Welcome to our Blog Page, hopefully you find it informative and engaging.
Christ has called many of us to return to the Gulf coast again
to serve our brothers and sisters devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
It is our hope that through this witness to their story, you too may be inspired,
to contribute in some way towards this effort on there behalf.
The Mississippi mission team 2008 eagerly seeks your prayers, your presence
and your gifts. It is so very true that Christ is counting on you!
Help us, help them by getting involved with one of the following:
1) Join a future team by calling the Caton UMC at 607-524-6715
2) Donate to team 2008
Make checks payable to Caton UMC
11186 Hendy Hollow Rd.
Corning, NY 14830
Note: Please enter "Mississippi Mission 2008" in check comment line
3) Donate to future teams
Make checks payable to Caton UMC
11186 Hendy Hollow Rd.
Corning, NY 14830
Note: Please enter "Mississippi Mission Relief Fund" in check comment line
Meet Our Young People
Hi everybody, I’m Julia Brown. I am 18 years old and graduated from West High. I just finished a semester at CCC but am now moving on to SUNY Geneseo for the spring semester. I hope to major in psychology and become a school psychologist or guidance counselor. I treat my cat, Checkers, like she is my daughter and if I never get married I plan to be a cat lady (haha). I focus a lot on school but in my free time I enjoy snowboarding, reading, music, movies and being with my friends who make life even better. I’m very excited about this trip. I think it’s a great way to start 2008. I can’t wait to meet you all and to help the people of Mississippi!
Hello my name is Ashley Dann I am currently finishing up my 2nd year at Corning Community College. My major is elementary education with art as my minor. I would love to teach art class or to teach a kindergarten class when I am done. I also am a volleyball player at the college. I do hope to continue to play at the next level of schooling where ever that may be. My goal on this trip is to help make a difference and bring hope to those people that are living in trailers still.
I am Erica Hepworth; I'm 19 years old and a sophomore in college. I work at the Corning Wegmans as a Pharmacy Technician and a Management Intern. I dedicate a lot of my time to my schoolwork as I always feel locked away in my bedroom writing papers. For my future I wish to earn a masters degree in the area of psychology so I can become a high school guidance counselor. As a member of this team I simply wish to bring a little hope into someone’s life. I believe it's really important for the people in Mississippi to know that somewhere out there they are thought of and cared about. We have not forgotten them...
I am Rebecca Hill (most call me Becky), a junior fine arts major at Syracuse University. Here I am involved in a campus ministry, and am a lifeguard supervisor and swim instructor outside of my studies. For my life, I'm not totally sure how I would describe the plan, the main idea though is that it should be God's plan. I have a feeling that it will involve missions, especially international ones. As a member of this team I hope to serve humbly those who need hope and encouragement through the work to be done. 1 Peter 4:10 says "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." Thank you all for your willingness to serve, I look forward to meeting you! God Bless, Becky Hill
Hi my name is Alyssa Ashley Putman I am currently a senior at Penn State University and was just recently accepted into The Pennsylvania College of Optometry, which I will be attending Fall 2008. Therefore, I will be in school for another four years and will finish with my Doctorate of Optometry. I am hoping that from this short-term missions trip, I will gain qualities that will benefit me throughout the rest of my life as well as help those in their present situation. My goal is to make as much progress on the construction and finishing of the houses while we are there in order to satisfy and please as many Katrina victims as possible. Also, I hope to strengthen my characteristics such as socialization skills, outgoingness, integrity, leadership, and working well in a group. I especially hope that by doing this we can all pull together as a group in order to make a difference in someone's life. ~Alyssa
My name is James Portwood...but call me Jim. I graduated from SUNY Brockport with a BS in Exercise Physiology/Premed. I am currently attending Canisius College in Buffalo for a masters of science in education. My plan is to eventually go on to obtain a PhD so I can teach at the university level. I spent part of this year teaching outdoor education to 5'th and 6'th graders in Texas. I then moved to Seattle and was personal training. I finally moved back to NY at the end of the summer to get back into school. I enjoy riding my bike and running marathons; included are pictures of both. I went down on the same mission trip earlier this year in the spring and it was an amazing experience. I'm glad I get to go back! If you have any questions just ask...I don't bite like Scott does. My name is Scott Portwood. I'm currently attending the State University of New York College at Brockport for my Masters Degree in Research Biology. Currently, I am working on mapping the melanin concentrating hormone receptor-1 pathway for actin rearrangement in pre-adipocyte, which has implications for obesity. I enjoy what I am doing however, with my degree; I would love to work in a lab that focuses on cancer research. I feel that cancer research would be worthwhile and rewarding, as the disease has affected so many lives. In regards to the mission trip, I've heard nothing but great things from both my brother and my mom, so I'm really looking forward to going down. I think this trip will help me appreciate what little possessions I do own at this point in time. I can't wait to go down! Scott. Oh and good luck guessing who is who in the pictures.
Partial Team 2008
Mort Gridley, Patti Gridley, Ashley Dann, Erika Hepworth, Rich Mason, Dave Huber, Tom Oliver, Gary Putman, and Doug Kapral
Thanks To Camp Hope Staff
Volunteer Coordinator/Sally Brown Site Facilitator/Curt Brown