Friday Hurricane Rita was plowing through. Traffic was horrible because evacuees were making their way East. We had to get Jess to the airport and it was so stressful that I convinced Kelly and Lish that they HAD to experience Steak 'n Shake. I ordered all of my favorite things. It was wonderful.
Roger was our "get it" man. Anything we needed, he found.
That's him being official.
I just got back from Mississippi. Here is an email I sent to friends and fam who were praying for the team. Hopefully this will hold you over until I get back from Kentucky and provide some other reflections.
Hey! Just got home at noon today. Our flight out of Mobile was delayed by two hours yesterday, which in turn caused us to miss our connecting flight in Charlotte. So, we were put up on a hotel on the way home. Can't complain, my boss wanted me to recharge and let me stay home for the afternoon. Besides, it totally beat sleeping on the airport floor like we did upon arrival in Alabama because Enterprise would not wait fifteen minutes to give us our vehicles.
The trip was emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausting. Spiritually, it was pumped full of God moments, faith strengtheners, and Divine appointments...Now that I am home I think the spiritual exhaustion is going to set in. Our group connected in a beautiful way. We all know for fact that there is no possible way people here in NH or others scattered about the US will begin to grasp the encounters we experienced. This is what makes my heart sad. Pictures that wouldn't properly portray the misery and devestation of Gulf Coast Mississippi did not develop completely at the store. The photos I took with Judy...John...Dale...Cheryl...Wayne...Don...Lassie...Shadow... did not turn out. My heart broke at the realization this afternoon. I suppose my memory and my words will have to fill those picture frames instead.
So, it is with a heavy heart for the homeless, broken, and bruised that I type this email. There is hope - much hope to speak of in the communities of Gulfort, Biloxi, Long Beach, Pass Christian, and Waveland. These were the places we worked in. These were the towns lining the coast and pounded with a 35 foot storm surge the day of Katrina's arrival. Obliterated from the water and wind, dead bodies floated about Waveland for days. Now, countless faces remain holding on to the only thing they have left - familiarity. Some will never leave the area because their hearts are rooted deeply. Some will have the few finances to begin the rebuilding process. Some will build their neighborhoods one day at a time. Some will find the Lord. Some already have. Pray for these places which were hit the hardest and forgotten immediately.
Perhaps in the near future I can begin recounting at least one or two events. But for now I am tired and I must try to fit back in here...
Love
Lindy
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