I recently had the opportunity to go to Mississippi to help with the relief efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina. I journeyed with five other members of my church, Westwood Baptist, and approximately 41 others connected to a different church, McLean Baptist. The trip was planned by McLean and it was a great trip. We journeyed to Pearlington, Mississippi. Pearlington is a tiny hamlet located six miles from the Gulf and very near the Mississippi/Louisiana border. It was an eye-opening experience. The devastation is incredible, but so are the hearts and spirits of the people who still call Pearlington home. We worked through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) of Mississippi. We were able to work on three churches and two homes. A lot of the work was demolition--cleaning things out and ripping things down to the structural frame. Some of it was rebuilding--putting in insulation and drywall. All of it was hard, rewarding work! As I continue to reflect on the experience of this trip, I will update with more thoughts and observations. As for now, I find myself somewhat speechless.
