Wednesday has been a very event-filled day. I am posting this blog report early because I am going to spend the evening with Odell and Carol. Finally, a home-cooked meal!
We started out this morning with "work orders." These are follow up visits to people that Samaritan's Purse (SP) helped build or repair homes hardest hit in Biloxi. What a treat! The people have been very gracious.
We visited a great grandmother, Fannie and her 4 year old great-grandson, Anias. She told her story to us. She and Anias and two others stayed. The storm surge came all-at-once. It filled the one-story house up to 8 feet. They climbed into the ceiling rafters to escape. Anias said that his grandmother was "sucked into the water" and almost drown. She fell through the ceiling panels into the rapidly rising waters. In as quick as the water entered the house it also left. And this happened each time the surge came in. They remained in the ceiling crawl space for hours as the storm raged. What a terribly frightening event. Anias was still living out that horrible event. Pray for little Anias.
We also had the awesome privilege of meeting with a single mother who has started her own business in the poor neighborhood of town which was also hard hit by the storm. I asked if a group of us could stop into the new store and bless it for God. She agreed. We met with her and as we prayed with her she wept. She was very grateful. We bought some things too. Her first sales to people outside of the state! Cool! She is very courageous. While many are leaving, she has decided to stay and start this business. I have taken many pictures so I can show you the items she is selling in case you want to place an order too! Pray for Teshina and her 5 year old daughter and 12 year old son. Her mother and father's home is being remodeled by SP team. (She and her kids live with her parents.)
We also met with the Dep. Chief of the Biloxi Police Department to pray for him and his staff. Dep. Chief McGilvary is an incredible leader. While his home was destroyed in the storm along with 46 other officers' homes, he guided, fed and networked nationally to help thousands. Keep them in your prayers.
One more story. We met with a woman who needed help moving boxes to storage. We helped and wouldn't you know, her adult daughter was helping and I discovered that she lives in Naperville, IL. What a fun connection! She is employed at Lucent. We talked and prayed together. She even knows where Wheaton Wesleyan Church is. I invited her to attend there, of course.
That is all for now. Be blessed!
