Reflections from Mississippi...

Hi, Y'all...
Greetings from Mississippi where about 40 United Methodists from Los Angeles and San Diego Districts have left Los Angeles to spend a week helping with rebuilding homes -- and lives -- in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This has been an absolutely incredible experience -- different from anything that I have ever had before. The participants are here to serve, to be the "hands and heart of God" in terms of reaching out to people in need. And the recipients of our efforts -- wow! they are SO appreciative and so touched. Their stories are inspiring... and I would like to share a few in this blog. One of the homes being rebuilt belongs to an 83-year-old survivor of Hurricane Katrina. His home is nearly done, but there is a wall in the laundry room area which remains (and will remain) unpainted. Yet the wall is not empty -- there are some 50 hand prints decorating the wall, made by people who have worked on his home. Another home belongs to a woman who just became a great grandmother for the first time; unfortunately, the baby was born with a heart murmur and was transported to Tulane University Medical Center the second day of his life. Yet another story centers around a family that iincluded two elderly men, one of whom was a double amputee, who thought that the worst was over when the winds died down. When they opened the door, the flood waters rushed in, quckly filling the house nearly up to the ceiling. These two men held onto the rafters for 6 hours, hoping for rescue... but no one came. A family member, unable to get assistance, undertook this project herself. Parking more than 4 miles away, she had to use a chain saw to cut a path through thousands of downed trees in order to reach the home to rescue these men. What incredible stories we have heard... it constantly amazes me that these people continue to remain optimistic, to continue to have hope and faith for a better future. They, in turn, support us and offer us hope. Each evening, after dinner, we have a time of devotions and each of the 5 work teams shares a highlight of their day -- and they often involve contact with the homeowners. As one person shared last night, nearly as a Benediction, let us remember the Scripture: "...As you have done it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you have done it to me."
More later...