Dear friends
Just a quick update and some news on my recent visit to the areas affected by Hurricane Ike.
I flew into Now Orleans, and then met two staff members and we drove to Houston. We met and stayed with Jerry Davis, who was one of our ministry partners during the Hurricane relief effort in New Orleans, and lives in Houston. Jerry is a victim himself, and his ministry building suffered damage during the storm. We spent a rather sleepless night in a trailer, along with a swarm of ants, but that is another long story. The next day we travelled to Galveston Island, getting through the checkpoint with a disaster relief pass.
The damage is very similar to Katrina and the New Orleans Gulf coast area. We went through houses and neighborhoods that had 4 to 5 feet of water in them. There will be hundreds, if not thousands, of homes that need gutting, something our teams do really well.
The area of damage is very widespread; the storm was 600 miles across. Many of the areas between Houston to the Louisiana line and beyond are economically depressed and the people might have insurance, but the insurance covers only current cash value (this was the case with a family we visited in Galveston).
The pictures could have been taken anywhere in the Holly grove area of New Orleans, but they were in Galveston.
The immediate need is for volunteers to help with the gutting, cleanup and clearing of debris. Along with meeting the obvious physical needs, this is one of the best opportunities available to share the love of Christ, and to share the gospel with those we are able to help.
Six Gap Century Update (from Debbie):
Athol caught a bad head cold while in Houston, and has become progressively worse over the last 2-3 days. I have been loading him up on zinc and vitamins to try and get him to kick this thing before the race this weekend! Our babysitter cancelled on us this afternoon, and we normally attend a small group bible study every Monday night. We were very disappointed to miss group, since we have become really close to the other couples and each have become a special part of our lives over the past year. However, sometimes God works these things out for us, and we’ve spent a wonderful evening catching up with each other and the children…
Praise the Lord, we have raised over $5,600 towards our support target. Please continue to pray for us to reach our target, and for those who are waiting until the last minute before placing their pledges or gifts.
Please continue to pray for Athol as the race day approaches – he has trained so diligently and it’s hard to believe that the race is actually this coming weekend. He is probably going to be riding for 5-6 hours, and I know he will covet your prayers for his strength and safety during the race.
God bless you all
Athol, Debbie, Christie and Joshua
