Wonderful news Brad.  Thanks for sharing.

Vicki

----- Original Message -----
From: "MV" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 5:57 AM
Subject: [ECHURCH-USA] Assuming


> Having lived in the center of what was hurricane Rita's target only a
> couple years ago now, I naturally have a special tie to the damage there.
> Places of business we use to go to potentially gone or severely damaged,
> what  became of our friends we had there... are they all alright? Did they
> make it out OK? And our church we attended as well, a new building with
> another being added on at the time of Rita's temper tantrum, is it still
> standing or how damaged is it? I'm sure many of the businesses and places
> are damaged to varying degrees, so far from what we've  heard all our
> friends have done well in escaping and in fact  very little damage done to
> their homes, with the exception  of one we hear which had a fair amount of
> flooding.  Being a frequenter of our churches website, I call it "our
> church"  because I view it as such, as well the pastor there yet my
pastor.
> However, before the hurricane I noticed their website was down, and I
> noticed it wasn't coming up either afterwards. The website is a very
> important part of their ministry as many listen in to the messages there,
> both archived and live, as well has other resources there. So I knew that
> it may not be a good sign it wasn't coming back on line. My wife had
gotten
> word that the church was in need of flashlights, workers, forklifts, phone
> cards, Walmart cards, cots, and anything one could find in their heart to
> offer. I was thinking things must be pretty bad there then. I knew the
> prison located near the church were badly damaged. They being brick and
> mortar and the church being wood construction with metal skin would be
> particularly vulnerable in such storms. So naturally when I heard the news
> I assumed the worst and pictured a major clean up effort and how everyone
> there must be devastated, and what a job for our pastor to sort  and climb
> out of such a disaster leading his people who look to him for leadership
in
> what to do. Then I got word to the contrast that the church received no
> damage, only a small bit of seepage along the walls where water was driven
> in at the foundation which a crew was already on it and cleaning it. And
> that the call for all the good, labor and equipment was not for the
> churches clean up effort, but that the pastor offered the church as a FEMA
> distribution center.
>
> Instead of a licking wounds situation, it is actually, let's help the
> community situation. God sure is good. Or in the words of an Aussie pal of
> mine...
>
> Yee-hah, gidie-up, way to go God!
>
> Brad
>