A sage once appropriately said that life is a marathon, not a dash. But what Louisiana faces in the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is both a dash and a marathon.
A sage once appropriately said that life is a
marathon, not a dash. But what Louisiana faces in the devastation
caused by Hurricane Katrina is both a dash and a marathon.
Right now, we are running the dash – running full
speed for a short distance. We are overwhelmed by immediate, short-term
needs for food, clothing, shelter and comfort. This is the time to run
full speed to help victims any way we can.
In a matter of weeks, we will enter the marathon
stage. Needed efforts will not be met quickly, easily or cheaply. We
will learn of churches and parsonages that need extensive repairs or
complete rebuilding. We will learn of other families who have lost
their houses and everything else, including jobs. We will discover
children in new towns and new schools with parents who can barely
provide the essentials of life.
And like in a marathon race, after awhile, our
muscles and bones will begin to ache, and we will wonder if we can
continue. It is at this point that we will discover how committed we
are to the task of helping those in need.
At this point, Louisiana Baptists are doing a
marvelous job of handling the dash. Calls are pouring in from churches
and individuals, offering all kinds of congregational and personal
help. Many churches are, on their own, finding other
congregations in need and mobilizing to help the affected churches.
Others are contacting the Katrina Relief Center at 877-487-4658 to
discover needs and are then setting about meeting those needs. The
center is not staffed by bureaucrats – it is staffed by people who love
Christ and are serving him and their fellow man. If Louisiana Baptists
were being graded on their responses, they would get A-plus.
The question soon will become, “How will Louisiana Baptists do in the marathon stage?”
It is this editor’s guess that Louisiana Baptists
will do just as well in the marathon as they have in the dash.
Jim Law, president of the Louisiana Baptist
Convention Executive Board, has been quoted frequently as saying,
“Let’s pray that God will keep Louisiana Baptists’ hearts warm” when we
enter the marathon stage.
We also can be grateful that Baptists around the
nation have done extremely well in the dash. A letter came to this
editor’s desk from a mission in Rae, Northwest Territories, wanting to
know how its handful of Dog Rib Denes can help. This congregation of
poor native Canadians is supported by mission money, but they have been
moved to help people they do not know and likely will never meet.
Whatever they give will be a sacrifice, but still, they will give. They
are representative of how people are doing in the dash.
When calls come to this office, asking, “How can we
find out what we can do?” I refer them to the Louisiana Baptist
Convention Web site at www.lbc.org or the Katrina Relief Center phone
number at 877-487-4658 with confidence that it constantly is updated
and provides efficient ways to coordinate volunteer resources with
great needs. I am thankful for the dash-like action by Louisiana
Baptist Convention staff and volunteers that provides an excellent way
to coordinate relief efforts. You can go to this center – or refer
others to this center – in full confidence that you will receive the
information and coordination needed.
Obviously, this is a testing time for residents of
the disaster-struck areas. The Clayton household has the joy of hosting
four adults, one child and two large dogs who presently are displaced.
Perhaps, the greatest challenge is knowing what to say to them about
their predicament. How do you encourage them when you never have been
in a situation like they are in? What do you say when they do not know
if they will have the same jobs – or any jobs – after the dash? How can
you assure them that your love, concern and help will not end after the
dash when you have no idea what their needs will be? One just listens
and hurts with them – and assures them that God is in tomorrow as he is
in today.
Disasters present opportunities for God’s people to
shine as they demonstrate their generosity, commitment and, above all
else, Christ’s love.
So, we must pace ourselves when we enter the
marathon stage. We must know that we are in this for
the duration, whether it be a month or three years. We must be patient
and understanding with all concerned and realize that everyone is under
stress.
We have been hit by the footmen, and the horsemen
soon will me coming. Let us take care of the footmen and prepare for
the horsemen.