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Greetings!
It’s been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina reshaped the city of New Orleans. And it reshaped Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS).
Days after Katrina came ashore and caused massive destruction, I secured a private plane and flew to the affected areas. I landed in Mobile, Alabama and was welcomed by the late J.D. Landis, pastor and overseer of the Good News Fellowship Churches, and his wife Mary. The pilot, Steve Craven, and I joined them for supper by candlelight and the sounds of generators.
The seemingly endless destruction was mind-numbing. I put my head in my hands and cried. Where do we begin? Without hesitation, JD responded, “Kevin, we must start with the churches.” So with a van borrowed from Choice Books, loaded with cans of gas, generators, and a satellite phone, we visited Mennonite churches.
Those were unforgettable days. Since then I have often said, when investigating a disaster, take your shoes off. Because you are on holy ground. The way God led us in so many miraculous moments – was profound.
After one particularly long day, I climbed into the back of the plane and slumped down in sheer exhaustion. Steve asked me if I had anything to eat. “No,” I said, “I haven’t eaten all day.” After he took off into the clear blue sky, he reached back and handed me a half of a sandwich. I was too tired to pray; the only blessing that came out of my lips was a childhood prayer:
God is great…and God is good.
And we thank him for our food.
When I look back, I realize we learned many lessons that imprinted MDS’s response today. The most important is that disaster survivors have continued to affirm MDS’s work as a beacon of hope and impressive example of what it means to follow Jesus.
I am sure many of you have your own memories of responding during Hurricane Katrina. In the coming weeks, we will be sharing some of your stories—and please feel free to share yours with us as we look back together.
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