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2010 Support Letters and Response Cards

Sorry we didn’t post this sooner, but here are the Support letters and Response cards we sent out earlier. In case you missed it, you can click on any of these to view/download them.

Click on the following if you’d like to see the:

We thank all of you for your support and care. We’ll work hard on your behalf, and for the Glory of God. This is so much more than just hammers and nails, it’s about building lives, communities and hope in Christ.

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Coed Team Leaves This Weekend!

The Co-ed team, led by Mo and Carol Nakatsui, will be flying out this weekend (4/18/10).

If you can, be part of their commissioning service at our church, Evergreen SGV during the 11am service. you can find directions and more at www.evergreensgv.org

For those of you well wishers that would like to see them off at the airport, they will be gathering Sunday evening at about 9:30p at the Continental Terminal at LAX

Look for us near the check-in area!

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Pretrip Thoughts From Helen


This is Helen’s first time on the Trip. She is one of the 4 Ladies on the Coed team.

Hello everyone. I’m really excited for our upcoming Katrina trip next week!

For many of you who do not know me, I’m a 3rd-year PhD student at USC studying pharmaceutical sciences. My everyday task consists of testing the thousands of chemical compounds we have in our lab in human cancer cells. I do a lot of pippeting (mixing small amounts of chemicals together), plan different experiments, make proteins and DNA and sometimes spend months writing grants asking for funding.

I’m glad I will be taking a break from all that and doing something very different in Katrina. Though building homes is not part of my training as a student, I know that it is part of my training as a Christian.

When I was talking to a coworker about my upcoming trip and what I’ll be doing, she said jokingly, “now if this PhD thing doesn’t work out, you have other trades to consider.” I was thinking about that and I’m reminded that it’s not about what I’ll be doing, but rather about who I will be serving. I’m not going because I’m qualified, but because God is using this opportunity to teach me humility and complete trust and dependence on Him.

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A Note From Art F

Art returns to Biloxi, including having served in the inaugural team. He will be once again doing double duty as volunteer/worker and team photographer. (which is why you may not see many pictures of him….

Returning to Biloxi

This year will mark my third time joining a team of men to help build homes in Mississippi for those whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. It’s been five years since the hurricane and people are still without homes. During our stay, we will be working with Habitat for Humanity to assist in whatever construction work is needed.

I had previous experience volunteering with Habitat on local, one day projects through my workplace and enjoyed it immensely. The thought of going to another state to help build Habitat homes over a one week period never crossed my mind until Evergreen wanted to send a group of men to Mississippi. My reservations and doubts were assuaged when my friend, Dennis Cho, team leader of that inaugural 2007 trip, shared that God wanted my availability, and not my abilities, to minister. So, I signed up and it was an awesome trip! We built a house from the ground up, got to meet some great people, and ministered to a few others. In the end, I was enriched by the experience and blessed to be used by the Lord as His servant.

Before my second trip in 2009, Dennis lost his battle with cancer. This time, I felt the Lord prompting me to go, so I went in memory my friend, and Dennis’ presence was with me throughout the trip. I could hear his quips and anecdotes as we ministered to each other and the people around us. Some of us even used the “DC Hammer,” a present to him after the inaugural trip, as a way of honoring his life and ministry to the people of Mississippi. One of the many blessings from that trip was when we got to meet and share a meal with one of the Habitat families — a family that would be a recipient of a Habitat- built home. What a blessed time.

This being my third trip, I have a different reason to go, one more compelling than the other trips I’ve taken — I even get choked up just thinking about it. I’m going not only to help those people I just mentioned, but to honor Dennis by continuing the ministry he helped lead and encourage others to do the same. And I’m sure if he were here, he’d be going along with us! Will you join us too? God wants your availability not your abilities!

Art nailing away last year….

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Local SGV Chapter-Monrovia

Roy and Peter went to work on the local San Gabriel Valley Chapter for another day of volunteering.

They’re at their final stages of the project, with the dedication being slated for this Saturday March 6, 2010

Also, here’s a great video (hosted by Harrison Ford)

It explains a bit about how Habitat works, and local projects we have in the area…

It really is so much more than just building houses… it’s about building lives and families.

And if you want to see Roy digging holes…

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2010 Teams are preparing!

2010 has arrived, and so our preparation has began!

Evergreensgv will be sending two teams this year, a Coed team (April 18-25), followed by an all Mens’ team (May 9-16 [yes, we know we leave Mother’s Day, but we’re leaving late that Sunday evening…])

It’s an exciting addition to have the Coed team, led by Mo and Carol Nakatsui

From Katrina 2010 Team Meeting

The Men’s team will be led by Craig Kakihara, Tommy Yamada and Chris Chan

From Katrina 2010 Team Meeting

We’ll have the team roster and prayer letter available for you soon either by mail, or on this site, but in the meantime, here’s some footage shot from preparing that letter.

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Katrina 2009-Reflections from Team Leader Craig


With the trip over and the dust settled, Craig made some notes about the team.

On behalf of the team members, thanks once again Craig. Great job!

As I reflect back on this year’s Katrina Gulf Coast Relief Team experience, I thank God for his faithfulness and care over our entire team. I was truly impressed at the way God took 21 guys and formed one cohesive unit. During pre-trip planning meetings, we focused more on building team unity via small groups and less on logistics. I know God honored our planning because we were fully prepared to do the work required, and then some. On our last night in Mississippi, the Lord gave me a verse that sums up the collective attitude of our team:

Matthew 5:16:
In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Through seemingly routine acts of helpfulness, kindness, and plain old hard work, our team lived out this verse and I’m certain that it caused others to praise God.

Here are some thoughts from fellow team members further supporting this:

1. “Each of our site managers made comments that they had never seen a group with this much camaraderie and mutual support. We received a note from the kitchen staff at the site we stayed at (SUMA) thanking us for continually cleaning the dining area. I bring this up not to sound boastful about our accomplishments, but as several of the guys said, we were just being ourselves, doing what we do at home. ‘This is who we are,’ one of the guys humbly said.”

2. One joyful moment was when I was with my small group and we were gladly interrupted by a man who just wanted to talk. Before he left, James So, Jeff Leung, Eric Jue and I got to pray for healing to his back and for him in general. We were all blessed to have prayed for him.

3. This “band of brothers” accomplished a great deal in only one week. We made a lasting impression (a good one!) on our supervisor Brad and his two assistants, Curt and Vic, as well as two others that worked together with us (Al and Dick from Rochester, NY). Seeds of faith were planted and in the end, we DID make a difference for the Kingdom of God. When I first signed up for this I didn’t really see how signing up to build houses could be considered a missions trip (it should have been considered a service), but after seeing what happened, this truly was a missions trip with “building homes” as inroad of introducing the gospel to those we came in contact with. And it wasn’t really difficult. All we had to do was to live out our lives as Christians and the individual lights of our group came together to become one big unavoidable light for all to see.

I praise God for each man’s humility, sacrifice and commitment to others. What a rich experience it was to serve the Lord with this team. I’m proud of the work they accomplished and the difference they made for the kingdom of God. Men of Evergreen SGV, is God are challenging you to join us next year?

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Presentation this Sunday!

Thanks again for all your support.

Sorry I didn’t remember to put this up sooner, but we’ll be having a presentation this Sunday, June 14th, at our church, Evergreen SGV, immediately following our 11am service.

A Big Old Meal will be provided, as well as a slide show and Q&A with some (believe, me, you don’t want to hear all 21) of our team.

We’d love to see you.

Thanks again