Hurricane Katrina Recovery Jan 10

This may be my last blog for a while or until I go to MS again but I don't have any dates yet. There are many stories to tell about one's time there. Helping in Katrina recovery affected the volunteers as much or more than the families who live there. It has for me and I left my heart there in MS. I will be going back a couple times in the next year if all works out. On Christmas Day I finally saw a newspaper for the first time since Dec 14 and it had several articles of what the churches across this nation are going. The churches are doing the majority of the recovery effort and working together to accomplish this goal. I was so impressed by the thankfulness of the people for anything and for every volunteer who comes, even if we haven't done much for them.

One story is of a mother and son who stayed in their home and got on top of the washer and dryer as the water to that height and stopped. Mother couldn't swim and was scared of the water so she wouldn't let her son get off the appliances after the water started to recede. She was so pleased to see sheetrock being put on her walls that she was coming to sleep on the floor in her house for a night anyway.

Another family - mother, father and child - stayed in their home until water was up to their necks. They couldn't open the doors to get out so finally broke a window. Sitting there was an empty flat bottom boat. They got in and went to a house with a 2nd story where they stayed until both families were rescued. They knew that God had provided that boat for them as no one has claimed it and they still have it.

An elderly couple lost everything on the first floor. As crews came in to work they would stay in their upstairs bedroom and not mingle with anyone. They had some medical issues, were depressed, overwhelmed by it that they weren't coping well. She had a relative in ICU at this time also. But 2 of the groups working at their house had a pastor so he ministered to them, took them to ICU, prayed with them. When I saw them, they were mixing with the people and even got a tour of the camp where we stayed. Once a room had walls, they started to realize it would be a house again which was a turning point for them.

There were families who came to volunteer and serve in MS instead of having Christmas or exchanging gifts. They took that money to come to MS and use it there. There was a man with 2 early teenage sons who drove 11 hours from SC to deliver a bunch of toys, etc which the boys wanted to do. The next morning they turned around and went home again. That's a long trip for such dedication. Then we had a mother and a son come the week before Christmas who needed a miracle. She was struggling as this would be their first Christmas without her oldest child. Her husband and other children encouraged her to go, start new traditions for their family. She was going home on Dec 25 with a song in her heart again and purpose in life which pleased the rest of the family. A couple college kids figured that one could just give money, that there was no need to actually go to MS. But he was talked into coming down to volunteer and he went home a totally changed person. All people going there come back as changed people and want to go again in coming months to volunteer again.
What touched me was the resilency and thankfulness of the local people. I never heard anyone complain. They just thanked any and every volunteer regardless if you helped them or not. They would go weeks between groups coming to do another task on their home but they could wait. Someone else needed help more than they did. It was just overwhelming so hopefully you now understand why my heart is still in MS.

God's blessings on all of you who read this, supported me in whatever way, and allowed me the priviledge of serving when some of you could not.

Phyllis