I spent the week with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance gutting homes and listening to a beautiful people who have lost so much.  Out of all the experiences I had, my favorite and most grateful moments came through my time interacting with Mr. Ronnie Fountain.  Mr. Fountain walks carefully, but has so much life in his eyes. He's about 5'5" and told me that he is 78 years old. His home was completely flooded and he lost everything but what he put in the trunk of his small green Hyundai.  He had lived in his home in Biloxi since he was 10 years old, and before that he lived down the street. 

Mr. Fountain worked 40 years for the VA in Accounting.  After he retired he worked as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher.  He said he loved teaching ESL and it seems that he is most proud of his relationships with former students, even one whom he says is his first student who lives next door. 

When I walked into his back yard I saw a beautiful grove of fruit trees.  It reminded me of my grandparent's backyard...always lush with trees proudly tended to. He had a grapefruit tree, a pecan tree, and so many more. I imagined Mr. Fountain playing in this backyard as a child, planting gardens in the spring, and sipping lemonade in the summer with his parents.  I looked to the house and imagined that his parents grew old and he took care of them, with all the kindness anyone would hope to be cared for with.  I imagined the memories he probably held of the day they died and sweetly left this earth. The house looked empty, but I knew it held a lifetime of memories that this sweet man holds in his heart.

My new friend Jennifer, one of my team mates, and I were taking a water break from ripping moldy drywall out of the house across the street when Mr. Fountain and I met.  He came over to us timidly and said "I was wondering if someone might be able to help me out with my tangerine tree." I had heard about Mr. Fountain, and of the fondness many had for him.  His simple kindness was a relief in the mist of this chaos. We gladly offered to come over to help, and followed him into his backyard.  I looked at his cute craftsman home, now stripped to the wooden studs.  We walked past his FEMA trailer parked in the driveway, now his home.

or even able to be pulled together by an old garden hose.  We pushed, and the shape of the tree was restored.  Then Mr. Fountain took the hose and wrapped it around certain branches and tied a good strong knot.  Do you know what? It worked!  As I looked at the tree, I realized that there was still life in the branches; the leaves were green, and tangerines bright orange.  I looked at it and smiled as I saw how thrilled Mr. Fountain was that his plan was successful.  He went on telling me about the variety of tangerine it was, and how it was his very favorite.

I got to thinking about it on my way home...maybe this land is the same.  It appears broken beyond repair but when we gather together, healing can take place.  It doesn't look hopeful as so much is destroyed and people stand dumbfounded looking at the plot of land their homes once stood on.  I know that this is what Jesus does with our lives. He takes a seemingly impossible mess and by His death brings us to life with Him. It’s good to know that God is still God even when parts of the world feel like they’re falling apart.

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