Dispatch from Karen and Tom

Hello from Biloxi,

Today we celebrated Reformation Sunday at Bethel Lutheran and also the first day of Sunday School for the year.  Rally Day never happened because the Hurricaine Katrina came the week before.  It was a wonderful day for the congregation.  About 65% of the members are back to church again.  Many are not in thier homes and living with family or friends, but they are back to church.  They had a luncheon to celebrate the day and honor the volunteers at the same time.  Good to see some parts of their lives getting back to some normalcy.

 

We were blessed to have Jan, Tom's sister here at Bethel for the week.  It is a week that she will never forget.  She is back home telling her story and encouraging others to come.

 

One of my first e-mails I told you about a man who lost his wife after she was taken to a hospital from a shelter they were in.  He came back this week to see us, have a little lunch and talk a bit.  I learned the whole story and the right story.  He is 82, his wife is 79.  They decided to ride out the storm in thier home because they made it through Camille ok and nothing was ever supposed to be as bad as Camille.  When the water started rising and flooding their house,  Mr. Brown decided he needed to swim out and get some help.  He latched onto a door that was floating by and held on to that for a while but then realized that he would probably end up in the gulf if he stayed with at.  He grabbed onto a tree and climbed up as high as he could but there was a cat in that tree also who kept scratching the top of his head every time he tried to get higher.  He and the cat stayed in that tree for 8 hours until the water subsided.  He made it back to his home, not knowing what he would find.  Miraculously his wife and nephew were alive.  Somehow they had kicked a hole in the ceiling and climbed into the attic. and survived the storm.  However it all was to much for Mr. Brown's wife.  She was in shock and he got her to the hospital which thankfully was only a few blocks away.  The next day he went to the hospital but she was no longer there.  They said she had been discharged to a shelter somewhere.   He did locate the shelter but she was not their.  Apparently she was taken by the paramedics and transported out of the city or the state, he does not know.  No one has been able to find her yet.  He does not know if she is alive or dead.  All this time he has been living in his  moldy house and others who will take him in.  He doesn't want to go far or relocate because he says he wants to be at home if his wife comes back.  He uses Bethel Lutheral to get messages.  Yesterday we found out from FEMA that they were ready to place a trailer in the driveway of his rented house.  His landlord had given permission.  So thankfully he will have a clean, dry place to live now as he continues to hope and pray for his wifes return.

 

Small groups have started going out into communities and finding folks living in small tent cities.  Many shelters are closing and people are finding whatever means they can to get through each day. We have been taking bedding, warm clothes, food to them if they need it.  There is a shortage of tents in the area so arrangments were made to have a large supply shipped in along with sleeping bags. 

 

The work crews continue to gut houses, pressure wash and treat the wood so the mold will not grow back.  It is a nasty job but one step closer to putting a house back together.  It brings hope that someday their life may be back to normal again.  There is so much to do, it is overwhelming, 8 to 10 years before recovery is complete, if it ever can be.  That is a long time.  This week a bit of reconstruction was begun, which was wonderful.  Electricity was replaced in 2 houses and some sheet rock hung. 

 

Bethel Lutheran has partnered with Lutheran Church of the Good Shephard about a mile away.  Services have been consolidated.  They are now doing all the food and supply distribution and Bethel is distributing clothing, bedding and house hold supplies.  House volunteers is also shared. Case managment has started to meet the long term needs as well as the short term needs of the people we come in contact with. 

 

Yesterday a crew drove to Waveland which is west of Biloxi on the coast about 30 miles.  We went to help a small church that was flooded duing the storm.  The church is about a mile from the gulf and was flooded with 8 feet of water.  Most of the gutting was done.  The crew helped move sheet rock debri to the curb and other things.  Being flooded with 8 feet of water 1 mile away gives you some idea of the magnitude of this storm.  Before we left for home we drive done to the beach where there were once beautiful beach front homes.  All that remains for 1/2 mile in is just cement slabs. Everything is gone.  It is just an unbelivable sight.  Seeing it on TV is awful, but in person is unbelievable.  That force of  wind and water is hard to grasp.  No one has even begun to clean and clear the area except that the streets are clear so you can drive the streets that once were neighborhoods.

 

On a lighter note,  there was a Dr. and his brother who was a Resident volunteering in the clinic this week from the U. P. of Michigan.  They were wonderful guys and worked hard caring for everyone in the clinic.  The Dr's name was Ted.  His brother's name was Ed.  Their brother Jed, a police officer was here volunteering and their other brother Ned was back home.  So a family with 4 brothers, Ted, Ed, Jed and Ned!!  They have 5 sisters.  We didn't ask them what their sister's names were!!!

 

Tiny baby steps are being made with many people working hard.  The work will and needs to go on for months and years to come.  The faith community is and will continue to play a huge role in the recovery and rebuilding process.  Each pair of hands and feet make a difference. God is Active and at Work. 

 

The weather was cool last week but back into the 70s again and beautiful, wonderful for doing the work that needs to get done.  Volunteer #s were low this weekend but groups coming in the end of the week and by next week there will be 80 here with 57 more coming in for the weekend of Nov 11-13, wonderful!!

 

Thank you for your e-mails and your prayers.  We appreciate them so much. Love and God Bless, Mary and Tom