Disaster Relief
MERCI - www.merciumc.org
United Methodist Committee On Relief - www.umcor.org
UMCOR Hotline Updates
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Biloxi Recovery Mission
Our next Biloxi Mission trip is being planned for November 7-13. Anyone interested please contact Marcie Briley at 910.326.5379 or brileys@embarqmail.com.
Our 2009 Biloxi Mission Team ~ Carolyn Amdahl, Carmonlene Anderson, Bonnie Bihary, Ray Bihary, Marcie Briley, Peter Gante, Sharon Gante, Clyde Keagy, Shirley Lynn, John McLean, Carol McLean, and Linda Mitchell ~ shared their skills and spirits in Biloxi, Mississippi November 1-7, 2009. The Biloxi mission team worked on 2 houses.
One belonged to a single working mother of two. The team voted to have her four bedrooms carpeted, purchased a vacuum cleaner, washer and dryer. They also bought and installed towel bars, mirrors and other accessories in her two bathrooms.
The family our other team helped was a working couple with four children. They had suffered many hardships since Katrina and were literally at the bottom financially. They had to abandon their FEMA trailer because of the formaldehyde it contained. They were able to find a rental but, after almost four years of paying $1,200 a month plus the house payment on a house that no longer existed, they had to move out of the rental house by the end of November. The SUMC mission team was the first to help them. We replaced the worn-out tires on the lady's car and left the family with $1,800 in cash and gift cards as well as helping with other jobs at their house.
The money SUMC so generously donated to this mission has greatly changed the lives of these two families. Thank you for your continued support in helping many in Biloxi.
Report by Marcie Briley, Biloxi Co-Chair
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PAKISTAN: MILLIONS IN URGENT NEED
Bashir Ahmed, 30, a day laborer from Sultan Kot Village, Pakistan, was poor before the floods started tearing through his country four weeks ago, but now his family has nothing. —Bashir and his family received emergency food assistance through Church World Service and the National Capacity Building Program, in partnership with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR). The relief package met some of their immediate needs, but their crisis continues. —At least 8 million Pakistanis are in need of emergency assistance—food, clean water, and shelter; more than 20 million have been affected. —Your help is urgently needed. Please give to Interna-tional Disaster Response to the Pakistan Flash Floods. Checks may be pay-able to Swansboro UMC; write Pakistan Floods / UMCOR Advance #982450 on the memo line of your check. Thank you!
Read more about this on the United Methodist Committee On Relief website.
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MERCI Center needs Cleaning Buckets
Please ensure that your kit is packed EXACTLY as indicated below. Please do not place any additional items in the kit. If the requested item size is not available, go down to the next available size. If nothing is available in the requested or smaller size, put masking tape on the outside of the bucket saying, "This bucket contains no _________."
Cleaning Bucket Kit Items Value: $55 per bucket.
5 scouring pads
7 Sponges
1 scrub brush
18 cleaning towels (reusable wipes)
Liquid laundry detergent (two 25 oz. or one 50 oz. bottle)
1 household cleaner, 12-16 oz. bottle
Disinfectant dish soap, 16-28 oz. bottle
50 clothes pins
Clothes line (two 50 ft. or one 100 ft.)
5 dust masks
2 pair latex gloves
1 pair work gloves
24-bag roll of heavy-duty trash bags, 33-45 gallon (remove roll from box before placing in bucket)
1 Insect repellent spray, 6-14 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps.)
1 Air freshener, 8 or 9 oz. can (If aerosol, cans must have protective caps.)
Important Kit Assembly Information: Please purchase all liquids in plastic bottles. Be sure to send all NEW materials that are unopened. Put all items in the plastic bucket and seal lid.
Kit Processing & Shipping Costs: Please enclose an envelope containing at least $1.50 for each kit you send. This donation enables kits to be sent without delay to areas in need.
Charlie Gray, Director, MERCI Center
SUMC: You can place your items or kits (buckets) in or near any of the M&O collection boxes in the Church and we will arrange delivery to MERCI.
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Read About Other Mission Trips