Katrina Mission Adult Team Day 3
Our co-worker last year, Janet Warfield, gave us some prayer/blessing cards to take with us, so that we could pull them at random from a pile, and let God be with us in the moment. So far, we have pulled two cards from the pile, and both have had such meaning for us, they have truly been God Moments! Last night’s card was particularly appropriate, since it told us to expect unexpected blessings, and was that every true! Our new facilities are amazing! While a little rough in terms of amenities, we have lots of space, privacy, and all the comforts we really need.
We are staying now in an old church which was nearly destroyed, and has been converted to housing for volunteers. There were two congregations that had sort of considered themselves one church with two campuses, and after Katrina they combined. Now one facility is housing for volunteers and the other is their church and fellowship hall. We are so very grateful for the totally unexpected blessing of this gift.
We are very grateful for another gift as well. Our youth team left us with some funds to enjoy a meal out, and so last night, instead of having to cook, we were able to buy some takeout food and enjoy our dinner without any effort. Thank you so much you guys! We really appreciate it!
Today we are back at work on the home, setting up our food, grocery shopping, and we got to meet the homeowner. Ervin Carr is a 71 year old black man who has had two heart attacks and a stroke. He is paying for the materials used in his rennovations, and UMCOR is providing the labor. He was a security guard at a mall in East New Orleans, and was stranded on the roof of the mall for a week before being rescued. I asked him what he ate, and he said he saw lots of refrigerators floating by, but unless he was a fish, he wasn’t going to be able to eat anything. His humor is intact, and he is actively involved in what is happening in his house. He was hoping for some advice about interior decorating, so we shall see how far we get with the job! He is charming, and has no family in the area, and that was part of the reason it took so long to rescue him. The priority was on reuniting families. Meeting him has also clearly show that this neighborhood was a mixed neighborhood, and today his neighbor Fred went over to visit with him while he was there.
Today I think I also was able to figure out how to upload some photos, so I am setting up a photo page of some of our photos so far.
I am sure I will write more later, but I wanted to get this post right up for you!
In God’s Service!
Claire for the team