 It is easy to make our way through life believing everything is about us! Sometimes we see the lives of others touched by catastrophic events and we are relieved that it didn’t happen to us. What does it take to cause us to see that the affects of life really do touch us when they touch someone else? A tragedy? A disaster? A hurricane?
During September we in the North Texas area have been reminded that it is not always about us, but about those who have been affected by its destructive results. In late August and early September 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought great destruction along the Gulf coast from Mississippi through Louisiana and into East Texas. Three years later many areas are still not rebuilt; people are still displaced; and cries for help continue.
Now in late August and early September 2008 we have experienced a similar pattern of destruction. This time the hurricanes were named Gustav and Ike. Destruction covered a similar amount of coastline but Galveston and Houston replaced New Orleans as the prime target. Once again people are displaced
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from their homes; food and water are in short supply; and basic services of water, sewer, and electricity are not available in many of the hard hit areas.
Many agencies, like FEMA and the Red Cross, respond in such times. But there always seems to be a little skirmish over who was first and who provided the most help and who deserves the credit. From my perspective, the Disaster Relief Units of Texas Baptist Men and of the Southern Baptist Convention have already worked for two or three days on their own by the time the others come to town. These Disaster Relief Units, composed of Christian men and women from local Baptist churches, volunteer their time and expertise in the most difficult of situations to administer genuine help to the hurting in the name of Jesus.
During the past few weeks, individuals from Denton Baptist Association churches have served meals, cut trees, cleaned mud out of homes, helped people find assistance, and presented the love of Christ in action to people in the hardest hit areas of the state. Locally, Camp Copass and many church volunteers assisted and encouraged evacuees from Louisiana as they found shelter from Gustav at the camp.
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Several churches provided food for the many evacuees standing in day-long lines registering for food stamps. Others have provided, out of their living, basic necessities for local charities and for shipment to the Gulf area.
Our area wasn’t struck by a hurricane. Our homes aren’t piles of lumber today. Our electricity still operates our lights and air conditioning. Our sewers still allow us to flush and our water is safe to drink. Our grocery stores and restaurants still meet our need and taste for food.
But, disaster in other parts of the country are also about us. God has given to us the opportunity to demonstrate that we care about others. He has given us the privilege of sharing our food and our money with those who now have neither. He has given us the challenge to forego some of our normal routine to volunteer our energy in clearing away debris in the hopes that homes and businesses can be rebuilt.
This edition of the Connections lists opportunities and contacts for providing help and assistance to Hurricane victims. The devastation our neighbors down south experienced provides us with an opportunity to respond in Jesus’ name. Let’s be found faithful as churches and as individuals.
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