Katrina . . . One year later

Everyone knows that Tuesday was the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I can't believe that it has been a whole year since all the craziness started and I am very thankful that we were back here for the anniversary. The seminary cancelled classes and let the faculty and most of the staff off for the day to participate in a day of loving the city. We had training and a memorial service in the morning and then split into teams to gut houses in the afternoon. It was really a great day! We wanted to celebrate the fact that God loves the people of New Orleans and offers Hope to all still hurting.

The house that we cleaned out hadn't been touched since the hurricane. Isn't it amazing that a year later some people still have not been able to clean out what is left of their homes and things. It breaks my heart. Crews charge thousands of dollars to clean out and gut a home and most homeowners just can't afford it, but can't do it themselves. It has been a huge ministry to have teams do this for people free of charge.

The yard was completely grown over to where you could barely get to the front door. Once we got in the house, the devestation was unreal. I can't explain how it feels to go through someone else's memories and treasures and have to dump them in a huge pile outside. Our team worked really hard to clean out the entire house in three hours. I was glad I brought my camera because we found some interesting and ironic things there. Just inside her front door was the newspaper from August 28, 2005 with the headline "Katrina Takes Aim." We also found a Haagen Daas ice cream lid that had been floating in the water and stuck to the ceiling fan light as the water receded.

The day was emotional in both hard and really great ways. The people are still in desperate need of their Savior, Hope and Redeemer. We are so thankful that He is allowing us to be a part of what He is doing in the city.

"I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:1-3