Thursday, September 22, 2005
Beth Vath's Experience this Week (#2)
I'd like to share a little of our experience in Louisiana this week (week 2) and let you know the money and supplies sent are both desperately needed and appreciated by the people. Bill and I spent some time working in the church/warehouse. We unloaded trucks bucket-brigade style, then sorted and pre-packed boxes of cleaning supplies, while others did the same with food and toiletries. As people started coming in we gave them pre-packed boxes, plus any other needs we could supply such as diapers, etc. We talked with them as we loaded them up and the vast majority had lost everything - lots of moist eyes and some still in shock. Especially sad were the young children - they just looked dazed and sad. We offered to pray with each family and sometimes shared tears and hugs. All we worked with were extremely grateful.
Another day we worked together with a couple of new friends from Nashville for about 6 hours in the yard of a 94 year old lady cutting fallen trees and carrying the logs and brush to the roadside. (Side note to Week 3 - scrub pants worked well in the upper-90 heat)
Next we spent 2 days in a house in Slidell that had taken on about 3 feet of water. The owner was about in his 70's and his wife was disabled and in a wheelchair (she was in GA with a daughter). We removed mildewed drywall, flooring, cabinets, water-soaked magazines and other items. The first day the owner seemed in shock and very depressed. He just wandered from room to room, not saying much. The second day he started working side-by-side with us and by afternoon was telling us what he might do with some of the rooms and teasing and joking with us. The transformation was marked. I believe God used us (and all the teams) to give them " hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11) His teenage granddaughters came by and brought us a plate of cookies. They had made them with the large container of peanut butter the Red Cross had given them. They had sad stories of their own of the majority of their friends from school moving away as their parents had no work. They said, "If we just take it one day at a time it doesn't hurt so bad.”
I know this is long and I could go on and on, but I just wanted to say - if you can, please, please go help. There is more work than people. If you can't work on the houses or chain saw crews, there is plenty of sorting, etc, to do in the warehouse. (and it's air conditioned) In fact they were short-handed there some days. Bill has back problems and I have shoulder problems, and we did all the wrong things as far as lifting and pulling heavy things - but neither of us had a bit of trouble the whole time. We truly feel that God allowed that to happen. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And if you can't go - PRAY. There are so many hurting people there.
Bev Vath
Another day we worked together with a couple of new friends from Nashville for about 6 hours in the yard of a 94 year old lady cutting fallen trees and carrying the logs and brush to the roadside. (Side note to Week 3 - scrub pants worked well in the upper-90 heat)
Next we spent 2 days in a house in Slidell that had taken on about 3 feet of water. The owner was about in his 70's and his wife was disabled and in a wheelchair (she was in GA with a daughter). We removed mildewed drywall, flooring, cabinets, water-soaked magazines and other items. The first day the owner seemed in shock and very depressed. He just wandered from room to room, not saying much. The second day he started working side-by-side with us and by afternoon was telling us what he might do with some of the rooms and teasing and joking with us. The transformation was marked. I believe God used us (and all the teams) to give them " hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11) His teenage granddaughters came by and brought us a plate of cookies. They had made them with the large container of peanut butter the Red Cross had given them. They had sad stories of their own of the majority of their friends from school moving away as their parents had no work. They said, "If we just take it one day at a time it doesn't hurt so bad.”
I know this is long and I could go on and on, but I just wanted to say - if you can, please, please go help. There is more work than people. If you can't work on the houses or chain saw crews, there is plenty of sorting, etc, to do in the warehouse. (and it's air conditioned) In fact they were short-handed there some days. Bill has back problems and I have shoulder problems, and we did all the wrong things as far as lifting and pulling heavy things - but neither of us had a bit of trouble the whole time. We truly feel that God allowed that to happen. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And if you can't go - PRAY. There are so many hurting people there.
Bev Vath
# posted by John McGuire @ 8:50 PM 
