Melanie Reber '03
Submitted on September 19, 2005
I am back now from Gulfport, Mississippi, and WOW, what a trip. God was continually faithful throughout the week we were down there and showed Himself in awesome ways.
The devastation we saw was truly shocking, but what impressed me the most were the people. From the residents to the volunteers to the military, everyone was just amazing. The spirit down there was definitely not one of defeat but of perseverance, unity, and thankfulness.
I went down with Christ in Action ministries. The services we provided included serving three meals a day (serving more than 5,000!), goods distribution, housing repair (roofing mainly), chainsaw crews, ice and water distribution, and more. So needless to say, we were busy! But the people were so thankful for every meal, every bag of ice, every smile, and every prayer. The most exciting thing for me down there was interacting with all the different people, especially the residents.
Among other things, I got to go out into the community to assess homes that needed help in cutting up fallen trees and then go back with a chainsaw crew and actually do it! My favorite part was praying with residents when we were done and seeing the look of hope fill their faces where it had been either faint or fleeting.
My favorite God story was when, as we were driving around, He directed us to the house of a single mom and her youngest daughter. We pulled up just as the mom was about to reach her breaking point because she had a huge tree down on a fence in her backyard. Unfortunately not everyone is so kind in these situations, and her neighbor was giving her a hard time about the tree and someone else was going to charge her $3,000 to cut up and take away the tree! It was awesome to see relief and joy flood her face as we offered to cut up her tree for FREE in the next couple of days.
It turns out that she is a nurse and single mother of three girls. She and her youngest daughter had just moved into the house three weeks before the storm hit. They decided to wait out the storm in the house. They watched the waters rise and realized that they had no way of escape because their upstairs windows had been bolted shut from the outside and they had a galvanized roof. I can only imagine watching the waters rise and waiting for the moment when you would have to jump into it. Thankfully the waters didn't get to that point, and they were saved. We prayed with them and left, but I will never forget them.
I know that there is a lot going around out there via the media but please know that the Church as a whole is at work down there meeting the needs physically and spiritually. Church-based distribution centers are doing so much down there and receiving little or no acknowledgement from the media. But God is, was, and will be faithful. Please keep these people in your prayers and all of the people that are down there helping for strength, hope, and joy in our Savior. God bless!
P.S. One special gift that I got down there was that I got to meet the President of the United States! That's right! I was in the middle of cleaning out some nasty rotten food and there he was! So I quickly took off my nasty gloves and I not only got a handshake, but a hug and a kiss on the cheek as well! It was awesome! He also signed my ID and I got pictures as well! God is so awesome in the way He blesses!