October 28, 2005
Phase Two of Camp Katrina in Waveland, Mississippi, a hurricane relief outreach spearheaded by Don Young, pastor of Genesis (Alliance) Church and two other churches in Foley, Alabama, is under way. Ongoing efforts to meet the needs of residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina are bringing hope to those who are determined to rebuild or have nowhere else to go.
“We are still serving 3,000 meals a day,” says Young. The population has declined as residents moved away. “We’re down from 7,000 to 1,000 people.”
Rotating teams from several Alliance churches have continued the arduous task of cleaning up debris and mud. “Phase Two focuses on helping single parents, disabled, elderly, and those with no flood insurance,” Young says. “We get lists of residents, find them, and ask how we can help in Jesus’ Name.”
Young and two volunteers from a Toledo, Ohio, church recently found that their futile attempt to track down people in one neighborhood turned out to be a divine appointment by God. “We couldn’t find the people,” says Young, “so I drove in another direction, a street I had never before turned on.”
Young and his teammates saw an elderly woman outside what was left of her home, sitting in the midst of the rubble. Her nine-year-old grandson was by her side. When Young announced that the men were there to help her, the woman wept.
“She broke down,” says Young, “She had moved to her home two weeks before Katrina hit. Her daughter died of AIDS, her son-in-law is in prison, and she has custody of her grandson. She lost everything.”
When she learned where the two volunteers were from, the woman excitedly declared she, too, was from Toledo and needed to mail a package to another daughter, who lives there. The volunteers offered to deliver her package personally. One of the men also promised to replace the grandson’s computer, which was lost in the storm. “Then we prayed with the woman before we left,” says Young.
“There are so many stories like this happening every day,” Young says. Alliance family members have donated equipment and supplies to refurbish the office of a doctor who is in private practice, volunteered to strip damaged sheet rock from the home of a woman with emphysema, and cleaned mud and debris from the home of a single parent.
“Doors have opened to build relationships, and lives are being impacted through Camp Katrina outreach,” Young says. “But the need is still great.”
The following items are still in demand for the remaining residents of Waveland:
• Canned goods and other nonperishables
• Personal hygiene items
• Building supplies
• Sheets and pillow cases
• Volunteers to help clean up and rebuild
Volunteer teams must be scheduled to ensure cohesive order and cooperation. E-mail [email protected] to find out how you can help.