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.