Tuesday March 21, 2006 -- A letter asking for support

Dear Friends;

As we grow and prosper, I think we all feel that divine providence has been good to us. Occasionally, an opportunity to give back, presents itself .... Hurricane Katrina is etched in my mind -- and all the 24/7 coverage that followed.

Last September, we cleaned house ( of useful household items and good clothing ) and loaded these on one of three trucks from Hamilton, MA - bound for the Gulf Coast.

Now, I have an opportunity to make a more hands-on impact through "faith-based-charity". I will go with 5 other men from Our Savior Lutheran Church, Topsfield, to Waveland, MS, for a week, to help rebuild. You may know that Waveland is at the epicenter of the storm track, as it hit the coast.

If you look at the aerial photos on the NOAA web site ( below) you will see that structures in a band along the coast have vanished. ( Waveland is in the center of the land mass )

http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/katrina/089I30C_KATRINA.HTM

Our trip ( March 31 to April 8 ) will be hosted, at the other end, by The Lutheran Church of the Pines, which itself received 5 ft of water. The need is great for volunteer help in rebuilding and cleanup efforts along the Gulf Coast. Along with these physical needs, is the need for hope and encouragement among the people.

We hope that we will provide help with their physical needs through construction work and bring God's hope and peace. Our team will be working with one or two churches, helping repair their church facilities as well as working in individual family homes.

Would you consider partnering with me in this missions trip to Mississippi ? Please pray for me and the team. Some specific prayer requests are listed below.

You can also partner financially with me. Your monetary gifts ( to our church) will be used in our reconstruction efforts and to help defray team costs. (Tax Deductible ).

On a personal note, you may think of me ( amongst other things) as the "Paparazzi". This is still my M.O. -- In addition to swinging a hammer, I will be undertaking a photojournalistic coverage of this activity and creating a Blog to show our activity as it happens. With luck and good light, maybe we can get some additional leverage through the media.

Prayer requests:
1) Safe travel and good-health
2) Wisdom and skill in our work
3) That our team would bring hope and encouragement to the people we serve
4) That our team would be unified and work well as brothers in Christ
5) For God's grace and provision for the people of the southeast.

If you wish to make a Tax deductible contribution, please send a check to :

Our Savior Lutheran Church
478 Boston Street
Topsfield , Mass. 01983

Please make a note in the memo line for "Mississippi Trip" and include your contact information, so we may send you an acknowledgment.


Thank you

Emile Bellott