Special Offering this Sunday

Hopefully, the church Session approved a special offering for the special Mission Sunday service this weekend. This offering is planned to help our friends in Pearlington recover again from hurricanes, this time Gustav. Based on the coverage from Ike, I wouldn't be surprised if Pearlington had more flooding again from Ike. The PDA camp in Houma appears to be flooded again from the coverage on every news network.

One of the friends that we learned about this week are the Wades. They are the entrepreneurial type in town. They have opened the only new business in Pearlington after Katrina. Her husbands works at the Fire Dept and with her family, they were running the so-called by Jane Els "Corny Dog" stand.

When we were back there in April, we made a point of eating lunch there a couple of times. The food was home-cooked at the back of the pull-trailer by the family. Their home was flooded out again by Gustav. Based on information from Jane and Dallas, they really need help. Hopefully, we can provide some help, especially with the special offering.

In other sad news for me: I do not think that I will be able to go on the Oct 12 trip. I have a business trip to Australia around that week, and I do not think that I can pull off both trips back-to-back. Unfortunately, I had to make that decision to delay a trip to Japan because I didn't want to leave when Hanna was coming close and Ike's direction wasn't clear. Somehow, I will find a way to get there. My labor wouldn't really help too much, but I was always helpful getting people and things to the right places...

Going Back in October

I now have a very good blog-pal in Texas, Jane Els. We communicate back and forth on our blogs and email. Our group met her while we were at Pearlington for the first week of April (if you read any earlier posts, then that statement is obvious). She has a mountain of energy and is always looking ahead. She has already talked 20 people from her church to go back to Pearlington in October (October 7 - 13). I guess that the presentation that she made last week about her mission trip to Pearlington had a good effect.

I am going to organize a group from our church to go that same week. I have already received good responses from 4 or 5. We may get the last 20 spots for that week. Barely in May, the camp in Pearlington that will hold about 75 is almost fully reserved for that week in October. That continued response more than 20 months after Katrina highlights the compassion and energy of the American people and Christians.

I would have liked to go back in June, but I wasn't getting as enthusiastic a response to going then because of the triple-H (hot, hazy, and humid) in June plus I was running into schedule difficulties. Deciding the sacrifice that you have to make along with others around you is a problem. To say selfish is a strange word, but I did get inspired after I went, so I am encouraged to go again. I found that I could help. My wife and family were at home and didn't get to experience the inspiration of the residents and the power of volunteers. I might be selfish to want to get back and miss out on family events like seeing our new nephew or my great-grandparents. So, with others hesitation and my own debate, I am not pushing for June. But, I do not like waiting until October. Maybe before then, I can sneak down there to check on things.

The Volunteer Village #6 in Pearlington is evidently very miserable in July and August. So, we are back to October as the next time. I hope that the residents can continue to be patient and have hope. We are afraid of the heat, but they have to continue with their current setup.

I have no idea if anyone reads this blog, but if you are reading this post, and you can free yourself from other obligations during Oct 7 - 13, then leave a comment or send me an email. We will keep a seat on the bus or Expedition for you from Summerville, SC.

My Birthday Present

I started this blog as a birthday present to myself to do what I say that I should do. I want to tell my view of what is going on in deep south AL, MS, and LA after Katrina. I feel empowered to step out into the world with whatever eloquence I can muster on the keyboard and reach out to others so that they can make a difference like I hope to do.

I didn't complete much when I volunteered with a group of 13 from Dorchester Presbyterian Church in Summerville, SC to go to Pearlington, MS and stay at a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) Volunteer Village for a week. I knew that I could drive a group to get there. Maybe that would be my biggest accomplishment. I am not a home builder nor overly handy around the house (let's see if my wife comments about that). My strengths and skills and work passions are with enterprise computer software solutions.

With that strength I was able to help mud, sand, and prime a house and help roll out linoleum in another. I was able to help at 4 houses in 4 days edging the residents of Pearlington closer to getting back their home. Most importantly, I answered the call to go and volunteer. In listening to that call, I was able to share in the hope of America by working with volunteers coming together from across the country and world to meet people that are gracious and hospitable in light of getting their material life and sometimes their family member's lives washed away. The strength that the residents have to welcome new groups of volunteers each week is impossible to describe without being there. So - just go!

More than 19 months after Hurricane Katrina, many people are still not in a home. As described in other volunteer's blogs that have inspired me to write here, like Jane Els, everyone is working towards a "new normal" after Katrina.

I encourage you to get involved to continue the rebuilding like the many groups and individuals that have volunteered already. You will gain hope while doing what is right and expected of us as people in a first-world community. Particularly as Americans, we need to be a role model to other countries not by what our government does.

The biggest work that I have to do right now is to turn my thoughts into some coherent read rather than some rambling rant. I agree with Dennis Miller that a good rant is always needed, but he has better pictures and writers than me. Please have patience as I post, edit, and delete until I get a good rhythm.