I recently returned from Denham Springs, Louisiana.
That area and much of the surrounding areas were flooded recently and the situation there is dire and what seems like a long haul to overcome until any type of normalcy is established.
A couple of members of my family and I went down to take supplies and money that our church has raised. Our former pastor has lost his home, his church and is dealing with many members of his church who have lost everything.
And Wow! The idea of a flood is cruel. As the water rises slowly, it is telling all those that it is coming shortly and when it does, it isn't going to take your stuff, it's going to get it really wet and then leave it for you to throw out.
What you do then is go through your stuff and throw out your life. All of your stuff and memories end up piled on the lawn to be picked up and thrown into a landfill.
Yet the people in that area seem to have good attitudes about the whole situation. I'm sure there have been tears, feelings of hopelessness and it will probably get worse before it gets better. But there were laughs, smiles, and the sharing of what little people have. There are supplies starting to come in from all around the country and the people are not complaining...too much.
There hasn't been wide spread looting, or rioting over what hasn't been done or what hasn't been there to visit. The people have just gotten their hands dirty and are taking care of themselves.
They will get past this, it will take awhile, it will be hard, but they aren't pointing fingers, they're taking care of themselves and each other.
