Rebuild Lakeshore

Jamie Dunbar has served here in Lakeshore for almost a year and a half. She created this video for her Rolling Hills Church, her home church back in Wisconsin. I wanted to share it with the rest of you. She often underestimates the huge contribution to the team by humbly shrugging her shoulders and telling people that she “just helps out some.” In fact she puts in the work of several people. In a typical week she fields calls from the volunteer teams planning trips, makes all the sleeping arangements (which proves to be a much bigger juggling job than most people think) she runs errands, brings people to job sites, keeps the calendar, sings and plays guitar for the worship services, leads women’s bible studies, sets up for church services, troubleshoots complaints, and accomplishes 10,000 random tasks that we need done on a regular basis. Her self sacrifice has proven an invaluable asset to the team. Check out her web site, Because of Grace.

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I came across this video that features the popular song by Casting Crowns and depicts images of some of the most horrific tragedies to hit the United States in recent memory, such as the 9/11 attacks, the Columbine shootings, and of course Katrina. Several of the pictures come from Lakeshore. The video shows our steeple set up beside the road in front of our first makeshift blue tarp shelter. You can see what the storm left of the St. John’s catholic church, just a few blocks from us. If you notice a demolished yellow house, I think that is the Green’s house. We are currently in the process of rebuilding their home with volunteers who come to Lakeshore. Close to the end of the video, the cardboard sign sat out in front of where we distributed water in the weeks following the storm. It reads, “Come Let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him drink from the water of life freely - Jesus”

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I want to thank the great folks from “The Journey Community Church” who produced this video. They plan to travel to the coast and work with us later this month.

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Another great video comes from way up in Maine this time. A determined team from Southcoast Community Church worked from early in the morning until late at night while here this past month. they made great progress on Kyle and Jennifer’s house, Mrs. Bonnie’s, Mrs. Dedeaux’s, and Mrs. PeeWee’s. Mrs. Bonnie and Mrs. Peewee have now moved into their homes thanks to the generous hard work of volunteers.

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Park Valley Church of Manassas , VA worked with us in Lakeshore April 2006 and they head our way again next week. I was attending the Together for the Gospel conference last year when they made their first trip. I look forward to meeting and working with this energetic team. They made this great promotional video for their mission trip. You can also check out their Park Valley Church Missions blog.

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Depth of mercy, can there be
Mercy still reserved for me
Can my God, your wrath forbear
Me the chief of sinners, spare

It’s my only hope
You’re my only hope
It’s my only hope of Heaven
At the cross forgiven

I have long withstood your grace
Long provoked you to your face
Would not harken to your calls
Grieved you by a thousand falls

There for me the Savior stands
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands
Face to face before the Son
And like Isaiah I’m undone

Depth of mercy, vast and free
So Much Deeper than the sea
God of love, you heard my cry
Now into your open arms I fly

It’s my only hope
You’re my only hope
It’s my only hope of Heaven
At the cross forgiven

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Teams have made incredible progress on this new construction house in the last month. The crew from Oklahoma worked hard the last couple of weeks and put together this video of one of the several projects we have going. I love the very appropriate Derek Webb sound track that epitomizes what we want to do here.

go in peace, to love, and to serve
let your ears ring long with what you’ve heard
and may the bread on your tongue
leave a trail of crumbs
to lead the hungry back to the place that you are from

and take to the world this love, hope and faith
take to the world this rare, relentless grace
and like the three in one
know you must become what you want to save
’cause that’s still the way
He takes to the world

go, and go far
take light deep in the dark
believe what’s true
He uses all, even you

Contact us today to make a donation or to make plans for your mission trip as God uses “even you;” to rebuild Lakeshore for His glory.

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Last month I posted a Crossroads Katrina Relief Video from some of our friends near Chicago. Here is another one from them that they did last spring.

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Mrs. Redford, a 76 year old widow with parkinson’s, and faithful member of Lakeshore Baptist Church, road out the storm with her little dog. She found herself swimming in the storm surge as Katrina destroyed the rental property where she lived. After the storm her family tried to get her to move away, but because of her strong desire to stay connected to her church, she took all the money she had and purchased a small piece of land and a dilapidated flooded mobile home.

Volunteers gutted the trailer and began trying to rehab it for her to live in. The twisted frame suffered irreparable damage. We quickly realized the futility of sinking money into such a damaged structure. At a church fellowship meal I approached Mrs. Redford and told her I had good news and bad news for her. I began with the bad news, telling her that we could not repair her trailer. She sheepishly understood and thanked me for doing all we could. I asked her if she wanted to hear the good news. She reluctantly agreed to listen. I told her although we could not repair the flooded trailer, we planned to build her a brand new house. She literally jumped for joy as tears of gratitude flooded down her cheeks.

Mrs. Redford now lives in a beautiful comfortable little shotgun house built with 100% volunteer labor and funded with the money people sent in from all across the country. She kept a record of all those who helped by asking them to sign boards. Hear her tell her story in the video below.

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