Well, we made it to Louisiana yesterday! The “problem” is that we made it only to Baton Rouge, and that only with much babying and coaxing of the RV for the last 40 miles. We believe that the fuel pump needs to be replaced (inside the gas tank - yuck! :)). We made it to a mechanic’s last night and he let us “hook up” (water and electricity) so we could spend the night in the RV. That was great - except around 2 when a train came rumbling through 50 yards away! The mechanic ordered the part and hopes to get the RV fixed tomorrow (we hope so too).

So today was a “not-as-planned” day, but we did a lot. We found a Red Cross site for evacuees and were able to hand out almost all the tracts we had (Hurricane Katrina - Why? tracts). We tried taking a picture of a policeman sitting reading the tract but all we had was Jeremy’s cell-phone camera, so it didn’t turn out. Everyone but one person accepted the tract quite willingly.

After that we headed down to New Orleans to see the effects of Katrina. Both Jeremy and I were surprised at how little wind damage there was there - although there were 2 to 3 feet watermarks everywhere. Most of the damage there seems to have been water damage. A number of businesses on Canal Street and the French Quarter were reopened and there were lots of people and cleaning crews around.

As we kept on driving on Hwy 10 east, however, the damage was incredible and progressively got worse. There was no one around and buildings were torn apart. Businesses were not opened and there was not much activity around them. The worst of the damage, however, was after we had to veer off of 10 and onto LA 11 because of the damage to the Interstate 10 causeway.

These are just some pictures so you can see a little of what we saw. The need here for rebuilding (both buildings and hopes) is great. We want to give these people hope in Christ as we seek to help them with humatarian needs.

Thanks for your prayers for us. We will be staying at a camp tonight and will hopefully get our RV back tomorrow. Please pray that we can find a suitable campground - many of them have no room (turned FEMA evacuee camps) or can only take us on a weekly basis.

We would appreciate your prayers as we travel today and tomorrow down to Lafayette, Louisiana. Here are some photos from last night’s commissioning service and the “downsized” reception following.

These cuties are our twin nieces, Bethany and Brianna. The kids liked the lizards Henry brought back from the work trip to Mississippi.

We are in “downsizing” mode, and we figured some “downsized refreshments” were in order. So, following the evening church service, we served mini-cookies and mini-drinks and gave tours of the RV.

Jeremy and I just came back from a very relaxing two nights away. The bed and breakfast - The Gatehouse at The White Rose - was WONDERFUL. The shower (called a spa shower) had a total of 6 shower heads! It felt like a luxurious car wash! Then there was the whirlpool! Enough to relax one to the point of falling asleep! Take a look at the beautiful Gardener’s Room we stayed in! Mariah and Roger, the owners, were so hospitable and helpful - they allowed us to see all the rooms (5 houses) that were not occupied. They’re all beautiful! I highly recommend this place as a nice getaway! The breakfast is the best too. You can choose from Belgian Waffles, Fruit Plate, Eggs, Quiche of the day, or Fancy Omelette - the last 3 come with fruit, potatoes and a croissant! Yum!

Since it is the off season, the town was nice and quiet - perfect for relaxing! We walked around town, took a “duck tour” (amphibious WWII vehicles) on land and water, ate, slept, ate, walked, ate, went to an antique mall (Jeremy found 5 MacArthur books for about $5 a piece - bargain of the day!), ate and slept. It was just what we needed! We praise the Lord for making it possible for us to get away for a few days.

Thank you Mariah for working with us to make it affordable for us to stay with you! We’ll be back!

Praise the Lord! Today was a busy but encouraging day. We were challenged by the Word today as Pastor Bixby preached on helping the poor and needy. It refreshed our zeal to go down to Louisiana and help in any way we can! (Want to be challenged too? See his blog for October 4th!)

We had a meeting with the board of Global Grace today to work out some details. Make sure to check out the Global Grace website to find out more about this Mission Organization that was started just a few weeks ago by MorningStar Baptist Church. We’re excited to see how God will use this ministry to further His Word. In a later post, I’ll explain a little more about this ministry and how we are a part of it.

Today we found out about a $4000 donation to Global Grace for our support as well as MorningStar taking up an offering that came to $3100! The Lord is providing!