The Phoenix Project USA

Over the last 30 plus years, we have learned how important it is to love on people and accept them right where they are spiritually.

When asked - and that is the key - we should be able to clearly explain why we believe what we believe - when asked.

This video is from our friend, Len Banks. Len, Diane, Julie and I have shared many life experiences from camping to ministry to loss of loved ones.

Len and his wife served as our Associate Pastors when we pastored in San Jose and those 3 years together in daily life and ministry are very precious to our family.

With all that is happening in the USA and the world, Len expresses what we believe and try to live out every day in every situation.

I encourage you to take the 20 minutes to watch. If you have questions, please do not hesitate to send me a message.

A Different Perspective on How to Respond to the Olympics Opening Ceremony Welcome to another episode of Coffee with Waffles and Len! The opening ceremony displayed a cultural value far different from many Americans, specifically Ch...

So good!

Grief Groceries!
I saw this letter today- as a funeral directors son, I have been around this for years. This is some of the best advice I have ever seen.

“Hey there, Thanks for writing. I’m really glad your friend has you in her life.

I get it. Grief is a funny thing. It’s the time in our life when we most need help, and also the time when asking for help is so hard. Not because we are ashamed to ask for help, although that happens sometimes too. But mostly because our brain just sort of shuts down.

When my Dad died, I looked functional. But I wasn’t OK. Not at all. And when the news got out, the ton of people flooding me with calls, texts, and DM’s was overwhelming. I really couldn’t function. I sat on the swing in our yard and just stared into space. People called and asked what they could do to help. I had no idea.

“Well, anything you need at all, let me know, OK?”

“OK”.

They hung up. I stared into space some more.

I had no idea what to do. What I needed. I didn’t even know what to ask for.

Then a friend sent a text. This friend had met Dad once but didn’t really know him. But still, she knew I was hurting. I saw who it was and almost put the phone down without reading the text, but I saw the message and it stopped me:

Will you be home at 8:30 tonight?

What’s weird is this friend lives 12 hours away from me.

Yes, I replied.

“K.”

10 minutes later, she said, “Instacart will be there at 8:30. Open the door for them.”

“What?”

“Grief Groceries.!!”

When Instacart showed up, they put two large bags of groceries on my porch. Frozen pizzas. Ice cream. Oreo cookies. Tinned soup. Stouffer’s lasagna. A gallon of milk. Like that. Things I could heat up if I needed a meal, or pig out on if I needed fat and sugar. Sometimes, you just need to eat half a box of Oreos.

Notice she didn’t ask if I needed any food. I would have said no. She just asked if I would be home.

Grief groceries.

Another friend, who lives out of town, asked Renee to name a restaurant near our house where we like to eat. There is a local chain near our house that is sort of a deli. When we eat supper there, we spend about $25. Renee told her the name of the place.

An hour later, there was a gift card in my inbox for $250. Yes, that is a lot of money, and I understand not everyone can do that. But the wonderful thing was that because it was enough for multiple meals, we didn’t try to save it for “the right time”. We ate there that night, and take out from there several times a week for the next month on nights when I just didn’t have the spoons to cook.

Both of those gift-givers knew something I didn’t know – that when you are grieving, you don’t want to make decisions. No, that’s not quite it: You can’t make decisions. You hit decision fatigue really fast.

So, I guess what I’m saying is, don’t ask grieving people to make big choices or decisions. “How can I help” is a big choice. But “Can I take the kids this afternoon so you can have some time to yourself” is a much smaller one. “Will you be home tonight?” is a small choice. “What restaurant do you like” is a small decision. Just showing up to cut their grass because you noticed it needed cutting is loads better than asking, “Do you want me to cut the grass?” Or, “I’m going to Target. What can I get you while I’m there?” is better than “Can I run any errands for you?”

It won’t always be like this. If you stick around, eventually they will surface and ways to be helpful will make themselves known. But in the first few days, especially, it helps to remove as many decisions from their plate as you can!”

Original Words from: Hugh Hollowell Jr.

Our family member who was missing came home - thanks to everyone who was praying and sharing our posts.

I want to thank everyone who has been looking at our page the last few days.

We will be posting some pictures of our home owners that received the keys to their new home these past couple of weeks.

There are currently wild fires to the west and east of Happy Camp - third straight summer with wild fires and the smoke is sometimes so heavy we can not see across the meadows where the Church is located.

Sunday, because of the fires, I was not able to drive down 96 back to Willow Creek and highway 299 to 101.

The roads were closed to the west and east of Happy Camp so I had to take Greyback Road to just west of Cave Junction, OR. That is 199 and IT has been closed heading to Crescent City SOOOO I had to take 199 to Grants Pass, Oregon. Got on I-5 South past Medford, Yreka to Redding, CA.

From Redding, took 299 West to 101 South and got home.

Total drive was over 400 miles. I left Happy Camp just after 1:00 PM and got home to Eureka @ 9:15 PM.

The life of a U.S. Missionary that responds to disasters

Today was the National VOAD update call regarding the fires on Maui - yes fires plural. There were over 160 people on the call.

One of the speakers spent time to help outsiders understand the need to be culturally sensitive when responding - great stuff.

They are asking that people NOT self deploy because housing is extremely limited and they are currently having to fly workers in for the day on Maui and off at night. The cost per flight is at $20.00.

They also said that they have cargo containers that arrived that they have not opened because 1) They do not know what is in the container and 2) They do not know what to do with what is in the container once it is opened.

They understand that there are 100 or more containers on there way that were NOT asked for and they are asking people/groups to work with their local organizations to coordinate resources.

IF anyone would like to watch the recording of the call - lasted about 50 minutes - I should be able to forward the link to you.

This past week I was in Happy Camp to lead the Wednesday Night potluck/prayer and study of the book of James.

I also spent some time with Bill Johnson from Hope Crisis Response Network as we drove out to one of the homes that will be finished soon.

Saturday I was on the road to Concord/Brentwood to do a missions spotlight at The Bay Church, Brentwood Campus.

I Was interviewed and asked 1) Why we started the Phoenix Project USA; 2) What was a highlight I wanted to share and 3) How could the church be praying for us and our work.

The interview was between 4-5 minutes and I presented in all 3 of their morning services.

Was great to see all the good things happening at the church and to connect with friends. After the first service, a lady approached me and said "Aren't you the Pastor of Disaster?" and I told her yes. She used to attend Legacy Church in Los Gatos and had heard me speak there in the past. Small world.

Julie and I are so thankful for all of you who pray for us and support us financial through your gifts and offerings.

Today I was contacted by FEMA for an update on our work here in Northern CA when responding to all of our disaster events. The link below is to their report.
https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/USDHSFEMA/2023/01/27/file_attachments/2393448/VAC%20Snapshot_Report%20178_JAN%2026%20023.pdf

Scroll down to Partners Responding in California and you will see Chaplains we worked with to respond, one of our local A/G Pastors and the logos for our NCN District; The Phoenix Project and NorCa VOAD.

content.govdelivery.com

For the past 8 months we have been working with Happy Camp Assembly of God and Hope Crisis Response Network as they upgrade the church facilities to host volunteers to rebuild homes that were lost in the Slater Fire.

Since June we have been conducting Sunday AM Services and this last Thursday we started our Peace by Piece class as a weekly study. We had 7 in attendance and are expecting more as we progress.

For all who follow us on Facebook that have faced crisis and trauma in their lives, this song reminds me that, when all else seems lost - GOD, who is the same always, will be there to comfort us when we come to Him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LawxIZE9ePE

Same God (Feat. Jonsal Barrientes) | Elevation Worship The official video of “Same God“ from the album, LION, by Elevation Worship, feat. Jonsal Barrientes."Same God" is available everywhere: https://elevationwor...

There are many ways that you can participate in the ongoing recovery from our California Wild Fires:
1. You can donate funds to the NCN Disaster Relief Fund or to The Phoenix Project USA and those funds will be used in our efforts to respond with cash; gift cards; gad cards; equipment for offloading Tractor Trailers of supplies.
2. You can volunteer through either the NCN District; The Phoenix Project USA or your local church that comes to serve - If you have not yet completed your paperwork to serve OR have never gone through the basic training we offer - you can accomplish that online at www.tppusa.org
3. We have partnered with Hope Crisis Response Network in Happy Camp and they are completing a remodel process on the church campus so that we can accommodate 30-40 volunteers each week to build homes for people that are under insured or had no insurance.
4. You can pray for survivors and volunteers. The process of rebuilding here in CA is long and arduous - pray for our teams to have favor with the community; favor with those we serve so that lives are changed forever.

The Phoenix Project We personally want to walk with communities, families, and individuals through their crises, but we are eager to take a step further.

I want to thank Ken and Carol Leep for these pictures and update on our efforts to get water delivered to Grizzly Flats which was affected by the wildfires:

Water provided to fire victims by Convoy of Hope. Workers from local water district, local residents, First Assembly of God Auburn, and coordinated by Jim Uhey - Northern California/Nevada District Council Assemblies of God respresentative.

Many of you are aware that during the Slater Fire, we worked with a local Church and Convoy of Hope to provide resources to members of the Karuk Tribe and the communities of Happy Camp; Orleans; W**d and Yreka.

Over the following months, we connected Happy Camp Assembly of God and Hope Crisis Response Network to develop a plan to use the church facilities to house volunteers and rebuild 80-90 homes for those who could not afford to rebuild without some help.

In May of this year, because of a Pastoral Change, I was asked to serve as the Pastor in Happy Camp to oversee the project on behalf of the Church and our NCN District.

Long story short, Julie and I committed to this project because we believe that the church should be at the center of the response and we were not asked to give up what we do with The Phoenix Project USA, our NCN District and NorCal VOAD.

Since the middle of May, I have been spending 1/2 of each week here in Happy Camp working around the church - we re-launched services at the end of June (They had not had a service here since the Slater Fire in September of last year).

Wednesday was the 1 year anniversary for the Slater Fire and an Anniversary Event was help. They showed the video I have posted here and I was given a few minutes to talk about Grief and Trauma Recovery, our Partnership with Hope Crisis Response Network and our desire to "restore hopes and dreams" for the community.

We COULD NOT do this without your continued financial and prayer support, and for that, Julie and I thank God everyday for each of you.

Last point here in my "short" Epistle - I have the honor to work with the leadership in this video - they are great people with a passion for their community and we are honored to serve alongside them:

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FhkdllQi2NiI%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2yxI0S44_NzBEeg-KOKqGYPgst2VSeAERMy9DdwNSG6R2qDOclxhoziGw&h=AT0UmWGspWgkA7yQBgtCW52iGqtz2mFr9mFy4aIDls7Sk46Qn5V2ly5dMSN6Ao-KFV6HN_HinE800_knHsiTJo_DIT38XWgLnbguTWVmMEajiMOv-sod7QxzNd-9sxvlpygxU4U&__tn__=-UK-y-R&c[0]=AT0922FpN9DnW8Vipu4r3VtdfwMtjAVNiNAZUXDuws6lCZm_FXOobRNgODjMtq6d-D-a1rCenbljMUbeSkFZd9IEEVqFW7VM-f3bS0Xbw9VemMuwY5z7hYgtUW_VSECfznv89hGSj4dCXrCJGxSDoaXpTr_XSvYkeDRQDjLZ0IJRqbrlArtjpZPHaugTUyaNu4R-8bnb

Building a Stronger Future F2 To make a donation to Slater Fire Recovery: https://cfnorthstate.org/donations/happy-camp-relief-fund/The Slater Fire started on September 8, 2020 at the Sla...

Today is this hard working, and dedicated, guys birthday! Happy Birthday to THE Pastor of Disastor, Jim Uhey!
🎉 🎂 ☕️ 🎉 🎂 ☕️ 🎉 🎂 ☕️ 🎉 🎂 ☕️

So good!

tragic — Live Right. Love Well. At 5am, Husband kissed me on the forehead and told me he loved me. Then he headed out to the airport for a work trip. I rolled over and tried to fall back asleep, but instead my mind kicked into full gear. What if he didn’t make it home? What would I do with the house? Should we downsize or stay p...

Praying! Also praying for all of those affected by the hurricane.

Today, more than 14,300 firefighters remain on the frontlines of 15 active large wildfires that have burned more than 1.83 million acres.
Get the latest on these incidents at: https://fire.ca.gov/incidents/

The Phoenix Project USA updated their address.

The Phoenix Project USA updated their phone number.

As I shared yesterday, I wear many hats. IF I have any success at all, it is because God has blessed me with great friends and ministry partners who give of their time and effort to work with us.

One of those friends/partners is Curt Cook from Trinity Church in Escalon, CA. He worked with me and kept me going this past weekend as we completed project after project starting Thursday night and finishing with the Sunday Service.

We took this selfie as we both "hit the road" to head back home.

I wear many hats - President of The Phoenix Project USA; Chairman of the NCN Disaster Relief Task Force; Chairman of NorCal VOAD which requires me and the SoCa VOAD Chair Charlene Sargent to rotate between Chair and Vice Chair for all of CA VOAD (I am the Chair during an even year and Vice Chair in the odd years) and since May 11, appointed the Pastor of Happy Camp Assembly of God - one of our NCN District Affiliated Churches.

As the Pastor of Happy Camp, I am to oversee our partnership with Hope Crisis Response Network that will be using the Church Campus as their hub for volunteers over the next 3 plus years to rebuild 80 or more homes in Happy Camp.

Julie and I are NOT moving to Happy Camp but I am there to oversee and work with volunteers to prepare the campus for this expanded ministry and conduct services on Sunday's.

I hope to be able to offer our Grief and Trauma Recovery material to fire survivors and other members of the community that have experienced a loss or trauma event in their lives.

To help me keep my sanity, I have MULTIPLE Email folders to keep everything sorted and NOT let things slip through the cracks. I always joke with people that Juls has told me I need a 12 step program for my email habits - WHY?

For VOAD, I have 37 different folders of over 5,211 emails, most of which are multiple emails because most require a response from me.

35 Catagories - some with multiple folders for The Phoenix Project USA

I have 19 Catagories for the NCN Disaster Relief Task Force.

Plus another 18 catagories, some which include multiple folders.

No wonder I get tired at the end of the week.

To all who faithfully support our work in finances and prayer - here is a video that National VOAD produced to recap the first 50 years of their work.

For those who do not know, I am the Chairman for NorCal VOAD which covers the 48 northern counties of CA. Every other year, I and our SoCal Chair (Charlene Sargent) serve as the Chair and Vice Chair of CA VOAD which is all 58 Counties of CA.

Last year I was Chair - this year is falls on Charlene's shoulders.

Pray that you all enjoy the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxBebqVGkFk

50 Years of National VOAD National VOAD celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2020. This mini-documentary explores the iconic disaster events that helped shape the National VOAD Movement...

Well it's official - The Phoenix Project U.S. has received our 501(c)(3) status with the IRS. This has been a long time coming as we contemplated the pros and cons of making this move.

We will continue to operate as The Phoenix Project USA by filing a Doing Business As documents.

Julie and I are still U.S. Missionaries with the Assemblies of God BUT The Phoenix Project U.S. will now function as it's own Non-Profit Organization.

This is such a great reminder! We are all here, “For such a time as this”.

The Phoenix Project USA updated their info in the about section.

People have asked "why" we were not better prepared to deal with the Corona Virus - those who do not like our current President want to blame him - for those of us who have been dealing with this since 2008 - 2009, it is extremely frustrating to listen to all the "ignorant" statements being made.

Today I found this report that was written in September of 2008 - this was written after 14 regional "best practices" that included all 50 states:
https://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/docs/clearinghouse/best-practices/National_Governors_Association_PANDEMIC_ASSESSMENT_0809.pdf

transition.fcc.gov

I am always reminding my fellow Chaplains and Responders that we need to take personal time during a crisis and disaster response.

I have been dealing with NorCal VOAD's Covid Response since mid February on a daily basis so I had to take my own medicine this past weekend.

Today is the first I have looked at Facebook; Twitter; Instagram; or Email. Only looked at my News feed couple of times and that helped remind me WHY I had disconnected Saturday morning around 10:00 AM.

Feels so good, I may start doing this every weekend😎😎

California Department of Health is providing Covid 19 prevention posters in 21 languages:

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Resources.aspx

California Department of Public Health

Great resource from todays FEMA Region IX Volunteer Agency Forum. This is through Adobe Connect and links to the National VOAD information page.

https://fema.connectsolutions.com/voise?launcher=false&proto=true

Adobe Connect Login