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"6/8/08
Hi, I'm Joe Truppa.
Just a few words about my weekend retreat experience this past Spring.
This time when I went on the Tres Dias weekend retreat, I was asked to be an auxiliary, which is one of the team. There
were several auxiliaries helping out and doing thins behind the scenes. The whole team was responsible for making this weekend
work out, but God blessed us all so that it would, and it did!
I, along with everyone there, was blessed by the participation in this weekend experience. It wouldn't be fair to describe
my experience without including everyone that was there with me because these weekends are a shared experience that connects
us all to the Holy Spirit.
If you have a chance to get involved in a Tres Dias weekend, take it, because you will be blessed beyond your expectations.
These weekends are held twice a year, in the Spring and in the Fall."
Link to RIMA Tres Dias website.
The Creme' family, father Stephen, mother Ruth, son Joshua 7 yrs. old, daughter Grace 5 yrs. old and son Robert Jeremiah 3
yrs. old are committed to living out the admonition from Joshua chapter 24, "As for me and my house, we will serve the
LORD." God is directing them to be in France to help with the church planting movement there.
Project 2010: Goal is to have 10 churches planted in 10 key cities....5 have been started...5 more are needed to reach
the goal...and 20,000 towns remain without a single Christian witness!
How can you participate?
*Please pray for us! (email us to get our "prayer letter if you're not already getting our emails) stephencreme@pol.net
*Please financially support us monthly, if possible. Checks can be made to PRN, 82 CR 4635, Mount Pleasant, TX 75455.
For tax deduction 501c3 IRS please write "gift" on your checks.
*Please encourage us with mail or email!
*Please email us if you'd like to do missions work in our area of France! (Albertville, France to start off)
Facts
Out of 60 million people in France:
Over 70% are atheists
10-15% are Muslim
Less than 1 in 4 has EVER been at a church service
Only 2% are Christian
A teenager growing up in the Middle East has a greater chance of hearing the Gospel than a teenager in France!
All information above is from the pamphlet "The Creme's Going to France for the Glory of God"
Wholistic Health Ministries, Haiti
Be a member of a Christian faith based health team to help improve educational and service infrastructures in the areas of
Public Health, Preventive Medicine, Curative Medicine, and Spiritual Counseling. Assist and serve indigenous local community
health care providers and community leaders as they serve persons in the community at risk for poor health. From medical
professionals to volunteer coordinator to teaching, construction, automotive repair, photography, communications, and more!
Discovery Team Schedule is available!
Check online to download a copy or call us and we will mail you one!
Xtreme Team Thailand 2008
Dates June 12 - July 21 Applications are being accepted now.
More information and a downloadable application at www.xtremeteamonline.org
We had a great time in South Dakota at the first World Mission Conference of 2007! We hope to see you in either New York
or Kansas City at the World Mission Conferences there. Check 'em out at http://www.internationalministries.org/wmc/conferences.html
Blessings,
Jonathan, Angela, Kim, and Herb
Be Surprised by the Word!
Give to the 2007 World Mission Offering
www.worldmissionoffering.org
Angela Sudermann
Associate Coordinator, Volunteers in Global Mission
PO Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482
1-800-ABC-3USA (222-3872) ext. 2164
610-768-2164
fax 610-768-2088
www.internationalministries.org
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| First Baptist Church Bay St. Louis |
One year has gone by since the last time I went
down to help with the rebuilding down in Bay St. Louis Mississippi, a year and a half since Hurricane Katrina hit. Much progress has been made in the past year but there is still a lot left to do. The last time I was down there I was struck but how much everything was everywhere, houses in pieces. This time, much of this was cleaned up, but now I am struck by the emptiness of the
streets. Some streets when you drive down them you see no houses, just foundation
after foundation of locations that used to be someone’s home, their life.
Beyond the mass destruction from the storm, that made this trip amazing, was
the people. I have heard many difficult stories, but many people still have faith
and love for their community, but many have lost hope.
One house our team worked on was a house right across the street from the church. The house had been rebuilt, the only thing left was to build a handicapped ramp for
it as the people, Parry and Bobby, who would be moving in needed it. Another
church member, who rents it out, as it is needed, owns this house. Parry is 88 and has had double hip surgery, he has problems
balancing and walking. He is only able to get around with the help of crutches
or a wheelchair. We built the ramp in three days and they told us they would
be moving in the weekend after. After living in a trailer for the past year and
a half they are very happy to finally be able to move in to a house. Their 66th
wedding anniversary is this week.
On our last day there we had a chance to drive around with Bobby
and Parry. They showed some of the worse areas and old favorite spots of theirs. They took us to where their house used to be.
All that was left was a foundation that was all that was on their street. Bobby
told me about her experience in Camille as well. In that storm her house only
got three foot of water which was enough to destroy her furniture, but afterwards looters came in took her silver and just
about everything else. After that storm she started from scratch with her husband. Katrina took everything away again, and while Bobby is still hopeful she does not
plan on doing it all over again by collecting or anything of that sort.
The other house we worked on was Susan’s house she had
just moved into her home from the trailer two weeks before we had come. In her
house we did the trim work, painting around the doors and repairing a few odd things on the house, including patching the
roof in a few spots. One of the things that Susan said that stuck with me, was
that if were not for the church and the volunteers that have come her house would be nowhere where it was. Volunteers, cleaned out her house, hung her sheetrock, and painted the house.
Also, on our first day we worked on the church building itself, as they are
redoing there Sunday School rooms on bottom floor as they received water damage. We
did some mudding and sanding on the new hung sheetrock.
Some of the other people we met along the trip
were people who worked for the church from the area.
People who lived there
talked about the damage
that they received on their houses,
some were destroyed some were not too bad.
What everyone had in common
was their high spirits.
Everyone seemed to be hopeful
for the future.
Some were even able to
joke about the storm.
We were talking about the
beautiful weather down there,
and one man said,
“We have perfect weather everyday of the year, except for
one.
But boy is that one day
a dousy.”
First Baptist Church Bay St. Louis
had three wood crosses in front of the church.
They
were in the ground but were taken out twice a year,
at Easter time for use in passion plays
and at Christmas to make room for the Nativity.
These
crosses were in the ground to be easily moved,
and by no means were planted into the ground.
After
the storm everyone was amazed to see these three crosses
still standing in front of the church.
There
was debris all around them and they were slightly turned,
but they still stood tall
standing as a testament
to the storm and God’s power.
Even
the strength of Hurricane Katrina
could not bring down the cross.
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