One evening one of the host families invited us for a cook out. We followed another car into the driveway and got out. As I moved past the first car those inside had not yet opened their doors. When I approached the front passenger door I opened it and Kris turned and stared at me. She looked as though she had been crying. I asked if she was ok and she said in a very small voice, "they're alive, they're alive". She put her head on me and cried great tears of relief and joy.

For the past several years Kris has been working with a group of Indians of the Atakapa Tribe. They are about 40 in number. Their livelihood is fishing, and they live at the mouth of Grand Bayou in Louisiana. That area of the coast was very heavily impacted and it was unknown at that point what had happened to the people. Rescue workers had not been able to get into the area and fly-overs showed total devastation. Apparently the Indians sensed something was about happen. They took 11 of their boats and 40 people up the coast and found safe haven in a small inlet. They were able to get their boats tied together before the Hurricane struck. After the storm a few of them left the boats and walked to Houma, Louisiana through the swampy bayou area of South Louisiana. After four days they were able to call Kris to let her know they had survived.

Kris had just received the call on her cell phone as the car pulled into the driveway. Needless to say it was a very emotional time and an evening of celebration for everyone.