Blog 9/17/08

New Connections

I know it’s been a while since I last wrote…we’ve had 2 hurricanes and a stomach bug run rampant through our state and our kids!  But I know that while we and other folks are trying to return to normalcy, others are trying to find a new normal after having homes, businesses, and towns destroyed by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.  Towns on the Texas and Louisiana coasts are struggling to meet the needs of their citizens while rebuilding their lives.  We are praying for those in need and seeking with other churches to find ways to help restore not only property, but souls!  I had a lady tell me that the hardest thing about losing everything in Katrina was not the stuff, but the people.  They made the decision to leave their home and “head for higher ground.”   In so doing, they left relationships built over 30 years of churchgoing, neighborhood parties, and family gatherings.  They found themselves having to reach out into their new community to form new relationships and support systems in a new church home.  I know that some folks will do that again; leave their current homes to seek out a place out of the way of wind and fear that a hurricane can bring.  I pray that those folks will find the strength in Christ to reach out and make a new way for themselves wherever they land.  But for those who decide to stay where they are and rebuild, I pray that they, too, will reach out.  In Baton Rouge, I saw folks reaching out to their neighbors after Gustav, helping each other clean up debris and sharing supplies.  In many cases, these neighbors lived near each other on the same street for years and had never met, until now.  Suddenly, folks were brought outside of their homes and comfort zones because they had to assess the damage and find a way to deal with the lack of electricity and the abundance of needs.  Yet, they banded together to clean up their streets and help each other through the tough times.  Some folks did this day after day for weeks, not days, because of power outages.  I know that folks are doing the same following Ike.  I’m always surprised at the violence we can do to each other, even when we see it on the news every night, but I’m even more impressed when I see how we can lock arms and serve one another in a crisis like this.  My heart swells at the hard working dad out with his sons cutting away at the trees in front of his house laughing all the while…at the single mom who finds the time to bring a few extra cans of food to the young mother next door…the family who takes in friends and strangers who have no electricity across town.  I know that God is smiling at those who’ve chosen to seize the opportunities to connect with those around them in the midst of a tragedy that really makes us want to withdraw.  It is my sincere prayer that you will find a way to connect with those around you wherever you are, whatever your circumstances.  In this age when technology often isolates us, let’s use it to expand our comfort zones and include someone new into our lives.  If you want to reach out to those in need in your area or to serve those affected by the storms but don’t know how, OR if you are in need and are struggling to find a way to get help, send me an email at angie@angieewing.com.   We’ll do our best to make that connection for you.  Many blessings this week~ang