A letter from Eddie White, a minister friend from the South Baton Rouge Church of Christ:

Dear family in Christ,
Our congregation has received hundreds of phone calls and emails over the past few days. We have six secretaries answering six phone lines and responding to emails.
Our work with evacuees is more than you can imagine. The population of our city has more than doubled overnight. It looks like a war zone here- army helicopters, people on the streets stranded, police everywhere, etc.
I am only telling you this so that you will know that my email responses to you are brief, because I am swamped. Thank you for understanding. Your expressions of generosity and love to these precious people in need is a wonderful blessing.
I met today with leaders of churches in southern Lousiana, and with leaders of disaster relief organizations. Together we are coming up with a better plan to meet the multitude of needs.
Our church is involved in housing evacuees, and also being used as a distribution center for truckloads of water, medical supplies, food, etc.

This is a huge undertaking. It can't be done without God.

Hannah(my daughter) and I just picked up a lady and her 10 month old child from a Baton Rouge hospital, where she was recently released. We took her to our shelter. She was rescued from the roof of her home, and through a sad turn of events, was separated from her four of her children. She has not seen them for five days, not knowing where they are. Two hours ago she found out that they are in Dallas at a shelter. Thanks to someone we found in Lafayette, this mother and her infant will be taken to Dallas and reunited with them. That's good news.
The sad story is that I was not able to take 8 other people from the hospital with me, to find them shelter. I can't find room. There is one man from New Orleans stranded in the hospital with a 14 month old son with cancer. He has been treated, and because of the lack of space in the hospital, he must be released.

I have many many more stories, and we are just one congregation that is involved.

Strengthened by your prayers, Eddie White

********************************************

Eddie, Jami, the Dowdys, and I were all involved in taking a group of 25 students from GACS to the Czech Republic this last year. Eddie and his family spent ten years ministering to families in the city of Brno, many of them refugees from the Baltics, Turkey, Eastern Europe, you name it. I wonder how the American refugee experience differs? (Actually, I can think of some ways off of the top of my head, mostly dealing with support and hope, I think.)

Please keep Eddie and his church in your prayers.