[ag-news] AG NEWS #1803: April 16, 2010

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AG-NEWS: Friday, April 16, 2010 
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**Makeover changes lives and community

Scott Lansing, University of Texas at Austin Chi Alpha
co-director, and Campus Minister Dave Giles contact Pastor Jeff
and Ellrena Ortner of Cornerstone Assembly of God, Meridian,
Texas, to do "Supreme Home Makeover" on their home. Lansing and
Giles knew they had chosen right people ? Jeff has Stage 4
cancer and their home in desperate need of repair. What they
didn't know was how makeover would also impact couple's
community.


**AGWM announces new "Volunteer Card"

AG World Missions now offers volunteer certification card good
for 5 years, eliminating need for re-application by volunteers
during the time. Volunteer Card expected to reduce paperwork
and streamline process. More information about MAPS Teams and
card at http://www.GoAG.org.


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**MAKEOVER IMPACTS LIVES AND COMMUNITY

Two years ago, Pastor Jeff and Ellrena Ortner of Cornerstone
Assembly of God in Meridian, Texas, felt God leading them to support
the 28 missionaries presented to them during the North Texas
District Council Fall Missions Tour. Yet, their small church
couldn't even afford to support them beyond their small salaries
much less help support 28 missionaries on a monthly basis. But
trusting in God, the two took a step of faith and personally pledged
to support each of those missionaries for $10 a month ? and God has
provided to enable the couple to meet that pledge.

"I like to think that that might be the salary for 30 minutes for
each missionary," Ellrena says, "and what if during that 30 minutes
each month, someone was saved? What an investment!"

But this past December, the Ortners and their church received some
very difficult news. The doctors could do no more. The cancer, now
at Stage 4, had spread to various places throughout Jeff's body . .
. he was given just three months to live.

At about the same time, Scott Lansing, the University of Texas at
Austin Chi Alpha co-director, and Campus Minister Dave Giles were
struggling to determine their third Supreme Home Makeover project.
Through Chi Alpha students and many other volunteers, they had
completed two incredible makeovers the previous two years, but this
year, it didn't seem as if God was confirming any particular
direction to them.

"We had some ideas," Giles says, "but nothing that was saying, 'This
is the one.'"

Then through the district newsletter they learned of Jeff's terminal
illness. The light clicked on as both Lansing and Giles knew this
was the project God had for them.

The men contacted Ellrena and Jeff, letting them know they had been
chosen to receive the makeover. Was there a need? Absolutely!

For his entire tenure at Cornerstone (22 years), Jeff had been a
bivocational pastor ­ working a job as a substitute teacher and for
11 years as an in-school suspension teacher in order to pay bills
and still pastor the 30-member church (plus 25-30 kids), which began
more than two decades ago when the Ortners felt God's call to
pioneer the church.

But Jeff had been battling cancer for more than a year now, unable
to make repairs to their home, and Ellrena was working at the post
office as well as caring for Jeff. And when you live in a mobile
home approaching 25 years old, things are bound to go wrong.

"We ordered this mobile home new 24 years ago," Ellrena says. "It
was built cheaply and has been in constant need of repairs to keep
it together." How cheaply? Just a few days before the makeover team
arrived, Ellrena fell through the floor of their bathroom, just
outside of the shower, where the floor had gotten wet and weakened.

So, when the Ortners received the phone call from Giles and Lansing,
it was truly a moment of divine intervention.

About 5 weeks from the makeover date, Lansing and Giles visited the
Ortners and the city of Meridian ? a community of about 1,500 ? to
not only fully understand the need, but to see what kind of
community support might be available.

It didn't take long for the men to see the extent of the Ortner's
need ? and when it came to making the right connections in town, it
was as if God was their escort.

In fact, when they stopped for lunch at Bunkhouse Barbeque in
Meridian, they were able to strike up a conversation with the
owners, who would end up helping to provide a meal for the
volunteers. Then they met two ladies at the restaurant who just
happened to work at the Bosque County courthouse . . . they knew
just about everyone there was to know. And when the men later
explained their Supreme Home Makeover mission to them, they started
making phone calls ? bringing the state park director, a bank
president and the county judge (to name a few) on board.

"They didn't really know us," Giles says, "but it was God who
established a relationship, a rapport and trust. The judge, Cole
Ward, and the bank president, Tom Henderson, were hugely
instrumental in bringing the community together. We literally had
tons of community people step up to help make this makeover happen."

As the date drew nearer for the makeover to begin, two things
weighed heavily on Giles and Lansing's minds ­ they were unsure if
Jeff would live to see the makeover and whether or not they would
have the money to complete the project.

"Jeff was given three months to live back in December ? we didn't
know what would happen . . . he could die before we got there, while
we were there or sometime after, we just didn't know," Giles says.
"We are continuing to pray and trust God for a miracle in his
healing."

"And just two weeks away from the start, we only had a $2,000 grant
to work with from McCoy's Building Supply," Lansing says. And even
though there is no overhead (no one gets paid for their labor ­ in
fact, the Chi Alpha students pay $75 to participate) and all the
money goes to the makeover, $2,000 wouldn't make much of a dent in
the needs the Ortners' home had.

But then God stepped in and doors began to open in domino fashion ?
when Giles, Lansing and the 60-some Chi Alpha students from across
North Texas arrived in Meridian on March 17, they had $17,000,
contractors on board, additional volunteers and businesses opening
their doors offering free or greatly discounted materials for the
project.

And it didn't stop there.

"We saw miracle after miracle after miracle take place throughout
the makeover," Giles says. "When we had a need, God would provide
the answer." In fact, the community provided the volunteers with so
much food that Chi Alpha students were sent out into the community
every day not only to pray with people and tell them about the
project, but to give food to needy households.

"We were able to transfer blessings on to others ? including the
Methodist church food bank," Giles says. "One of the themes that
came out of this was serving those who have served others."

And the impact the makeover had with the Chi Alpha students and
volunteers?

"They were just blown away to see how God made things happen,"
Lansing says. "A lot of things happened behind the scenes, and the
students were just blown away by it all."

But just because God was coming through in miraculous ways, that
didn't mean there weren't challenges to overcome.

"When it came to weather, we had it all," says Giles. "Wind, rain,
snow, cold, severe thunderstorms, heat, sunburn . . . the students
about froze the first night at the state park. It was so cold, we
had to move them to new locations."

Yet even in the frigid conditions, God was working as two local
churches opened their doors for the students to sleep in warmth.

"That was a miracle in itself because now we not only had a warm
place, but enough showers as the local high school opened its doors
for use of their showers," Giles explains. "The park only had two
showers ? and we were worried about how that was going to work ? and
the school's locker rooms had eight showers each, for men and
women."

For Jeff and Ellrena, when the team arrived, they handed off the
keys and headed out to her parent's home. Her brother, Anthony
Sullivan, and a church member, Jeff Hibbard, had cleared out their
home ? placing most things in storage, so the volunteers could have
easy access to all areas.

"The spectrum of the makeover grew from day one," Giles says. "In
addition to the home makeover, we also worked on their church and
held a benefit yard sale for the Ortners . . . along with going out
into the community to minister to people."

The complete list of jobs accomplished may never be fully known as
the community continued to bless the Ortners even after the Supreme
Makeover Team had left. Judge Cole Ward would later say the makeover
not only transformed the Ortner's home, but changed the community.
"It will never be the same," Ward said to Lansing.

Although the Ortner's were only hoping for the bathrooms to be
repaired and updated and maybe a new bed, what they got was what
Ellrena called a home made "better than new." The house and storage
building foundations were leveled, the porch was raised, a back deck
and pond deck were built, woodwork on the house was replaced, broken
glass in windows was fixed, two bathrooms were completely repaired
and remodeled, plumbing was repaired, entire house's exterior was
painted, a custom red cedar fire place mantel was built, new
carpeting installed throughout the home, new lighting throughout the
home, new linoleum put down, ceilings painted, the yard landscaped,
the natural spring pond was cleaned out, a work area for Ellrena's
wedding/cake decorating business was created, stripped and stained
their gazebo, new walls and doors, new skirting on the exterior of
the home, an entertainment center and new beds were purchased, the
sheds were organized and repaired and the list goes on . . . .

Meanwhile, the district FCF (the Royal Rangers Frontiersman Camping
Fellowship) president and brother of Ellrena, Art Sullivan, helped
with many projects including the church makeover group. The group,
headed by Mineola (Texas) First Assembly volunteer Michael Labarba,
spent the days repairing and organizing both the Ortner's and the
church's storage buildings, cleaning out and organizing classrooms,
power washing the siding, tending the flower gardens and sanding and
painting all the playground equipment. Of course, no one should
forget the students who held a huge yard sale at the city pavilion ?
in 30 degree weather ? and raised nearly $600 for the Ortners.

Repeatedly, both Giles and Lansing praised the students',
contractors' and other volunteers' hard work ? some who pulled
all-nighters to get the job done ? but they also could not stop
making mention of how the community responded and became involved in
the project.

After three days of nearly non-stop labor by volunteers, the
Ortners returned home. At first, they couldn't see much of anything
as a strategically positioned school bus, volunteers and signs
obscured the home.

But when the "reveal" finally came, so did the tears.

"We both cried when we saw our new house," Ellrena says. "Jeff
walked inside and cried against the wall ? we were both just so
overwhelmed and amazed at the miracle we were seeing . . . we were
in shock over it all. Each room had new surprises."

"Jeff kept saying, 'Thank you, Lord,'" Giles recalls. "You could see
their appreciation for God's faithfulness in their lives."

And the next morning, Ellrena says she woke up and re-lived the
entire walk thru in amazement. "It was definitely a God-ordained
project," she says, reflecting. "Jeff is so happy with the changes
and clean up . . . you just can't outgive God!"

But even after the team departed, Ellrena says the spirit of love,
giving and helping continued. For three consecutive days, community
members ? many who the Ortners didn't even know ? continued to show
up to help put finishing touches on projects and move all the
Ortner's belongings back inside their home, unpack boxes and set
things up.

Giles and Lansing say their dream is for the Supreme Home Makeover
is for it to become "contagious" and for other churches, Chi Alpha
groups, districts and groups to do similar outreaches.

At least one person couldn't agree more. "I feel God is calling
Meridian to do an annual thing right here, and I want to be a part
of it," Ellrena says.

Leah Bass, last year's Makeover recipient also gave a day in a labor
of love and a financial gift to the Ortner's project. The gift
continues to give.

Although this story may only be the beginning of something far
greater, one circle of God's faithfulness has been completed . . .
for among those missionaries God called the Ortners to support two
years ago for $10 a month, there was a U.S. missionary named Tim
Ware ? a former contractor who played a key role in the
decision-making process of the Ortner's home makeover ? and a Chi
Alpha missionary. His name?  Scott . . . Scott Lansing.

". . . serving those who have served others . . . ."

--Dan Van Veen

Editor's note: Jeff Ortner has outlived the doctor's original
timeline, however, he is still "terminal" and in desperate need of a
healing touch from God.


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**AGWM announces new "Volunteer Card"

For the first time in the history of AG World Missions, volunteers
can register through AGWM and receive a certification card good for
5 years.

"This new concept eliminates the need for 're-application' by
volunteers for each trip," states Rick Johnson, Personnel and
Family Life director for AGWM. "Now the application process includes
just one application that is good for all trips taken within five
years."

Realizing that many team members travel multiple times within a
five-year period, Johnson says this new process provides a
reasonable and responsible response for AGWM volunteers. Once a
volunteer receives clearance, AGWM/PFL sends the volunteer a card
with an expiration date on it. When another trip comes up, the
volunteer can just photocopy their volunteer card. No additional
forms will be needed as long as the card is valid, unless the
volunteer's personal information has changed.

Johnson explains that those wanting to qualify for a Short Term
Missions Volunteer Card will need to submit an Assumption of Risk,
Insurance Beneficiary, Code of Conduct, Background Check Release,
and Emergency Contact forms correctly completed and signed.

The new Volunteer Card is expected to greatly reduce paperwork,
streamline the approval process and assist in getting volunteers to
the field more efficiently.

For more information about MAP Teams and the Volunteer Card, see
http://www.GoAG.org

--Dan Van Veen


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