Lovette Tucker, a member of Holy Comforter and originally from Liberia, has become a Missionary of sorts to the Liberian Refugees who are arriving in this country as their "promised land". We at Holy Comforter can participate in this program by donating items to help the many families begin NEW LIVES in this country, while learning about the generosity of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Lovette reports, "To date, myself and other individuals who are Liberian, have met to figure out what we want to do to help. Basically, our efforts will involve the following three areas.

+  Immediate relief - Provide immediate items for the family when they first come in, meet them at the airport (Bush), welcome them to Houston, fix up apartments so they meet it nice and neat.

+  Advocacy - Some families who have been here for a year are having problems due to language and other barriers. I have been in contact with HISD and we make home visits for particular visits. These problems involve inappropriate placement for children (i.e. being placed in Special Ed when they need something else). I've also spoken with the resettlement agencies. Get involved with other programs they provide that may be useful to the refugees i.e. literacy classes, computer job search, after school programs, tutorials, etc.

+  Referrals - depending on the specific family situation, we are developing a referral list to health, job, child care agencies that can provide on-site services. I would also like to have an awareness day so that people like HPD can come and talk about safety issues, Child protective services can talk about how to correct discipline, etc.

Contact Lovette at 281-374-6811 with any questions or to arrange a pick-up. For smaller items a donation box will be in the Parish Hall. Thank you for your prayers and everything.

In Loving Memory…

The church was shocked this week to learn that one of our most faithful members, Someone Else, had passed away. This death creates a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. Someone Else had been with us for many years. During all those years, he did far more than a normal person’s share of the work. Whenever leadership was mentioned, this wonderful person was looked to for inspiration, as well as results. Whenever there was a job to do, a class to teach, or a meeting to attend---one name was on everyone’s list: “Let Someone Else do it.” Someone Else was also among the biggest givers in the church. Whenever there was a financial need, everyone just assumed that Someone Else would make up the difference. This beloved church member was a wonderful person, sometimes appearing superhuman, but one person can only do so much. Everybody expected too much of Someone Else. Now Someone Else is gone. Who will pitch in to do the things that Someone Else has always done? If you are asked to take a job in the church, we hope you won’t reply, “Let Someone Else do it.” Now we need you to pick up where Someone Else left off. Please remember that everyone is important and that all are needed to fill in the gaps.