Greetings!

It has been a while since I have written and so much has happened since then. Last weekend I was blessed with 30 members from Roswell United Methodist Church in Georgia. The group was really amazing. It was split of about 13 adults and 17 kids all living together in the little volunteer house I am living in. From the time they arrived late Friday night to Monday morning when they left, they were such a blessing to me. They always invited me to eat with them during their meals and even took me out to eat with them on Saturday. But even beyond that, they had more volunteers then work they had planned and offered to work on the Project Reclaim projects. In a matter of two days, those who worked with me were able to put all three coats of paint on the entire first floor of the smiths house. It was amazing!... and they had a blast doing it. I never heard any of them complain... well that is except when they were making fun of me as their "slave driver," but they were great.

The next step in the Smith house is to prepare for the large group coming in the second week of March for spring break. We have 70+ volunteers coming in from Virginia Tech and App. State to help us finish most of the project. We have been working this week to gather a list of materials that we will need on site for the project including all of the materials or the deck that we will be adding onto Keri's house, next to the Smith House. Leah will be gone the first two days of the project so I will be overseeing the volunteers on site. It is both exciting and humbling to be overseeing some 40+ volunteers on out site, but I can't wait to see my family from Virginia Tech.

This weekend I am excited to join with my church family down here in Mississippi to reach out to the homeless in the area with our youthgroup. Our church has been gathering supplies and will be heading out into the streets of Gulfport and Biloxi to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the homeless in the area. Please pray that we will proclaim the name of Christ to those in need here as well as the hearts of the youth in our church will really be changed for the glory of God!

I do want to mention that I am immensely blessed and thankful for your prayers. Every now and then I will get a note of a phone call from someone telling me they are praying for me and it has been such an encouragement. And I want to say that the prayers of the faithful have truly done a work here in Mississippi. I have had so many opportunities to share the love of Christ with others here and encourage them in the pursuit of Christ! My church here has really been a family to me and has a heart for Christ in all things. Also, in my work on Trinity, I have been offered a part time job in a civil engineering firm to work on the structural designs of the church for a couple weeks to help move the project along. It has been amazing to see God's blessing abound here. I have been able to support other fellow brothers and sisters in the ministry with the money I have been blessed with here especially in the struggling economy. I encourage everyone, in all circumstances to continue give to your churches and those in the ministry as now is most important of all with the present struggles as others seek answers to a troubled world. And all of this was made possible through your support and most importantly your prayers which I covet most of all. Continue to pray in authority that God would change hearts here and bring about healing in a hungry area.

For the Glory of God,
Erich Roscher
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Hey Everyone,

There is not much to update from the past few days. The house is really coming along as we finish up some odds and ends on the exterior and turn to the inside to finish the house. A large group is planning on coming on March 8th, which will be nice to see friends from Blacksburg again.

One thing I wanted to update you all on is that I uploaded my designs online so you can see what I have been working on. Both of these designs are for volunteer structures and are in the process of getting permits. If the Lord permits, we will have both of them built by the summer. To see them, go to www.missionlatinamerica.com/arcadia.html. Check them out and let me know what you think. =)

In Christ,
Erich Roscher
120 Oakview Avenue
Long Beach, MS 39560

Work continues on the Smith's house as a group all the way from Pittsburgh joins us with work on mudding the drywall, painting the siding, and finishing the floor of a neighbor. The group has been a blessing not only with their talents, but also their love for the Lord. Every morning it is great to see their smiling faces and it is never a dull moment with them.

Along with the Smith's house, I have continued to work on Trinity Church. It has been such a blessing to be able to have a job on the side as well as gain a wealth of knowledge on the construction side. The project is a 1.5 million dollar renovation of a local church. I hope to get a camera soon and post pictures so you all can see the projects we are working on.

The Coast Episcopal Project has been put on hold until the school can raise money for the supplies. Their desire though is to have the structure finished by the beginning of this summer. =) Wouldn't that be nice!

Please continue to pray that God would use Leah and I to share Christ with those whom we work with and come in contact with. There have already been amazing opportunities to share Christ with volunteers and friends here thanks to all your prayer support. Pray that God would work in the hearts of those we speak to as it is the Lord who changes hearts and blesses us with the opportunity to join Him in it. Continue to seek God in all things and give glory to Him.

For Christ,
Erich Roscher

It is a wonder to think that I have been here for three weeks already, while with the work I have been able to complete it seems I have been here for longer. For the past two weeks I have been working on designs for an outdoor lunch gazebo for a local elementary school. It has been a very challenging project for my but an amazing opportunity. This last Friday, after finishing the plans, I was able to present it to the board at the school and they were very excited. Their goal is to have the structure built by the end of the school year which would give me the opportunity to build it and see it finished. I never thought I would have my own design being built before I got out of college. =) I will definitely get some pictures and send them out when I get them. Lord willing I hope to enter the digital age and buy a camera.

But even aside from work, I have been greatly blessed here. My church family here is truly amazing. I went to a time of worship this Wednesday which ended up being a time of prayer. How more could one worship our Savior then through the action of prayer. It was a powerful time as we came together as a little over a dozen brothers and sisters and made our praise and requests known to God. I do ask that you would pray for a young man by the name of *Randall*. He came to the meeting last Wednesday and really opened up about how he had been running from the Lord and come to church looking for guidance. He will be coming to our young adults homegroup on Sunday nights which is very exciting.

As for the weather, I can't complain. From what I hear up north you all are getting pounded by cold weather and ice. I mean it's not hot here yet, but it stays around the 50s during the day. =) I am continually thankful for all your prayers and am blessed to call you all family. If you ever feel like visiting, there is always work to be done. =) Continue to seek God in all things and dig into His word daily. For the glory of God.

In Christ
Erich Roscher
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Today has been filled with designing the new lunch area for the Coastal Episcopal School. It is certainly different adjusting to the 8 hour work days. At least with school you could really make your schedule depending on how well you want to do. But things are great here. Work is coming along on the school as well as the Smith's house. The plan is to have the drafts done for the school as well as all the drywall in the Smith's house by the end of the week.

God has certainly blessed me throughout. It has been so encouraging to get emails and texts from friends saying that they are thinking about me and praying for me. I couldn't ask for a better family. You all are great. I added a picture of part of the design for the school to give you an idea of what we are doing. It is an exciting project and a real challenge for me as well.

For Christ,
Erich Roscher

What can I say but glory be to God for today. Aside from a little bit of surveying the site for the dinning area for the elementary school, the majority of my day was spent drywalling at the Smith's house. We need to get the drywall done this week so we can have someone mud the house to prepare for the next group in February to paint and put in the flooring. The next group claims they can finish the house in the week they are here, so we will see about that.

It was a blessed day though. I worked with Whitney for all of the day as well as Ryan for some of it and finished a bathroom, closet, and wash room between the three of us which was pretty impressive. Whitney and Ryan are part of the AmeriCorp and are working down here for the next couple months serving the community in whatever way is needed. It was great to have them on the site today and I couldn't have gotten much done at all without them.

Tomorrow, I will be working on the plans for the dinning area for the Coast Episcopal School as well as the construction schedule. Leah has been so helpful in everything and is really giving me a taste of the construction field with such responsibility. While she is working on Trinity with the architecture, she has let me oversee the elementary school project!

I cannot that you all enough for your thoughts and prayers. I am sorry to say though I do not envy your weather. While it has been the coldest days of the year here in Mississippi, that isn't saying much with 25 night lows. =) But my house is always open and you are welcome to visit. We even will have some jobs for you if you would like. =) Also, I added my address at the end if you are interested.

For Christ Alone,
Erich Roscher
120 Oakview Avenue
Long Beach, MS 39560

Hey Everyone,

I just want to start off by thanking everyone who has supported me in this endeavor.  I would not have the opportunities I have now if it wasn't for you all.  I covet your prayers and can not thank you enough for your support.

As you can see from the title, this is the beginning of the second week of my time here.  I just recently moved into the house where I will be staying for the duration of my time here because for the first week I stayed with my group from church in the local quanzi huts... or more like military tents.  Throughout the week we worked extensively on the Smith House that you can get more details and pictures at projectreclaim.com.  Our team placed the majority of drywall up, completed the deck railings, and finished up most of the exterior work.

Leah, my boss, and I have been preparing for two projects that I am very excited about.  The first project which is truly a privilege for me is work on a local middle and elementary school where we will be building an outdoor lunch gazebo for the students.  We are in the design phase of the project and plan to get to the physical work side of the project in February.  We are going to  incorporate the kids into project by giving them math problems that they can solve related to the project as well as teaching them what architects and engineers do as well as how to use the gifts God has given them.

The second project that I have the privilege of doing some work on is the Trinity Church in Pass Christian.  This will be a side project that I will be working on alongside the projects for Project Reclaim as it is a for profit project.  But what a privilege it will be to work on such an extensive project.  The Trinity Church was destroyed during Katrina leaving only the supports and some of the roofing while gutting the rest.  Now, with the new standards in Mississippi, the building will be raised 8 feet higher as well as be restored to it's former beauty.

As you can imagine, it has been a long week, but a blessed week all the same.  I have found a great church here that has made Mississippi all the more like home.  The McBride family, Leah's family, has also been such a blessing to me, making me feel just like part of the family.  While it was sad to see my church family return back to Virginia, God has begun to fill my life with a new family here in Mississippi.  I am continually thankful for your prayers and support and remember you in my prayers.  Thank - you for everything!

For the Glory of God.
Erich Roscher
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A friend this week was telling me how her week seemed as if she was drowning and the only thing keeping her head above water was to lay her worries and cares before the Lord and just seek His provision.  It seems that this is so common in our lives today.  We become some busy with school or work and things just seem to keep piling on top of us as we drown in a sea of confusion and burden.  I have seen that in my own life as tests for school pile up and responsibilities mount, it seems as if the only thing keeping me sane is those few times that I find to be in God's word or just to be still in prayer. 

When I was thinking of all of this, the Spirit brought to my mind that infamous story of Peter in Matthew 14:22-36 where the disciples saw Jesus on the water during a storm and were terrified.  When they start to realize who it is out in the water, Peter calls out and asks the Lord to call him to walk on the water to Him.  As Peter begins to walk on the water though, he starts to see the storm and what it is he is doing and begins to sink because he had taken his eyes off the Lord.

What a great picture this gives us of our relationship with Christ.  In Christ, when we step out in faith, whether it is with a job you might have, going to school, or whatever it might be, our eyes are on the Lord as we step out of the boat so to speak.  But as we begin to walk out to the Lord, the enemy tries everything to distract us with the waves of burden or the a wind of confusion.  We start to have doubts saying maybe this isn't where God wants me much like Peter must have had as he walked across the water.  As the enemy continues his attacks, we start to look to the left and to the right.  We realize more and more of our current situation, and less and less of our current savior,  standing steadfast before us.

So often when I read this passage of scripture I get a picture of this stoic Christ standing there emotionless as Peter walks across the water and assisting Peter in disappointment when he begins to sink.  But is this the picture of Jesus throughout the gospel?  A careless man who stands and waits until we need help?  Certainly not!  As Peter was crossing the water I can just see the excitement on Jesus' face and Peter's as he walks to his Lord.  But even as Peter starts to look to the side, Jesus is yearning in anticipation for Peter to return his gaze upon Him.  Scripture says that Jesus "immediately reached out his hand and caught him."  Immediately as His son began to sink and call out to Him, Christ rescued Peter. 

What can we learn from this?  Certainly the first step is that of faith, that of stepping out of the boat.  But as we walk towards the Lord and the storm is raging and the enemy is on the attack, where are our eyes focused?  Do we start to look toward the business of life and become burdened to the point of despair.  Do we start to worry about what we will do tomorrow or how we might overcome this struggle.  It is times like these that we tend to our human nature and take our eyes off of our Lord and Savior.  But as we place our gaze upon the Lord, may we continue to walk toward Him and enter into His power.  But even if we begin to be overcome by the troubles of this world, may we cry out to the Lord and turn our eyes upon Him, our Rescuer, our Redeemer, our Lord.  May we not give into the distractions of the enemy, but may we be consumed by the face of the Lord, putting all things aside in view of His face.  Glory be to God.

Seeking Him,
Erich Roscher
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This weekend I headed to Rockbridge, a Young Life camp, and met a true brother in Christ.  As we finished our training early for the ropes course, we realized we had an hour left.  I dismissed everyone until after lunch as there was no more work to be had.  And glory be to God, Jay speaks up and offers this time for Bible study.  So we got together as a family and discussed and reasoned over Mark 12:13-17.  Nothing was more refreshing than that.  A brother who had the mindset of Christ, who gave to God what is God's.  Thank you Lord for people who follow after you with their everything.  What an encouragement they are.

It's hard though that those in Christ such as Jay are scarce. Where is our mind set?  When we have free time, what do we turn to? Much like Jay, do we think of how we can grow closer to God, how we can run the race?  Or even more so like Jesus when he was tired but saw the need for people to know him?  When we are tired, where do we turn?  These are questions that resonate all to well with me.  As a college student, life can be pretty busy, and those few times that I am free, that I am dismissed from my work, where do I turn, but to myself.  I want to relax and do nothing, or watch TV, or hang out with friends aimlessly.  But glory be to God if I had my mind set on Christ.  If I would just take those times where I think about watching TV or just relaxing to be in God's Word or in Prayer.  Or how about those times that I spend aimlessly with friends to say "Let's study the Bible together" or "Let's pray as one body together."  My heart cries out for that tonight in my life and in the lives of those around me.  May I and may we have our mind set on Christ that our thirst and our hunger may be for the Lord.  May we redeem that idle time to be still and to know God, especially as busy as we are today.  Our business should not be an excuse for why we are not in scripture and prayer, it should be all the more reason why we would seek after the Lord in those idle times.

So I love you all and ask for your prayer in this.  That with glory to God I might have to mind set and redeem those times.  That we might press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of us first.  May we hunger and thirst for righteousness not of our own gain, but that God may be glorified all the more in our lives.

Lord forgive us where we fall short.  Those times that we seek our own desires and pleasures.  May we not be consumed with our lives, but may we be transformed by yours.  May we become less, and may you become more.  We love you Lord, and we cry out for a passion and consuming fire of you in our lives.  Glory be to God.

A Bond Servant to Christ,
Erich
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I just write this in light of Christ's work that a brother encouraged me with today and I ask for your prayers in this.  Christ is using a Junior, Phillip, at Liberty University to start a church at Lynchburg College called Lynchburg Christian Fellowship.  I can only say my heart rejoiced in the news. Our church is sending one of our staff down to teach at the church in one of the coming Sundays and I myself pray to visit this church in December to encourage and fellowship with Phillip.

It gives such a vivid picture of the early church as Paul and Barnabas went out to share the Gospel and encourage those in Christ as they traveled from synagogue to synagogue.  I pray as we, those who are in Christ, travel throughout, that we may encourage one another and in all practicality, encourage the pastors and leaders of the church in our travels.

May you lift up Phillip in your prayers, that he would be sensitive to the Spirit and work in all glory to God.  Pray that He would continue to seek council and be encouraged by fellow brothers and sisters who call upon the Lord.  Glory be to God.

A Fellow Brother in Christ,
Erich Roscher
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