Post Cards from the Gulf

Since September 2005, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has sent more than 5,000 people to the Gulf Coast to help in the rebuilding effort there after the devastating hurricanes.  Here are some reactions from members of First Christian Church, Richlands, N.C., who spent some time and energy traveling to, and working in, the Gulf. 

• "This was their dream home and I wonder if it really is anymore. I thought that as I watched him [the 29 year old] go to dialysis."  —Sue Miller
• "The next time we have a hurricane and I am without power for a week, I have a few limbs in my yard, and I feel hot and dirty, I won't complain." —Beth Brown
•  "We should have been here before now." —Ken Brown

Already, 500 volunteer groups have traveled to the Gulf (toward DHM's goal of 750 by September 2008), but much work remains. Disciples Volunteering staff expect it will take eight to 10 years for the Gulf region to return to where it was before the storms. If you would like to make a difference in someone's life, contact the Rev. Tod Iseminger at (888) 346-2631 or tiseming@dhm.disciples.org.

Port Arthur, Texas: One family's story

Wanda Mitchel lived in her small family home on Gulfway in Port Arthur, Texas, all of her life, until Rita. You remember Rita, don‘t you? She followed on the heels of Katrina. Wanda, 47, has three children, 21, 16 and 14. She has been fighting cancer on and off for four years. Sometimes it is in remission, but now the cancer has returned.

Wanda and her children were forced out of their home after Rita badly damaged her roof and the house was flooded with hurricane driven rain. Her roof, ceiling, walls, hardwood floors, carpet, furniture, clothes, and all of their belongings were wet, moldy, and trashed. The house, her family home, was in ruins. Then came the church volunteers, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Disciples, and others. After several months, she now has a new roof, and the inside of her home has been restored, but she still can't go home. Given her health and her employment status-she has no job, combined with the rent payments on their current place, she simply does not have the money to turn on the gas, electricity, water, and telephone so she can move back into her home. Mitchel‘s caseworker is trying to help raise the money for her to move back in. I pray it will be soon.

She is only one of thousands who have lost their homes and cannot return home. Blue FEMA tarps still cover damaged roofs, but they have shredded from more than a year of weathering, and now the houses are wet inside every time it rains. Volunteers have arrived from North Carolina, and Kentucky, and Sharmen Hartson from Tennessee is here. For some, this is their third trip to work on the gulf coast and we are getting to be old friends. These are the best of the best, giving weeks of their lives to come do hard work to help people they have never seen before. This is "loving your neighbor as yourself" and I thank everyone who has been here and encourage anyone who has not to please start planning a mission trip now as there are thousands of stories like Wanda's. If you can't come to work, please pray for us, the work we are doing, and the people still homeless on the gulf coast. And support our efforts with your financial support. This is a good thing we are doing; come join us.

Mike Lee is Mission Station Manager, Port Arthur, Texas.

Disciples are invited to work with Mike in Port Arthur, Texas, or work at any other Disciples Mission Station in the Gulf Coast. If a work project is not possible for your congregation, then consider contributing money to Disciples Volunteering toward the effort. Either way, Disciples can make a difference in the lives of those affected by disasters.