Heaven Declares

2007-11-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork - Psalm 19:1

2007-11-08T08:27:00.001-08:00

The Work Continues

We have expanded the ministry to Pearlington. For more information on trips and the ongoing needs, go to http://hopeingod.wordpress.com/
We would love to see you on one of these trips!

2007-01-09T20:08:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving in Pearlington - 2006

My family made our second trip to Pearlington over Thanksgiving week. Sometimes when you go back to a place, you leave disappointed because you now have expectations. This trip was not one of those trips. It was one where we stood back in amazement and watched God work.

It has taken me some time to process this trip because of the amazing things that God did while we were there. I am just now finding the words to describe that trip!

The week before we left, I should have been making phone calls to finalize some details for the trip. After all we were taking others down with us, we should really look like we know what we are doing! However on Monday of that week, I received a phone call from the hospital informing me that the surgeon wanted to move my youngest daughter's surgery up - 4 weeks. This meant that her surgery would be 2 days after we would be getting back from Pearlington.

So instead of making phone calls to Pearlington, I was taking my daughter to doctor's appointments, looking for people to take the other kids during the week I would be in the hospital with my youngest, etc. I thought that the Lord had really gone out of his way to derail my plans and then I was reminded of Proverbs 16:9 - "In his heart, man makes his plan, but God directs his steps." It was very obvious that God was redirecting my steps, but I could not understand why. I was thinking about this all week. I could not imagine why God would take such drasctic steps, at least in my mind, to redirect my steps.

It wasn't until we were driving down to Pearlington that God began to reveal some new thoughts to me. Here is what I wrote in my journal, on Sunday - the second day of our drive to Pearlington, " When I should have been putting the final touches on the Pearlington trip, God redirected my steps to prepare for an upcoming surgery for my daughter. It makes me think that God must have something planned that I could not have thought of and therefore could not plan for. I will need to be watchful over this next week to see what God does. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly more abundantly than I could think or ask - to Him be glory."

As I watched God unfold the events of the week, I was amazed at the things he did - things that I would never have imagined -

*things like using my web blog as a way to inspire others to come and minister along side of us - what a blessing to meet Betty and Caby.

*The thank you notes written by the children were used to make a man who has been in Pearlington for many months feel appreciated and loved

*Flowers picked by the girls and left with notes for the cook on a bad day made him feel appreciated.

Wow - only God could orchestrate those types of things. I am humbled that he would chose to use 3 families in such ways.

I have frequently been asked if it was worth it, taking children ranging in age from 6-15 into a disaster area. The children give the best answers to this question:

"This was the best thanksgiving ever! We need to come back here every year for thanksgiving."

"Mrs. Ayers, can you plan another trip so that we can stay longer."

But this response reveals the heart of these kids the best. We were driving back into Minneapolis after dark. The lights of the city were spread out before us. One of the girls began to cry and the others gathered around her and asked her what was wrong. Her answer sums up all of our feelings - "Minneapolis is so big, Pearlington is so small. We have so much, they have nothing."

Pearlington has a big God looking over them and doing amazing things. I am thankful to be a part of His plan for this small community that He has used to touch my heart in a significant way.

This was the last picture that we took while on the the trip. It was taken as the sun was setting on the beach - the sun's rays appear to make a cross. It was as if God was saying Yes to all that we had done.

Yes, it was worth it to bring these children with their parents into this disaster area at this time. I saw God at work in and through these families and He was glorified.

2006-12-09T21:31:00.000-08:00

The Best Thanksgiving

This has been the best Thanksgiving I've ever had. I can think of no better way to spend my Thanksgiving than to serve others and be in Pearlington.
I think one of the biggest highlights of the week was meeting people. Here's a few of the people I met and got to know well:

Jacqui and Ashley
These two girls are sisters. I met Ashley when she was helping us in the Pearl*Mart. Her dad was down in Pearlington working with a ministry called Walls of Hope. It was really fun to meet Ashley and eventually Jacqui. We hung out a few times at the end of the week. We had lots of fun. It was hard to say goodbye.

Betty and Kabe
This couple read our blog and were inspired to come down to help during Thanksgiving also. We painted with them all week. We got to know them really well. It was really hard to say goodbye.

Jonathan
Jonathan was the grandson of a couple who we helped paint their house. I started talking to him first and then Geoffrey (who is the same age as Jonathan) started playing with him. I heard he was rough with the boys (which is what boys like to do, right?), but I couldn't believe it. He would come up and start talking to me. We took a group picture and he came and put his arm around me and curled right up next to me. I thought he was really cute. It was hard to say goodbye to him, as it was most everyone.

Holly
Holly is the daughter of the family we helped out last time. I didn't get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked. I found out later that she wanted me to spend the night with her. I wish I could have spent the night. She was a fun girl and it was hard to drive right by their house on our way out of Pearlington, not having spent enough time with her.

We met TONS of other people, but these were the people who I'll miss the most.

I think the hardest part of the week was saying goodbye. Thanksgiving was a day of goodbyes, as we knew we wouldn't see most of them in the morning, due to our early departure. I hate goodbyes.
I've been asked if I want to go back to Pearlington. That's a no-brainer. DEFINATELY, POSITIVELY, ABSOLUTELY, WITHOUT DOUBT YES! I think there's a part of me that will always be in Pearlington. There's no way I could take it with me. I feel so much at home in Pearlington. My heart will always be in Pearlington. (Posted by Courtney-Team Member)

2006-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

God has a sense of humor

At our very first bathroom stop on the Sunday we were traveling to Pearlington, we had a surprise. The bathrooms were "Under construction" and the business had brought in port-a-pottys for their customers to use. These were very post port-a-potties. There were large - three or four people could fit into these with no problems. There were sinks with paper towels and they were heated!!! The kids loved these.

Once we were back to the van - I told the kids that they would not have port-a-potties like these in Pearlington. Some of the kids learned that visiting the ones in Pearlington at 3 AM was a very cold adventure.

The weather in Pearlington, upon our arrival was cold - temps were in the 30's at night and the frist few days in the 40's and 50's during the day. Larry Randall accused us of bringing the cold weather with us. "It is never this cold here," he said. I just smiled and said that we wanted them to know what we live with for 5 months of the year. He laughed and said, "Be sure to take this with you when you leave." By thanksgiving day - it was warm and bright with sunshine.

There are all kinds of critters in Pearlington - some that you like to see and some that you wish would just go away. I now know what I would do if an unwanted four-footed, furry creature tries to snuggle in with me for the night. Praise the Lord, I didn't scream, I just hit the thing really hard out of my bed. The biggest fear was that I knocked it into my back pack - which didn't happen. Thankfully it never tried again!!!

2006-11-19T22:30:00.000-08:00

We Have Arrived

We are all tired - but safe and were greeted warmly. Laurie remembered us and was very excited to see Giovanna.

When we got the vans up near the school - there was an older couple that greeted us and helped us unpack the vans, get things set up in our room. It felt like they had been waiting for us. Later we found out that their names are Mr. Cabe and Miss Betty from Memphis. While we were getting dinner ready in Pearl's Cafe (It was so much fun to stand on the floor we had put together in March and all the ktchen things in place!!!), Cabe came down to the kitchen and shared that they had read about us coming down. He and his wife didn't have any real plans for Thanksgivng and decided to come to Pearlington. Our team, he said was the inspiration for them coming to Pearlington over Thanksgiving week.

God is already doing things with this group of kids. I think He has plans for us this week.

2006-11-17T19:15:00.000-08:00

24 Hours Until Pearlington

"Calm down Courtney!"

These are words of wisdom. We leave tomorrow. Right now I'm mentally running through the million-object list to make sure I've packed everything. My mind is cluttered with mental notes, my desk with sticky ones. I'm hoping Dakota's doing ok. I'm worrying about missing classes. French phrases are running through my mind. I smell like horses. I have kissing and clucking commands in my head. It's been a long day.
To make it worse, we had small group tonight. I went. It's been a late night.
Needless to say, I'm frantic and stressed. But even though I may not feel ready, God's got everything in control. He knows if I'm going to forget my toothbrush (which by the way is packed). He knows what the weather's going to be like in Pearlington (debate in my mind: flannel pajamas? No, too hot. But it was March when we last went. Warmer then. Long-sleeved nice shirt? No, too cold for that. But it's November now. Colder now...). He knows all my fears and worries. I'm so glad. I couldn't take it without him. He'll take good care of me. He sees the big picture, when I only see a little piece of it. He knows what he's doing. I can't wait for Pearlington. (Posted by Courtney - Team Member)

2006-11-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

The Pearlington Team - November 2006

Twelve People - Three Families

One Body

United to Serve as Christ leads us

Eight Days dedicated to serving our Lord

Eight Days of spending time with the Lord

Eight Days of journaling what God does in and through us

The team may not be complete - there are still some considering coming along - Please pray for them to make wise decisions - only God knows what is best for them. We would love to see them join us, if that is what God wants as well.

Some other prayer requests:

*These three families are making a sacrifice - some families will be separated for thanksgiving. Pray that this would be a growing time in the Lord and that marriages would be protected during this time apart. As one of the team members put it, "Yes we are sacrificing thanksgiving traditions, but my prayer is that this sacrifice would be seen by family and co-workers as being done to bring the good news of the gospel to people in need."

*Pray that we would be a fragrant aroma to those we meet, work alongside. My personal prayer is that we would bring joy to those we work with and that it would be hard to see us go, because they see Christ shining through us.

*Pray that we would be joyful in all that we are asked to do - no grumbling or complaining. If we do not know how to do something, help us to be humble in our asking for directions

*Pray that we would be generous with our time to those who just need a listening ear and generous in our hugs. It has been about 15 months since Hurricane Katrina hit this area. Many are still in FEMA trailers - they have been in a marathon and may just need some TLC.

*Pray for safety and for our trust in the Lord as He is sovereign in all that He does, even if that means their are injuries.

2006-11-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Some thoughts on leading a Team

When first asked to consider leading this team to Pearlington, I thought no big deal. I have gotten our family ready for many road trips - adding a few more people didn't seem like a big thing at the time. However, I found out that there are a lot of decisions that one needs to make as the team leader - t-shirt designs, color of t-shirts, travel dates, hotel reservations need to be made, setting the budget, to name a few. When someone has a question, I am supposed to be able to answer it. I have felt overwhelmed until I was reminded that God brought Gary and I into this role and He will continually give the strength, wisdom and direction needed - when it is needed, not before or after.

As we near the departure date, my living room is beginning to fill with things for the trip. The living room has always served as the staging area for our family trips and will do so again for this trip. I have watched God pull together some wonderful things. The excitement is building as the kids realize we are one week away from our departure. In some ways this trip feels like going home after a long absence, a reunion with old friends and a time to make new ones. There is one thing that I have asked the Lord to do for me for this trip - one was to have Canada Jon come to Pearlington while we were there - God answered this one - he will be arriving on Thursday. I can't wait to meet this man that I have heard and read about, have exchanged emails with and now will get to meet in person. Only God can orchestrate such things. There is one more thing that I have asked - we will see if He will orchestrate this one as well.

As we near the departure, satan's attacks have also increased. This is always the hardest part of any trip - knowing that satan does not like what we are about to do and he does his best to derail us. However, God will get us through those fiery darts. Pastor John said in his sermon this week that the determining battle in satan's demise has been fought on the cross. Therefore these temporary battles are nothing. He knows he has been defeated - just unwilling to admit defeat.

God has been good in all of His dealings with this team. He has put together a team of 12 that will work together in service to Christ. This is an exciting time to be a Sunday School team leader, taking members from my class to a place that I have been to share an experience like no other. Pray that God will change us from the inside out - to become more like him in all we say and do.

2006-10-25T10:15:00.000-07:00

Jehovah - Jireh: The LORD will Provide

The Lord will provide because of the fact that God is able to foresee our need and He provides for us; God is able to fully provide for us because he not only has all of creation at His disposal, but He also has the inexhaustible resource of Himself (this is amazing when we begin to fully comprehend what this means). Believing that God will provide enables us to sacrifice without reservation i.e. helps us to give freely without holding back.

Here is a story from a friend of mine that I met in Pearlington. She has been there several times and these are her words about God's provision -

On our first trip to Pearlington, my husband and I were given the task of sheetrocking a laundromat for Greater Mt. Zion AME Church. To find nailing blocks needed to install the sheetrock, we had to dig through a pile of trash and debris higher than my head. When we started installing sheetrock, we had to use scraps of sheetrock first before any new sheets could be purchased.

When we reached the point of painting the interior of the structure (having sheetrocked, mudded and sanded the walls and ceiling), we had limited paint available. There was a can with about three inches of white paint for the ceiling and 2/3 of a gallon of yellow for the walls. All our natural knowledge and experience told us that was not nearly enough paint.

As I began to paint the ceiling, I confess I was grumbling at God that the supply was not sufficient. As clearly as I have ever heard a person's voice, I heard this message deep within my spirit: "Get your nose out of My Business, little girl. The outcome is My Business, not yours. Your business is the effort you put into whatever task I give you."

I stopped grumbling and confessed to Him that I know Him to be the Lord of the harvest and the God of increase. I told Him, "You know how much paint there is and how much ceiling needs to be painted. It's up to You how much of that ceiling is painted."

Not only did we have enough! There were two tablespoons of white primer (which we used on the ceiling) left over. Not only did David's supply of yellow paint (2/3 of a gallon) cover the walls but the interior of the door and the woodwork with not enough left over to even rinse from the can.

God's Supply is always sufficient! He has promised us that He will supply the faithful "pressed down and overflowing" and He is good to His Promise.

And God will provide for the little boy in my class who is just beginning to raise his financial support for this trip. There was a time when he didn't think that he would be able to go on this trip and he watched his God begin to provide a way - an answer to his prayer the night before. God is good to His promises and will provide for his financial needs now. Please pray with me for this boy and the others on the team, for God to bring in the support needed for them to make this trip.

2006-10-19T23:00:00.000-07:00

Elohim - Strong Creator

My fith grade class curriculum is called "How Majestic is Your Name", a study in the majesty and worth of God. This curriuclum helps the students to know about God through the names that He uses to describe Himself. This is a my favorite and I never tire of teaching it.

The first name of God that we study is Elohim, strong creator. This lesson talks about how God spoke and whatever He said came into being. This is amazing. But just as amazing is God's creativity.

I began to realize that the same God that creates beautiful clouds like these(the ones that make calendars!):

The same God that creates the beauty in those clouds that we love to take pictures of, also created these:

These are some of the clouds that brought in the torrential rains and destructive winds of Hurricane Katrina. There is beauty in these clouds as well as destruction.

God talks about clouds, destruction and hurricanes in His word. This is what He says,

The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful,
The voice of the LORD is full of majesty

The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
The breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

The Voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of firs.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; The LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare, and in his temple all cry, “Glory.”

The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
The LORD sits enthroned as king forever. (Psalm 29: 3-5;7-10, English Standard Version)

2006-10-09T22:15:00.000-07:00

God has indeed been at work and the trip to Pearlington is indeed going to happen. As of Sunday, there are at least 12 people going. OK seven of those are from the Ayers family - but what God is doing in the lives of my 5th grade students and their familes is very exciting.

Let me give you a glimpse of what God has been doing!

*One of the moms came up to me at church and told me her daughter was very disappointed that she couldn't go on this trip. She was really looking forward to it until she looked at the calendar and realized it conflicted with something else. Her mom told me, "You will just have to plan another trip."
*Several parents have said that their child has never been interested in anything - until this trip. They were concerned that the child was thinking this would be "a fun" trip. But when they were questioned as to why they want to go on this trip, the answers they gave were things like, "I just want to help someone else." or "I didn't realize that there were still people without houses. Maybe we can help them get into their house, like Mrs. Ayers did." Out of the mouths of children come nuggets of truth which reveal a servant heart.
*Another family is seeing how God is working in their son's life. It looked like they might not be able to come due to a number of things, mainly a miscommunication. On Saturday night the dad and son prayed that God might open a door for them to make the trip. I talked with the dad before class, cleared up the issue and then watched his son in class as I explained some things and answered his questions. His eyes got really big as he realized God was answering his prayers at that very moment. What a precious thing to witness a child make a connection with God. I truly believe that God has something special for this boy!

As I have continued to pray and think about this trip, it has become clear that the goal or mission statement of this trip will be - "The ministry of walking alongside". I did not come up with the phrase - Pastor Rawls from the First Missionary church in Pearlington was the one who I first heard use this phrase. His church has been feeding the volunteers that come to Pearlington a hot lunch for a year or more. Pastor Rawls greets all the volunteers each day at lunch time. I think I heard him use this phrase everyday that we were there.

It has been good to take the kids through what it means to walk alongside. They are learning that we are not going down there to take over or be in charge. We are going, as Christ, to be hands, feet, ears, what ever God calls us to do while we are there. It will be exciting to watch God work as we walk alongside those whose paths have been full of many difficult things.

We are excited about going back to Pearlington, to reconnect with friends we made and to make new ones as well. There is much to be done yet, I am still amazed at all that has happened in such a short amount of time. Please pray for the families that are going on this trip. For most it will mean leaving their comfort zone and stepping into a world they have never experienced, doing things that will stretch their abilites and patience with others.

Here are some current prayer requests:
*There are still some families considering this trip. Pray that God will make it clear to them if this is the trip and the time.
*Pray for those families, including ours, that need to raise funds for this trip. Because this trip has been approved by our church, the church is considered our sending agency, which means that anyone called to help support this trip finacially can send funds to the church and the donations are tax deductable.
*This is the first time that my church has done such a trip -sending 5th grade students and their families on a ministry trip. Most of the trips are for 7th and up. Pray that all we do would bring glory to God and that hearts will be changed.
*We will connect with Charlie Holmes from the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Mississippi. They are working on building homes number 7 and 8. Lord willing we will do what we can to assist them. Pray for other jobs as well.
*We also hope to serve a thanksgiving dinner for Pastor Rawls and his church and the long term volunteers as a way to say thanks for all that they have done and to let them know that their work has been appreciated.
*Gary and I have not lead a team before. Please pray that God will give wisdom and grace and that it would be a good experience for us.

Please check back for updates - we hope to keep this blog updated on a weekly basis. Coming soon - A team picture!

2006-09-10T16:44:00.000-07:00

The Ayers Family is going Back to Pealington, MS

Yes - you did read that correctly - we are going back to Pearlington -but this time as team leaders of a small team from our church.

I lead a 5th grade Sunday school class and knew that I wanted the class to adopt the town of Pearlington this year. As I began to think about this, God began to lay the vision of taking a group of them down along with their families to minister. I like working with 5th grade students, but spending 20 plus hours in a van with them - God had some convincing to do. It didn't take long because Gary and I took 7 kids to Pearlington in March and seeing what bringing kids into a community that had been destroyed by the Hurricane was amazing. But no one at Bethlehem, my home church has taken a group of upper elementary students on a ministry trip. So I dismissed the thought as being unattainable. But God can be persuasive and kept pushing the thought of this trip into my thoughts. I knew that I needed to peruse the idea and figure out if what God had laid on my heart was even possible.

The first person I started talking with was Gary. He had been there, knew the lay of the land so to speak and is pretty level headed. I really didn't think he would be interested. His response was "Check it out and see what God does." I began to think that maybe God was up to something, but didn't want to get to excited.

The next stop was to see the pastor at my church in charge of the Children's ministry. I was not even prepared for his response. It was overwhelmingly positive and he was full of ideas as well, especially in directing me in things like what the next steps were, where to go to get the final approval, volunteering staff to help get the word out once the approvals were gained, etc. He told me that he loved the vision of families ministering together and wanted to see this trip happen.

By this time, my kids had gotten wind of this trip and were very excited and planning. I was still trying to catch my breath and take in what God was doing. It was at this point that I thought before I go to get the final approval, I wanted to run it by someone who has been involved long term in Pearlington - making sure that there weren't any problems that I overlooked. I sent off my email and waited. The answer took longer in coming than I expected but as I waited, I prayed for God to do the impossible and began to pray for those that Go might be calling to come on this trip. Just as I was about to give up, since I had not heard back, the answer came back from Jon and it too was very positive and encouraging.

By now, God had given more ideas and I needed to commit everything to paper for the final approval from the Family Ministries Department. The initial contacts that I had from Pastor Brad were very positive and encouraging. He was also really excited about the vision and wanted to do everything he could to make the trip happen. When I met with him, he was encouraged at how much thought had already gone into the trip and the details that I had already thought of. He helped me work up a budget and put the outline of the trip into the hands of someone who will be helping with the publicity. I am still amazed at the exceeding and abundant way that God has worked.

All are encouraged by the vision of seeing families working together. But I also felt the Lord leading to partner with The Adventure Girls program, which is an outreach that our church has to the inner city. Lord willing I will have at least 2 girls from this program and one of their leaders joining us on this trip.

Here are some basic details - The trip will be in November over Thanksgiving week. The team will be about 20-25 people and the cost will be about $300. The trip is for 5th graders, maybe 6th and their families. Why Pearlington? Because that is where my church sent a team right after Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005 - ( for the story of how the team ended up here - see
http://www.pearlingtonms.blogspot.com/)

I am currently still amazed at how God has worked. I am also feeling very overwhelmed by organizing this type of trip.

Here are some ways that you can help - Pray, Pray and Pray some more.

*Gary and I have asked some adults who work with the 5th grade department to join us in the leadership for this team. Pray that God will make it clear to them whether this is right for them. I am excited about those that God has laid on our heart to join this team. It is a good mix of ages, abilities and would be a fun group to work with.
*Pray for Betty who will be putting together the promotional items for this trip. There is not a lot of time to get this out before the families in my class and those at the south campus. Pray that the vision will be communicated clearly
*God has given me some great contacts while in Pearlington. Pray that God will give us some good projects to work on while we are there. From the initial contacts I have made, it is hard to think that far into the future - most are still planning for September. So it is hard to tell people what we will be doing, since even those living and working there can't tell me. The situation is fluid and things change daily, but parents, especially want to know what their kids will be doing.
*As I said, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I already had a lot on my plate and this just adds to the fullness I was already feeling. Pray for wisdom to balance all that God has given.
*I will be spending time teaching the kids that go on this trip about journaling their walk with the Lord and the leaders going will be modeling what it means to serve others as Christ would. Pray that this will make a lasting impact on their lives.
*Above all Pray that God would be glorified and His kingdom advanced as a result of this trip.

2006-03-31T17:52:00.000-08:00

The Pre-Pearlington Struggle

and its outcome

31 March 2006

Before leaving for Pearlington, there was a battle waging inside. This struggle revolved around my youngest child, Giovanna. She is 6 years old and has some physical limitations. Giovanna tires easily and can be difficult at times. As I thought about the week, I couldn’t think of a job that she could do. The bottom line was that I didn’t want to be distracted by her. I didn't want to spend the week watching her, I could stay in Minnesota and do that. It was hard to think about going down to Mississippi and not do what I felt He was calling me to do. It didn't even dawn on me that God might have a plan for her down there. Once there, I was not distracted by her, not did I just "baby sit" her.

God had a plan in mind for this little girl and it was not one that I could have planned or prepared for. I stood in awe as I watched how God use this little spitfire all through the week. God did heart surgery once again and made me realize that my vision is so limited.

Once Giovanna’s feet hit the dirt in Pearlington, she did what she does best – walks into a room with her smile that lights up a room and instantly becomes everyone’s friend. By the end of the week, she knew almost everyone in the Pearlington Hilton complex. Some here in Minneapolis have experienced the following: Giovanna sees someone she knows and likes, says “Mom, Look.” Then she takes off running, grabs the person’s leg and gives them a big bear hug. She did this in Pearlington to a lot of people from the community. Towards the end of the week she stopped yelling, “Mom look” and just ran. Many in Pearlington could not help it when they saw her – they just burst into a big smile – it was infectious.

There were small tasks for her to be a part of. For instance on Monday the kids and Gary went to a place and picked up shingles. Mr. Randall had a magnet with a rope on it. Giovanna pulled that magnet around for over 2 hours picking up shingle nails. She would walk around the building once, meet Mr. Randall who would clean off all the nails she picked up, hand the magnet back to her to start again. She was really tired at the end of her day

There were many High School kids there on spring break working. All of them knew her by name and really looked out for her. Some were reminded of little sisters that they had back home. One of the leaders of the group from Chicago came up to her and said, “You are a cutie.” Giovanna’s response, “No, Gigi.”

She was the ray of sunshine in a community that needed a fresh look at life.

At the end of the week when I was telling some of those in the community that I had struggled with bringing her down, their reactions were priceless. Larry Randall said, “I am so glad you brought her. She has brightened everyone’s life.” Another one of the regular volunteers said, “It was good for her to be here. She needs to remind us that kids play a vital role in our recovery.”

I was humbled and in tears. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” He used her in a way that I would never have imagined. Children play a vital role in this community's recovery.

Everyone wants to see her again.

2006-03-30T20:33:00.000-08:00

The Faces of Pearlington

30 March 2006

There are many people that God brought into our lives while in Pearlington. There are many stories that we heard while there. God has been doing some amazing things. Pastor Rawls talks about the ministry of “walking alongside us as we rebuild our lives.” There is something to be said for just being with people. We did a lot of walking alongside – some of which was just being available to be called on for whatever task needed to be attended to.

Here are some of the people and their stories:

Ben and Sue Taylor – This was the family that we read about before we left. They had to reconstruct their house. They were blessed as they could use the existing foundation and studs. They have made great progress, but they have also had some setbacks. Their oldest daughter was in a car accident in February and was not expected to be walking until summer. She is now walking on her own. Her mother says that it is due to all the prayers from Mississippi all the way up to Canada. We went down to help work on their house. They had made much progress and didn’t have a lot of work for us. We did get their floor ready for the new flooring.

On Wednesday, they made supper for us. We sat in their house and just as we began to eat, Ben made the following statement, “This is the first time we have been in our house since Katrina with friends and having a conversation.” Sue agreed and added, “It is one of the few times we have been together as a family and not talking about the house and what work needs to be done on it.” What a blessing to be the first to break bread together with them in their house.

As we continued to talk with them, I made the comment that we did not do much. Before the words were barely off my lips, Ben said, “Don’t ever think that anything you do down here is insignificant. The work that you did has brought us one step closer to being in our house.”

Pastor Rawls and his church family – Pastor Rawls church was damaged in the hurricane. There is a group out of Florida that has committed to help rebuild the churches and the fellowship hall of this church is completed. This is where his church meets on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. His church family feeds the volunteers hot lunches almost every day – sometimes they feed over 300. Pastor Rawls always greets the volunteers and thanks them for their efforts. He is very upbeat and appreciative of all the efforts of the volunteers. We are on the other hand appreciated the meals that his church prepares for us daily. Some of his church members are still rebuilding their homes, yet they take time out of their day to feed us. That is the heart of a servant.

Larry Randall and Herb Ritchie – Larry reminds me of the typical cowboy – blue jeans and cowboy boots. Herb has his long white hair pulled back into a ponytail and looks very distinguished. These men are from the community and are committed to seeing that Pearlington is rebuilt. They are both at the recovery center from 7 AM until at least 10 PM. These men lost their homes in the hurricane. They are in the process of rebuilding and both live on limited incomes. They work on their homes after they complete their work at the recovery center. They have had some of the teams come and do the bigger projects. Larry needs crown molding and base molding for his house. Herb needs to buy paint. There are currently some volunteers that are willing to work on Larry’s house, if he had the supplies – but he doesn’t have time or the money to get it. There is another team coming in this next week to paint Herb’s house, but he is in the same boat. My church sent down some money with us to help those in need. We took Larry to Lowe’s and told him to pick out his crown and base molding. He was shocked and amazed and as we told him what we were going to do, his eyes began to glisten. His wife was in tears. Herb wasn’t able to make the trip with us to buy paint, but we left a gift card for him to buy the paint for his house. I heard later that both men shed some tears over this act of kindness. I have asked both of these to send me pictures when they are done.

Doug Pennington – is from Florida and his church has committed to Pearlington for the long haul. Doug is currently overseeing the reconstruction of the 4 African Amercian churches that were in town before the hurricane hit - all of which are rebuilding. His story is amazing. He retired early and had played all of the golf he wanted to play. He was watching TV after one of the hurricanes hit Florida a few years ago and told God that he would go and do whatever He wanted him to do. Three days later he got a call from someone at his church and has been in the disaster relief business every since. His vision for this community is larger than to just rebuild the church buildings. He has a vision for racial reconciliation. After completing the rebuilding of the churches, he wants to continue working in town to provide counseling and healing. He has seen much healing since the hurricane – hurricanes don’t discriminate. They are equal destruction destroyers! The community is beginning to come together and help one another. He is praying for a revival in this town. Let’s join with him in praying for revival and reconciliation.

Mary Lena became one of the people I got to know the best. She is a fun loving woman who has been working in disaster kitchens for many years. She has been to Pearlington several times and has been called in to help design their permanent kitchen. Currently the kitchen will be housed in an army tent until a more permanent facility can be constructed. We have a lot in common and she referred to me as her sister that was born into a different family. We had a lot of fun and thanks to funds from the BBC hurricane fund; I was able to buy some of the items for the kitchen. Every time we went to buy something, she would dance and say, “God is so good. He just keeps on moving in people’s hearts to bring this kitchen to life.” She was one of the hardest people to leave. She taught me a lot and even gave me the opportunity to cook for 150 people! Before we left, she pulled me to one side and prayed for the kids, my husband and myself. Both of us were in tears before the prayer was done.

2006-03-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

The Ministry of Walking Alongside Others

30 March 2006

Upon our arrival in Pearlington, we found out that the Taylor family, the ones we had come to help, had a death in the family. The funeral was Monday morning. We started the day by getting the address of John and Nan Givens and drove out to see if they needed help. John is pushing 80 and has been a carpenter all his life. He had been trying to do all the work himself, but he had come to realize that he couldn’t. He had help getting his roof done and once he saw Giovanna, he didn’t think he would have any work for us.

We then headed back to the Pearl*Mart and found different jobs to carry us through the morning. We sorted through a shipment of food and put it in the warehouse; we also helped sort out the donated clothes. After lunch there was a job of cleaning up debris by one of the lodges. Gary took the kids and went to the lodge. They spent the afternoon picking up the old shingles around the building while Giovanna picked up shingle nails with a big magnet tied to a pull rope. Corrie stayed at the Pearl*Mart and helped get the boxes ready for delivery to the elderly. Some of the girls from Culver came and helped.

Tuesday and Wednesday were spent at the Taylor house scraping the old glue off the concrete floor in order to get it ready for the new flooring. This was a slow job but we got most of the hallway done and a good portion of the living room and kitchen area. After 2 days, the Taylors said that we had done enough and told us that we could move on to other places where there was work that needed to be done. This attitude of the Pearlington residents is prevalent there. Helping others is more important. Everyone wants the community back and is willing to sacrifice work on their place so that others in need can get help. This is amazing, since almost every home in the town was damaged to some degree.

The job that the kids enjoyed the most and as Charlie Holmes put it, “The job that would mean the most to us at this point in time,” was getting the floor done in the “New” Army tent that went up while we were there. The kids had to take the nails out of the plywood sheets that had been nailed to pallets and take them to the tent and then move the pallets. Thanks to the Americorp volunteers, they moved some of the pallets with a tractor. Once the kids got enough pallets and put them in place, they got to put the plywood boards back in place, nail them down for the floor, and added some other measured and cut scrap wood pieces to even things out. This eventually became the floor of Pearl's Cafe.

The people of Pearlington amaze me. I am a runner and currently training for a marathon. I am week 8 of 18 weeks of training. I have 18 weeks of hard training, and 4 to 4 ½ hours of running the marathon and I am done. The people of Pearlington have been in this race for 7 plus months and it is estimated that it will take 3-5 years to rebuild the town. I spent a week living in a room in the school, using porta-a-potty and a shower that were outside of the school. Some of the Pearlington residents are still in tents. Training for a marathon is peanuts compared to what they face over the next few years.

I have been asked many times if I am glad to be back. I must say that I am struggling with that at the moment. I would have loved to stay another week or two. I once asked a missionary how he could continue going back to a place that is really hard. His response was and is priceless – there is no better place to be than where God has placed your heart. My heart is still in Pearlington.

2006-03-27T18:42:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pearlington

27 March 2006

We arrived in Pearlington on Sunday after dark. Even under the canopy of the darkness, we could still see the downed trees. It was an eerie picture, but the cover of darkness hid a lot of the devastation. Finding the Pearl*Mart was easy – the gymnasium of the elementary school. Ben and Sue Taylor were waiting for us. We talked for several minutes and then Laurie showed us to the Pearlington Hilton – which was the room where the library had been housed before Katrina.

Our room was large and housed between 50-60 people, mostly high school students on spring break. There were rows of cots for all of us to sleep on and in the middle of one wall was the “changing room” complete with shower curtain door and tarp walls. There was a nice white picket fence on the inside. It was very nice after spending parts of the past 3 days in a car. There was also a nice large soccer field in front, aka parking lot, which was used nightly by the kids. There were exactly 9 beds easily accessible and divided nicely – 3 in one area for the girls and 6 in another for the boys. God is indeed good.

The bathroom and shower were not far away. Both could be walked too within several seconds. The Bathroom was a nice blue color – you have seen them in other locations and you generally call them Port-a-Pottys! The shower was a FEMA trailer divided in half – one side for the men and the other for the women. Each contained 3 showers – with hot water!!! We had all of the comforts of home.

As we began to settle in, we were inundated with the high school students from Indiana and Chicago. They were loud and Giovanna did not like them at first. There was a group from Culver Indiana – a boarding school for 9th-12th grade and about 15 of their students came, along with 4 chaperones. The other group from Chicago numbered about 30.

The most challenging aspect of this set up was to determine the time for lights out. The Ayers/Schmitter kids were used to lights out around 9 – the high schoolers much later. Most nights we were able to compromise and get the lights out by 10:15.

The wake up call came every morning at 7:15 sharp. John Lyle from Culver undertook this task. He was always very chipper and happy to do this jobJ. The Pearlington Hilton has a nice continental breakfast served on the patio out front. The kids were never late for breakfast, especially Giovanna.

As one walks the grounds of the Pearlington Hilton Complex, you come to the ball field. The once green field that I sure was always filled with the sounds of children playing is now hard packed dirt with the sounds of construction. The Seabees are building sleeping barracks. When we left at the end of the week, 5 of the 6 had the construction completed and several were being painted. One or two were actually housing people already. There are tents at one end housing some long-term volunteers like the Americore folks. The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship also has a tent at one end. I would much rather see this ball field filled with children playing.

Monday morning we drove through the town. While much has been accomplished in the 7 months since the hurricane, there is still much to get done. Some homes are almost done; some are in various stages of reconstruction. There are some lots that have been bulldozed and setting empty and others look like they have not been touched in 7 months.

The post office is 2 rows of mailboxes that set outside. The building structure is gone.

All that is left of the bank is the ATM.

All that is left of the grocery store:

There is work being done this week on 3 of the 4 black churches in the community. The little white and blue church of Pastor Rawls has their fellowship hall complete and they feed up to 300 volunteers a hot lunch – daily!!! There are 4 other churches in the area – the Catholic Church will not be rebuilt. The Methodist church’s future is uncertain. The Baptist church is doing some reconstruction and I forget what the other church is doing.

The Community before Katrina was about 2,500. Only about 1700 have returned. The future of the other 7-800 people is uncertain. Of the 120 plus kids that were attending the elementary school last year, only 60 plus are enrolled from Pearlington this year and are attending a school in Kiln. The school days are long for these kids. They board a bus at 6:20 AM and return to Pearlington around 3 in the afternoon.

Spring has definitely arrived in Pearlington. The trees (what is left of them) are leafing out, the grass is green and it is a welcome sight to eyes of one who left Minnesota with snow on the ground and where the snow was gone, the pre brown drab of grass trying to decide if it will green up when the sun hits sometime. God was good in the weather department – it was pleasant and warm. We could wear shorts and short-sleeved shirts, that is until later in the day when the gnats came out. Then long sleeves were recommended to avoid getting lots of bites.

All in all this is a nice town. The people are friendly and upbeat. There is lots of work to be done and we are ready to dig in.