Friday, September 16, 2005
Friday Week 1 Testimonials
What an amazing week! It took quite some time to get to Louisiana (seemed like forever) but as we started getting close to our destination, words cannot express all the emotions I felt. I saw debris everywhere, treetops were gone, boats/cars in or against houses, unbelievable.
When we arrived, we got right to work. Things of course have been very hectic since we've arrived. There are many truckloads of items to be sorted daily, and then packaged into boxes for distribution to families in the community.
It was really hard for some people to accept the few items we had to offer because they never had to ask for any help before. It was so rewarding though to see those accept these bare essentials and smile and say, "Thank you, God Bless You". We traveled out to deliver boxes as well and people were excited to get Sunny Delight because they were tired of bottled water.
As we went into the housing development near the lake, the odor in the air was horrible and there was dust on the roads and mud everywhere else. We were covered in dust by the time we were done.
One house we stopped at, the gentleman there said no one had stopped at his house at all since the hurricane, that we were the first. He was very appreciative of the food and water. It's been refreshing to see how a box of food and a case of water with a smile and a hug can brighten someone's day. One lady just started crying as the guys gave her a hug as she had lost everything.
The people are just lost. Some just don't know where to start. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to lose everything. I am thankful that God has given me this opportunity to serve these people and hope that everyone in some way could experience the same as we have this week. We've also met some wonderful people from California, Miami and Tennessee who have also come to help in the relief effort. Thanks to all who contributed in any way to make this mission a possibility.
Lisa Blair
PS - Thanks again Brad so much for all of your hard work. We really appreciate all that you do. :)
For me, an experience like this is unexplainable. I sat down and tried to think and think of how to explain it to people when they asked but nothing I thought of could even began to describe how I've felt this past week or even began to explain the things we've seen.
We took millions of picture and unfortunately I still don't think it was enough for everyone to truly see how bad things are. People are living on the streets, some with their families and others without. They don't know whether they’re dead or alive and aren't even sure if they will have contact with them any time soon. What's horrible is that some people are still trapped in there houses and there’s nothing we can do about it. That bothers me so much and I wish that I could stay much longer since it’s the least I can do.
Tonight me and a friend were looking up some scriptures and came across the book of Lamentations which seemed to sum up the whole story of the storm, and how people who lost there houses might be feeling right now.
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:21-23
Amanda Evans
When we arrived, we got right to work. Things of course have been very hectic since we've arrived. There are many truckloads of items to be sorted daily, and then packaged into boxes for distribution to families in the community.
It was really hard for some people to accept the few items we had to offer because they never had to ask for any help before. It was so rewarding though to see those accept these bare essentials and smile and say, "Thank you, God Bless You". We traveled out to deliver boxes as well and people were excited to get Sunny Delight because they were tired of bottled water.
As we went into the housing development near the lake, the odor in the air was horrible and there was dust on the roads and mud everywhere else. We were covered in dust by the time we were done.
One house we stopped at, the gentleman there said no one had stopped at his house at all since the hurricane, that we were the first. He was very appreciative of the food and water. It's been refreshing to see how a box of food and a case of water with a smile and a hug can brighten someone's day. One lady just started crying as the guys gave her a hug as she had lost everything.
The people are just lost. Some just don't know where to start. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to lose everything. I am thankful that God has given me this opportunity to serve these people and hope that everyone in some way could experience the same as we have this week. We've also met some wonderful people from California, Miami and Tennessee who have also come to help in the relief effort. Thanks to all who contributed in any way to make this mission a possibility.
Lisa Blair
PS - Thanks again Brad so much for all of your hard work. We really appreciate all that you do. :)
For me, an experience like this is unexplainable. I sat down and tried to think and think of how to explain it to people when they asked but nothing I thought of could even began to describe how I've felt this past week or even began to explain the things we've seen.
We took millions of picture and unfortunately I still don't think it was enough for everyone to truly see how bad things are. People are living on the streets, some with their families and others without. They don't know whether they’re dead or alive and aren't even sure if they will have contact with them any time soon. What's horrible is that some people are still trapped in there houses and there’s nothing we can do about it. That bothers me so much and I wish that I could stay much longer since it’s the least I can do.
Tonight me and a friend were looking up some scriptures and came across the book of Lamentations which seemed to sum up the whole story of the storm, and how people who lost there houses might be feeling right now.
"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:21-23
Amanda Evans
# posted by John McGuire @ 2:27 PM 
