Our team without Denis Mori (no pictures availible of entire team)



Thank you for coming! This blog is to serve as a record of the personal experiences of a team of volunteers commisioned and sent by the congregation of Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church. During this time, the blog you are now reading was kept by Scott Eggert as a record of the work performed on behalf of the congregation of FOPC and the devistation that was observed by the team. It is my hope that through your consumtion of this record that others would be compelled to give of their time and talents to help those who are vicitms of this disaster.


I happened to pack prior to my departure to Mississippi an old copy of Knowing God" by J.I. Packer. I was touched as we began our trip home by a quote taken from the second Chapter titled "People Who Know Their God". It states:

"The question is, can we say, simply, Honestly, not because we feel that as evangelicals we ought to, but because it is a plain matter of fact, that we have known God, and that because we have known God the unpleasantness we have had, or the pleasantness we have not had, through being Christians does not matter to us? If we really know God, this is what we would be saying, and if we are not saying it, that is a sign that we need to face ourselves more sharply with the difference between knowing God and merely knowing about him."

When held up against the travesty of those who have lost their homes, the unpleasantness we experienced in 11 days of our lives could not seem much less insignificant, however you must know that to those who we served, the significance was great.

The way in which the blog reads is from the most recent posting as first, and the oldest posting is last. In order to read the series of events in order, you will need to begin at the bottom and work your way up. Some days are records of work performed, however, some days are records of time spent touring disaster sites and conversing with victims of the hurricane along with pictures of the days events.

The objective of our team was as follows:

- Assist the local church, Orange Grove Presbyterian Church, by providing roofing services with the goal of relieving their burden and allowing them to better provide for their congregation and community.

- Serve as servants of our Almighty Lord, not as individuals, but as first Christians, secondly as an extension of the local church, and thirdly as ambassadors of Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church who sent us.

- Gather information regarding the further needs of the churches, congregations, community, and surrounding areas. Seek additional opportunities for Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church to offer relief either through funding and/or the sending of relief workers.

- Create a record of the damage surveyed so as to share the pictures, and stories of the vastness of the disaster with the members of Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this log. For those who kept us in their prayers and for those who gave money to the church not knowing who your money was supporting, we offer a special thank you and hope that this log provides a good account of our activities and use of your gifts. With out your prayers and offerings, the lives of those we served, and those who participated in this trip would not have been changed.