Some have asked about homes either side of FPC. This is the home to the east... I believe it will be salvagable. The Booth home to the west was destroyed, but the Booth family are all alive and accounted for. I do not know of the Collins family but will try to ask around for information.

There's alot...

... to say tonight. But I just can't make the words come out.

I'll try to get more out tomorrow.

Please continue to pray.


B

Shoot 1st, ask questions later

The sign says it all. This appeared behind an apartment complex in Ocean Springs which we came across while traveling to help the Willistons clean up their mess.

I wept for...

the first time tonight. This picture is why.

This is my friend Skip, mourning in front of what was once his grandparents' home. It will be demolished soon. This picture originally appeared in the Albequerque Journal.

Recommended C.H. Spurgeon (from Nelson Schoon)

Morning, August 31

"On mine arm shall they trust."
--Isaiah 51:5

In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy storm that wrecks a man on such a rock as this! O blessed hurricane that drives the soul to God and God alone! There is no getting at our God sometimes because of the multitude of our friends; but when a man is so poor, so friendless, so helpless that he has nowhere else to turn, he flies into his Father's arms, and is blessedly clasped therein! When he is burdened with troubles so pressing and so peculiar, that he cannot tell them to any but his God, he may be thankful for them; for he will learn more of his Lord then than at any other time. Oh, tempest-tossed believer, it is a happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father!Now that thou hast only thy God to trust to, see that thou puttest thy full confidence in Him. Dishonour not thy Lord and Master by unworthy doubts and fears; but be strong in faith, giving glory to God. Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now is the time for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in thy weakness, and magnify his might in the midst of thy distress. The grandeur of the arch of heaven would be spoiled if the sky were supported by a single visible column, and your faith would lose its glory if it rested on anything discernible by the carnal eye. May the Holy Spirit give you to rest in Jesus this closing day of the month.

Update 9/2/05

Peaks and Valleys:

Today was an incredibly rewarding, productive day. After waiting in line for ~3 hours for gas again, one of the attendants noticed the MNA Disaster Relief sign on my truck and allowed me to skip ahead (this probably saved me at least an hour, maybe more). Fortunately, that didn’t start a riot. Anyhow, we met up at Christ Presbyterian Mobile again, made a quick trip to Target for supplies (where they gave us 6 bags of ice) and then finally got over to Biloxi around 1:30 PM.

Laura Dueitt and I continued (slowly) removing the carpet from the sanctuary at First Pres. Holly took Curt Moore to work on Curt & Kelly’s roof and then went on to her offices to check on her co-workers, etc… Midway through the afternoon, the Batsons (husband/wife/many daughters from Christ Pres) along with Toby (MNA Disaster Relief coordinator) and Lee (Ben’s son… the other MNA-DR guy), Albert Leavengood and Scott Kennedy showed up to help. By sundown we had removed all of the pews and the wet carpet from the sanctuary. This accomplishment was the highlight of my day. Also, the Batson girls and moms were able to walk the neighborhood with sack lunches for people. Mr. Batson then drove them down to one of the shelters downtown where they were able to give out baby bottles full of formula.

When this was all over, the Batsons departed in their Suburban and Lee/Toby departed in Lee’s truck. We went to pick up some additional gas cans and drop off blowers (to aid in the drying out rooms) for tomorrow. While at one of those homes, we heard about a wreck on Interstate 10. Anyhow, as we were travelling from Biloxi to Mobile we received a call that the Batsons, Toby and Lee had all been involved in a 5 vehicle accident (2 of which were 18 wheelers). Toby/Lee flipped twice and totaled the truck but were unharmed. The Batsons got clipped but were also okay. One man had to be airlifted to the hospital (I am told that this man also lost his home this week). Please pray that God would continue to protect us as we travel. Also, please offer praise that no one from our relief team was injured. Finally, please pray that the injured man would recover fully and quickly and that he finds a home. Right now we must remind ourselves often that God is indeed soveriegn and hope that one day we will be able to look back at this time and see the fruit (at least partly)of what He is now doing.

Websites:

One of my college buddies has connected with another friend on the internet to help MNA set up an additional way to register people who are willing and able to help victims of this hurricane. Go here or here to check it out.

Families:

We received word today that the Schultings home was also destroyed. Bill Schulting is an elder at FPC Biloxi. I understand that they are in Bloomington, IN staying with their daughter and son-in-law.

The Rochs also lost their home.

The Everetts have sent word that they are OK.

The Willistons house had water in it but is structurally intact.

We were very concerned that one of our members may have been lost as we had not heard from her since she mid-storm called another member frantic as water was rising in her home. However, we were able to confirm today that Kay Pringle was picked up by another of our elders yesterday and is indeed fine.

Here are pictures of more of our members homes courtesy of David Allen.

Holly & Batch: Plans/Emails

People keep asking us what our plans are. Our plan is to get up tomorrow and keep working to help get the church building useable and to help church members and the community at large recover. Then we’ll probably do it again the next day. Beyond that we don’t have any plans. We’re just not at that point yet.

We are very, very, very, very grateful for all of the emails, comments, offers of support, encouragement, etc.. that we have received from all of you. I am very sorry that I haven’t responded to each of you personally, but we simply do not have the time to do so now. Please continue to send messages, post comments and let us know what is going on beyond Biloxi.

Alligator in the halls?

From what I understand rumors of the alligator are true. However, the gator was in the Gulfport church fellowship hall, not in Biloxi. (We live in Gulfport but worship in Biloxi…). Anyhow, supposedly the National Guard ‘took care’ of him and he is still residing there on the floor. I haven’t witnessed it, but I have it on good authority to be true.

The smell/flies:

Every time we pass over a bridge, we notice a very strong, unpleasant odor. Fortunately, this odor has not followed us to the church. The flies however have. We are applying insect repellant liberally.

Worship:

Lord willing, we intend to worship at FPC Biloxi Sunday morning at 10:55. I think we will either gather in the Fellowship Hall or on the front lawn. Please pray that many from the community would join us and that our worship would be glorifying and pleasing to God.

Pictures:

We took pictures today with our digital camera (all previous photos have been camera phone). However, the cable which connects it to the computer was lost in the house. We hope to get a replacement tomorrow so that we can share those with you.

Can you get here from there?
If you can get to Mobile and if you want to come help you can. Christ Presbyterian is currently serving as the launching point for crews to come to Biloxi to clean up. We are going back and forth each night. If you are intrested, please coordinate with MNA Disaster Relief... they are doing a fantastic job. We may have as many as 40 people here tomorrow to help our efforts to restore the sanctuary and help the community at large. Don't let the naysayers discourage you... if you can get down here and are willing to help, we'll find a job for you. Kudos to Toby and Ben.

Update 9/1/05

I returned to Biloxi again today. Nearly every home on the beach has been destroyed. First Presbyterian is one of the few remaining structures. This may be a stretch but on the bright side, it is remarkably peaceful along the beachfront now without the traffic or other related city noises. This must be similar to what life was like here long, long ago.

First Presbyterian:
Toby (from MNA disaster relief) and I worked on the sanctuary today. We began pulling out carpet, padding and pews so that the sanctuary will dry and hopefully we'll be able to salvage the grand piano. The floor is covered in smelly, watery muck and debris. Remarkably, only one windown pane is broken in the sanctuary. The front doors are completely gone. The pews are in tact but covered in the same watery muck. We are hustling to get as much out as quickly as possible.

The educational wing (not sure what else to call it) of the church building sustained significant roof damage. Subsequently, most of the classrooms have wet insulation and ceiling tiles scattered throughout.

People:
From what I understand, Tim, a regular attender at FPC who is homeless rode out the storm under a tarp behind the mall. He is alive and well and is watching over the church property and working on the clean up. Judy Johnson and her family had ~5 feet of water in their home and are staying in David Allen's house. Skipper and Sally Ann Jones are well. Bobby and Michelle Carson have a generator, running water and plenty of diapers and the hospital where Michelle will deliver the baby is at the ready. Many of the Leavengood clan arrived from points northward today to help Doug & Lois (and the rest of us) recover. They brought clothes and shoes and underwear for Holly & I for which we are VERY appreciative. I'm sure there are more people updates that I've missed... I'll try to post more as they come.

General:
I cannot adequately convey how smashed everything here is. ~9 of 10 homes on the beach are either completely gone or have been reduced to a pile of rubble. ~3 of 4 buildings in downtown Biloxi are gone. Massive casino barges (3-4 stories tall... similar in size to a small cruise ship) are strewn across Hwy 90. I don't know how they'll get them out short of complete disassembly. Where there was once a bridge connecting Biloxi to Ocean Springs, the road drops off into the bay. Cars are in the bay. Cars are crushed on the side of the road. You can see through the 1st 2 stories of the casino buildings. The 1st 2 floors of Pelican Cay (apartment complex) are washed completely out.

There are public safety crews from all over the country here. I saw ambulances from what seemed like every county in Florida. NYPD was on Hwy 90 in front of one of the runaway barges.

Holly and I:
The reality is beginning to set in for us. Holly has been amazingly strong but tonight while working on some FEMA documentation she began to break down. I am still numb/cold. But I am beginning to come to grips with the fact that we may be financially kaput. We have been cared for in so many ways by so many people. Our hearts are warmed and comforted by the outpouring of support. But we are afraid. The coming months will become a great test of faith and endurance.

Again, I cannot begin to thank all of you who are finding ways to help us. The show of love and kindness and compassion is truly remarkable. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Waiting for gas...

This is the line outside of a gas station this morning in Mobile, AL. Bobby and I arrived there at 5AM. The owner sent the police out at 9:20 AM to tell everyone there he wasn't opening his store today. Very frustrating.

Runaway barge

Sanctuary, center carpet removed

Sanctuary, moved pews

Insurance uncoverage...

If I am reading the policy correctly, it seems as though our loss may not be covered by our hurricane insurance. There is an exclusion in there for 'tidal surges' and the like that I'm afraid they may try to invoke to keep from paying our claim.

Please pray that they will look upon us favorably and will find a way to pay.

We are also having a difficult time contacting any of the insurance providers, banks, etc... I'm sure this will continue for quite some time.

I think we will head out shortly to try to find gasoline and a decent meal. In the last few days we've eaten lots of chips, pop-tarts, etc... We did have one solid meal last night of burgers, hot dogs and beer courtesy of Bobby's mom.

Batch

Sanctuary at FPC Biloxi.

View of the corner of Thornton and Beach, Gulfport.

More FPC Front Lawn. The tree shown is the only tree lost on FPC property in the storm.