Water Needed, and Lots of It

Our New Orleans Ministry Field is averaging around 300 folks per day coming to help in short-term mission work. With daily temperatures in the upper 90′s a lot of water is consumed everyday by short-term mission workers, field staff and those coming to help. To address this need CrossRoads Missions has implemented “Operation Refresh“. Operation Refresh is an initiative to involve as many churches, people and organizations as possible in meeting the ongoing need for fresh, clean water in this field. In one city Wal-mart is helping by providing trucking resources to get the water to New Orleans. We have received nearly 40,000 bottles of water so far — and more is needed. Find out how you can help bring “Living Water” through drinking water by visiting www.operationrefresh.com to read more.

Jim recently spoke on the phone with one of our field leaders in New Orleans about needs and opportunities. CrossRoads will soon, starting in October, be able to begin helping folks build new homes in the still devastated areas of New Orleans. To date we have been primarily working to gut homes and rehab them. One amazing opportunity in the line of building a new home is that it may be possible for us to acquire/build two homes for missionary staff already serving in this area. In addition, these homes will be large enough to house others in the area who are still homeless. As such, these individuals will be living alongside of our missionary team and being exposed to the Gospel daily!

What you don’t hear in the news is that the church is continuing to be active in the region — being the hands and feet of Jesus — restoring that which was lost in the hurricane — hope – for Jesus is the author of that hope!

Other Ministry Activity

Jim has been “very busy” tweaking www.crossroadsmissions.com, our misson web site! Most of the tweaking is the stuff that goes on behind the scenes such as the ongoing development of our online database of volunteers that will be used by those not in our offices to find folks who have already committed to help.

In addition the collaboration on the “All the World is Singing” CD and DVD project where completed in July.

Phyllis has been working on organizing office storage space, helping with mailings and soon will be branching into clothing embroidery (we’ll be sharing more on that next month!).

Staff

It’s great to see new staff members coming on board! We now have a full time Financial Manager who handles all the books and accounting. In process of coming on board is a family that will live in New Orleans whose father will be the on-site manager of new homes going up, we also have a new person coming on board who will take on the Help Build Hope program, thus allowing the person who now handles this program to focus on development. It’s our sense that as the Lord brings new hands to the task that He may be getting CrossRoads ready for more ministry opportunities.

This past month we were able to hear from several missionaries serving overseas who are here on furlough from far away places like Japan, Italy and the mid-east as they come and visit our offices. God is very active in calling many to Himself — from our ‘Jerusalem’ to the uttermost parts of the world!

Personal Update

House Hunting Results

We are in process for a mortgage for a 1,000 square foot home. This home is a 3BR/1Bath home! Pray with us as we have specifically asked the Father to lead us in our search for a house. Our closing is scheduled for 8/10!

Sharing

We’ll be off for a short trip on Sunday evening, 7/30, to share with a church in Corydon, IN (about 45 minutes from Louisville) about the mission and ministry of CrossRoads Missions in New Orleans. On this evening the church will be presenting about four short-term mission plans for their church for 2007. We are praying that our New Orleans work will be one of those chosen. Pray with us — many workers are needed.

Financial Stuff

You may now submit your contribution to our ministry financial need by the use of EFT — no more writing or mailing of checks is needed. Just follow this link to download the PDF version of the enrollment form, or let us know you need one and we’ll drop it in the mail to you!

Closing

Thank you for making it possible for us to be engaged daily helping to enable the global cause of the Gospel. We are deeply grateful for your prayers, your financial help, your phone calls and letters — may our Father richly bless you more than you have blessed us!

Love — Jim and Phyllis