Well, in my last post, I asked for a couple days to regroup and it's been more than that. I guess I am finally coming down from the "high" God has put me on since taking on this wonderful mission. Knowing that we won't be returning for awhile has both good and bad feelings. I know it's good because that tells us that Perkinston, our original destination, is up and going and breathing again. It's also good because I can focus on my family here, knowing the family we've adopted in Perk is ok. It's sad though because we truly have become family to many in Perk and just like when you don't live close to family, it hurts to be away. I have grown to think of Pastor Daniels and Elsie as adopted parents. Pastor Irvin, Debbie and their wonderful children are like brother and sister to me. The church family at Tuxechena welcomes me with open arms and hugs when I walk through the door. And thanks to this last trip, John and Clarisse Dedeaux are like another extension of our family too. I pray that God will continue to bless this community and build up His work there. It is a community that loves God and each other and that is missing in so many communities today.
The trip down this time was probably my most draining. It is hard to believe that 6 weeks after Hurricane Katrina wiped out the Mississippi coast, that I would see more devastation than I ever had. Our trip was originally supposed to take us to Escatawpa, near Pascaguala. Well, God had a different plan and we wound up going to Bay St. Louis/Waveland instead. I had the pleasure of meeting Pastor Ed Murphy and his wife Karen there. Pastor Murphy is the preacher at Shoreline Park Baptist Church in Bay St. Louis. The pictures on the church's website (
www.shorelineparkbaptistchurch.com) could not prepare me for the devastation I was about to encounter.
Let me back up a minute though and tell you how God brought an awesome group of women together for me to make this journey with. I had the pleasure of taking two women from my church down to the area. Jean Winfrey and Patricia Dempsey both saw my video at church on Sunday and committed to going with me. They had both said they'd love to help but the opportunity hadn't presented itself because of work schedules. Because of the time I was going, they were able to come. We left on Friday, hauling a U-Haul trailer full of donations and linens. We arrived Friday night to the welcome of John and Clarisse and them opening up John's Dad's house to us to use as we needed. John's dad, Randall, passed away a couple of years ago and the house was a blessing for us. The history that we observed in that house was a blessing unto itself. The next morning, Clarisse made us three breakfast and then we headed to Bay St. Louis. Driving down I-10, we slowly began to see the devastation. I had seen the bent signs and rubble on the sides of roads before, but to Jean and Trisha, this was new.
Forgetting where I was going, we pulled off the interstate at Exit 13, only to have my gas light start ringing. It was at that time, reality of our situation and what we were heading for took light. There was no gas, no power and no phones. We thankfully had enough gas to go back up the interstate about 5 miles and get gas, without any problems. While at the gas station in Diamondhead, we ran into two ladies at the bathroom. One lady began telling Trisha about how she was living in a tent in front of her condemned home. She had not received her trailer from FEMA yet and had no where else to go. The neighbors house across the street had come off it's foundation during the flood and slammed into her's, causing her house major damage and her septic system to explode. So not only is she dealing with the molds and germs of the flood, but the septic as well. She had 3 Epileptic seizures since the flood and was having trouble breathing, because of the molds. Her friend had just gotten out of the ER the night before and had caught a bacterial infection from the mold. God instantly told us what our mission was and why we needed to go back there for gas. I had a personal Air purifier and a room air purifier that had been donated to us (actually 6) and we knew that is why we were there. We had the ladies come to the truck and were able to bless them with these. The one lady with the infection had a trailer with power so she would now breath pure air and we are praying it helped her infection clear up too.
We then headed back to Bay St. Louis. Pastor Murphy had given us great directions and soon we were pulling into the parking lot of what used to be the church. The church building is still standing but will have to be demolished in time. Pastor Murphy was very busy but was able to take a break and show us the church and what had happened. The church is a 2 story building, with the sanctuary on the top floor. The lower level was filled with mud but they were in the process of getting power, water and a new bathroom fixed up in it. You see, he wants to use the church as a point of rest for those coming to help rebuild their town. He has had trailers brought in with A/C for them to sleep in and just wants to bless those who come to give so much, with a little bit of luxury that he can give. It wasn't until I went upstairs that I had my breath taken away. I had seen the pictures on the website but walking into God's house and seeing it destroyed, was very surreal and extremely emotional. The pews still had bibles and hymnals in them but were stacked on top of each other. A crib was crushed by the pew. The pulpit was battered and worn. The floor sagged and then we saw it. The line where the water finally stopped. For 5-6 hours, there was a 29 ft. wall of water inside the church and the area around it. When it left, it left with a vengeance and took a lot of this church and town with it back to the depths of the gulf. But God is using this pastor and many others for His good and refuge. Pastor Murphy's house was spared any major damage and has become a refuge for some of his flock.
After unloading our items at the church, we asked Pastor what we could do to help. We though maybe some cleaning but no, he had a much bigger need. His need was that we go around Bay St. Louis, take pictures and get the word out. He said we needed to get on the streets, talk to people, get their stories, get pictures and get people involved in wanting to come help. WOW! What a huge request and yet I know God can make miracles work from even one person. So, we left the trailer there and headed out. Again, I was not prepared.
As we drove along, we saw cars piled on top of each other or nose down in the ditch, half way buried in the mud. We saw big building, crumbled in piles. And then we got to the bridge where I-90 used to cross the bay. We got out and were able to walk the beach. Clothing, dolls and personal items hung in the trees and were buried in the sand. The bridge was gone, except for the concrete pilons that made it through the storm but were badly damaged. It will take 1 1/2 years to rebuild the bridge. There were a few water front businesses and homes that were still standing right by the bridge but they were being demolished after being condemned. We spoke with three men at the bridge from different precinct. One was a Game (as in fishing, hunting) Warden from Virginia, one was a Game (as in gambling) Warden from Mississippi and the other a local Police Officer. They were all very friendly and once they found out I was a Marine, seemed more open to talk and tell us about the area. I'm sure with what they see and deal with, they are cautious about telling too much. They told us where to head to get the best "visible" story and that we might run into people too. We headed north of the bridge along a waterfront community that no longer exists. There are major foundations, stairs and all kinds of personal items, but the houses are gone. There are stilts that the houses were built on, but the houses are gone. There are flags flying, cars buried in mud, boats in trees, fur coats flying in the wind, but the houses are gone. There was even a handicap side entrance to a house and it's front steps, but the house was gone. When I say gone, I mean there is not even enough rubble in the yard to constitute a home. It had been sucked into the Bay or Gulf. We saw a tire sticking up out of the water on what looked like a trailer. We saw a tree about 100 yards out, sticking out of the water. And this was the beginning. We haven't even gone a mile yet. Wherever we looked, we saw destruction and lives that had been lost.
We then headed down to another area, more the Gulf side of town. It was here that my heart really began to sink as I saw a stone memorial with a bunch of flags around it. Upon further investigation, we found out that the area it stood at, used to be the VFW hall and that people had graciously brought flags to the site to restore it's purpose. Just down from it on the beach was a man cleaning an area around a flag and fountain, that no longer worked. On the fountain, were the emblems of each service. I asked the man where we were standing and he told me it used to be a beautiful memorial for veterans. It has been damaged by Katrina and destroyed by Rita. I asked him why he was cleaning it up now and he informed me that they had troops returning from Iraq that had been gone for 7 mos and it was the least he could do for them. There is to be a parade, but they have no where to hold it. These men and women who fought for our freedom are returning to no homes, no town and more devastation than they dealt with in Iraq.
We drove for another 10 miles along the coast and continued to see the same things. Lots with foundations but no homes, church's that now were just blue tarps but still serving the people. Clothing, shoes, teddy bears and debri blowing in the wind. We returned to the church and thanked Pastor Murphy for his directions and gift of letting us see the town. We told him we would return Sunday after church with cleaning supplies and items he had requested and headed home to Perkinston. It was a somber ride home, almost like leaving a funeral. There was no laughing, only remembering and sharing. We were blessed that night to have dinner at Pastor Irvin's house and the sweet fellowship with his family and Pastor Daniels and Elsie. We got to know more about our wonderful new family and God took the pain from our hearts and allowed it to turn to a story for Him.
We returned to our home that night with a renewed sense of His spirit and ready to tackle the next day. That night, Sarah Pavlik, one of the original 4 that went down, and a friend of hers, Lisa and Sarah's son joined us. We had pictures from the day that I wanted them to see because I told her she had no idea what she was going to see. You see, we didn't see this much devastation when we went to Gulfport 10 days after the storm. I wanted to do my best to prepare her, but pictures only speak so much. We went to bed that night ready for God to prepare our hearts and mind for His word as we worshipped at Tuxechena the next day.
(more to come)
