The Narrow Gate: Day 233 - Seven Weeks of Work

The Narrow Gate

Welcome to the continuation of my blog, post-seminary. Ministry and evangelism have brought me back home to Chattanooga. I welcome your company on my journey.

The original blog, Down In Mississippi, shared stories from 2008 and 2009 of the hope and determination of people in the face of disaster wrought by the hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005, of work done primarily by volunteers from churches across America and with financial support of many aid agencies and private donations and the Church. My Mississippi posts really ended with the post of August 16, 2009. Much work, especially for the neediest, remained undone after the denominational church pulled out. Such is the nature of institutions. The world still needs your hands for a hand up. I commend to you my seven stories, Down in Mississippi I -VII, at the bottom of this page and the blog posts. They describe an experience of grace.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Day 233 - Seven Weeks of Work

I took the time to do a retrospective of our work this Fall. I just looked at our work at Orange Grove (Gulfport) where we work on homes from Pascagoula to Pass Christian, MS. This fall we housed and utilized about 216 volunteers over seven weeks.

I tally that we have completed construction work on thirteen homes and taken a large step on two others. Thirteen families are now in homes where there is no longer worry over leaking roofs, rotting floors or window frames. They have homes where small children now sleep in "civilized" conditions, they actually have a bedroom with beds and can bathe in a shower or tub in a functioning bathroom. FEMA has been called to collect trailers, the sign of a completed job.

All this just in the eastern part of Mississippi. We have had churches from Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Arkansas, among others. We are so grateful. Thank you all.

I must also mention in this eastern area of Mississippi that we have an unabated flow of families and individuals who are in dire need of help as a result of damage from Katrina.

We still need your help. We have a home where there is a father with two pre-school and elementary school-aged children that a still living in a trailer while their home stands unlivable. We have the home of an elderly couple that I am desperate to get into their home by Christmas, but I have no volunteers. I may spend much of the early weeks of December hanging drywall with one of my work-site managers.

Would you consider a great Christmas gift, to forgo the chestnuts by the fire, sipped spiced cider and the gaiety of a decorated fir with wrapped presents underneath to come to Orange Grove or Pearlington in December and help us give someone a true Christmas present, the gift of love? Why can't we double that accomplishment of thirteen homes?

We have plenty of room for volunteers between now and March.

I'll try to get you a summary of our work in Pearlington in the next few days.

3 comments:

Curt said...: I'll try to get you a summary of our work in Pearlington in the next few days.
Still waiting for that summary.
I was working with others at Miss Kitty's house 1st week of November and I know the inspections are now scheduled. I and others check with Mike almost daily. We have 80 plus folks freezing here in Michigan waiting on the news that she has moved in, and also any other news from the other Pearlington neighbors and friends we have made on our 5 trips to Pearlington.
Curt; November 29, 2008 at 9:09 AM
Unknown said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; December 23, 2008 at 1:49 AM
Unknown said...: Curt, please send me your e-mail. Ms. Kitty is done, i have a summary of others.; December 23, 2008 at 1:50 AM

Gates

The gate pervades the Good News. Peter entered the temple gate after the Jesus’ arrest to deny him. Poor Lazarus lay at the rich man's gate, longing for the crumb's from the table, while dogs licked his sores. The blind, lame and paralyzed lay at the Sheep Gate at the Jerusalem temple waiting at the pool with five porticoes for healing water. Jesus warned of the easy road and wide gate to material ease and spiritual destruction and calls us to the hard road and narrow gate to the waters of life.

necessary disclaimer

This blog is created solely to communicate to my brothers and sisters how one person sees adversity bringing out the greater character of humanity. It's early part relating connection to the volunteer relief effort in Mississippi after Katrina and later work with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program and the Presbyterian Church(USA) is solely through my participation in them; this blog does not carry any sponsorship from these fine organizations or purport to speak for them. All original content is that of the writer who holds the copyright to all original writings and art or other works (See Creative Commons License above). Every effort is made to identify content from other sources which have been obtained from open internet sources. It's more recent content contains sermons and lessons used in preaching and teaching. The url to scripture are obtained via http://bible.oremus.org unless otherwise indicated.

Texts quoted from oremus bible viewer are from "New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved." and "New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved."