Seen in the eyes...

There has been an awful lot to take in and I have only been here since Wednesday - and this is my second time down here since the storm. And yesterday, I broke. I broke down in tears in the van as we drove through the lower 9th ward, and then into another area were we stopped at a cemetary. I broke down in tears because I guess, the shock and awe was gone, and now I am just raw (and as I type this I realize that the folks who live here don't have the luxury of leaving in a few weeks or shutting off when things are just too raw.) I broke down in pain and deep sadness. I broke down in anger and horror.

But I also broke down while being held by a hope I can only begin to articulate. This is the hope that I saw in the eyes of those we have met. In the eyes and the hug of Mary who said "I am sad, but I have God. I am tired, but in God I rest." Hope in the giggles we shared as we talked about the four dogs that she has acquired since the flood, that seem to give her the strength to keep going.

I saw this hope in the eyes of the man who operates "Common Ground" a small and 'run-down' free shop in an all but abandoned neighborhood in the lower 9th. They offer blankets, clothes, shoes, food, water, internet access, job boards, and a tool library where you can borrow tools you might need to clean out or begin to rebuild. The hope in his eyes and in his voice was that life will return and to do that, we must just simply do that.

I saw this hope in the tired eyes of a man working at Common Ground as he cleaned off yellow squash - some of which were rotted beyond use, yet his love and care as he picked up each squash was enough to salvage a few in the box.

I saw this hope in the eyes of two women who were stopping by the shop to pick up blankets, as they told us where their houses 'were' and that they are just freezing in their FEMA trailer.

I continue to see this hope in the eyes of folks like Pastor Barb Simmers, who put their entire lives into their ministry to and with any who have suffered and/or suffer from this storm and all the fall out that still continues. Part of this fallout being her own lack of a home and the catch 22 that she 'makes too much money to qualify' for programs like Thrivent Builds, and yet the sky-rocketing property values makes buying property all but impossible. Yet there is hope. Hope that I beleive she and others hold onto when there seems to be nothing else.

What is at the base of this hope? It is a trust and faith in the promise of God in our lives. Each of these people speak of God's promise of presence and help in times of trouble. Amidst frustrations, pain, anger, and unkept promises, all of these people ultimately fall back on this promise. And when they can't hold onto this anymore, I trust that this hope and promise of God holds them fully and completely in the loving arms of the savior of the world.

Its hard and what makes it harder is that sadly most of the country has forgotten that there is still such great need, or believe that they should be able to take care of themselves. The reality is that it is much needed and will be for the years to come! If you haven't prayed for this area, fro the people, and for the recovery - please say a prayer. If you haven't financially offered support (not matter how small) please pray about your contributions to vairous charity/church-organizations (Lutheran Disaster Relief, Peace Lutheran Church, or Habitat for Humanity for example.) If you haven't been down here, and are able to - please pray about your work and assistance down here.

More later.

Kim C.