That was the hardest work I have ever done. The heat, humidity, smell and everything else you can imagine along with the emotional instability of the home owner was almost too much to handle. We "Mucked a house" today. Basically that means that we went through all the stuff in the house and saved what we could and trashed everything else. We also had to tear out the sheet rock and basically just clear out the house of everything.
The deal now in New Orleans is that if these people don't have their houses gutted in the next three months, the city puts a lean on their property and they lose it. Some are trying frantically to get things done while others have given up hope of saving anything.
I fear I would be one of those people who would give up. With what we did today I don't know that I could stand in the back ground while a bunch of kids took sledge hammers to my house. Now grant it, these people signed up for this, but my first thought would have been to bulldoze it and start over.
June and her husband Craig were grateful for the work we did today but as June and I talked throughout the day I found myself fighting off tears she had cried many many times. Today, I experienced a ministry I have never encountered.
"Tearing down to build up." Easy to say, hard to swallow. Ripping down a life time of memories to begin to build new ones while harboring a fear that your new ones may last only a very short time.
Remember how blessed you are an Bless others.
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2 comments:
Wow... so hard to believe there is still such desperation. I am glad you are sharing your thoughts Mandy Shae.
I thought about you the other day during worship. I imagine you are blessing the church in powerful ways.
Hey Mandy,
Being from there, I want to thank you for the work that you are doing. All of my friends have had one church group or another come and help clean up the mess. Those people are more thankful than you will know. You will eternally be remembered as "the church kids that came to help us clean up." Your presence there engrains the name of Christ into memories of those who sought help. Friends will see the joy in the eyes of those who were desperate for help. Grandkids will here of how Christ's people were the ones gutting houses and cleaning the muck out of carpets. The nation will know that the church will be there in strong numbers, even when FEMA fails.
Thank you for being the thunder for Christ!
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