Dear Prayer Warriors
I am writing this from a very hot and humid New Orleans, where Christie, my mom, and I have been able to experience just a little bit of what Athol and his team experience on a daily basis. We left home early Thursday morning, and made stop at the AIM base in Long Beach, Mississippi, for lunch. After sharing a meal with the couple running the base – and their 3 boys, Athol and Rob started grilling 175 hotdogs and 250 hamburgers for the evening’s outreach ministry – not a fun task in the 98-degree heat and humidity. Kim took my mom and I on a tour of the area, which remains devastated, even 10 months after Hurricane Katrina. As we drove through streets still devoid of the homes and buildings, which had stood there just 10 months ago, we came across a gentleman in his 60’s. He had a gazebo set out on what remained of his home – now just a concrete slab. We pulled over to talk with him, and he shared how he was still not allowed to start rebuilding their home. Because he and his wife had had a show garden before the storm, they were working on the garden and replanting it in the meantime. He was a war veteran and missing his left arm. We told him a little about AIM, and asked if we could pray for him. Initially, he seemed hesitant, even though he nodded yes, and we held hands as we prayed for him and his family. He never did take off his sunglasses, but his cheeks were streaked with tears, and he thanked us for caring. We were also able to visit some of the local ministry sites, and were touched by the love and enthusiasm of the volunteers, who are exposed to so much heartache and devastation daily.
The apartment that Athol calls home for the summer is in the heart of the city and amid the damaged homes. It too was damaged by the flooding, and is in the process of being renovated and repaired. Housing is at a premium, and Athol shares the 4 bed roomed apartment with a family of 5, who are also with AIM. The apartment below was completely destroyed by the flooding, has been completely gutted and is being rebuilt. The house is the center of AIM’s ministry in New Orleans, and is a hive of constant activity, with project leaders and staff coming and going at all hours. There just never seems to be a moment’s peace, or quiet, and I don’t know how they all keep going so effectively. Looking out our bedroom window, you see the debris from Katrina filling the swimming pool next door, and atop the storage shed beside it. The watermarks from the flooding are still visible on many of the buildings, and piles of debris line each street. Trailers are parked in front of many homes, and families live in them as they try and rebuild. In some areas, the homes are completely destroyed, and the trailers are parked on the cement slab that was once their home. It is all very overwhelming, and very difficult to describe!
We were able to visit some of AIM’s ministry sites around the city, and meet some of the people involved in these ministries. We ate our meals at the ministry sites, together with the mission trip participants, and members of the community making use of the shelters and facilities. I have included a few pictures of some of the ministry sites, as well as some showing the devastation that remains in the city of New Orleans.
Athol decided to use Saturday as a team-building day, as mission trip participants leave each Saturday morning, and new groups arrive each Sunday. He treated all the project leaders to a day of canoeing, and we had a ball, paddling down a creek in Mississippi. Christie loved it too, and I think we were the only canoe that didn’t topple, until 10 minutes before the end of the trail! Having come through all the rapids in one piece, we hit a completely benign spot; somehow hit a rogue tree branch, and Athol and I were unceremoniously dumped into the creek. Christie sat in the canoe, squealing with joy, and shouting to everyone that paddled by that “daddy had tripped the boat!”
Well, it’s now Tuesday evening, and we have just arrived home after a 12-hour drive. We walked into the house to find it flooded, following a mishap with the icemaker. The floor is flooded and the water has seeped into the kitchen cabinets, under the hardwood floors of the hallway, into the walls, and into the basement below. It was almost like being back in New Orleans, except our damage is minor compared to what everyone there had to endure. Athol flies back to New Orleans in the morning, and hopefully all will be repaired by the time he returns on the 3rd of July.
My not-so-reliable ford focus let us down once again, and we had to hire a car to drive to New Orleans, while it sat in the auto repair shop here. This is the second time it’s broken down in a month, and is incredibly frustrating. Fortunately it broke down within the subdivision, and we were able to pile out and walk back home. I now have the number of the auto repair shop in my cell phone directory, and am prepared for the next time it happens!
We were almost blessed with a baby sister for Christie last week, but things unfortunately fell through. At the time, we were devastated, and think I cried for 3 whole days. Now that we hear more details about the situation, we are grateful that we trusted God’s leading, and the way in which he closed the door on the whole matter. We know that He has chosen another perfect child for us, and we await his perfect timing.
I know this is a longer-than usual update, but we have had a very eventful week!
Please continue to keep all of us and the team in New Orleans in your prayers. We just found out today that the National Guard has been called in by the state Governor to assist the beleaguered New Orleans Police Department. The city is still in the midst of a lot of struggles, however we can see the beginnings of a revival taking place, and it is exciting to be a small part thereof.
God bless you
Debbie
