Well, forty-one of our members, including the rest of the staff and my wife, have gone to Slidell, Louisiana, to help with the rebuilding process after Hurricane Katrina. The director of IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service) said a few days after Katrina hit that it was easy to collect donations for the folks who need it right then; it was easy to get help right then. The problem, he said, would be getting help a year later, two years later, when the news crews are all gone, when most people have moved on.
And so there they go down I-75 towards the Gulf Coast. We haven’t necessarily forgotten, but I have a feeling they’re in for a shock. I think they’re going to meet a lot of people who have been forgotten, or at least feel that way. From what we’ve seen on the news in the past year or so, it seems that the government has forgotten, and it’s clear that some of the insurance companies have. And I think that even some Christians have as well.
I pray that the people of Slidell will experience the love of God, who has not forgotten them, through his children, the Church. I pray that the team from MCoC will be able to bridge the gap for those people, helping in little, tangible ways; sharing God’s love; and giving them hope.
I pray that the team will experience the joy of serving God by serving others. I pray that they will have the physical strength to do the work that must be done. I pray that they will have the strength to bear the burdens of broken people. I pray that they will have the opportunities to share the Good News of God’s love through Jesus, the hope of changed lives on this side of eternity and the hope of life with God beyond this life. I pray that they will return with hearts that are broken for all kinds of people: lost people, broken people, frightened people, poor people, people who are like us and those who are not.