Emily Roberts

I wanted to update you on my trip to Mississippi, and thank you for all of your prayers. It was in incredible and life changing experience. The amount of destruction was overwhelming. There were houses completely destroyed, many of which were simply gone, and the ones still standing were uninhabitable. Many people are still waiting for FEMA (gov't) trailers so they can live on their property. We drove by a Walmart, and you could see straight through to the trees in the back.

I ended up being able to help out in a local food tent called "God's Katrina Kitchen" for 2 days. Here I was amazed to meet an elderly woman who had been serving night and day for 6 weeks and still had a smile on her face and a word of encouragement for everyone that came through the line. I particularly enjoyed meeting people from the area and from other volunteer groups here. One day I even got to speak French with a some Hatian Americans. Cooking in the back was fun too. I got to stir a huge bin of cooked carrots with a canoe paddle. :)

The rest of the week I worked on mudding out homes. The last one I was at had been untouched for 2 1/2 months - you can imagine the smell of the pantry and the rotting clothing. We simply took everything - furniture, ruined possessions, dry walls - and put them along the road for the state/gov't to pick up. Many of us were able to meet the people whose homes we worked in. It was special to be able to encourage them and listen to their stories. A young couple visited the church we stayed at and shared about their experience loosing 3 cats the storm and having to swim out their window and spend 6 hours in a tree as they waited for the 20+ feet of water to go down.

It was a sobering experience realizing that all this destruction is right here in the U.S. If any of you ever get the chance to go down and help, I would highly encourage it. You won't be the same afterwards, and there is still so much to be done. One of the biggest lessons I was reminded of is that it's all about the people. These people needed our help, but even more our prayers and our love.

As our motto for the trip said, "Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God's hand for that person." (Prov 3:27 The Message)

God bless,
Emily

Isaiah 52:7 "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news."