Mission plans decided for 2011

Yesterday we met after church with representatives from both Central and First Baptist Church to talk about our plans for a 2011 mission trip. We decided earlier that we would not return to Mexicali this year while Rick and Mercy Barnes were on home assignment. We do hope to send a gift to El Buen Samaritano though.

We talked about heading west to work with some of our Native American partners on one of the reservations or heading south to work with others who are still working to rebuild on the Gulf Coast after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

At our meeting Melanie reported that we did not have much success in locating a place needing our help out west. Every phone call produced a dead end. On a positive note she did manage to find a great program sponsored by the United Methodists that is co-ordinating efforts to rebuild homes in Louisiana. So we voted to work with them.

We will be heading to Slidell, Louisiana between August 9th -16th to work on the Epworth Project. This program works in conjunction with the Northshore Disaster Recovery Inc to provide spiritual, emotional and physical resources to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Projects include general contracting, carpentry, cabinetry, framing, insulation,drywall hanging, flooring, plumbing and roofing.

The group will fly down to New Orleans and drive 30 minutes to Slidell to a dorm facility where it will be housed for the week. We will be cooking our own meals and be responsible for our own transportation. More information on the Mission work and the project can be found at www.epworthministries.com. There is also a facebook page at Project Noah.

We have limited the group to 20 participants between the ages of 14 years and up. We estimte the total cost per person will be about $750 per person. There will be fundraisers to help offset the cost for the trip, including our annual Pasta Dinner and Auction tentatively scheduled for February 5 at Central Baptist.

Deposits of $100 will be needed by December 12 to secure your spot. All spots are on a first come, first served spot so get your deposit in early to insure your participation.

We have three meetings scheduled for particpants from now through the beginning of the year. The dates are

Nov 16 at 6 pm at Central Baptist - We will have a better idea of prices and talk about the Pasta Dinner fund raiser

December 14 at 6 pm at First Baptist - We will meet as a team and go over what we will need and expectations of the trip.

January 11 at 6 pm at Central Baptist - We will finalize plans for Pasta Dinner and report back on airline tickets and final budget numbers.

Please pass the word to other potential team members. This should be another great experience for those whom God has called to go with us.


Yours in Christ,

Cal