Faith, Family and Friends

Blank faces, clenched jaws, and tear filled eyes full of unexplainable pain and fear were the expressions the people in Cameron community displayed.

Many people were still in shock, others were frantic about fixing their homes, not wanting to give up their land that was passed down from generations. A vast majority had no intention of returning.

These were the responses after hurricane Ike hit.

Ashley and I met many hurting, but strong people while mucking out homes. A closer relationship was formed with a wonderful woman, Yvett.

Her home went through hurricane Rita three years ago when she had to tear everything out. She had been back in her home for a year and a half and now she is back in the same situation.

This time, after hurricane Ike, she is left to do it all over again, getting three feet of water and thick, black mud throughout her home.

A week after the storm she couldn't even get to her house due to all the water.

Everything was destroyed: her sausage making business along with the freshly butchered cow in her freezer and the okra she used to sell.

This hard-working woman who drove school buses and made sausage for a living was beaten down, and on the verge of tears she asked us to help with the work on her house.  

With sadness she told us about the volunteers prior to our arrival throwing out everything in her house and ripping the doors off of her high kitchen cabinets, which were never touched by the water.

They had thrown away many other personal items that could have been saved because they weren't damaged. We soon realized the severity of her trauma after the storm.

She asked me to ride with her in her car to her damaged home, feeling uneasy with driving alone and wanting to be with someone during the time.

She explained to me her fear about the insurance company dropping her because they claimed she missed a payment and that made them free from giving her the money to help her with her house. She also carried a huge burden aside from Ike.

Two weeks after the storm her daughter-in-law's mother was missing after falling from a shrimp boat in the middle of the night and she had the job of finding sitters to watch her son's kids and comforting the family through their hard time.

Luckily, two days later, they found her body and she attended the funeral. Not only did she have to deal with the family death, but she also was busy mucking her own home and fulfilling her responsibilities as a local school bus driver.

Her husband told her not to cry so when she saw her house destroyed she held back her tears and never cried about it.

This woman is someone with a heart of gold who wants to help others with their homes while also restoring her own.

She wants to make a difference in her community, along with so many others.

This is only one story of the many who were affected by hurricane Ike.

Giving out of Nothing

I met a wonderful woman in Creole, LA that Christ used to transform my ideas about giving out of nothing and enduring whatever comes.

When Morgan and I were down in Cameron Parish on the forth we had the heartbreaking privilege of treasure hunting with Stephanie.

She had lost her home in Rita and again her house was completely irreparable after Ike. We were sliding through each mud covered room salvaging what we could.

It wasn't a fast, adrenaline powered job. We worked slowly, somberly, treating every possession, whether lost or savable, with reverent care.

In one of the kids rooms, under a water damaged mattress and boxspring we came across a yearbook, completely covered and mangled by mud and water. It had probably made it through Rita.

Now all the memories and loyalties and attachments that a yearbook can create or recall were gone.

On my way out of one room, seemingly finished, Stephanie stopped me. "Can you get that too?" She pointed to a tiny pink wind chime hanging from the ceiling in the back corner of the room. Small enough to be missed by me but unforgettable to Stephanie. I got a stool and lifted it off its tiny hook and she placed it among her savable items. It was a hard day.

But Stephanie's constitution and her deep hospitality and love overshadowed any anger or sadness or selfishness that would be completely acceptable and expected from someone who has lost everything... again.

Stephanie's brother brought water to drink and Stephanie and her friend Cheryl got lunch from the Salvation Army food truck for our team. When she had so much work to do and so much must have been going through her mind, she stopped to make sure we were fed.

At the end of the day we sat around outside and just talked with them and listened to their individual stories. Her house devastated behind us, mud covering every article of clothing, we sat and shared and became friends.

I'll never forget that day.

Perseverance will always seem attainable to me after meeting Stephanie and her family. Most unforgettable is her giving heart.

A few days after we got home I got a call from Stephanie.

She said that she really wanted to make our crew dinner as soon as her food stamps were in.

She is living in a hotel room with no money, no home, waiting for assistance to buy food so that she can make us dinner. I have thought this, and said this so many times... I am so blessed.

When people thank me I cannot help but say it back. If only they knew! If only they could see what they show me... about life, about hope, about love... about Christ!

If only they knew how God was using them!

Communities serving Communities

From all accounts, this has been a very difficult season for many up and down the Gulf Coast and our nation as a whole.

Having survived the threats of Fay and Dolly, and weathered the storms of Gustav and Ike, we are all very thankful that the physical damage in our area didn't live up to the dire forecasts.

Unfortunately, those directly in the paths of the most recent storms weren't so lucky, and the financial burdens from the past and recent storms continue to hinder ongoing recovery efforts for us all.

The one thing we have learned from all of the trials and tribulations of disaster recovery is that the people in this region are survivors.

Having lived through similar destruction from Hurricane Katrina, our community and surrounding neighbors began collecting necessary supplies and helpful relief items with the intent of giving back and serving a community that was out of the spotlight.

Our FEMA field representative told us that Cameron Parish Louisiana had been hit very hard and there were very little in recovery resources allocated to that area.

Representatives from St. Rose Outreach and Recovery, PNEUMA - Winds of Hope, Habitat for Humanity, Lagnaippe Presterberian Disaster Relief, small churches, and the Medical Clinic came together to organize a community relief effort to help our neighbors in Cameron.

When we pulled up to the check point outside Cameron, the Sheriff said “You are in the right place!”  Bonnie and I smiled, “Right Place at the Right Time”, sure sounds like home.
 
The people we met were amazed and encouraged that the community of Bay St. Louis is able to help anyone.  As we pulled into town there was an ambulance driver named Rusty that said, “It is the smile, that is what we need.” 

Rita hit this region in 2005 with demolishing winds and high water that wiped homes and businesses off their foundations.

This time around, Louisiana was on the northeast side of Ike's surging waters and, according to figures from the National Weather Service, took on an extroardinary amount of water with an estimated storm surge of up to 15 feet.

The recent round of flooding was a significant blow to efforts to repopulate the extremities of south Louisiana, a subtropical landscape that has steadily vanished and become more vulnerable to hurricanes because of 2,000 square miles of coastal erosion.

In addition to downed power lines, washed out roads and destruction for miles, complicating clean up efforts are the number of roaming alligators and poisonous snakes, flushed from habitats making extreme southwestern Louisiana unsafe for residents to return after the storm.

Prior to Ike, Cameron Parish’s population had rebounded by nearly 80 percent of its pre-Rita population of about 10,000.

However, the cost of construction to meet new standards is high, and there have been long waits for insurance payouts and government recovery money needed to meet the expenses.

How you can Help

Since Katrina, the growing sacristy of financial assistance, and dwindling resources from charitable sources, has had an exponential effect on the slow recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast.

The urgent events of re-entering daily life, and the hardships of temporary displacements, are becoming more frequent and difficult to bear without help.

In response to the growing economic hardships caused by the challenges of re-entry post-storm, and the drain of unplanned pre-storm expenses, we have initiated a program called

Re-entry And Evacuation

(RAE of Hope.)

The RAE of Hope program is intended to provide temporary assistance to residents for necessities such as food, rent and fuel. We are currently raising money to help purchase Wal-Mart gift cards in the amounts of $25, $50 and $100 to give to needy families.

We encourage everyone to prayerfully consider supporting this program and your financial support and donations are greatly appreciated and tax deductible (Pneuma is a registered 501(c)(3) non profit organization.)

Mailing Addresses for RAE of Hope Donations:

PNEUMA Bay St. Louis Office

412 Main Street
Apartment B
Bay St. Louis, MS 39520
228-382-6253

PNEUMA South Wayne Office

5964 State Road 78
South Wayne, WI 53587
917-204-2484

St. Louis Give Back, Build Back

Breezy warm air greeted 27 residential and long-term volunteers this AM. A reminder that hurricane season is in full swing and tapping at our doorstep was the unpredictable Tropical Storm Fay. That possibility helped to energize the crowd as building the short-term volunteer house, affectionately called “The Mirandy House”, had a wind of its own.

Young and young at heart worked side by side. Laughter rang through the empty shelled house, prophetic of what is to come. Workers and laborers to help the over 2,000 families still in temporary shelter are on their way to help us get the job done.

Working alongside these volunteers will be residential volunteers, some who are not yet in their own home. The gratitude extends past what each individual has received in a quest to see the Bay-Waveland area rebuild and community restored.

All enjoyed a refreshing lunch and when the day ended, sighs were heard. Some sighed with thanks the day was done, but most sighed - SO MUCH YET TO DO.

Birmingham Youth Group is Growing

A regular crowd of about 17 teens has been showing up every Friday. Last Friday numbered 24, as the group is reaching out and drawing other kids from the community to come and check out what Family Life Worship Center is talking about!

Discussions, chosen by the youth and directed by a few dedicated leaders, including Jaron Manyama, are being held every week. Last week’s discussion topic was drugs: the effects on the body, the mind and the spirit, and what the Bible has to say about it. “I’m not picking the topics” Jaron said, “they are! And they want to know about this stuff! And they are coming back the next week!”

Last Sunday was the beginning of a new, separate Sunday service for the Youth. The kids are excited to attend and participate! They are ready and willing to share their talents… some dance, some rap, some write skits! They are psyched to show what God has given them and what He is doing in their lives.

Weekly skits are being planned and a praise-dance team has been established. Every taste of the new and beautiful possibilities of God leaves them hungrier for more! Continue to keep them in your prayers as they continue to discover and learn about the love of God, our Father, the Creator of life!

Bay Bridge up for Peoples Choice Award

As you know the Bridge over the Bay Of Saint Louis was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.  We were isolated from the rest of the Coast for about 21 months.  A simple trip to Pass Christian which used to take about 10 minutes, after "the storm" took about an hour.
 
The new bridge was built with local input.  An art competition was held and their work was crafted into brass plaques made from plates salvaged from the destroyed bridge. 

These plaques are on the walking path every 1/10th of a mile.  At the entrance are pylons also adorned with art.  At night the bridge is a sight to behold with ambient lighting casting a glow into the water below (this is also very good for fishing).
 
The bridge is now a finanlist for the Peoples Choice award in a National Transportation contest.  Take a minute and vote for the Bay Bridge.

www.americastransportationaward.org/Voting.aspx

Two New Grants Awarded

PNEUMA is proud to announce that SOAR (St. Rose Outreach and Recovery), under the leadership of Di Fillhart, has been awarded a grant from the United Jewish Communities to begin training and implementing resiliency training in Hancock County, Mississippi.

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Additionally, the collaborative community efforts of SOAR, Habitat for Humanity and Lagniappe Presbyterian Church have been rewarded by receiving a grant from AmeriCorps for 20 full time position. The positions begin January 1, 2009 through December 31st 2009. The AmeriCorps positions include a monthly stipend, meals, lodging and a $4,700 educational stipend.

Anyone interested in serving in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, please contact Di at di@pneumawinds.com or call 228-382-6253.

School Bash

To help underprivileged kids in the community prepare for the new school year, SOAR (St. Rose Outreach and Recovery) organized a Back To School Bash this past Sunday. We had anticipated that 150-200 people would attend, our normal "Sunday Supper" attendance, the first annual event.

Our activities begin at 5PM, but by 4:30PM we realized that God had special plans for this event. A Church in Jackson, Mississippi had donated $1,000 for school supplies, but by 6:00PM we had distributed all that we had. An estimated 300 people attended the event and we had a strong turn out from the St. Rose Church youth, all of them in varying stages of recovery from Katrina, to help with the event. They served food, helped pass out school supplies and ice cream, and when we ran out of school supplies a couple of the youth came over and said "these people are really in need, so I gave them my school supplies."

The next God sighting for the evening was when we realized that our meager supply of food would not be enough. So we began praying BREAD AND FISHES and WOW God came through big time. It was so cool to watch how two cases of ribs, one small pan of potato salad and macaroni salad fed EVERYONE! People were amazed when we told them there was enough food for seconds and in the end still had leftovers - EVERYONE KNEW JESUS WAS IN THE HOUSE. God is so amazing and good all the time. May your storehouses be filled with the joy and love of Jesus!