Signs…
July 3, 2006
Thank you, first of all for your prayers and kind words, Emma Grace thanks you too!
I am sitting in a hotel in Slidell Louisianna, trying to put my thoughts into words. My children spend 3 weeks with their grandparents every summer, who live in Oklahoma. This year we decided to meet half way in Houma, LA. On the way back, we agreed that we wanted to visit New Orleans and Slidell, LA.
While driving in New Orleans, the first thing that I thought about was how hopeless these people must feel. Their homes are gone, their livelyhoods were washed away. It was so unreal to see 3 story houses with 10 foot trailers parked outside, the houses completley flooded and un-inhabitable. While we were driving through an extremely nice neighborhood, we stopped to talk to a lady walking down the street. I am very interested in peoples stories, and this lady had a few! She was from Florida, and had come up to help rebuild the area, her homeland. She ended up buying 12 houses in the area, each for $30,000. These were 3 story beautiful homes, that were abandoned and demolished. She told us how in the attic of one of the homes she had purchased she found an elderly woman who had died waiting to be rescued. Just last week she found her. There are so many homes with question marks painted on the outside of them, which meant they had not been searched yet. I was completely shocked. On the outside of each house there was painted an X. Beside the X there would either be NO (no occupancy) NC (no casualties) or DEA (Dead body found). We saw so many DEA’s.
I was amazed watching these people, wondering how I would feel if I were in their shoes. You would expect them to be bitter and angry- abandoned. Ironically, they were still very proud and loyal to both their city and their country, despite the circumstances that surrounded them. Many of the houses had signs in the front of them which referred to God. “God still loves you” God hasnt forgotten Us” “God still reigns in New Orleans”. How amazing is that? Everything they loved and held dear was gone in an instant, yet they still were able to cling to the hope of their Savior.
I was completely moved by this. It caused me to reflect on my own circumstances with our family, and our daughter. So many times I have balled my fist up and shake it at God and demand an answer. So many times I felt abandoned and unloved. Yet, how many times do I not look past my own circumstances? These people were survivors, they were rebuilding their town one house at a time. Neighbors were helping neighbors, strangers helping those who were helpless. Christ’s love was so very appearant there, even in the parts of the town that many wished would have washed away.
I can all but guarantee you that those people have had their moment of rawness with God. I can almost hear their cries and frustratoin. I picture them in the depth of the valley crying out “WHY?”… but then, from what I saw this weekend, I pictured them rising up and counting themselves blessed. I saw them claiming their hope, and grabbing their grace. I was touched by their determinaton to not fall victim to their circumstances. They are fighting. They are raw and honest in their fight, and they are determined to win.
I encourage you to look around you right now. Look at your physical blessings, look at your family and your friends. When you feel as if the world is falling down around you, I encourage you to hold onto the promise of the signs we viewed in the front yards of people who lost everything. God is still in control. God still loves you. God still has a plan.
I will never forget those signs.
Here are some pictures of our trip… the last is the most touching.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Comments
Note From Heather: All comments are welcome, but I reserve the right to delete at any time. All comments are solely the opinions of the individuals submitting them and the publication of them on this blog does not imply my endorsement or agreement. By posting your comments to the blog you are granting me the right to use them. Your submission of a comment constitutes your acceptance of this comment policy.
In other words: Play Nice
7 Responses to “Signs…”
I would love to hear from you!
Wow. That’s all I can say. We used to live in Baton Rouge, and while I’ve been there since the hurricane, I haven’t been to New Orleans. Powerful pictures. And blessings to you and your family as you travel….
Heather, thanks for sharing your thoughts as you travel, and for the pictures, too. Sometimes it all just seems like another sensationalized news story, until I see the real people the hurricane affected.
(And on a lighter note, I love your new profile picture!)
Hello Heather,
My best friend lived in Slidell. She now lives in Georgia, after Katrina. The devastation is awful and so sad.
You are loved more than you can imagine, I have never met you and I know if we lived by each other we would be friends.I find it amazing how we can touch each others lives yet do not really know each other. I believe for me God ordained the ladies on this blog so we could be encouragement for each other. I concider you a dear friend most definately and pray for you everyday, that God would put his arms around you and enfold you in his peace and compassion.
Please know you are not alone though I know it seems that way at times. Thats why I believe it is so important to tell your story.
You are loved.. Happy Fourth To You Friend
It is so good to get perspective and look at the suffering of others and learn from their courage and fathfulness. What the victims of the hurricanes suffered is indeed brutal just as what you and your family have had to endure is heartbreaking. Fortunately though I don’t think God compares tears. I think he comforts us all the same, whether the tears are from a bruised knee or a bruised soul.
Thanks for sharing the pictures and your thoughts - once again I will try to deeply drink in the peacefulness of my surroundings and thank God for the good day I am living.
Hope you a wonderful trip - you deserve it:)
I grew up in Beaumont, TX, which was almost wiped out by the hurricane that hit right after Katrina. I remember three terrible hurricanes when I was growing up but nothing nearly as devastating as Katrina. It’s heartbreaking and unimaginable to me, what these people are going through. A very touching and thought-rpovoking post. Thank you.
Amen, God is still in control. I need to remember those less fortunate than me whenever I get down on my own circumstances. I believe God is opening my eyes to my own sin of wanting more and not realizing how good I have it in my life. (wow, that was confession time, and I’m glad I got to share it with you)
I was there in March…….I came home quoting the mayor of Slidell who came to the place we were volunteering….he said “IF we don’t go home and tell people what we saw, encourage others to come down it would NOT get done.” Thanks for reminding me to tell about it…..