Team Leaders, Secretaries and DOM’s,
First immediate needs….
- Incident Management people to assist in the Texas Baptist Men Command units. They are specifically looking for people with Operations ability. This means taking in work orders, making sure work orders are assessed, assigning work orders, receiving back work orders that are finished or unfinished, organizing unfilled work orders by area so teams working do not have to travel so far and making sure top priority jobs are being done in a timely manner.
- Laundry and Shower workers are needed in Texas as soon as possible. Teams of 2 to three are needed to man other team’s units. This will allow their folks to have a break. This will be coordinated through the SBCT convention DR.
- We still have needs for Chainsaw and Flood Recovery teams in Texas. Contact us here at the office and we will get you scheduled.
- In Texas, they are also starting to schedule Rebuild Teams. If you have a team, church or Association that would like to look at scheduling a team to participate in this, contact us here at the office and we will get you in touch with the folks in Texas.
If you or some of your folks want to respond to these needs, please let me know as soon as possible. Please email both me and Elizabeth.
TEAM LEADERS – Please make sure you are passing this information on to the volunteers you oversee. Even if you cannot take a “team”, they may want the opportunity to respond, even if it means going with another team.
HARVEY – We continue to have teams responding to needs from Beaumont, TX down to the Victoria, TX area. We have at least 2 teams scheduled to go next week to continue the work. The needs in Texas are listed in the list above. Please continue to encourage your folks to go and assist as they are able.
IRMA – We have had a Chainsaw unit in FL last week and we have a small group assisting with cooking in Lake Yale, FL. The chainsaw w/bucket truck team will be heading back home today and the cooking group at the end of the week. Due to teams coming in from other states, we will not be sending in any other teams in the near term.
MARIA – Remember how I said in the last update how things can change rapidly in DR life? The Maria response is no exception. Things continue to change moment by moment. Let me see if I can bring you up to date with the latest changes.
Puerto Rico – The response to Puerto Rico with the feeding units is OFF for the moment. The Governor of PR has decided against bringing in feeding kitchens and wants to handle things locally. We are praying that he will change his mind and allow us to bring people and units in. Please remember that in a disaster it is not the Federal Government that controls what happens on the field, it is the responsibility of the local governor to set the direction for his/her area. FEMA is still advocating for us to help but, their hands are tied. We are trying to contact local pastors to get them into a group that is forming on the island to speak into the need on the island and the resources we could assist with. Pray for these connections, listening ears and open hearts.
Meanwhile, they are trying to get feeding units to St. Croix. They are trying to get NC and KY units into this island. The logistics are difficult right now and they are trying to get it worked through.
PRAYER –
- Pray for the safety and strength of the volunteers who are responding.
- Pray for more volunteers to go and continue the work.
- Pray specifically for the situation on the islands in the Caribbean that God would open doors to allow goods and services to get to the people who need assistance.
- Pray for wisdom on the part of all leaders involved in the discussions on how best to respond and meet the need of many hurting people.
- Pray most of all that God would be Glorified and that through this tragedy and many will come to know Christ as Lord and Savior.
In Christ Serving Together,
Wes Jones