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Home Today

I Drove today from Hattiesburg back up to Jackson. I visited Ascension Lutheran Church in Jackson. These are amazing people. They are working an unbelievable pace, putting in unbelievable hours to distribute goods and to "warehouse" donations heading for the coast.

It's an amazing process, and the are doing this important work with grace. Theyh are not warehouse managers...they are not logixtics specialists...

The Pastor hung up the phone, looked at me and grinned and said "I just got another forklift!"

These people are tired and in need of relief, support and prayer too. They are doing the "grind it out" work that just needs to happen. Thanks to God for their work.

Seeing is believing

There are not words to describe what I'm seeing in Biloxi.

It's surreal:

• A McDonald's open for business like nothing is wrong, standing next to a Burger King which has been destroyed.
• Heavy traffic.
• RV and tent cities set up in the parking lots of K-Marts, Wal Marts and Save A Centers.
• Lines of cars to get free ice.
• Huge lines in the Wal Mart.

It's as if the destruction along Pass Road is "hit and miss." As if someone pointed at buildings one at a time and arbitrarily said "survive...survive...destroy...survive...destroy..."

Giant trees down everywhere.

The people are the most amazing though. The resiliancy awes me. The people at Bethel Lutheran are simply, quietly, going about the business of the Gospel. They are distributing food. They are distributing goods. 200-250 families a day. Amazing. They are not reflecting God's grace. They ARE God's grace.

The team gutting houses is working at a frantic pace. They are under a time limit before the mold becomes too significant. "Thank God for the Lutherans" a homeowner told me. "No one else is here in this neighborhood. Not FEMA, not the Red Cross, not even my own church...Thank God for the Lutherans."

The destruction along Hwy 90, the Beach highway, is a whole different story. I've never seen anything so complete. I've seen homes destroyed before, but they were always framed within the context of other homes that were fine, or several homes, but still within a neighborhood.

On 90, the destruction doesn't end. The only scene I can equate it to is the landscapes in the movie "Saving Private Ryan." The destruction, and rubble of burned out buildings goes on and on and on. But even the movie is in 2 dimensions. In 3 dimensions, Hwy 90 rocked my world. The power to destroy this way...I can't imagine it. And the people working in this area have a whole different demeanor. It's as if they are unaware of the rest of Biloxi...of the people in line in Wal Mart. These people are still, somehow, in rescue mode.

We will be back here in Mid October with a team. There is much to be done.

Our Habitat House!

The Habitat home our youth participated in building this past summer. It survived the storm.

Distribution of goods at Bethel Lutheran

The Fellowship Hall where our group ate its meals last summer, converted into a distribution center.

Supply Distribution at Bethel Lutheran

In the Narthex, outside of the Sanctuary.

Arrived

I arrived safely. Yes, I have a place to stay. I was able to get into a Fairfield Inn in Hattiesburg, which is halfway between Jackson and Biloxi, so it will reduce my drive tomorrow, which is nice. They don’t have a room for tomorrow night though. I’m going to try to extend it in the morning. Otherwise I’ll have to figure something else out. It will all work out.

Interesting though, Hattiesburg is still 70 miles from the gulf coast. The hotel parking lots are filled with Electrical company trucks from all over the south (North Carolina…Missouri…Georgia…). It is the crews staying in the hotels, not necessarily refugees, though there are probably some of them too.

On the drive down, at 120 miles from the coast, I began to see trees down. From 90 miles out to Hattiesburg (70 miles out) the trees were down on the side of the road almost continuously. At the 90 mile mark I began to see roofs off of buildlings and signs blown out by wind. Here in Hattiesburg, 50% of the road signs were bent down or blown over. Made finding the right exit a challenge.

I saw several power poles knocked over too.

The town here seems crowded. Lots of cars. I suppose because people are away from the coast.

Tomorrow I’ll be up and on the road by 7 or 7:30am and on the road. I'll try to update with photos as I am able.

A Long Drive

I drove today from Jackson, Mississippi to Hattieburg, Mississipi. I was fairly stressed by the drive, mostly because the majority of it was spent on the phone trying to make sure I would have a hotel room. (I'm still not sure if it was Expedia.com or Super 8 who screwed my reservation up...doesn't matter...I'm done with both of them.)

Still, I found myself in a quandry...I'm uptight because I may or may not have a motel room. The people I am going to see may not have homes at all.

100 miles from the Gulf Coast and I began to see evidence of trees down...at 90 miles, portions of roofs were missing. In Hattiesburg, whole freeway signs are bent in half.

I can't imagine what I'll see tomorrow. Tonight is going to be an anxious night.

A Picture Share...

Haircut with Uncle Paul

Connected

Today I got through to Pastor Jerry Bultman, of Bethel Lutheran Church in Biloxi. For those of you who might have joined our show late, Bethel was the site where we stayed while we were down there working with Habitat for Humanity in june.

I've been in contact with the Habitat national office, Lutheran Disaster Relief and the Southeast Synod of the ELCA, offering our group to assist. We've received no response. Today they increased the capacity of the phone service and I was able to get through to Pastor Bultman.

He and his wife are living in the church until his home is repaired. His church is serving as a distribution site for assistance. He sounded tired. He should.

So Monday I leave for Biloxi. Actually, for Jackson. Then I'll drive to Biloxi.

I've traveled all over, most of it by road. Interestingly, I'm kind of nervous about this trip. Unknown. Crisis. Disaster. These are all words that can (and should) raise my blood pressure. It is going to be a vital trip. Our hope is to bring a group down 3 weeks later.

The only to really know what we'll need...what we'll do...how we'll do it...is to see it. To sit down with Pastor Bultman and to talk.

This is going to occupy much of my mind and heart in the next few weeks.

Please pray for these people.

I find it interesting that New Orleans is getting all of the attention, when the sheer destruction seems to be much more complete in the Mississippi area. Not that it's a competition. But I worry that those stories are not being told.

Pray.

My mind is full

I haven't blogged lately very much besides posting up some links for things I've found and I don't want to learn. To be honest, I've felt a little overwhelmed:

• Hurricane Katrina and how concerned I've been for the Habitat Biloxi people we've encountered.
• The beginning of the programming year.
• The funeral of the spouse of a good friend.
• The funeral of the father of a good friend.
• My approaching ordination.

Not sure what to say...not sure what to do...to say...to write...

Poynter Online - Hurricane Katrina coverage

Poynter Online - Hurricane Katrina coverage