| Two Years Since Katrina And It's Not Over Yet! |
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On July 19th the Sun Herald of southern Mississippi posted this story entitled "Katrina Volunteers Feel Unwanted". http://www.sunherald.com/312/story/101673.html
Greg Porter founder of God's Katrina Kitchen was given the keys to the city and received an award from the White House for leading volunteers to help those affected by Katrina, now he is being shown the door. "I think it bothers them to face the fact that for a lot of people, its not over yet." Porter said. Just down the road in Pass Christian about 10 or 12 miles west of Gulfport where we worked this past April is the base camp for this great group called God's Katrina Kitchen. They have fed and housed thousands of victims and volunteers since the storm. They have also rebuilt ten homes and have twenty more underway according to their web-site. www.godskatrinakitchen.org/ The town council is now trying to get them to leave. You will see its a complicated issue which is very political in nature but the bottom line is that as Christian organizations close down operation in the Gulf, more and more families loose hope of returning to their homes. I have had a number of local people in the area tell me, "It is churches and faith-based organizations that are getting folks back in there homes, everyone else is gone". As the two year anniversary of Katrina approaches please pray about this and for the people of the Mississippi Gulf Coast region. Seek God's direction in how you and your church can help the thousands that are still homeless as a result or this tragedy. Feel free to contact me and find out how you can get involved.
3:16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 3:17 But if any one has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 3:18 Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth. 3:19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him 3:20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
It has been a blessing to our church to be involved in this work. As we have worked in the homes of pre-Christians we have been able to share with them that the reason we are there is because the love of God has motivated us to come and we truly care about their situation. Its all about planting and watering seeds. As a church we are seeing we can share the Gospel with our hands as well as our with our words. When these folks look back we want them to see is that it was Christ that was there for them when they were in their time of need, not us.
For the Christian's we have been blessed to serve, their faith has been built up knowing that God is true to His Word and He is with them and using His Church to provide for their every need. We have developed relationships that will transcend this life and go on into eternity. Our faith has been strengthened seeing believers rejoice because of the storm. One sweet Mississippi mother shared with me that Katrina was the best thing that could have ever happened to her and her family. She told me it showed her what in life was truly important and how they need to trust in Him for all their needs. She said, "We are better off now than before the storm. We are so blessed".
It may be true that Katrins volunteers are feeling unwanted by this worlds system but they are still being welcomed with open arms by those for whom Christ died.
Mark Wigley <>< |
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