The Mountain View May 2006

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven on Earth.

Biloxi Blues: God’s Love Goes Way Beyond the Blues
Our Mississippi Adventure–Part I

Many people have expressed interest in hearing more about our trip to Mississippi for the Katrina hurricane relief effort. So, the next several newsletters will contain excerpts from the journal I kept during our stay. Once again, thank you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support in a trip that truly changed lives: those of the people we worked with as well as our own.

1:20 a.m. Friday morning, after sitting in the Salt Lake airport for two hours, our flight took off. But first, while were sitting on the tarmac, all the lights in the plane went off! Even the cockpit had no electricity! That was a little disconcerting, and not the best way to begin our flight. Finally–electricity again! The pilot came over the intercom saying, "We had to re-boot."

"Just so they don’t have to re-boot again while we are in the air," I thought to myself.

We got into Houston three hours later. Two more hours sitting on the wonderful chairs at the airport trying to sleep. We flew out of Houston at 7:40 a.m. and got to Gulfport/Biloxi airport at 9:00 a.m.

As soon as we got off the plane, we could smell the mustiness. There had been flooding. They had torn out the carpet in most places in the airport. Our luggage came right out, and Pastor Jon Laughlin, our team leader from Wyoming, was waiting in the corridor for us with his red cap on so he would be easy to spot.

He drove my son, Shane, and me to the coast, and we traveled as far as we could in both directions until we got to where the road had not been rebuilt yet to the west; and the 1.5-mile-long canal bridge had been destroyed to the east on the Biloxi Bay.

Shane and I were silent as we looked out the window of the rental car and Pastor Jon narrated what we were seeing. Mangled metal was everywhere. Debris was everywhere. Jon said that in a disaster area the government owns the debris. They have to catalogue everything and decide what can be recycled, reused, or thrown away. So in some places, the property looked exactly as it did August 29, 2005 after hurricane Katrina took place, because the Army Corps of Engineers had not been there yet to take care of all the record keeping.

Houses, businesses, and churches were either caved in, leveled, unrecognizable as structures, or completely gone. The initial wave of water that hit Biloxi was 30-38 feet high. When it came ashore it hit like an atom bomb. Then it went back out to sea, taking millions of tons of debris with it.

The church we saw on the coast with the least amount of damage was an a-frame building with a metal roof. The roof faced the shore, so the wave went up and over on one side and did the same when it receded.

Most other buildings did not fair so well. It was strange to see entire walls gone so that you could see several floors of rooms inside with nothing in them.

Some people were already rebuilding homes. Jon said they would probably have to tear them down and start over again later for two reasons:

In Biloxi there was a 400-foot-long barge on the north side of the road that had been in the water before the hurricane. The street lights on the road were undamaged because the four-story-high barge went OVER them! That is what a 38-foot wave backed by 160-mile-an-hour winds can do.

Biloxi had thirteen casinos before the hurricane. They made about 90 million dollars in the first half of the year before Katrina. Only three have been opened since the disaster. Those three casinos have made about 60 million dollars since reopening. Rich tourists? No way. Tourists have been almost non-existent. The money is coming from the locals who lost everything, hoping to strike it rich so they can get their lives back.

Spray-painted on many of the buildings along the shoreline was the message, "YOU loot, we shoot!" How sad that people take advantage of others’ misfortune, or are so desperate that they steal from their neighbors.

Insurance companies wrote as many checks as they could as fast as they could so they could settle before people found out that costs for labor and material would be far higher after the hurricane than before. Fast food places are paying eight dollars an hour to entice people to work here and offering $125-a-week staying bonuses. Everyone is desperate for help. Shane has been wanting to get a job outside the home. I asked him what he would think of staying down here. I might have a difficult time explaining to his mother and his brother why I didn't bring Shane back, though.

If people rebuild here, many will be paying two mortgages–one on the new house they build and one on the slab of concrete that was left after Katrina. Most flood insurance, which most people did not have anyway, is for water that comes from the sky, not from the ocean.

Lynn Fillingham flew in at 3:30 this afternoon and Chris Weis drove in with his new camper shell on his pickup at about 5:00 p.m. He had already traveled 2,000 miles. I decided I should not complain too much to him about our "red eye" flight.

We met Gary and Pat who drove in from Durango, Colorado, where I grew up, and we all had a nice country meal at the Cracker Barrel restaurant. Our waitress had the most charming Southern accent. Strange, though. She thought we had the accent.

We are now having Pastor Steve's sermons tape-recorded, so if you miss a Sunday and don't want to miss out on the message, contact the church office and you can check out the tape.

"Joshua prayed and the sun stood still in the sky. There was a critical victory that needed to be won by the Israelite army and more daylight was needed to accomplish this goal."

This account of Joshua's answered prayer still fascinates the human mind. How did this happen? What did God do to disrupt the normal progression of time? Human attempts to do the same thing result in confusion and frustration. Thus we have people strolling in to meetings an hour late, or in the fall strolling in an hour early.

This started during the Second World War. There was a huge conservation effort going on to provide whatever our troops might need to win the battle. The decision was made to start the daytime work hours an hour earlier during the summer months, the purpose being to save energy by using more daylight time. Although it meant getting up earlier to go to work, it did seem to make sense at the time. However, the practice has continued on through the years even though there has been no national crisis like during those war years in the 1940's.

One of the major problems I see with this practice is that, unlike in the time of Joshua, the sun does not stand still. Regardless of what we do there are still only 24 hours in a day. Our attempts to expand the hours in a day have proven futile, especially in the spring when we have to turn our clocks ahead one hour. For me it seems my body is having more trouble adjusting to the time change each year. When the alarm goes off at that unearthly hour my mind and my body protest with vigor, the result being that unless I invoke a great deal of self-discipline I will arrive at the appointed place an hour late. Having to go to bed while it is still daylight creates other kinds of problems. I find myself in a constant state of conflict with my body. Society is saying it is time to get up; my body is saying, "Just a little more sleep, please." The clock says it is bedtime, but my eyes don't want to stay shut.

Interestingly enough, I have never talked to anyone yet who likes the time change, yet we continue the practice. An analogy that seems to illustrate this practice goes like this: We try to cover ourselves up with a blanket that turns out to be too short, it leaves our feet sticking out. Because our feet are cold we cut a foot off the top of the blanket and sew it on the bottom to keep our feet warm. Our feet are now warm but our shoulders are cold. So we cut a foot off of the bottom of the blanket and sew it on the top of the blanket. Now our shoulders are warm but our feet are cold. We are caught in a no-win cycle of frustration.

Ridiculous, isn't it? Doesn't make any sense, yet we do it. Why do we feel a need to fix God's established order of things? Maybe we aren't as smart as we think we are!

The Christian Life Center

Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 9:00 a.m.-Noon
1^st and 3^rd Saturday 9:00 a.m.-Noon (by appointment only)

The Christian Life Center is a ministry offered by this church. Its purpose is to help people deal with the troublesome issues of life. It is provided at no cost to you. Call the church office or Dr. Duane Haidle for an appointment.

Three Weddings and a Potluck

Have you seen it yet? If not, get your tickets now!!!

The remaining performances are:
May 5, May 6, May 12, May 13, May 19, May 20
and a matinee on May 21.

To order tickets, please contact the
church office at
280-4148

Thank you to everyone who helped with the Pancake Breakfast on Palm Sunday. Our parents pitched in and donated all of the food and supplies to make our fund-raiser possible. We had over 22 youth members participate by cooking and serving in the kitchen that morning. We raised $706! Thank you MVUMC! This money will be placed in our Youth account for upcoming ministries, trips, conferences, camps or activities.

The Amazing Youth Easter Egg Hunt was also a huge success. Thank you to all of our church members who allowed the youth to complete service projects at their homes. We traveled around West Jordan, Kearns, South Jordan, Herriman, Riverton, and Sandy delivering Easter Baskets, cleaning yards, eating lunch, hiding Easter eggs, playing games at a birthday party, and recognizing some former youth members who are now young men serving our country. A big Thank You to our drivers that day: Nancy Peralez, Steve Reinhard, Ron Murphy and Dave and Robin Smugala. Youth, be sure to thank Dallas Curtiss for all the candy we munched on that day and all the candy we have left over for future activities! Do we want to make this an annual event?

We have some amazing, talented youth in our Broadway show, "Three Weddings and a Potluck." Stephanie and Greg Beers, Jason Brockmann, Shane Callihan, Malory Curtiss, Kendyl Elwell, Sumner Grierson, Sarah Harrison, Austin Hardcastle Dean Murphy, Luke Peralez, Scott and Shane Reinhard, and Laura VanVoorhis have shared their time and talents. Great Job Youth! If you haven't seen the show be sure to see it before it ends May 21st.

Spring Fling
Friday & Saturday, May 5th and 6th
7:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.
Sponsored by Christian Youth Network

Meet at church at 6:30 p.m. to carpool to Salt Palace Convention Center (100 S Temple) and then at the end of the worship service to West Valley Fitness Center (5415 W 3100 S) for the rest of the event. Call Anita Murphy to RSVP.

Sunday, May 7th, 12:30 p.m. - Devotion led by Pastor Steve
Jr. and Sr. High will meet and then break into small groups for discussion. Please bring a sack lunch for today.

Sunday, May 14th - Happy Mother's Day - MUFFINS FOR MOMS
This is for all the mom's out there! DADS and YOUTH will be in charge of muffins for the refreshment time after the 11:00 Service. Please bring 1 dozen muffins to give out to everyone during refreshment time. Dads and Youth contact Ron Murphy if you would like to get together as a group and make homemade muffins. Spend the rest of the day with your Mother!

Sunday, May 21st, 12:30 p.m.
Go to McDonald's for lunch. Youth who are not in Broadway help with the 2:00 matinee by ushering, helping with refreshments and clean up.

Sunday, May 28th - Special Memorial Day Youth Meeting to Remember Those Who Served for Our Country
Led by Pastor Steve. Please bring pictures of relatives or friends who gave their life for our country. We will have a time to share and honor these special people.

Scout-a-rama - Saturday, May 6th
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Salt Lake Fairgrounds
Entrance ticket is on the top of the tickets that the scouts have been selling. They are $6.00 and include an entrance for the whole family and they also come with other valuable coupons. If you haven't gotten yours yet, talk to a scout. We would love for everyone to come and see our booth.

Saturday, June 10th
Webelos II Graduation Ceremony & Scout Advancement
12:00-2:00 p.m. at the church
We will be having a barbecue and a big slide for the kids to play on.

We are currently taking orders for the "RED FELT VESTS" that are for the participation patches that your scout will be earning over the years. These patches do not go on the blue uniform and your cub scout will be getting quite a few from various activities they participate in. We are selling them for $10.00. This is $3.00 cheaper than the scout store. Please contact Kristin Vanstaveren for more details and to order. Thanks! We look forward to a great summer!!!

"Haven't I commanded you: Be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

Trek north to Vacation Bible School 2006, Arctic Edge, where daily excursions from Big Bear Lodge will have us hiking across the tundra, exploring the seascape by kayak, and skimming the backcountry in a float plane. We will test our limits in the challenges of the vast Arctic wilderness. We will learn that God is always with us and we will find the courage required to follow Jesus in the everyday challenges of our lives!!

July 17-24 from 9:00-noon. This is for ages 5 through 6^th grade. Be in prayer of how you might like to help with this wonderful outreach. We'll need volunteers for teaching, refreshments, leading recreation, crafts and singing, and donations of food and supplies. More details next month!

We will be giving out Award Bibles to third graders on Sunday, May 21^st, during the 9:45 service. You can help by letting the church office know if you have a third grader!!!

A few of us "girls" have been talking about attending the Joyce Meyer Conference being held in Denver, Colorado August 24-26. We plan to drive. We'll leave early Thursday morning. Joyce is speaking at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, twice on Friday and Saturday morning at 10 and we will drive home after that. If you are interested in going, please let Nancy Peralez know by May 15 so hotel reservations can be made and we can work out travel plans. Thanks!

It's spring and our Church Home needs some TLC. If you claimed a section of garden around the building last year, the Trustees would appreciate you claiming it again. There are still five additional sections available. Talk to Lorraine in the church office.

The One Great Hour of Sharing offering was taken April 26. This offering makes all other UMCOR programs possible. One Great Hour of Sharing funds the cost of doing the business of UMCOR. Any gifts over and above the administrative costs go to where they are most needed. Often they support under-funded programs. The total collected from our congregation was $587.00. Thank you for supporting UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief).

Onto each ray of sunshine a little rain must fall. No good deed should remain unpunished. Sound pessimistic? I hope not. The rain and the punishment come to mind whenever it becomes necessary for me to make any attempt at producing words on paper for public display. That said, our Mission Trip to Gulfport/Biloxi, Mississippi was well worth any discomfort on my part over placing some thoughts on paper.

Most of you by now have seen pictures of the aftermath Katrina left in her wake, so I won't dwell on that. That sort of destructive power is almost unimaginable. The disruption to people's lives is almost unimaginable.

Please let me extend a personal thank you to all those who made our trip possible. Because of your prayers, financial support, encouragement and sponsorship we were able to make a positive difference. A very special thanks is in order to those who stayed behind at Gateway UMC in Gulfport, MS to cook, clean, and wash so that the rest of us could go "fix things."

Those of us fortunate enough to go out into the field to do "hands on" things, were doubly rewarded; by the feeling that God would be pleased with our efforts, which we should all accept, and by the grateful people we encountered. There is a wonderful feeling when you talk with and see the appreciative smiles on the faces of people that we were able to help even in some small way. Perhaps the help took the form of a roof re-shingled, some drywall installed or finished, a door hung, the back-breaking toil of cleanup, some plumbing fixed, or perhaps just listening to their stories. Names such as Ethel, Ollie, Bonnie, John, and Carolyn come to mind.

The last paragraph remains unfinished. There is still much more work to do. There are things for all to do. . . . . . . After all, we need both sunshine and rain for things to grow.

May food of the month - canned (protein) beans - refried, kidney, red, pinto - you get the idea!
May thrift store items of the month - men's clothing

The Chancel Choir of Hilltop United Methodist Church and musicians from the greater Salt Lake area present a powerful and inspiring concert of music in the gospel tradition, "He Has the Power," on Sunday, May 21, 2006, at 7:00 PM at Hilltop United Methodist Church, located at 985 E. 10600 S. in Sandy. The concert is free and open to the public. A freewill offering will be taken, and nursery care will be provided.

Under the direction of Roberta Shimensky, the choir will be accompanied by Thomas Klassen, piano; Ben Johnson, bass; and Christian Parry, drums. "He Has the Power" is the third annual gospel concert presented by Hilltop United Methodist Church, and features works in the gospel, spiritual, and praise genres. Anchoring the program is Leon C. Robert’s The Mass of St. Augustine, a contemporary mass written in the gospel style for choir and soloists. Also on the program is Keith Hampton's "Praise His Holy Name!," a special women's ensemble piece "I'll Be Believing," and the exciting "Nothing Is Impossible."

A Silent Auction and Hamburger Feast will be held May 21, Sunday at Christ United Methodist Church to raise funds to help complete the InterFaith Hospitality Network Space in our church. Bidding starts Sunday morning and ends at 6:30 that evening in the new Gym. Dinner will be served at 5:00. Please bring a salad or dessert to share. We are accepting donations of auction items also. Information and reservations, please e-mail Cathy Perryman @ pcm2@qwest.net.

Don't forget the Sandwich Mission. Every third week of the month we make and serve sandwiches as an outreach mission.

The dates for May are:
Sunday, May 14: make/or bring sandwiches, 2 p.m.
Monday, May 15: serve sandwiches, 5:15 p.m. at St. Vincent DePaul Center, 500 West 200 South. (Usually finished by 6:45 p.m.)

Due Dates for Sunday Bulletin and Newsletter
For the Sunday Bulletin: Information due Wednesday of each week.
For the Mountain View: Articles due the 20th of every month. Articles on disk or e-mailed (office@mtnvistaumc.org) preferred.