Gift Wrapping and Challenge update

Need your Christmas Gifts wrapped?? Live in the SLV area? We've got a group of people willing to wrap Christmas Gifts on Sunday mornings, beginning at 8:45am ending at 11:30am. Just come to Church, drop your gifts off in Taylor Hall with the group and they will be wrapped and waiting after church is over! We even supply the paper! :) Donations accepted.

Just a reminder, Amber, Regina, Jolynn, Sammy and Melanie...you signed up for this week!

And on our PayPal Challenge, here is the latest:
Jeffy/Ralphie--10 PayPal donations
Ellen--2 PayPal donations
Debbie--1 PayPal donation
Bill---1 PayPal donation

There's still time to donate! Just click on the link on the right!

Challenge update!

Today in my email inbox were two more PayPal donations...both for (drumroll please)...Jeffy! Or Ralphie as some others may know him. One was from a KPIG listener in Jeffersonville, Indiana...that's a mighty far reaching station. :) Hello KPIG listeners and thanks for supporting our efforts in Pearlington!

Jeffy is still in the lead with the number of donations received by PayPal...the race continues!

Jeffy/Ralphie--6 PayPal donations
Debbie--1 PayPal donation
Bill---1 PayPal donation

UPDATE:
Just as soon as I hit publish post, Ralphie got another donation...that makes him way out in the lead with 7 PayPal donations! Woo-hoo!

Challenge!

So far we have had 6 donations come through PayPal...it's great, it's easy and so I'm issuing a challenge! A prize will be awarded to the person who gets the most people to donation through PayPal.

As November 16th:

Jeffy has received 4 donations.
Debbie has received 1 donation.
The Waltons have received 1 donation...(Bill, I'm not counting your "tests").

The prize will be awarded in Mississippi, so you have until then!

And it gives me time to figure out what that prize will be!

What's your role?

Over the last few years of leading the Mississippi trips, I've become increasingly aware of how a team interacts with each other. When you're spending 7 days together, you get to know some people well...especially if you are rooming with them! Toss in lack of sleep, hard work and lack of personal space at times and, well, things get interesting.

Yesterday, at our team meeting I posed a question to the group that was there. What role are you going to play on our trip? I had been reading from Romans 12:3-5 (NLT): "As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others."

Ah, the truth of that text is astounding. We all have a role, a part to play, a special function and purpose, the question is, do we realize what role that is?

Here are some possibilities:

• The Go-Getter: Someone who will try anything at any time and be the first in line.
• The Sideliner: One who hangs back until everyone has a turn before they find their spot.
• The Cheerleader or Encourager: pretty self-explanatory (though one is a little bit more enthusiastic than the other)
• The Complainer: One who will find something wrong no matter what.
• The Group Activist: the person interested in seeing the group achieve their best, usually seeks to include everyone.
• The Disappearing Artist: Will start a project, then get distracted, start another project, let someone else take over and pretty soon wander away.
• The Battering Ram: One who wants to the see the job done, who takes over jobs that others are doing...usually without knowing that they are taking over.
• The Doers or Flex artists: They do what they are told to do and are flexible. Just tell 'em what you need, they will do it.
• The Observer: Watches the group interact, listens to the discussions, has great words of wisdom but usually needs a little prompting to share that wisdom. Will jump in when they are comfortable, and jump out when they are not.
• The Comedian: Will do whatever they can to help the team laugh...a lot.

There are more roles out there, but the point is this. In order to work as a team, it's important to realize that who we are, how we operate and the roles that we take on impacts the team. There is a balance that can be achieved when we realize who we are, what makes us tick and where we are naturally going to fall into a role...even a role that we don't like.

God's given us a purpose and a goal. God has also given us special roles within the team. As we prepare for Pearlington, I am praying that we, as a team, will take some time to examine who God has made us to be and how we will impact the team.

Lots to report

There are lots of things to report so I'll just list them.

1. Our Jambalaya Dinner brought in $1077 after expenses. Thanks to all who participated, who cooked, served, set-up and cleaned up and ESPECIALLY to those who came out for some good food and good music. See the post below for some pictures of the night.
2. Part of our team last December spent the week at Captain John's property. The goal was to dig out and start putting in piers for the foundation of his house. We left in December with nothing really in the ground but holes dug. When we returned in April the house was framed and wrapped and ready for the interior to be worked on and work we did! Last week I received an email from Ben asking if we were ready to paint and do more interior work. This is the picture from last Tuesday.
3. This is a picture from yesterday. Hurricane Ida, though downgraded to a tropical storm, still brought water into Pearlington. Captain John's house will always receive water because it's right on the bayou, but this is a little more than usual. This picture is the front yard of the Yellow House. And this is one of the side streets. Not as high as it could have been and everyone is safe and sound.
4. For those going to Mississippi we have a team meeting on Sunday at 12:30pm. PLEASE be on time.
   

Fundraiser Report

The Jambalaya Dinner was successful. I've heard great things about the food, entertainment and ambiance. Thanks to all the team members who came to help out. It was good to see you work as a team...hints of things to come!We brought in approximately $1000 (profit). A few generous people helped out with that (Thank you!). It will be divided up amongst the team members who worked and put on their "sponsor" reports for next week's meeting (Sunday @ 12:30pm).
Thanks to our talented musicians for sharing their gifts with us! So awesome!

In other news, I was remiss in declaring Hurricane Season over, so that post is gone. It's not done til the end of the month, hence Hurricane Ida heading toward the Gulf Coast. Here's hoping that Hurricane Ida calms down and is downgraded before reaching the Gulf Coast.

Dinner will be served...

At 6pm on Saturday. What, you say? What dinner? Well, the Jambalaya Dinner benefiting the Mississippi Team!

What is Jambalaya? A yummy rice dish with chicken, shrimp and sausage and some Cajun spice. Mmmm...(for those allergic to shellfish, we make different versions). It's fantastic!

Besides dinner, what can we look forward to? Glad you asked! You will hear music from The Presbytones, Jared Fujishin and Elisabeth Carlisle. Additionally, we will show pictures from past trips and a little about why we go to Pearlington.

What is the cost? Great question! We aren't going to charge you for dinner, but ask that you make a donation to the Mississippi Team. All donations are tax-deductible, so if you want a receipt we'll make sure that happens.

Childcare will be provided if needed...but we think they might enjoy the music too! See you Saturday!