New Orleans Trip Excerpts

Her name was Linda. She was spreading pictures out over the trunk of her car as we walked up. Her son gave his life in the war and all she had left of him now were those badly water damaged pictures. Tears spilled down her face as she tried to talk with us. The loss of those pictures was overwhelming and her best efforts to save them proved futile. We cried with her and prayed with her asking God to send His Holy Spirit to comfort and fill her with a peace that passes understanding. We reminded her that they would be reunited in Heaven and that her heart and mind would retain the pictures that flood waters could never touch. We also suggested that she contact the military branch of service that her son served in efforts to possibly gain a few replacements. "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." (Phil. 3:20-21).

 

David Morrison is 76 years old and walked through the filthy, debri-ridden waters of Katrina in a flimsy pair of sandals. He's a survivor and says he didn't even get a scratch despite the fact that his sandals offered little protection against all the dangers those waters held. He knows the Hand of God provided for his feet just as God provided shoes that never wore out for those that spent the 40 years wandering in the wilderness. David said he spent his time praying and walking and walking and praying. When he reached a spot that he could call his family asking for help, he was turned down. They refused to let him put a small trailer on their property even when he offered to pay rent and said he only needed a month or so to determine what to do with what was left of his house and belongings. His brother and nephew simply didn't want a trailer on their land and appeared to have no compassion for David who'd just about lost everything. David said he knew they hadn't helped him with their father's funeral but never expected them to tell him no after all Katrina had put him through. His voice breaks and pain is evident as he shares his disbelief in his family's refusal to help him in any way. He was on his own as far as they were concerned. The kindness of strangers in Knoxville, TN sustained him during the darkest days and he would like to "go on air" and tell everyone how good those folks were to him. "They took me in, fed me real good, gave me clothes, a new Bible and never took a dime! They treated me like royalty." We prayed with David, rejoiced with him and thanked him for remembering our bountiful Lord and offering encouragement to others along the way. Proverbs 27:10: "Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend. Nor go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor nearby than a brother far away." We don't know where David's family lives physically but their hearts were closed and far from compassion. The physical distance from New Orleans to Knoxville, TN was easily overcome with God's love and obedience to His Word. Matt. 25:35-46.

 

She told Michelle (the Salvation Army volunteer) that Katrina had taught her two things while stranded on the roof of her home with her children for ten days. First, there are a lot of good people in the world and they should be recognized more. Second, she personally needed to commit herself to learning more Scriptures. She'd been a Christian most of her life and attended church regularly with her children but never took the time and effort to memorize God's Word. She didn't really think she was too good at memorizing and besides, she always had her Bible. She was no stranger to the Concordance and pretty well knew which books were Old Testament and which were New Testament. She could pretty well find whatever she was looking for in the Bible with only a little bit of time spent searching. Living in America, she just thought she'd always have her Bible. Ten days on the roof with her children without much food or water and without her Bible taught her differently. Everything was washed away in the rising waters swirling angrily around them. Things got pretty despairing at times. That is when they sang every hymn, choruses, and every church song they could think of. That helped a lot but she discovered a peace and strength that came to her personally when she repeated the few memory verses she knew. Trouble was she only could remember 3-4 and she knew there were so many more. Matthew 4:4: "…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." This speaks volumes to the heart of every believer out there. Let's not wait until disaster strikes. Let's start today living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Satan will tell many that they can't memorize but he's the father of all liars. You can memorize God's Word. Your children can memorize scriptures too. Wanting too is 98% of the battle. Our children mimic us. We are quick to provide food, water, clothing, and shelter. Commit to being just as quick to provide the spiritual nourishment we as parents are obligated to give. The Holy Spirit will bring the scriptures to our remembrance when we need them most but He cannot bring to our remembrance what we never committed to memory. God's Word is our sword. Let's not send our children or go ourselves into the daily spiritual warfare and battles without our weapon. This is an area we all need to work on daily.

 

 

Please pray for this mother and daughter. They waited too late to evacuate. They walked through the rising waters to the highest point of land, an overpass where several others waited. They stayed four days next to the lamppost without any food or water. Things got ugly and they witnessed one man shoot another man to death over a bottle of gin. The young daughter is still traumatized and unable to sleep at night. The mother is riddled with guilt over the dangers she inadvertently exposed her daughter too and the loss of this child's innocence and trust. Their daily meals come at this time from the Salvation Army. Pray that all those who work there will find ways to meet their spiritual as well as physical needs for nourishment.

 

 

She was one of the volunteers working with Rapid Response. She and her husband were spending the entire month working through the holiday giving themselves to meeting the needs of those hurting from Hurricane Katrina. Her sacrificial giving of time and energy enabled her to work through the difficulty in her own life. She'd just given premature birth in September to twins after a very scary and health-draining surrogate pregnancy. Months of total bed rest and putting her life on whole had culminated in a less-than-grateful attitude from the new parents. The new parents decided they would not allow the birth mom to visit over the holidays. They said they didn't want to expose the newborns to germs, as they were premature. It was hard to understand and hurt so much after having given her all to be denied the joy of seeing, holding and cuddling the precious babies for whom she'd given so much. Instead of taking the sucker punch and going down for the count, she chose to rise above the pain and reach out to those hurting from Katrina. She gave all to make the holidays brighter for all she could. I'm sure she gave the devil a black eye on this one. Praise God for her STRONG witness. Matt. 5:42: "Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away." I don't know if I've ever seen this verse lived as this woman did it. I always say that when I get to heaven, one of the things I want to do is find the little widow who gave the two mites and ask her and Jesus what all He was able to do with her sacrificial gift. I know He multiplies exponentially and am curious to know the rest of the story. Now, I can't wait to find out how many lives were touched and blessed in so many various ways by this woman's gift as well.

 

 

Pray for the Catholic priest who resigned his parish after helplessly watching an alligator eat one of his own parishioners. Helplessness and failure reign in his mind now. Pray that God will send His Spirit to comfort and embrace. Pray for guidance and strength.

 

 

I will never forget the haunted look on one face. She was young, attractive, thin, black, wearing jeans and a sweater top with fake fur collar. Her feet were bare despite the cold and she stood next to a high chain link fence by the side of the road. In her hand she held an empty Gatorade jar and a long piece of wire which she kept swinging back and forth. Greg (our driver at the time) saw her, pulled over and jumped out with a Bible in hand. Right before he reached her, she swung the jar and wire wildly over the fence. Greg approached and she backed away. He stopped and told her he'd like to pray for her. She said she didn't know him. He told her that God knew her and he could pray for her where he was without coming closer or touching her. As he prayed, I watched her. She backed away a couple more steps, her shoulders hunched forward, her eyes big and wild filled with torments unknown. Greg finished praying and gave her the Bible. She took it but only stared at him blankly with silent terror filled huge brown eyes. He just barely made it back to the van when she gave the Bible a hurl and over the fence it went. It was such a sad depiction of what sin does to one's life. Despite her age and attractiveness, she seemed strangely unaware of her surroundings. Maybe it was drugs, maybe mental illness, maybe both. The wall around her seemed impenetrable and I sensed it was of her own making. What a waste. Where life, laughter, and youthful enthusiasm should have been, fear, terror, torment, and emptiness were. I wanted to punch the devil out for her. She reminded me of so many young people today who have turned their backs on God and the godly standards they were taught in their homes to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Romans 1: 28-32: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whispers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Pray God helps us reach our young adults and teens before it is too late.

 

 

Greg is gregarious! Totally! He's a giant teddy bear with a passion for street ministry. He loved to drive the van down the streets, looking for those needing help. He'd whip that van over in a nanosecond once he spotted anyone looking forlorn, homeless, hurt, confused, or overwhelmed. Loaded with Bibles, water, MREs and tracts, out he'd jump and away like a flash. He was off--a man on a mission. We were right behind him. Praying as we went. I, for one, did not have the comfort zone in some of the areas that Greg did and he does have a few years on us. It amazed me how not one single person ran away from him. I commented on this to Billy Ray. He responded that no one would run away from a giant teddy bear. Greg is consumed with love for the lost. It pours out of him. It draws others to him. It was a privilege to work with Greg as we led numbers to Christ, prayed for so many needs and trusted God wholly to meet each need. It was common to start praying with one and have others join in waiting for us to pray with them as well. Little crowds seemed to gather wanting, prayer, Bibles, and someone to care. We were in revival right there in the streets and it was so good. The Spirit went before us. Numbers of prayers paved the way. John 6:44: "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Repeatedly, I encouraged Greg to keep his enthusiasm. He mentioned it was hard to find folks at his home who would go witnessing with him. Almost daily on our first trip, I reminded Greg that it is the Spirit that draws and if the Spirit doesn't draw, we don't push. By the second trip, Greg was happy to report God had sent others to do the street ministry with him in his own home church.

 

 

The lines at the Salvation Army Meal Distribution were long. Hundreds of people daily waited for the free meals. Some were dressed in business attire, others in construction clothing, and many in everyday clothes. No restaurants were open as Katrina had damaged and destroyed practically every building, leaving only empty shells and trash behind. Grocery stores were gone. Basic provisions were not that easy to come by. Employers that had reopened had staffing shortages, as most of their employees were gone. Business hours were sorely abbreviated. Traffic was a living nightmare. Power hadn't fully been restored to residential areas so cooking was often challenging if not impossible. Walking down the line of those waiting for food, we'd ask each person if we could pray for them, if they needed a Bible, give them a tract, sing a song, and listen to their stories. It mattered not if the sun was beating down, rain streaming down necks or a cold blustery wind whirled, people were hungry and they needed to be fed--physically and spiritually. We were there to do just that. Working alongside Salvation Army volunteers, Red Cross volunteers and other Rapid Response volunteers, folks from many different states, churches, and backgrounds, we saw barriers broken down and hearts embrace the true love of God. The hunger for spiritual food was just as strong as the hunger for the lunches and dinners being handed out. The tears were so many and the hugs long and lingering. Touch was so important. To feel a hand holding on to yours, wet cheeks pressed against your own, shoulders trembling under the weight, your arms pulling them close as God whispered words of encouragement and hope from His Word through your lips, all simply indescribable. The Holy Spirit brought perfect verses to our remembrance. God was there. It was so powerful to witness total transformation of individuals. Posture went from slouching to straight, heads went up, and ear-splitting smiles beamed at one another. People talked to each other in line and the air of despondency vanished. Billy Ray would start singing and others just chimed in as they waited. Some made requests. Some cried. Some prayed. Some worshipped. The second Salvation Army Meal Distribution location that we went to help surprised us when they told us that we had been the topic of their dinner prayer hour. The first location's crew had gone in and reported what we'd done and how not only the people in line were blessed and encouraged but the crewmembers as well. God didn't leave anyone out.