10 of us left on Jan 7 to drive to Mississippi to do some hurricane
relief work. We drove from here to Bowling Green Kentucky and then
on to Pass Christian Mississippi. What an awesome experience! It
was physically and emotionally exhausting, but spiritually amazing!
You cannot even begin to imagine the devastation that the gulf coast
has suffered in the wake of Katrina. For hundreds of miles there is
just complete devastation! Foundations with no homes. Personal
items just strewn all over the area, in trees and fields. Things
just left behind from peoples lives that will never be back again,
either because of death or fear. These people are struggling to
rebuild their lives with little help from the government or the
insurance companies, if it weren't for the volunteers, many of them
have said that they would have given up long ago. You can only
spend some much time walking through these areas, and then you need
to get away to a project where at least you feel that something is
being done.
But the local people and the volunteers are the amazing part of the
story. There are thousands of volunteers from all over the country
and every major religion! The local people and the volunteers have
so much love for each other that everyone works together for a
common goal. The people tug at your heart strings and I already
miss them and would like to start planning a trip back again.
We did many things there. Roofing, drywall, debris cleanup,
building a handicap ramp for one of the trailers, helping to get a
temporary library open to allow the kids a place to go, cleaning
toilets and sinks left outside after being cleared out of a school
while rebuilding proceeds, working at a clothing and food
distribution center. I think we all felt good about what we had
been able to accomplish at the end of the week because we wanted to
help these people so much. In turn they cooked for us, baked for us
and showered us with Mardi Gras beads as a thank you. They talked
with us and cried with us and exchanged addresses and email
addresses with us. None of us will soon forget any of them.
The camp we stayed at was not luxurious in any way, but it was clean
and comfortable. The people there were wonderful and again we
exchanged addresses and email addresses with them as well, We
prayed together often and also cried together. These people have
such a heart for the local residents and have spent months there
organizing work groups. The Free Methodist Church can be proud of
the work that Lewis Bunn and Ken and Lee Lawrence are doing there.
They are definitely furthering God's kingdom as they work with these
people who so desperately need it.
If any of you has an opportunity to go there, do it. You will never
forget it. But be careful because you become restless and want to
do it again, and quickly. The people left behind there warned us,
and many of us now know why. We have discussed organizing a group
to go over spring break in April. Pray for that idea, because we
may need to do some fund raising.
Please keep the people of the gulf coast in your prayers. They have
suffered much and are searching for meaning in all of this tragedy.
Pray that those who go as volunteers share the good news of God's
love with them and help to bring hope to that area. Pray for
the people that run the camp and Katrina's kitchen, where they feed
1500-2000 meals a day free of charge to anyone in need. Thank you
for your prayers for us, the trip wouldn't have been the same with
it.
