Praying for Pearlington
In 2006, Brandon and I were blessed to be part of a mission trip to Pearlington, Mississippi. Our church had adopted that town after Katrina, and sent down reconstruction teams about every month. We were part of a very large group, half of whom went down for reconstruction, and half of whom went down to put on a Vacation Bible School and Sports Camp for area kids. Brandon and I participated in the VBS/Sports Camp.
We were deeply affected seeing the devastation, how widespread and complete it was. Everywhere you looked, not a tree standing, debris, FEMA trailers. You had to see it in person to believe it, and we went a year after Katrina hit. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like during and just after the storm. Utter destruction.
But more than the environment, the people stuck with us even more. We met and got to love on about 100 kids through the VBS/Sports Camp programs. They possessed strength and wisdom from surviving the storm - strength and wisdom that kids shouldn't have, shouldn't have to have. They taught us a great deal about gratitude, contentment, and what is truly important in life.
Now as Gustav bears down on the gulf, those little faces are flashing through my mind, and the names are heavy on my heart.
Lord God, we acknowledge Your wisdom and power, Your ultimate control over all aspects of this world You have created. Humbly we ask that You will protect the people of Pearlington, those we grew to love during our short visit and those we never met. For all people in the path of this storm, we ask Your mercy, Your provision for their need, Your hedge surrounding their bodies. And we praise You, even in the face of such destructive power, for we know that everything has a reason, and that You do all things well.
We were deeply affected seeing the devastation, how widespread and complete it was. Everywhere you looked, not a tree standing, debris, FEMA trailers. You had to see it in person to believe it, and we went a year after Katrina hit. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must have been like during and just after the storm. Utter destruction.
But more than the environment, the people stuck with us even more. We met and got to love on about 100 kids through the VBS/Sports Camp programs. They possessed strength and wisdom from surviving the storm - strength and wisdom that kids shouldn't have, shouldn't have to have. They taught us a great deal about gratitude, contentment, and what is truly important in life.
Now as Gustav bears down on the gulf, those little faces are flashing through my mind, and the names are heavy on my heart.
Lord God, we acknowledge Your wisdom and power, Your ultimate control over all aspects of this world You have created. Humbly we ask that You will protect the people of Pearlington, those we grew to love during our short visit and those we never met. For all people in the path of this storm, we ask Your mercy, Your provision for their need, Your hedge surrounding their bodies. And we praise You, even in the face of such destructive power, for we know that everything has a reason, and that You do all things well.
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