TODAY marks the Fourth Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

So many lives have changed dramatically on that day and in the time in between. Including ours and those of our friends who went. This is honestly difficult to write because there is so much I will never be able to say about what we've seen and experienced. What had happened in what was LOST because we went. And what was GAINED.

But Shou & I would never ever trade that experience for anything...

Upon reflection, some may wonder why we bothered writing stories here during that time period after Hurricane Katrina. When you read the stories and the eyewitness accounts of others, you'll understand that it was something bigger than any one of us. And it was the Lord at work pulling, pushing, and drawing people to be His hands and feet.



For me, I know I had to document it with words. So did so many of you. Also, the photos that were taken were amazing. I have notebooks full of things that never made a blog post. Shou took tons of photos and volunteers gave us images and videos. It was a memorable experience, but the multi-media aspect reminded us of the thousands of people who came to help and were changed by the experience. As I've decompressed the experience, I've come across snippets that have spoken to me. William Zinsser wrote: "Why was I the chosen witness? Mathematically, the odds favored my being there. Writers who go on spiritual quests put themselves in position to observe spiritual transactions. But I could also argue that I was put there by God --a God who want to make sure his best stories get told."

That has happened several times in my life where people kept giving me stories about the Lord working in their lives and asking me to help them share them. It is happening now in my communications job, which is probably why I ended up spending less time here.

Four years later, have I abandoned posting here? I'm not even sure... I don't think I can leave this alone. Yet what has happened since?

This is the struggle we face. What can we share personally and what do we keep private? After leaving New Orleans (NOLA), the Lord has been shaping us in odd ways. Working with people quite unlike us, yet like-hearted.

Shou's relief work in Mississippi and Texas with other organizations added another dimension to the work that we did in NOLA. Plus, the previous entry talked about the fires in Southern California. That actually led to an amazing multi-city project, which drew upon my husband's experiences in New Orleans and beyond to coordinate. But that is another story that we haven't yet told. Yet it just showed us how amazingly God is at work in New Orleans and beyond.



We've kept in touch with friends we made at the largest relief center on the Gulf Coast. We lost touch with others. We've celebrated marriages, the birth of children, and new adventures in missions by those who we befriended that year in NOLA. Even shared the joy of two friends who relocated to New Orleans and found incredible job opportunities there.

William Zinsser once wrote, "Writers are the custodians of memory, and memories have a way of dying with their owner."

Don't let the story be left untold.

So, I want to ask YOU. Will you take the time to write it? Send me your stories. What happened when you went to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help in the relief efforts? What has happened since?

Looking forward...

Sharon

Currently, Shou is in Galveston, Texas and will be there for the rest of this month for disaster relief. It seemed to transpire very quickly. He got a call to be deployed by Hope Force International and the Salvation Army. We had just gotten back from ministry in Portland (2nd trip in 2 months), but it was important that he go, so he went.

I can't say much more as I am very tired. I have wanted to write on the blog, but have not had the time. However, I will attempt to update as soon as I am able and hope to cover some of the amazing ways God is ordering our steps.

Please pray for protection and the Lord's favor on Shou and those he is working with. It seems that there is still a great need and much work to be done. Hot meals are being served in numerous locations. People are displaced and need care.

Another update is sure to come...and as you know, Shou will have photos when he returns.

Blessings,
Sharon

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MORE ABOUT
Salvation Army Texas Division - http://www.salvationarmytexas.org/salvationarmytexas/

If you would like to donate:
The Salvation Army is currently accepting monetary donations only. To donate by credit card please donate online or call 1-800-725-2769 (1-800-SAL-ARMY). Or, you may mail your hurricane relief gift to:

The Salvation Army
Texas 2008 Hurricane Relief Fund
PO Box 36627
Dallas, TX 75235

Hurricane Ike plows toward Galveston
by National Hurricane Center

Friday September 12, 2008, 10:30 PM

A very large Hurricane Ike continues its trek toward Galveston Island and the upper Texas coast. Hurricane force wind gusts are hitting Galveston Island.

A hurricane warning remains in effect from Morgan City to north of Port Aransas, Texas. A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Port Aransas to Port Mansfield, Texas. A tropical storm warning is also in effect from east of Morgan City to the Mississippi-Alabama border including New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain.

At 10 p.m. the center of Hurricane Ike was located about 55 miles south-southeast of Galveston, Texas and about 95 miles south-southwest of Port Arthur, Texas.

Ike is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph. A northwest to north-northwestward motion is forecast to continue tonight and Saturday morning with a turn toward the north expected Saturday afternoon. On the forecast track the center of Ike will be very near Galveston Island and the upper Texas coast by early Saturday morning.

Data from NOAA Doppler weather radars and reconnaissance aircraft indicate maximum sustained winds are near 110 mph with higher gusts. Ike is a strong Category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale and could reach the Texas coast as a Category 3 major hurricane just before landfall. Stronger winds as much as 30 mph higher than at the surface could occur on high rise buildings.

Ike remains a very large hurricane and hurricane force winds extend outward up to 120 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 275 miles. During the past hour hurricane force wind gusts have been reported on Galveston Island and reports from NOAA and Air Force reconnaissance aircraft indicate sustained hurricane force winds are just offshore Galveston Island. The minimum central pressure recently reported by an Air Force Reserve unit reconnaissance aircraft was 952 mb.

Coastal storm surge flooding of up to 20 feet with near 25 feet in some areas above normal tides along with large and dangerous battering waves can be expected near and to the east of where the center of Ike makes landfall. The surge extends a greater than usual distance from the center due to the large size of the cyclone. Water levels have already increased to 9 to 12 feet above normal along much of the northwestern Gulf Coast.

Ike is expected to produce rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches over eastern Texas and extreme southwestern Louisiana...with isolated amounts of 15 inches possible.

Isolated tornadoes are possible tonight and Saturday over portions of eastern and southeastern Texas and southern and western Louisiana.

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Read more about Hurricane Ike's impact and other local hurricane-related news on Louisiana here:   http://www.nola.com/hurricane/