Ward 9

Sorry I haven't been here recently. I just returned from New Orleans. Right now my heart is heavy as I had the opportunity to see just a little of the suffering that has gone on in that city. There is trash everywhere, piled up by the houses, along the interstate, on the street corners. It looks like a third-world country. Two things really brought all of this into something that is very real: 1. Seeing the spray painted X's on the house giving the date when it checked and the numbers indicating the number of bodies or pets found, and 2. Seeing the water marks on the house. Being able to see just how high the water made it up on the houses and buildings.
Ward 9 is a ghost town. You drive through and you see through the houses, empty, some "mucked" all the way down to the studes. We'll be working down there in about six weeks, me and 21 others from Southwest. I don't think we even know what we're about to face.
What I did see down there was hope. There have been over 4000 people who have come to the Tammany Oaks Church of Christ just since Katrina. Many have been members of the church. Some haven't. But all come with the willingness to be salt and light in a community that lives in darkness in so many ways. There are stories of giving, stories of discovery, stories of love and sacrifice. Soon there will be another 500 of us converging on the city for JINO (Jesus in New Orleans). And I hope that's just what it will be.
I'll write more about some thoughts on this trip later. Right now I'm just glad to be home. I hope you've had a great day. JW