September 10 — I am viewing Hurricane Katrina disaster relief "through a soda straw." I haven't see a news broadcast or had time to read a newspaper since I arrived in south east Mississippi last Tuesday. I can't comment on the emergency response in New Orleans or on U.S. and foreign government relief efforts. But through my soda straw, I see the extraordinary work of the faith community and non-governmental organizations along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

Obviously, not every person in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana is providing direct support to hurricane relief. Today, we purchased the final materials for our first volunteer camp to be set up this weekend in Gautier, Mississippi, just east of Biloxi. After we had rung up $1,000 in PVC pipe (shower frames), rolls of black plastic (ground clothes for our tent camp), lime (in case our Port-a-Potties don't arrive), and hack saw blades, I paused to talk to the young Home Depot cashier. She knew she was helping the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance team by viewing our sweaty T-shirts. Then, she said she wished she could do more. I paused and gently explained that none of the people "out there" could be helped with rapid debris removal and house repair unless she was "in here" helping make supplies available. Then she told me that after work each day, folks from her church were visiting the shelters in town just to be with folks. They listened to stories, held babies, cried a little, shared a part of a meal, and prayed together. In my mind, this gift of accompaniment is ever as important as any done with chain saws, bleach buckets, and crow bars. I know she knows that too.

If you haven't found your way to be a part of Hurricane Katrina relief, I ask you to think hard about it. This isn't a "red state/blue state" thing. It is not an issue of race. For now, it is all about relieving suffering, just as you might need to be assisted in the aftermath of a massive forest fire roaring up our mountain sides or a giant winter snow storm burying hundreds of homes in our towns. As part of a much broader community, we are in this together.