The Time for Restoration is Now
One year after the floods and devastation caused by hurricane Katrina a team of youth and I joined others who had been serving there for various duration's since the disaster. We had all seen the devastation on TV and had spoken with a number of our fellow servants who had since returned. Their pictures brought tears to our eyes, we felt as if we had an understanding of their pain and their suffering, we had compassion on them. However nothing can prepare you for the utter pain and devastation you not only see, but hear, smell, and experience with all of your senses as you walk upon the ground and touch the ruins of such a devastated place. We were headed toward the ninth ward crossing the mighty mississippi, the van was bustling with the excitement of ten or so youth and leaders anticipating the day and enjoying serving together. Then without warning the joy came to a sudden end, all conversation stopped, the joy was instantly replaced with gasps of horror as we now viewed with our own eyes the reality of the devastation. No longer were we viewing the destruction from afar , hearing stories and seeing scenes on the television with compassion, we found ourselves in the midst of utter death and destruction. The silence was largely maintained as we walked among the ruins, ruins that were one day the birthing places of the dreams of those who had inhabited this now desolate land. As we walked our minds began to tell us stories of those who had lived here, we saw with our own eyes the reality of their loss, we smelled the smells of death, we heard the deafening sounds of desperation in the midst of silence, and as the soggy ground gave way to our footsteps we felt the emptiness of a land without hope. Cars were twisted masses of metal protruding from every orifice of what was once a home, or many homes suddenly thrust together into a mass of inseparable belongings. There was nothing here of value, all was lost in that one fateful day, every possession they held dear was destroyed in the blinking of an eye, their world had been in every literal sense turned upside down. What was one day dreams had now become desperation, what was once hope was now hopelessness, and joy and laughter were replaced by tears and suffering. As we walked I tried with all my might to place myself in their shoes, I asked the Lord for understanding and compassion in order that I might somehow understand their loss, yet try as I might I could not feel the depth of their pain no matter how hard I tried. I wanted so badly to understand their hurt in order to minister to them, yet it was as impossible for me as it was for those who lived just a few short blocks away whose homes were still standing. You see there were those who had lost it all, there were those who had their homes damaged, their were those who had family members die, those who lost pets, and those whose businesses were destroyed, and while they all shared a common event they did not share in the same pain, for each it was different. For some the pain only came as far as a news report, and for some it came to the very roof they were perched on for days as they watched the lifeless bodies of friends and relatives float by bloated by the searing southern heat. There was truly only one thing they shared completely in common, pain from a disaster that changed their lives, nothing more.
As I walked through the ninth ward I found it rather ironic that one of the few buildings left standing was a church. The one sign to all men of true hope, the gathering place of the believers, a place of worship, a place of prayer, a place of love and support. I am reminded today as I ponder the events of my own life over the past twenty months or so of my time in Louisiana following hurricane Katrina. I am reminded of the diversity of suffering, the reality of personal loss and pain and the feelings that pour over us when we experience great tragedy in our lives, whether directly or indirectly, and I have come to one very real conclusion. You see in the midst of grief and loss we all react differently, some run, some shut down, some ignore it, some move on, and some hold on, hoping, beyond hope the pain will reside, each one facing the struggles in their own way, none right or wrong. Things are said that maybe should not be said, actions taken that were maybe not the best, suddenly the rocks begin to crumble and the weak become strong, people get hurt and hurting people hurt people, stuff happens. In the end there are truly only a few things each of us effected by great tragedy can hope for: of which grace, compassion, understanding, forgiveness, and love are a few. All we can truly hope is that like that Church left standing in New Orleans is that there will be those who will stand beside us and offer the same love that Jesus offers us, and that we would do the same for them. You see we all react differently and that is perfectly normal and natural, but in the end we must come together in love, accepting each other and once again rebuilding what tragedy had once taken away, otherwise we truly have no hope do we?
Gene Burroughs
Pastor Shasta Lake Church
