Epilogue

I’m going to keep this last part short and sweet. However I want to make sure that everyone who reads this takes home two major points: Number one -- Even though the media has moved on to other things and Katrina is now considered “Old News”, things are not all right in the Gulf Coast. There is still a HUGE need. As the body of Christ, we need to realize that we are in this for the long haul. It won’t be in a matter of weeks or even months that healing will be brought to this area. It will take years for normalcy to return to many areas of the gulf coast. If you’re consistently praying for this area and giving financially, I want to encourage you to keep doing it just as much as you were in the weeks after the disaster. If you’re not, now is the time to start praying about what God would have you do to help. I believe that we all have a role to play in this effort whether it be praying, giving, or going.

Point Number two: When I got back from New Orleans, my friend was telling me about an article that she read with the headline “New Orleans to the United States: ‘Have you forgotten us?’” When she told me about that, I was able to confidently look her in the eye and say, “I can’t speak for the nation but as for the Body of Christ, the answer is definitely ‘No!’” God is doing amazing things through his Church in Louisiana and Mississippi. I think for example about Mother Robinsons house. When I told one man at my church Mother Robinsons story, he gave me a disbelieving look and said, “How did they get that house built so fast?” I don’t want to come down on this man because I confess that I had to refer to the Christian Science Monitor article (see footnote under Wednesdays entry) to make sure that I had really got my story straight. The man at church was absolutely right: under normal circumstances, Mother Robinson getting a new house so quickly would be impossible. However the circumstances in the Gulf Coast right now are anything but normal. Ladies and gentlemen, God is doing absolutely amazing things among the rubble and the heartbreak of Louisiana and Mississippi. In this disaster, we have seen Gods power. It’s been spread all over the evening news for months and months. But what most people don’t know about is the mercy that God is showing at the same time. People are coming to Christ by the thousands. Areas that were once flooded by water are now being flooded by volunteers from thousands of churches across the United States and Canada. These volunteers are letting God use them to bring healing to the region one person, one family, and one home at a time. Individuals and groups of Christians are working far beyond their capabilities and no one seems to be able to explain in human terms how they’re getting so much done in so little time. The church has, in fact, become so effective at meeting the needs of these people that in many cases, FEMA and other agencies are looking to the churches for direction! So as hard as it is, try not to greet stories such as Mother Robinsons with disbelief. Just remember those words of Jesus, “With men it is impossible but with God, all things are possible.”

I hope that in this journal, I was able to impart some idea of what is going on in the Gulf States. Let me just say again that I believe everyone in the body of Christ is called to play a roll in this operation. God is not going to use FEMA, the Red Cross, or any other agency to bring healing to that region. He’s going to use His people. That, friends, means you and me. Thanks for reading.