Haiti Camp Benefit Concert Results

Folks,

The return engagement benefit concert occurred Sunday, June 1 and it was a success on a lot of levels but a bit of a disappointment on the turn out side. Overall, though, the day was a great blessing.

Results numerically,

• Approximately $600.00 net proceeds to go to the camp fund.
• Approximately 100 people attended the concert.
• 20- 30 prayer cards were taken by the attendees. We have more if another church group can use them at an event before the trip. We will use them at MVCC to keep awareness going otherwise. They are beautifully handmade cards with an MdL child's picture and a request to pray for the child.
• Approximately 30 people asked to be added to the email list or expressed interest in possibly being more directly involved.
• A lot of supply donations were made because of the raised awareness.
• Hundreds of prayers were raised.

Qualitatively,

• The Manasseros were able to devote the day to MVCC's activities and it was a great time for all of us (and hopefully for them).
• Camp trip traveling team members from several of the churches were able to attend the concert and we were able to recognize how we are all one body serving God's children. We were also able to pray for the team and to show the Child Hope video.
• There was a nice time of fellowship afterward on the patio.
• The concert was fabulous as we expected. The creative arts team and the missions committee's goal of raising awareness for both outreaches and to provide a very enjoyable afternoon were met and God was well represented by the beauty and quality of the music. Thank you and God bless you Cheryl, Chris, Erin and Steve for performing for us. Thanks as well to David for the production, Kim for the organizing and MC role, Julie for the space arranging, Mary for the artwork and printing, Joanne for the prayer cards, the rest of the church staff for all of your support and all of the Haiti team and friends who kicked in to make the event run smoothly.

We are truly blessed.

Looking ahead, please pray for:
• Two of the team members went to Haiti today to stay for an extended period as well as to participate in the camp.
• The rest of the camp traveling team travels on June 19-29.
• More financial and provision support are needed for the camp. Contact Jamie Kruse or Brooke Herman at the addresses above if you want to help. You can also send checks to Child Hope International http://www.childhopeinternational.org/or MVCC www.mvcchome.org and mark in the remarks section "Haiti Camp".
• We are in the beginning organizing stage of a trip during the week of Thanksgiving, 2008 to kick off a feeding program for the neighborhood children near MdL. The goal is to have a children's church service type of event several days a week that will include a meal for these children who may not have one otherwise. It will be staffed by the MdL children as an outreach and as a skills/ministry training tool. We will need about 12 trip participants, organizers in the states and approximately $20,000 in pledges and actual funding to guarantee that it will be adequately funded for the first 12 months. Each of the trip participants will also be raising support. Of course, we mostly need prayer to make sure that our efforts are in the direction that God has planned. I’ll write more about this in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. I pray that God blesses you all,


Jim Duggan