October 11, 2005

I could tell it was a Presbyterian Church right away. Two minutes before the hour the worshipers were in the pews, and most of them sat in the back three rows. First Presbyterian Church of Bay St. Louis was the place, and I was really surprised to see so many in attendance, almost thirty of them! Exactly one month after the Hurricane Katrina completely destroyed the community, I was privileged to be a part of this worshiping community on this World Communion Sunday, worth every minute of the two-hour drive.

Let me back up a bit. I told you in my last letter that I learned of Katrina while assisting famine relief efforts in Niger. Shortly thereafter, Haejung and I drove to Denver for a mission fair. On September 19, Haejung drove back to Indiana alone and I went to Mobile, Alabama, to assist in the relief efforts of the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Initially there were no lodging facilities available for the relief workers and our church decided to build tent villages to accommodate volunteers from all across the country. In times like these, it is not just the labor they provide, but the sense of community struggling together to work through the difficult times. This is very similar to our purpose in overseas missions.

The houses of the members are a different story. The Reverend Ted Hanawalt lost his house, along with the most of the members. This is a church with 71 members, out of which only three families remain in town, all others are staying with their children or friends in other towns.

The first time I met Ted we went on pastoral calls together. The first call was at a member’s house where volunteers were doing the back-breaking work of cleaning out the water-logged house. All the furniture, clothing and other personal goods had to be discarded, as they had been under water for a few days followed by a few weeks of 95-degree weather. The house had to be gutted to the studs before an assessment could be made whether the house can be saved. I asked one of the volunteers, a pastor from Huntsville, Alabama, whether, in his opinion, the house could be saved. He replied, “Probably not, but as long as the owners want to try, we have to support them.” This is a labor of love. There is something more important than efficiency of labor in this ministry.

We met a man there who had lost all his possessions, but his spirit was high and he did not dwell on the difficulties. When I asked him whether he will buy a house and stay in the area, he replied that he would, but “now, I don’t need a house with big closets.” I was moved and honored to be with a man of faith.

I had to be a part of the service at this church on World Communion Sunday. I found most of the church members were elderly folks, yet held onto their faith firmly, like Ted, and were excited to talk about the opportunities to reach out. PDA’s decision to establish a work camp on the church grounds and operate as one body together with the volunteer efforts already active in the church was well received, and I believe it was an encouragement. I saw the church at its best, I am so privileged.

These efforts will continue as long as the needs are there. The PDA team remaining on site is working diligently to match the groups wanting to help with those who are in need. They are also educating volunteers about the need to be sensitive to the emotional state of the people who have lost all their possessions. We have also learned that the work villages need volunteers without a strong need to be pulling down sheet rock and cutting up fallen trees. We also need volunteers who stay at the camp and do housekeeping chores, answer phone calls, orient arriving volunteer teams, able to be good listeners to those who are struggling to control their emotions in the face of devastation, which is almost every one of us.

We have committed many errors during the start-up period, but it is amazing how far we have come in five weeks: People are being served. There is much to learn, but we are very encouraged by the expertise and the energy that exist in our church. One good example is the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina. They arrived on the scene with all the skills, experience, and materials to set up a functioning camp very quickly. Yet, they were humble, flexible, and caring as a group. I personally learned a lot from them and adopted their procedures for all the camps, and I was supported in every step of the way. Thank you Paul, Dorene, and all the angels. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone. I have to mention a few homeless persons from California and Indiana who volunteered to come and help, and the church groups who invited them to join their groups. I do not know enough to judge whether our efforts are technically sound, but I am blessed to experience the goodness that exists in our church and the people.

I know our God is blessed. Visit the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Web site for further information.

I got home at 8:00 p.m. on October 6 and left for the mission fair at the Twin Cities Presbytery in Minneapolis-St Paul the next day. We enjoyed the hospitality of all, especially the love of Walter and Susan. Our personal highlight was Haejung making the debut as a preacher on Sunday morning! We returned home safely on the October 10, yesterday afternoon. In three hours, I will be leaving for Lahore, Pakistan. No, I am not directly engaged in the relief efforts for the earthquake victims, but we continue to pray for them and should the opportunity arise for me to help the children of God I will be ready. Niger, Gulf Coast, now Pakistan. I hope these are correlations not causation.

I hope to see beautiful autumn colors when I return from Pakistan and walk in the woods again.

Haejung & Simon

The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 118