MUCH HAS BEEN DONE . . . SO MUCH MORE TO DO!

By CLAIM director Carl Vonnoh

Thank God for the many volunteers who have helped on the northern Gulf Coast in Louisiana and Mississippi. You who have volunteered have made such a positive impact on these precious people. Church buildings have been built and renovated. Some homes have been built. Lives are being put back together. People are being transformed by the power of God through His wonderful salvation in Christ.

In February, Pastor Lee Ostten of Lockhart Road Baptist Church took some missionaries from his missions conference to help out at Calvary Independent Baptist Church in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. This church is without a pastor right now. There is an interim filling in who is doing a marvelous job. I had the privilege to go with them. We ministered to 350 people in a half day. They received food, clothing and some medicine. While there, we saw 16 people trust Christ as their Saviour. Praise the Lord! Pray for these folks.

Calvary Baptist, mentioned above, has been 80 percent rebuilt by Restore Ministries, under the leadership of Brother Greg Rife. More skilled workers are needed on this project. The church ministry is being reestablished under the leadership of Brother Ron Hodge with BATA Missionary Fellowship along with some other fine missionary groups. Over 500 people have been saved through the Relief Center the church now operates. A concentrated effort to follow-up and disciple these new converts is now underway. Much help is needed to get this done. Please consider going to help with this need. Calvary recently had twenty-four visitors on Sunday morning as a result of follow-up visitations. Brother Hodge writes, “Just imagine if we had ten couples going out every day for several weeks.”

Next, Brother Ostten, a Cajun from Louisiana, took us through New Orleans and Chalmette Parish. Between the two areas we saw about 100,000 homes that are still vacated six months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit. The area looks much like it did after the storms hit except some of the rubbish has been removed from the streets. One Saturday, during the time of Mardis Gras, we were able to hand out tracts in the streets of New Orleans.

From New Orleans we traveled to Chalmette Parish to visit with one of Pastor Ostten’s church members. Brother David gave us a tour of his water-damaged home. He told us how he, his family and neighbors escaped to the attic for survival. They all then camped out on the flat part of his roof for four days until they were rescued. Brother David then drove us down to the end of his street to show us one more thing. We turned the corner and there was a bus caravan with several police escorts. This group had also come to take a look at a large fishing boat that had broken from its mooring about two miles away and settled down in a neighbor’s front yard. Brother David introduced us to his friend and former classmate, Senator Walter Basso. As the Senator was leaving he invited us to have a photo made with his friend, Jim Balushi, from Hollywood fame. Pastor Ostten handed out his church tracts to all of the body guards, Senator Basso and Jim Belushi.

Folks from the boardwalk of New Orleans and these people in Chalmette Parish all need the Lord. Please pray for their salvation.

Much has been done...but there is so much more to do. Will you help? Many churches and church members need help. Let us do what we do, not just because there is a need or a command. Certainly these are legitimate motivations, but let us do what we do for the glory of God. He is certainly worthy. God bless!