Hurricane Ike

Day 1 of Travel

Answering your call doesn't always go smoothly but one thing it does is give you perspective on all the things that can get in your way. As with all the times I have set out in the name of His Kingdom aimed to help people devastated by disaster, leaving today was full of set backs. I won't share all the details but know that the two hour delay and some particulars were not enough to stop me from getting on the road to Houston, Texas. The anticipation of what's to come out-weighs any delays. As I look back on the first time doing first response I recall the looks on the faces, the tears of loss and the overwhelming dis-belief. We all wonder what would happen if it happened to us..... these people are beginning to know the answer to that now. What we don't know is how God can show His love through all of it. One thing I learned 3 years ago was that I was attaching my self-worth to more material things than I care to admit. Just like those who lived through the wrath of the hurricanes I was brought down to the realization that things are just things, it's the lives spared that make the difference. The lives that through the ugly head of a disaster are shown what really matters is that God is always reaching out and that all we need to know is, open our hearts to him and turn it all over. Trust in Him to lead us in the right direction, starve to know what He has ahead of us, live our lives in a way that is pleasing to him and guess what...Salvation is to come!

As I travel tomorrow the anticipation will be building as the miles mount behind me. I long fore the chance to be the eyes, ears,hands and feet, blessed by God, to reach out to any and all who are in my presence. I pray that I speak through him, listen with compassion, touch those who need to be touched and walk in His footsteps letting the victims know that there is a community of people hopeful to help in whatever way possible.

Organized Acts of Kindness and Sacrifice (OAKS) is committed to reaching out to the needs of others. I will be reporting those needs to CTR once I arrive in Houston. I am very anxious to get on site to start reaching out to all those in need! Please keep them in all your thoughts and prayers!

Day 2... Still Traveling

Again the day was filled with trains, planes, and automobiles. No, I did not take a train or a plane but there were plenty of them in site. The other vehicles that in abundance were semi-trailers! Industries must to be booming if I were to gage them on the amount of trucks on the road. Also there were several convoys of commercial electrical maintenance trucks heading north. The power throughout the Coast must be getting back to normal. As with other hurricanes that I have responded to, electricians from all over the country respond immediately and work endless hours to get the affected areas up and running. These workers are to be commended for their commitment!

Driving for 13 hours gave me more time to spend with God. I always feel like he is in the passenger seat so there are many deep conversations that happen. Many prayers said and worship songs to fill in the non-talk times. As I look back on the day, it flew by as if only a few hours passed. Spending time with those you love is always that way. Isn't it? I will have another 4-5 hours to go yet tomorrow before I reach Christian Temple Church in Houston. I spoke with the office director today and am excited to hit the ground running once I arrive at around noon tomorrow.

Internet service is not as accessible as what I would have like which did not surprise me, so as you read these it may have three days grouped together.

One of the things that the CTR Church body may have some interest in is that the family in Black Creek, WI are very close to having their home project completed. The foundation has been completed and wheels are in motion to set the home and seal it up. Allen and Crystal are praising God for all the help that all the volunteers have done to get their home completed. In my absence, I had to turn it over to some other hands while I am in the South but again, confident that it will be only be a matter of weeks until it gets done. Praise The Lord!

Until tomorrow, God Bless you all! Your prayers are so appreciated!

Day 3.... Almost There

After about 5 more hours of driving I was nearing Christian Temple Church and guess what... God had other plans... The need was greater for me to go to The Vineyard Church in Webster, Texas which is only about a half an hour from Christian Temple. So mid-way between Houston and Galveston I was eagerly met but The Mercy Project leader and the Pastor of the Church. A team from one of their other operations on New Orleans was due to arrive within a short time. The Church did not suffer any damages other than loosing power for five days but are blessed to be located near a lot of the damage and additionally blessed to have warehouse space to set up a volunteer camp. It was said that getting the "camp" ready would be one of the tasks we would undertake. The first thing on the agenda though was to feed the hungry. We loaded up the vans and trailer with all the supplies needed to have a good old cookout.
Found a spot in a neighborhood that looked in need and started cooking burgers. there was lemonade, water, burgers a cold veggies salad, cookies and a lot of love. People started coming, and the word spread. We were there for just a couple of hours and were able to bless over 500 people with meals. How great God is! He knew just where we needed to set up. t us out be we he mosquitoes were trying to drive out but we were not leaving until the food was gone. There were a few meals left when it was pretty dark so we decided to bring them to the Fire Fighters at the station next to our outreach spot. They were thrilled!!!

Once back at the church we were able to fellowship a bit and get to know each other. The volunteer team from Columbus, Ohio has some really wonderful people with huge hearts. It is always great to get to know the members of the teams. It was about 11:00 when lights went out. Another day of great things!