| Our team in Mississippi
Rev. Molly Vetter, Karen Ristine and Ward
and Tonya Veith have returned from representing our congregation in Mississippi.
Following are the latest messages, updates and photos.
Photos
Friday, September 23
Yesterday, our team returned from
Mississippi and Louisiana, impressed by both the extent of destruction
and the outpouring of words and works of hope we saw along the coast.
From Pascagoula, Mississippi, where we
worked at a disaster relief center, distributing basic supplies to a
community in need, to Slidell, Louisiana, where we helped a church empty
the destroyed contents of its flooded sanctuary, it was a joy to get to
work side-by-side with people of faith who felt God’s call to reach out
in service to others in need. We were buoyed up by the consistency with
which churches opened their doors and arms to meet the needs of those
who have lost so much.
Everywhere we went, we found signs of
hope: in mothers who identified God’s blessings in life, even as they
slept in tents in front of their flooded homes; in churches who looked
beyond the damage to their property to see the great need of the most
vulnerable in their communities; in work teams from far away who
responded to a call to come and serve; in a readiness to share resources
with those who might need them even more.
Never have I been as proud to be a United
Methodist—to see our connection work as a net to catch those who have
fallen victim to Hurricane Katrina and our inability to stop its
destruction. Along with so many other Christians and people of faith,
we are a part of an important and holy work.
I was particularly impressed by the
people we met who already have a long-term vision—who are now preparing
themselves to be a part of the slow, difficult road to restored
communities. I look forward to ways that we can be a part of this
effort, even from all the way in California.
It was a joy to get to share the concern
and prayers of you who were back home—and to let those who are suffering
and who are attempting to alleviate suffering know that they are not
alone.
I am grateful for the team I traveled
with: Karen Ristine, Tonya and Ward Veith, Christian DeMent, and
Challais McDonald-Troyer, who organized the effort as a part of her
dream of forming Grassroots Disaster Relief here in San Diego.
Thanks for your prayers; we have a lot of
work together as we support people in need.
Blessings,
Molly Vetter
The sanctuary of Hartzell-Mt. Zion UMC in Slidell, Louisiana, which
took on 5 1/2 feet of water during the hurricane. We spent a day
clearing out the contents of the sanctuary and church.
A hymnal found in the sanctuary of Hartzell...
Christian DeMent, of Foothills UMC in La Mesa, and Karen Ristine and
Molly Vetter of San Diego First UMC, in front of Hartzell-Mt. Zion...
Slidell First UMC is already at work in their own recovery, drying
out from 5 feet of flood water, and is preparing themselves to be a
vital part of rebuilding in their own community and New Orleans.
Karen Ristine helps unload a shipment of flood buckets from the UMCOR
Depot in Louisiana, at Slidell First UMC.
Tonya and Ward Veith of San Diego First UMC pose with the water
heater they installed in a cottage at Pearl River UMC, which is at work
preparing to host work teams coming to the New Orleans area to help
rebuild.
A disaster relief center at Trinity UMC in Gulfport, Mississippi
provides people with basic needs and internet access, to help in
locating relatives and friends. They are preparing themselves to be a
part of rebuilding communities in the six-county coastal area of
Mississippi.
Back to top . . .
September 22:
Destruction along the coast in Pascagoula,
Mississippi, as photographed by our volunteers:
Rev. Molly Vetter (second from right) with
volunteers in Pascagoula, Mississippi:
From Rev. Molly Vetter
Sunday, September 18
Karen Ristine and I arrived in Mississippi
this morning, and joined up with Ward and Tonya Veith from our
congregation.
Since we arrived, we've been overwhelmed
by the extent of the destruction, even far inland. We have also been
overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, especially from churches.
Nearly every local church we passed had some kind of relief effort set
up; many of them hosted work groups from churches all around the
country.
During our next days, we look forward to
helping out at one such site, in Pascagoula, and making connections
elsewhere between here and New Orleans.
We look forward to ways that our church,
and others in San Diego, can be a part of the ongoing relief effort
here.
Thanks for your prayers--it's a joy to
travel with them and as a representative of First Church.
These are pictures of the UMC in
Wiggins, MS, which lost most of its roof (and its steeple) in the
hurricane.
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