Mission Blog

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Steinhatchee – We are just getting started

It’s been a little over 3 weeks since Helene blasted through wreaking havoc in four states. CBF FL landed in Steinhatchee, Florida to start our disaster response.

Steinhatchee is a remote, out of the way community. The damage to this area is horrific.

We are working with a small community church, Friendship Chapel Church of God as a base of operations. Pastor Davey Cannon has opened his doors for us to bring in much needed supplies of non perishable foods, clothing, water, gas, hygiene products, pillows, sheets, blankets, tarps……the list goes on and nothing sits on the shelves for long. This community is reeling and it’s so cool to see the community working together. They are not waiting on help, they are the help.

We have cut countless trees and removed tons of debris. To date we’ve been to the area 6 times since Helene made landfall in the big bend area.

Please keep us in your prayers as we move one step at a time.

Thank you for your generous donations. We know there are so many people in need right now as a result of these storms, and we know we cannot help them all. But we found one off-the-beaten-path little town with few resources and a big heart, for our relief efforts. Please prayerfully consider continuing to support this one community. We are just getting started.

You may donate through our secure PayPal account, or if you would like to join us as a volunteer, please email us at info@givemeshelterministries.org

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Hurricane Helene – Steinhatchee Update

Praise God that Hurricane Milton had little effect on Steinhatchee. It slowed the effort down, but we are headed back this morning (Saturday, Oct 12) with a pallet of tarps and donated supplies.

This coming week we will be collecting non perishable food, paper goods and hygiene products. There is also a need for jackets and blankets for the cooler weather coming this week. Drop off locations are open Monday- Thursday 9:00-5:00, and are 151 Mary Esther Blvd. suite 503 and the Santa Rosa Beach Ace Hardware

Goods are then delivered on Friday to Friendship Chapel Church of God and we deliver from there. We always can use volunteers at drop off points and for loading supplies, so if you would like to help in person, please send us an email at info@givemeshelterministries.org and let us know your availability.

Thank you all for all you’ve done for His people. For this storm recovery effort, you have donated over $8500, including kind strangers walking up in the hardware store and pitching in as we bought supplies. We have a long way to go, so please continue to share and help us find contributors who want to help out. Our PayPal donation page is here.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we move forward one step at a time. Steinhatchee is so grateful for all the help.

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Hurricane Helene Update – September 28

On September 26th Hurricane Helene poured through the Big Bend area in the late evening. Give Me Shelter Ministries started mobilizing relief effort on Friday the 27th with the help of Calvary Chapel of Destin and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

By 2:30 AM on the 28th we headed to Steinhatchee which was close to where the eye of Helene made landfall. We trucked in water, tarps, ice, gas, muck-out buckets and chainsaws. We will add hygiene products on this next trip down. I have dealt with disasters and response on many levels and for many years. This area is almost 100% done. People are bewildered and desperate. As all know, this destruction continued through many states leaving many homeless.

We spent the day giving out our supplies and cutting paths so people could get in or out of their homes. After an 18 hour day we headed back to Destin and Fort Walton Beach. I’m spending today gathering supplies and making plans for another 18 hour trip tomorrow.

Props to ACE Hardware of South Walton  for supplying all tarps, water, gas cans and chainsaw supplies. Thanks to the crew, Garrett, Riley, Lance and Tristan.

We need your help! Please consider a financial gift or a gift of labor. Prayers are also appreciated.

Kenny Phillips Founder/Director GMSM



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Hurricane Helene Relief

Give Me Shelter Ministries is heading to Florida’s Big Bend Saturday, September 28, to provide tarps, ice, muck-out buckets, and gas and oil for chainsaws. We will be with members from Calvary Chapel Santa Rosa and Coastline Calvary Chapel Destin, with support from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.

We are very thankful to ACE Hardware of South Walton for donating tarps and chainsaw oil.

If you are available to join us and bring ice and water, please fill out this form.

We are assessing the area and will find smaller communities to serve over the next several weeks. Please prayerfully consider donating to this effort. We will need to purchase many tarps, tools, chainsaws and parts, and gas.

To donate, please click here:



Please share this with your family, friends, and church. Every dollar donated goes DIRECTLY to the people affected by Hurricane Helene.

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Report from Turkey – April 18

Today was my last day. I woke up and the sun was out, weather warm and the villagers scurrying around making preparations to start planting. Tobacco is the cash crop all else is for survival. We visited several families to complete our 25 family assessments. The next team shows up on Thursday to start assembling the shelters. I know beyond doubt that the team will find that all is ready to go. Looking forward for the return trip for phase two. Thank you to all who has helped support this effort.

Kenny

A meal at every turn. 
My host family was stunning. This was breakfast every morning.
The snow is beginning to melt on the mountains. Water will soon come to the fields.
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Report from Turkey – April 17, 2023

One of the main reasons I am here is to help train and be trained on the building of a shelter designed by a German engineer. These shelters have at least a seven year lifespan and can carry a three foot snow load on top.

Unfortunately the gentleman’s mother in law passed away and he will show up after I leave. The first phase is 25 shelters and the second phase (I’m sure I will be back) another 25 at a later date.

The project will continue as funds are available from the generous hearts around the world.

We started a list with the most vulnerable villagers. Elderly, handicapped and families with small children. We had a large truck deliver all the material and the local men helped unload and put all the components in a depot. The shelter needs a fairly flat surface that the owners of the land are responsible to prepare. People are helping each which to me is a beautiful thing. The shelters cost about $1000.00 each. Once news came that the engineer was delayed we started encouraging the people to prepare the land and I started gathering materials for each site and delivering it to the family. By staging the material it will help the engineer have a faster start and people can start gaining some dignity back in their lives. We have made three teams of workers with a foreman for each team.

All I know is God is good. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Kenny

What can you say
I found this lady up the mountain. When you don’t have anything and you lose what little you have this is how it works
Loading material to deliver to each site
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Report from Turkey – April 15, 2023

Thank you for your prayers and support for this mission. The Lord is moving and we’ve been burning our candles at both ends. Pray for continued strength in this difficult mission trip.

The small village we are in, which I cannot name at this time for security reasons, was hit very hard. They are not getting the help they need. It’s so important that we are here.

The first two days we worked in the cold and rain (and some snow) to start our assessment of the most needy for shelters. This is a very old village with ancient homes,  most of which were destroyed by the quake. Some homes were 145 years old.

Earthquakes are a daily thing but I feel no danger. I am so grateful to be here and I am very welcomed here. I am staying with a local family and they are treating me so kindly.

This is not a place to where you drop in. It won’t work. The culture is very sensitive. There are a lot of moving parts to get us where we are. We’ve had a few hiccups but that’s fine. God is good and he sees us through.

Please pray for our interpreter. Without her it would not be possible to build shelters for these families.

I will report again soon now that we are gaining ground on the project. Thank you all again for your prayers and generous support.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Kenny

There have been nice small breaks… here we are having tea with the locals.
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Lots of Updates from GMSM!

Turkey

Kenny is on a mission in Turkey this month, continuing to help with the aftereffects of the recent earthquakes. He is on a team in a remote area, working with the underground church, to build multiple shelters in areas where half the homes were destroyed.

Please keep Kenny and all the Christian missionaries in your prayers as they continue to serve the Lord and glorify him in dangerous areas where Christianity is hated. May many come to know the truth during this mission.

Mexico

Pastor Felipe has moved from the dangerous border into the small villages in Vera Cruz, where he can build the church with locals and less interference from the cartels. These are remote villages with no electricity. It would be greatly beneficial to the church to have a generator for church services. Having a power source will help Felipe share videos, music, and photographs for slide shows. We would greatly appreciate a donor to purchase a generator. The one available in his area is $900, a DeWalt model shown here. Please contact us if you would like to donate the funds to purchase this generator!


Haiti

The school is going strong and the new latrine provided by Give Me Shelter Ministries supporters is a great blessing to the students. But after 11 years (Wow!) of operation,  Pastor Harry does need to make repairs. A new metal roof, paint, and other small repairs are needed, and we are currently at a budget of $3600 for this project. Please prayerfully consider donating to the repairs of the Evangelical Baptist School of the Trinity!

The Bahamas

Praise God we have BIG news coming from our efforts in the Bahamas. We recently broke ground on the first Category 5 Hurricane Shelter ever to be built in the Bahamas. Much more coming on this mission soon, but we want to thank our many supporters who have given us the opportunity to serve the Lord in places that are much less fortunate than us!

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Report from Turkey

Days run into each other and hours seem to not matter. The work is serious and daunting. I returned to Antakya ( modern day Antioch) today to go into the most heavily hit area in the middle of the city. This area is horrific. The devastation and lose of life incredible. There is a soup kitchen set up to help survivors with much needed meals. We were able to bring in supplies for the kitchen. I witnessed what I believed at the time, a survivor being pulled from the rubble. Twelve days, 288 hours after the quake. This was confirmed this morning on the news. It’s crazy that there are still finding life in this graveyard of rubble. We made our way back to the Ilk Umut field hospital and dropped off the rest med pacs. Once again they were very happy to receive them. We headed back to Adana to catch our breath.

 

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Report from Turkey

Made it smoothly without incident on the med pacs. Got about 3 hours sleep and headed out at 6:00 AM. We hooked up with a German group called the Awakening. We hitched a ride with them to Kahramanmaras where the epicenter of the quake is. This area is very devastated. Tomorrow we head to Hatay to bring the med pacs. This area is a network of villages where much destruction and death is very high. Our partners have a great connection with hospitals and field clinics.