Another View for October 20, 2005
By Greg Smith
‘I've got to do something,” I told myself when I heard about the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. I remember pacing back and forth in my living room, mentally calculating how much money I could send. What could I do beyond that? I could go!
Contacting the Virginia Baptist Mission Board, I learned of several trips to Picayune, Miss. Some were for skilled and trained relief workers, but others were for untrained workers. I brought the information to our deacons, who approved my time away from the church that I serve as pastor. They didn't need much convincing, and Donnie Newcomb, one of our deacons, agreed to go with me.
Neither of us had done anything like this before. We did not know what to expect. So I decided to keep a diary of our trip in hopes that others who might want to do disaster relief work might know what to expect.
Monday, Sept. 26: We left home this morning at 3. We had a budget of $757, which came from donations of church members and friends. The night before our trip, Donnie went shopping for supplies at Lowe's in South Boston. Spending $200 on tarps, screws and ferring strips, he was surprised that Lowe's made a matching gift, doubling the supplies we were able to bring. We budgeted $400 for gas, leaving $157 for contingencies.
Stopping only for gas, breakfast and dinner, we arrived at First Baptist Church, Picayune, at 7:30, just as unit supervisor Patrick Johnson was finishing the evening devotion. Referring to the hurricane victims who can't help themselves, he said, “It doesn't take much to push you over the edge when you're living on the edge. Their burdens become our burdens. Instead of just casting our burdens onto the Lord, we need to cast ourselves onto the Lord, to sustain us.” This puts our purpose here in perspective.
Tuesday, Sept. 27: Today we repaired roofs on four homes and two churches. The first home belonged to an 87-year-old woman who lived alone. Since the hurricane hit a month ago, she has lived with a hole in her roof, getting wet every time it rained. Her son met us and apologized that he was physically unable to do the work. Climbing to the rooftop we were surprised at how unstable and soft the surface was. We installed a temporary tarpaulin patch, which would last until she could have the roof professionally repaired. Roofing companies have moved into Picayune, and advertisements mark almost every street corner.
From there we moved to First Cornerstone Baptist Church in Nicholson, Miss. Pastor Vernon Robinson thanked us, saying, “We appreciate all the kindnesses you all have shown toward us. … Through your kind acts, we are able to do more for our community and help our people.” This church distributes food brought in on trucks from other states.
Many of the homes here were completely crushed by fallen trees. We patched a roof for a three-generation household that falls well below the poverty line. The youngest, at a year old, has hydrocephalus and has already had 14 surgeries. The mother and grandmother repeatedly thanked us for our help.
Wednesday, Sept 28: Today I needed an attitude adjustment. We spent yesterday helping those who couldn't help themselves. Today we did yard cleanup for those who could easily have done it themselves, or paid to have it done. These people were not “on the edge,” as Patrick had said. I did not understand why they needed our help. It was backbreaking work in 100 degree heat. Soda cans in the truck bed exploded. Our eyes were bleary from a constant flow of sweat. I confess that my outlook was not what it should have been. We were supposed to be helping victims, I told myself. After all, didn't Jesus say, “Unto the least of these?”
But then he spoke into my heart and said, “Or the greatest.” I remembered that tragedy comes to the well to do as well as the poor. Even if these people could help themselves physically, all of us need God's help spiritually. And I was here to share a spiritual blessing. Many people are emotionally overwhelmed with the workload that's before them. They just need someone to show some care. When we remove a tree from someone's yard, they don't feel so alone in the struggle. Then they can begin to do the rest of the cleanup themselves. So properly chastised by a gentle reminder from God, I wiped the sweat from my safety glasses, drank a sports drink and picked up another tree limb.
One thing we noticed today were all the “For Sale” signs, in damaged as well as intact homes. It seems a lot of people have had enough and are getting out. Property values here will be horrible because of the flood of houses on the market.
Today's exhausting work reminded me of many churches. I was reminded how out of shape I am, so that when hard labor came my way it wiped me out. A lot of churches and Christians are like that-spiritually lazy, out of shape and flabby. God sometimes uses storms in our lives to get us into spiritual shape.
We don't spend 24 hours a day doing relief work. Donnie and I found a movie theater that sells tickets for only $2.50. We took in a good show and fell into bed around 10 p.m.
Thursday, Sept 29: Yesterday the chain saw work really took the energy out of us. We awoke to discover aching muscle groups we didn't know we had. So today, Donnie and I volunteered in the kitchen, looking forward to an easier day. Boy, were we wrong!
Physically, the work was less demanding. But mentally, it was more stressful, and the hours were longer. I found it ironic that members of our team asked, “Are you going to work today, or just stay here and cook?” I'm not sure which kind of work I'd rather do, but I think the Lord is teaching me something about being a servant. After preparing 219 meals today and cleaning up after them, I'm exhausted, but the sense of accomplishment is high. Chain saw crews came back from their assignments with stories of people they helped, and people who were led to Christ. The work I did made their work possible. I suppose pastors and cafeteria workers have a lot in common: Both are behind-the-scenes people who equip the saints for the work of ministry.
Friday, Sept 30: Today was exhausting! Donnie and I prepared meals and did chainsaw work, too! I'm impressed by how well the crews work together, even though many of these people only met each other this week. The tree teams attack their assignments with zeal. Even in 100-degree temperatures, these Baptists work together with joy and a family spirit. The kitchen crew works well together also. Several of them pitched in and prepared dinner so Donnie and I could go out and work on trees part of the day.
One of our tasks on the kitchen crew is ordering food for the pantry and freezers. The feeding units in Slidell send us what they can spare, and we might not get what we ask for. Feeding a small army is hard enough when you have ready supplies, but when you have to make do with what you're sent it's more difficult.
Saturday, Oct. 1: Many of the teams left for home yesterday and today. We have a skeleton crew right now, but we did a lot of work today. For the past two days we have been working on one tree in Mrs. Ivadell Fillingame's yard. She is a member of our host church. A mammoth white oak, measuring 84 inches in diameter, smashed her carport, covering her yard with its branches. “We can't thank you enough,” she said as she offered cold water and sweat rags to the workers.
Some time ago, members of the recovery team cleared out 41 trees from one property. Today that family brought lunch and dinner to our workers, letting Donnie and me do tree work instead of so much food prep. Ordering food has become easier now, and rather than a lack, we now have a surplus of food.
Upon returning from work detail, one team told of a resident who ran after their vehicle shouting, “Thank you, thank you!” for the work Virginia Baptists have done.
Another woman we helped brought in several King cakes, a colorful, extremely-sweet local tradition. Colored with the traditional tones of Mardi Gras, King cakes are decorated with purple for justice, green for faith and gold for power. Hidden somewhere inside the jelly-filled coffee cake is a plastic baby. According to custom, whoever finds the baby becomes the King or Queen of the party, and is said to be lucky.
Personally I think luck has nothing to do with anything that goes on down here. God's hand of blessing has been on all our teams. Each member has stories of God's grace, provision, salvation,and restoration in the midst of the storm, and in its wake.
Sunday, Oct. 2: This morning we attended worship at First Baptist Church, Picayune. No matter how much we thank them for their hospitality, they thank us doubly for our work here, and call us heroes. A little girl in the early service thanked God for us, and prayed for our families and for our safety. The sincerity of her prayer had our team in tears.
After church, Donnie and I drove down to Slidell and the edge of New Orleans to view the damage there. We were stunned to see the destruction in this area that received the brunt of the storm. Boats rest upside-down in the middle of woods. Burned-out cars and vehicles riddled with bullet holes sit wrecked on the side of the road. The community of Lake St. Catherine is a land-bridge that separates that lake from Lake Ponchartrain. Nearly every home there was completely blown away-not just damaged, but obliterated, with pieces blown into the water. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but debris.
We found Gina Manalla picking through the wreckage. “We're looking for just one scrap of the house,” she told us. So far, the only thing found is a barbecue grill. “I know I have nothing. My parents also have nothing. All us have been displaced.” To date, she has heard nothing from her insurance company, FEMA or any other help agencies. We referred her to the Baptist relief unit in Slidell, which is closer to her than Picayune.
I have never seen such devastation. What struck us was the storm's indiscriminate nature. It did not distinguish between race or class, but brought destruction to all equally. So there is no place in human judgment in all this. There is only room for compassion and care.
Marsha Robert offered housing for Manalla's parents. She says, “I find myself thanking God for more things today than a month ago. If you're worrying, you're not trusting. If you're trusting, you're not worrying. Philippians 4 addresses anxiety. It says to learn to be content wherever you are. Today, we're real content.”
Monday, Oct 3: Today, Donnie and I prepared breakfast and found volunteers to replace us in the kitchen, as we're due to leave tomorrow morning. Many local people have helped with our food preparation since the Virginia Baptist feeding units left Picayune for DeRidder, La. Some have donated food, and others have prepared meals. One family we helped told us they would provide lunches for our entire crew of around 70 people for a week. Because of all the hard work, Donnie and I expected to lose weight. Instead, we have been eating like good Baptists, and I think we gained.
Our host church had a washing machine and dryer that all the relief workers have been using to do their laundry. They are well-worn machines, mostly used to wash dish towels when they get dirty. With all the laundry we've done since Virginia Baptists came here in late August, the old dryer finally died. This morning, Donnie and I went to Home Depot to pick up a new dryer. Thanks, people of Home Depot, for the discount you gave!
As our homesickness grows, we have decided to go home tonight after dinner, rather than wait until morning. Tomorrow is my daughter Lydia's 8th birthday. If we drive through the night, I'll be able to be there in time to take cupcakes to her class at school.
Tuesday, Oct 4: The road home took less time than the road to Picayune. Homesickness lent speed to our travel, and we made it back in 14 hours.
I will never forget our trip to Picayune. I was reminded that neither disaster nor restoration discriminate based on race, class or anything else. I saw Christians rally to help those in need, and unbelievers come to faith. Donnie and I grew close in our friendship over the course of our trip, and I believe it energized us both to inspire our church members to put feet to their faith.
Most of all I saw how quickly a bond of love develops between God's people who share a common mission. The cooperation among our group astonished me. The hugs shared when we left overwhelmed me. As Christians, we were reminded that we never say goodbye. Even if this earthly life never brings us together again, we know we'll see each other in eternity. The faithful simply say, “See you later.”
Greg Smith is pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Red Oak.