Mar 26
Todd HanlinEvents, Support
For the month of April, DiRT will be hosting the International Cafe at Wildwood Baptist in Acworth, GA. All proceeds from the sales each Sunday morning go directly to DiRT. If you would like to bake, purchase, or otherwise provide something that could be offered on Sunday mornings in the Cafe, please contact Todd Hanlin at 770-851-4928 to let him know. If you can help host the Cafe on any Sunday in April, that would also be a blessing.
This is just another opportunity to serve others as we continue to promote the DiRT name and grow our ministry and outreach!
Take care, and don’t forget the upcoming April trip!
Mar 22
Todd HanlinEvents
For those of you that have been ‘planning’ on going to Mississippi with us, this is probably your last chance. After the upcoming trip in April, we will probably move to another location, as much of the work that needed to be done in Bay St. Louis is complete. We are considering Nashville, to help flood victims, but we are open to where God leads us.
If you have never been on a DiRT trip, please consider joining us this April. Let’s make this last trip as impactful as we can, and bless as many folks as possible! All it takes is a couple days of your time and a couple hundred dollars, which is usually pretty easy to raise through donations.
I hope to see you in April!
Todd
Mar 15
Todd HanlinEvents
With a job change, and the loss of my dad, the schedule has been a bit crazy. Now it’s time once again to kick into gear with respect to the DiRT trips. We have one last opportunity to serve in the Bay St. Louis, MS area, still helping with Hurricane Katrina damage. We believe that God may be leading us to the Nashville area next, depending on what else happens between now and then. Who knows, we may be packing for Japan!
If you have ever considered going on a short trip with us, this would be a great opportunity to see what we are all about. For about $300 and a couple days off work, we can accomplish much towards getting a family back in their home. Last year’s couples trip was a huge success, and our November trip was very successful as well. We are excited about what God can accomplish through this ministry and would love to see some new faces on our team.
Please consider joining us and giving just a little of your time to help others. Raising the money to go is also very easy; many people can simply put a message on Facebook and get more than enough very quickly. Some employers will also help. In any case, it is all tax deductible.
Give it some thought! Join us this Spring! Let’s impact some people’s lives in a positive manner!
Take care, Todd
Nov 12
Todd HanlinUncategorized
W
Well…everyone got here safe…and once we settled in, we took a look at what we needed to accomplish on our first house. With many doors to hang, and much trim to install, we set out yesterday morning to see what we could do. It didn’t take long to see that we were moving much quicker than I expected. By lunch time, doors were installed, a vanity cabinet and medicine cabinet were in, and we were off to buy kitchen cabinets. By the end of the day, half of the cabinets were in and the vent hood was wired up and working.
Today, we will be finishing cabinets and installing soffit on the exterior of the house. Check back tonight for more info on our progress…
Please continue to pray for the safety of the team and for the family we are helping.
Oct 17
Todd HanlinUncategorized
The July 2010 Team
After my first couple of trips to Mississippi, I found that I started getting concerned when I didn’t have “enough” people signed up for the trips. In my mind, anything less than 10-15 people seemed inadequate. What God has taught me over the past 3 years is that HE is more than enough. HE and I can accomplish anything that HE wants done…as long as I am willing. Time and time again, HE has sent the right people, and the right number of people, whether the team is large OR small. I stand amazed.
More
Oct 12
Todd HanlinTrip Reports
WOW! I just spoke with our contact in Mississippi and I am excited about the opportunity we have! I will tell you more about it in a sec….
For those wondering, “What happened to DiRT?”, I must share that God has been doing some amazing things in my professional life and I have been spread thin for the past few months. The September trip had to be put-off because of low turn-out, but we are poised for an awesome trip in November! Now on to the task before us…
Rick (from MS) shared with me that we may be able to help complete as may as 4-5 projects that will allow people to have their home back for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays! Can you imagine a better gift? (well, other than Jesus, perhaps?) I cannot wait to get back down there, and based on the people that have told me, “I’ll go in November,” we could have better than 15-20 people on this trip.
Invite a friend; take a spouse; bring a neighbor, a co-worker, ANYONE….and let’s help change someone’s life for the better!
AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! I can’t imagine how awesome this trip could be….and I thought the July trip was spectacular….I can’t wait…I have to go take my medication….JOIN US….and see how you can bless others with your time and talent (or lack thereof — we DO offer training).
Upcoming Trip: November 10-13 (travel early or late on Wednesday and come back Saturday OR SUNDAY).
More info, email: todd@dirtministry.com
Take care, Todd
Jul 18
Todd HanlinTrip Reports
What a great week! No offense to anyone that has been on a DiRT Trip, but I think I enjoyed this trip as much as any I have been on. This trip included several couples from Liberty Baptist in Chelsea, AL, and it added a whole new dimension to our time together.
As I sat and watched husband and wife teams working together on new projects, learning new skills, building each other up, and just relaxing in the evenings, I was amazed at what a different and encouraging experience it was. There was laughter from dawn ’til dusk, and it helped everyone forget the fact that it was 104 degrees with 130% humidity.
The challenge of having a 25 person team was quickly overcome as people stepped up to lead and were willing to do anything that was asked of them. Everyone came with a servant’s heart and as a result, God was able to use the team to accomplish more than I imagined possible, and we were an encouragement to everyone we came into contact with.
In the end, we helped frame and roof a house, we braced two houses, we painted a fourth house and installed cabinets, along with installing some moulding. We also found out that there are still about 600 open cases in the Hancock County area alone. This means there is still plenty to be done to help get people back in their homes.
I want to offer a special thank you to everyone at Liberty that was involved with coordinating the trip, to Angela and Pandi for keeping us fed…WELL, I might add, to David for his help in coordinating work, and to everyone else for making themselves available. And thanks to Erin for showing us that women CAN be just as effective as men (or more effective, eh?). I guess I should add that Misty will take care of anyone that gets out of line….
My hopes are that we will have more trips like this in the future, and again, thanks to the Liberty gang for making this trip fun, effective, and encouraging.
And for those of you that have been on a DiRT trip, it was nice to actually rinse the soap off this morning!
Jul 16
Todd HanlinTrip Reports
Today was a very challenging day. After an early start on a roofing job, and with a second crew going to town painting a house, things were rolling along fairly smoothly…until the clouds started rolling in. Once the rain started around lunchtime, the roofing job was put on hold. Since the painting crew was done, we ended up with 20+ people needing something to do.
It took about an hour to figure out how we could distribute people, but we were able to successfully distribute folks to 3 job sites. As usual, God took care of things, but it is always challenging when you have a group of very capable people standing around waiting for things to happen. I was blessed by the fact that everyone took it in stride and recognized that it is part of the program. Things change, rain happens, material deliveries get delayed, and you never know what to expect. By the end of the day, much was accomplished and we had a great dinner, as usual.
This trip has been really exciting! To have a mixed group of couples and individuals, and to see how everyone interacts, helps out, and supports one another encourages me as we continue to grow the ministry. It has been a great example of the fact that men, women and children are able to be used effectively in the disaster rebuild process. Having two dedicated cooks has blessed me, not only in having great meals, but in not having to deal with the day to day requirements of food planning. Splitting the team up at different worksites has been a breeze with the help of our “catering” team.
I am in need of sleep, as usual, so I will head off to bed. Please pray for the continued safety of the team and for traveling mercies tomorrow as we go back to our respective home towns. Also, please be in prayer for many people involved with local disaster relief ministries, as they are challenged with funding issues and people’s jobs are at stake. Pray that God will use us in a mighty way as we complete this trip and look towards planning the upcoming September and November trips.
Continuing His work,
Todd….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Jul 16
Todd HanlinTrip Reports, Uncategorized
We have completed the first of the three days and what an awesome start it was! Expecting to have our team mostly on one site, we were almost immediately split into three teams on three sites. Although logistics were a bit of a challenge, everyone was in great spirits and we sent one team to frame a roof, a second to brace a flooring system in a house, and a third to do sheetrock and painting work.
By afternoon, our awesome hostesses/meal planners/gophers/caterers/painters/all-around take care of the detail”ers” had everyone fed and were on to help at the painting house. The Backyard Bible Team joined them and got the interior of the house painted while the other two teams finished their tasks.
By the end of the day, everyone was tired, but hanging in there, and about 60% of the roof decking was complete. In about 5 1/2 hours we will go at it again, in hopes of finishing all the sheathing and roof decking in the morning. The painting crew will get another coat on the Long Beach house, in order that we can install the kitchen cabinets in the afternoon.
The BBQ was very tasty tonight, everyone is still in the game, and it is awesome to see how everyone is willing to chip in, help and encourage one another.
I can’t wait to see how much we get accomplished today!
Jul 14
Todd HanlinUncategorized
After travel from the 4 corners of the Southeastern universe, commonly known as Birmingham and Atlanta, the largest DiRT Team to grace the sands of Bay St. Louis, MS, has arrived and settled in for the next few days. 25 people from Liberty Baptist (Chelsea, AL), Wildwood Baptist (Acworth, GA), Woodstock Baptist (Woodstock, GA) and Calhoun United Methodist (Calhoun, GA) have taken residence in 4 houses for the remainder of the week to help in the rebuild process on the Gulf Coast.
Yes, there is still work to be done from Hurricane Katrina.
Yes, there is a need for more volunteers.
Yes, there is need for donations of materials or money for materials.
Yes, the volunteer pool has dwindled to a challenging level.
Yes, DiRT is continuing to be a regular contributor to the rebuild effort.
We will begin on Thursday morning with a construction team and a Backyard Bible Team. Part of the Liberty Baptist group will be meeting with families in a local apartment complex to share the love of Jesus in a VBS style format. The remainder of the team will be working on several projects in an effort to complete a couple of homes and move other projects forward.
Specifically, we have already helped frame a house, including the trusses, and we hope to get the roof installed before we leave on Saturday.
Please pray for the continued safety of the team, both on jobsites and in travel, and pray for the hearts of the people we will meet on jobsites and in the bible club to be open to what God has to say through our words and our actions.
As the DiRT continues to grow, God shows us new and exciting ways to be the hands and feet of Christ! Stay tuned for daily updates regarding the trip progress!
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