Mary Lundquist

There are no words to describe what I felt, saw, did, experienced, and learned during my week in Pass Christian. It was physically and emotionally draining but so rewarding. My spirit came alive as I put myself aside and invested in other people! It wasn’t a sacrifice to work there for a week – it was pure joy.

I can describe some of the images I saw:

  • a house on top of railroad tracks
  • a concrete mailbox from down the road wedged high in a tree
  • Christmas decorations strewn around
  • fields of debris; this wasn’t “trash” – it was a symbol of what life used to be
  • a small pink backpack

The residents I met made all the devastation so much more personal.

I think of Keith and Michelle, who swam out their back door and clung to a tree for safety. I think of Dean, who returned after the hurricane to find the foundation of what used to be his house. I think of Mary, who lived in the same house for fifty years and has nothing left but memories. I think of Pat, who lived in a tent on her property for two and a half months after the hurricane.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed. There are so many needs – where do we even start? During an evening service, a local pastor challenged us with the words, “If you’ve only seen the destruction, you’ve missed it. God wants you to see the power of the resurrection.”

The stories of the volunteers there are one source of hope. I was inspired by Greg, who handed out hamburgers on the street and watched his ministry multiply to serving over 2000 meals a day. I was inspired by Miss Marge, a 74 year old woman who drove down by herself from Michigan to help in the kitchen for seven weeks. I was inspired by Phil, who was hitchhiking to Nashville when he got picked up by a guy on his way to Mississippi; Phil now runs a massive distribution center. I was inspired by Stan and Kathleen, who moved nearby a month before the hurricane hit and now volunteer at least once a week at the distribution center to keep their spirits up.

Out of despair, there is hope of restoration. That’s what our team was all about. But it wasn’t just about restoring homes that had been destroyed. Or even just about restoring fragile, worn-out spirits. God used this experience to restore my own relationship with Him that had grown tired and boring. He rocked my world, and I will never be the same.

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