Wednesday Sept 21

Volunteers
Jose is from New Orleans, a young retiree from the Marine Corps (late 30's). He was geared up to run his own tree cutting business before Katrina. He had stump grinders, saws, all the gear stored in his downtown apartment and he lived on the upper floor. He and his three month pregnant wife were one of the ones rescued on the top of their roof. He said that they only had about four foot of space that didn't have water on it before the helicopter came. He sent his wife to Reno, and he has to stay here to deal with the adjusters et. al. He's been helping out at the church because he is interested in the family aspect of the team.

Erica She's 11 years old and her family lost their home completely. they've been living in a tent in a camp. Erica volunteered to help at the church after some of the volunteers dropped off some food in the camp they were staying in. She's now staying in the buildling a few nights a week, separated from her family. She jumps right in there and helps with a sweet smile-- and yesterday she was wearing a play set of angel wings.

the snake guy
a dude was bit by a snake while clearing brush. It probably wasn't poisonous, but it's taken him out of work for a few days.


A new sister in Christ
This evening after service, Evelyn, an 80 year old grandma was buried with Christ in baptism. Sunday she came forward to say that "if this is what the church is about, then I want to be a part of it." The church staff talked and studied with her and she was baptized tonight in a makeshift baptistry under the porch of the church building.

A new friend
I met Sylvia Grey, one of Cathy Malone's best friends and Linda Lawlor's sister. It was good talking to her, and discovering all the people we knew together.


THE WORK TODAY

• We all wear these yellow volunteer shirts, so we stand out in a crowd. In the neighborhood today, a lady from down the street came and asked me to pop off her generator (start it). When we were walking down the street, I was telling her that our team had come from Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgia, and Ohio. She cried and said that our help was just touching. Some things we do are really small like popping off a generator-- but the connection was strong. I mean, how often can you know someone four minutes and you've already shared tears with them?
• Billy was the same guy we cleaned up's house yesterday. We finished up today. Our ride was late. So we started chatting with him and Rob started probing deeply into his spiritual side. Forty-five minutes of conversation, we were discussing God's forgiveness and how he has set us free in our minds (consciences clean-- from Hebrews 8-10). Here a grown man was moved to tears because so many emotions were bottled up inside. He's lost his home but his tears were about years of bottled up emotion that comes from not being able to forgive one's self. It is for Freedom that Christ has set us FREE!
  
• Billy's neighbor across the street, she's an alcoholic, estranged from her family, before Katrina was behind on her payments so much that her home was in foreclosure. She went into her house for the first time while we were there. I brought them some masks because they were gagging and holding their noses going in. They thanked me and told me they didn't need anything else. Her daughter came out ready to go talking about how useless it was for her to return. The lady came out crying hysterically while her daughter waited for her in the car. I walked up and gave her a shoulder to cry on for a moment, then they got into the car and rode away.
  

MISCELLANY

• I've been assigned the housing guy. People register by seeing and signing in with me and checking out with me when they leave. Now you know how big a turn around they have if I've not even been here a week and already doing administrative stuff! And pray for all the people in administration, they are very stressed. Especially Becky, she's taken on a huge load-- she's the church secretary, but key organizer in this relief effort on the office end and believe me, she needs a secretary herself.
  
• We went over Psalm 139:7-8 in chapel tonight. Even if we lay our bed in the bad place, He is there. And he still loves us.
  
• There is a washer/dryer on campus now! Hallelujah cried Brett's pants.
  
• Paul from Nebraska is leaving tomorrow. He's had a "healing minsitry"-- he's a massage therapist and people are loving him, hating he's leaving.
  
• One of our devotionals, a "BUCKET OF HOPE" was mentioned that people have. When they talk, they share the contents of their bucket. Well, Katrina emptied buckets, and help and love have filled them up again. The feel on the gulf coast is that Rita is emptying the buckets again. So pray for the people not to lose heart because of the storms of life.
  
• I'm thinking when I walk around this building that is being used to serve and service so many-- when it returns to being "just a church" building, will it ever see such glory as it is now?
  

Thanks for everyone who reads this, I know it gets long sometimes, but there's so much to tell. thanks for caring, thanks for prayer, thanks for loving.

b.