Technical difficulties

I have tried several times to post additional pictures, because they tell another level of the story. But blogger.com is having technical difficulties and I keep getting a message that says, "Unable to complete your request at this time." This is very frustrating.

But as I sit here grumbling and moaning at 6:15 in the morning, I am quickly called to remember where I am and what I am doing. Posting pictures doesn't mean that my daily needs will be met. There are folks here who rely on places like the Red Cross, Habitat, Lutheran Disaster Relief, Common Ground, and others for their day-in and day-out needs.

Like yesterday, we met a neighbor of the man whose house we are mucking out. She is frustrated. Frustrated that it has taken her so long to get help. Frustrated that she had just retired and can't afford to move anywhere else, but home. Frustrated that the rats and mice don't seem to stop. Frustrated that the "young ones" don't come back and muck up their own houses, while the "old ones" do it themselves. Frustrated that she is one of the few who have returned to rebuild. Yet she opens up her FEMA trailer so that the ladies (and men if necessary) don't have to squat behind fences of empty houses to go to the restroom. She is frustrated, yet she holds on and opens her hand and her home to those who come into her 'wasteland' of an area.

Then there is the 26 year old man whose house we are mucking out. Frustrated that this was his first house that he had bought, just six months before the storm, and had all but JUST finished renovations. Frustrated that he had 'signed-up' with three disaster relief organizations back about eleven months ago (LDR was the only one to call him back). Frustrated that he couldn't get time off of work to come and be with us while we are gutting his home. Frustrated that all of his memories - pictures, diplomas, etc...are gone. Frustrated that his parents who lived 15 houses down the road are still displaced. Yet he reminds us that he and the rest of us get so caught up in "stuff" that we forget about life. Additionally, he told of an 'agency' that had offered to muck his home for $.99/sq. foot, and he was moved by our volunteer time for him, that he donated $250 so that others could benefit from this same service.

SO, the pictures aren't able to load up just now. SO, you might have to wait for a traveling road show, or a one-on-one conversation with me. SO, things aren't going just as I have planned them. In the end - it doesn't really matter. What does is the movement of the Spirit of God down here...the presence of Christ in others...the promise of new life. Patience is a virtue they say...well Lord, teach me to be patient and serve.