Reflections...

Seeing a part of the country in which we live torn apart is something that forever changes you. Something that causes your heart to break for people you've never met, your emotions to stir up at the thought of it. If your anything like me and you have a photogenic memory, the images that you've seen will stay with you forever, and the things I saw both visually and spiritually will forever be a part of me. People I'm sure will ask me in the coming days; "What was it like?" or "What did you see?" I can tell everyone reading this that it was unlike anything I'll ever see or feel again.

After hurricane Katrina, ripped apart the US Gulf Coast, people everywhere were screaming at the government to act, pointing fingers when they didn't, and blaming everyone else that didn't point a finger, or had anything to do with government in the area or Washington DC. People everywhere rallied and thought that FEMA was going to come in & save the day, with their "FEMA Trailers" and billions in aid money. Well I can tell you that all of them were wrong.

Seeing the destruction that still exists even 3 years... (3 YEARS!!) later is appalling. One only has to look at pictures like this... to see what I'm taking about

Seeing how everyone is still blaming the Government for the tragedies, is appalling. The worst part, that I saw was not the broken houses, or the flood-damaged homes, or the loss of any material thing. It was the loss of community, the loss of dignity caused by the destruction, and the sheer level of Relational destruction that is rampant in the areas affected most by Katrina. Seeing lives and families torn apart by the stress brought on by the financial burdens, & loss of friends & family members. The bright side of all of this is that People across the country have not forgotten, have not stopped helping these people. When our team of volunteers got down to Waveland Mississippi, we didn't know what we would be doing, didn't know how bad it really was, and didn't know our own capacities for compassion & ministry.

The Christian Life Center Where we stayed, and who partnered with us to help local families in need was and continues to be a massive blessing to all of those who volunteer, and also those who need the assistance of volunteers for their needs. whether it was simple painting, to drywall, or just to sit and listen, and minister to someone. God used us and used this ministry to reach out to this community, and I pray that it continues to happen.

Glory to God