536 volunteers providing more than 282, 744 hours of service, and $4,347,790 donated directly to NCM.*

The response is ongoing with volunteers continuing to travel south and I am proud to say that I am part of one of those teams.

On Sunday July 30, Pastor Doug not only preached a sermon inspired by God but graciously asked Pastor Ernie Rhodes to bless the lives of each of the team members below:

Bill Astalos; Connie Bryant and grandson, Nico; Tom Dickson; Theron Gamble; Mark Ivy; Darlene Johnson; Steve Karhan; Bob & Mary Lord; Andrew Peckens; Larry Ries; Sharron Sankovich; Josh Smith; Arla Stadden; Becky; Nancy Steiger; and Marilyn Zeigler.

Your prayers are greatly appreciated and may you also be blessed through this site.

(*stats from the 2006 report for Katrina and Gulf Coast Hurricane victims )