North

American Fall 2008 News From Randy and Ronda

Mission
Board
Dear Family & Friends, November 7, 2008
In our last news letter we were headed for California to serve on the National Incident Command Team for
the Southern Baptist Convention in response to the California wildfires. This was our very first trip to California and we did not
know what to expect, but were delighted to find Californians to be very kind and friendly people. An Incident Command Center was
setup at the Baptist State Convention office in Fresno, California when we arrived. We worked together in a joint effort with the
State Convention to mobilize equipment and volunteers in the relief effort. The DOC or Disaster Operations Center at the North
American Mission Boards calls out the teams and equipment from various states as requested. The two areas of focus were in Big
Sur and Magalia Pines where volunteers cleaned off home sites that were destroyed in the
fires, by removing metal, ashes, and debris from the remaining slabs. At the request of the
home owner, volunteers would sift through ashes to look for valuables in strategic locations
within the home. This process was very tedious and in some cases would take a team of 8-12
men and women several days to complete. By Christ like example, volunteers assisted vic-
tims with the cleanup process. Homeowners are often amazed that volunteers respond from
around the country to come and assist them at no cost. Many times these opportunities open
up doors to share Christ and we see lives changed eternally, not to mention the lasting im-
pact it has on communities. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the teams and serving the
people in California.
As we were awaiting the flight from San Francisco to come home, we joined in on a conference call via our cell phones with our
team at the North American Mission Board. They were planning and developing a national strategy for responding to hurricane Gus-
tav before it made landfall. We arrived home on Friday night, washed some clothes and repacked. On the following Tuesday, we
drove to Clinton, MS and met up with our team to begin the recovery planning process even as the rains from hurricane Gustav con-
tinued to pass through the area. We headed to Louisiana on Wednesday only to make it to Living Waters Camp in Hammond, LA
where we would spend the night. Still without electricity at the camp, we ran generators to provide some lighting and to power fans
at night to stir the humid air.
On Thursday, our team headed south along with many hundreds of drivers trying to get back
home to examine the storm damage. We made to Baton Rouge where we would setup a Command
Center at Fellowship Church in Prairieville, LA. The next two weeks were very challenging as we
realized that being on the front end of a disaster is extremely busy and exhausting. We slept on air
mattresses in the Sunday School classrooms or otherwise known as SS Suites. We supported over
30 sites, offering shelters for the victims, housing for the volunteers, mass feeding for victims and
volunteers, showers and laundry units, chain saw units and recovery units. Southern Baptist Disas-
ter Relief volunteers not only provided physical needs for Hurricane Gustav but many spiritual
needs were met as well. There were approximately 11,900 ministry contacts, 238 Gospel presenta-
tions and 91 professions of faith. We praise God for the many workers who so selfishly gave of
their energy and time serving the victims of LA.
While staying at Fellowship Church in Prairieville, LA we had the privilege of meeting Donna Gulliot , Uncle Nelson, and their
families. They prepared Louisiana Cajun food for our team on several occasions and delivered it to the church. We have to say, never
have we experienced such awesome food on any disaster relief trip. We looked forward with great anticipation, to seeing, smelling
and tasting what was being carried in that big black kettle each time they arrived. Meal time was one of the highlights of our stay and
we enjoyed the fellowship with those that shared their gift of cooking with our team.
We wanted to share some of Donnas’ story in this newsletter, so here it is:
“On Sept 12, I celebrated the 6 year anniversary of my kidney and pancreas transplant. It was a year ago this month that the doc-
tors told me that my kidney and pancreas had failed and I would need to go back on insulin,
need dialysis within days and would need a new kidney transplant. Here it is 12 months later and my
kidney has actually rejuvenated itself back to the function I had before it went into failure last year.
God is good! Most of you also know that my sight has been impaired for years and for the last 4
years I have not been able to drive. Last month, I was able to have an eye surgery that dramatically
improved the vision in my left eye. My vision was 20/200 and I was told the best I could hope for
would be 20/100. The day after surgery, my vision was 20/40 and one week later, my vision was
20/25!!!! This past Monday, I was able to get my driver's license with no restrictions attached! (Did
I mention God is good?)”
(Ronda, Donna, Cecelia)
 Donna continues, “Fellowship Church hosted a celebration dinner for our entire community in honor of the disaster recovery
teams who so selflessly and heroically volunteered their time and resources in helping our community recover after Hurricane Gus-
tav. Every family that was helped by the different teams was invited to fellowship, eat a meal and give their testimonies of how the
Lord has touched them through your selfless actions. There were countless stories of how people were touched and blessed by your
teams. You have all made a huge impact in our lives and they all asked that I personally thank you for your help, love and prayers.”
Donna continues, “This past Sunday, I made the decision to join the Fellowship Church family and Pastor Kirk will perform my
"adult" baptism within the next few months. I would love to start a "cooking for Christ" ministry. Cooking is a favorite past time of
mine and if it can bring a few people together for a warm fellowship, then it is definitely worth it! I also learned that my new church
will be officially voted into the Southern Baptist Convention this week. I am the one that is blessed to have met you. I think God
puts us in certain situations for a reason and I am sure it was part of his plan for us to meet and become friends.” Thank you
Donna…the pleasure was ours!
We were privileged to take part in a Global Focus Celebration at our home church. Ourselves along with approximately 40 others
came together to share what God is doing nationally and around the world. How exciting it is to hear testimony after testimony of
how God is using missionaries to fulfill the Great Commission. We were blessed and encouraged to be a part of this five day celebra-
tion!
On October 7th we boarded a plane headed for Houston, TX to once again serve on the National Incident Command Team in re-
sponse to Hurricane Ike. We saw many homes that were literally washed away, cars buried in the sand, and fields scattered with
appliances, wood, and debris. Again, Disaster Relief volunteers came by the droves to provide physical help and spiritual healing for
the victims. In the after math of Hurricane Ike, Southern Baptist has served 3,691,000 meals, made 6,837 ministry contacts, given
733 Gospel presentations which resulted in 74 professions of faith. Wow, we give God the glory for calling out His people to serve
and allowing us to be a small part of this massive operation!
We are awe struck at the opportunities God has opened for us this year to serve. We thank God and give Him praise for allowing
us to serve Him in this capacity. It has been far beyond anything that we could have ever dreamed or imagined. We go back to the
scripture that He gave us when we began this ministry, Ephesians 3:20 and I quote, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
God has allowed us to present Evangelism Training to over 2,000 participates in Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Utah, and
Wyoming this year. In addition, we have been privileged to serve on National Incident Command Teams for Southern Baptist Con-
vention Disaster Relief in response to the California wildfires, Georgia tornadoes, Indiana floods, Iowa floods, Louisiana and Texas
hurricanes.
As 2009 approaches, we are seeking God for His divine direction and provision as we face new opportunities and challenges.
Beginning in 2009, we will be losing a significant amount of our support that was originally setup to help our ministry for the first
year beginning in January, 2007 and then graciously extended through December, 2008. We don’t know God’s plan for our ministry
in the upcoming year, but we can say that He has always been faithful in supplying our daily needs. He sees the big picture for our
future and we continue to stand on faith while trusting in Him. Our desire is to serve Christ and do this with all of our heart. We
would ask that you pray specifically that God makes a way for us to continue in His work.
In closing, we want to thank you for your prayers and financial gifts that make it possible for us to serve in this ministry. We are
blessed to know you and to share with you praises and challenges in our lives. We are excited to see what God does in the upcoming
months. Our prayer is that God would bless you and your family as you seek to make a difference in His kingdom.

We Love you! Randy & Ronda

John 16:33 Jesus answered them, “These things I have spoken to you, that in ME you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Those wishing to donate to this ministry can make check payable to the North American Mission Board and mail to: NAMB-
MSC, POB 116543, Atlanta, GA 30368-6543. Please include our account number (8922) and our last name in the memo section of
your check. All gifts are tax deductible if you itemize.