3 Months that Seem like 3 Years

It's been three months since the tropical monster Katrina hit our area. It feels like three years.

Since then we've seen incredible things, things that are just too amazing to understand by photo or by print. Those of you who have visited this area and have worked with us here in Slidell and New Orleans know what I mean. The level and intensity and broadness of the destruction that the Lord levied on this area is something you cannot communicate. It has to be witnessed firsthand.

We've seen God answer prayer almost instantaneously; even bringing to us under our feet a domesticated pet rat roaming in the very backyard of a boy who had recently prayed for a replacement to his drowned rat, Debbie. Provision under Providence is a faith builder and the Lord has shown us His sustaining grace each and every day as we labor.

This experience has shown us that for the most part, we play church and live complacently in our communities. Having your hand to the plow and feeling the pain of blisters and the sweat of hard benevolence work is a blessing that cannot be matched. We've met folks that we would never have met in our regular circles; people from all areas of our parish and from all kinds of families and religious backgrounds. We've come along side of them to help them both physically by clearing land and fixing homes and spiritually by bringing the Gospel of Christ to them and through prayer and encouragement.

Hope has become a theme made real. When you bring the Word of God to someone you bring hope. I've taught that, I've preached that, but now I am having the privilege of living it. I've done more evangelism in these three months than I have in the last three years. Driving to the store with a virtually homeless man while his four garbage bags full of stinky clothes are in your car filling it with a smell that you aren't sure will ever come out of your vehicle really stirs up your heart. I find myself right in the book of James not wanting to sit next to the smelly guy but wanting rather to have him stay in the back and be someone else's problem. Then the love of the Spirit that has been poured out into my heart engulfs me and I see myself as him and I am reminded in the newness of my mind that I, but for the grace of God, am just like him - Same humanity, different shell. O’ the mercy of God that He shows us who we are!

I’ve been asked how things are going here in Slidell and in the New Orleans area so let me make a few comments in an attempt to answer those inquiries.

• You can drive for over 50 miles and not find one person home. Five to ten feet of flood water and high winds destroyed thousands and thousands of residences. They are still destroyed.

• We had a 75 year old couple show up Thanksgiving evening to our church after we had fed about ten families for dinner. The husband has had a stroke leaving the left side of his body useless and they came to us because they’ve got nowhere to live at present. Housing continues to be a great need as FEMA moves at the pace of snail making mud pies in a bottle of molasses.

• Not all businesses are open and the ones that are open have truncated hours. Walmart, for example, closes at 7pm. Many job opportunities abound, yet stores are still understaffed.

• We are adding a 1200 sq foot annex building to our property as a result of the support of a few churches for the purpose of housing offices and a permanent relief center. Next storm season will be here sooner than most have recovered.

• Currently 60% of our church building is still being used for clothes, food, and supplies.

• We still need worker teams to come and aid in this long term relief effort.

• God is still most wonderful amidst the debris.

URGENT: WORKERS NEEDED

Sovereign Grace Homeland Missions Update

Our relief work continues here in the Slidell/New Orleans area. The Lord has answered our prayers by bringing to us the needy, both spiritually and materially. We have been ministering to the household of faith and to the lost, to the elderly, poor, and handicapped and even the upper middle class. The social stratum has been equalized by the providence of God. Ministering opportunities abound.

Our hearts are full of thanksgiving to God for all of you who have supported our relief efforts by coming to work with us, giving financially, and petitioning the Lord on our behalf in prayer. Our community outreach continues to grow and we need more help.

We are receiving more requests than we can handle. Unbeknownst to us, our name and phone number were given to the local television station and the newspaper resulting in an average of twenty calls per day!

The predicted crack has widened and as time moves on many are falling through it. Most have forgotten the hundreds and thousands of people who are still without homes, jobs, and/or resource. Insurance companies are slow, underpaying benefits and rejecting legitimate claims. Most have not gotten any funds. FEMA, while doing many good things, has still shown itself to be a mass of confusion and doublespeak. Hence, the local church continues to function interdependently through the aid of other Bodies as the primary non-government aid.

Our three main areas of concentration are as follows:

Work Crews

1. TREE WORK AND CHAINSAW TEAMS
Basic tree removal and limb clearing as well as a huge need to top damaged trees and remove stumps.

Specialty Needs

• Any experienced / professional tree removal personnel willing to donate time.
• Heavy equipment such as Bocats, track hoes, and stump grinders.

If you can assist in these areas or know of anyone who can please call us at (985) 643-8215.

Tools required Chainsaws, pruning shears, ropes, come alongs, crowbars, heavy work gloves

2. DEMOLITION AND DEBRIS REMOVAL TEAMS
Many homes still need gutting (Using crow bars, sledge hammers, and shovels to remove sheetrock, carpets, and house debris). Properties need to be cleared as well of miscellaneous debris.

Tools required Wheel barrels, crow bars, sledge hammers, flat shovels, utility knives, mold rated masks/respirators, disposable work gloves

3. EVANGELISTIC COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Physically going out to affected neighborhoods and meeting face to face those who have been afflicted by the storms. This involves assessing needs, setting up appointments for aid, and engaging in conversation. A unique and wonderful way to bring the word of reconciliation to the area.

Materials required We have tracts from Mt. Zion ministries and Justin Erickson as well as booklets from Jim Elliff and John Blanchard available to hand out.

WORK CREW SCHEDULING

We can house up to twenty workers dormatory style at once in our church building which has a full kitchen and shower. Three homes are available for use in the local area as well on a limited basis.

The ideal schedule is to have a work team come in midday on Wednesday and have a half day orientation. This would involve a tour of the area to see where we will be working and to get a feel for the devastation that the locals have been dealing with for weeks. Then Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are work days whereby each crew is given work orders to complete. Sunday at 10:00am is our worship service and by noon the teams can begin to head back home.

Variations to this plan are of course acceptable as we do not refuse any help given. The above plan is what we have found works best as many of you have asked us about how a work crew would function once here.

We pray that the Lord provides us with ready hands for the labor ahead. If you desire to be a part of our work call us at (985) 643-8215 and let us know. We will coordinate a trip of any size and time frame.