It's funny. I thought that when my kids got
back into school, I would have all this extra time for writing. It hasn't worked
out that way, but there are more important things that need to be done right
now.
There are several shelters here in San Antonio.
The biggest one is at Kelly Air Force Base. I understand there are about 20,000
people there.
My friend Steve works at a smaller shelter
which is designated for people with disabilities and serious health needs. A
number of the people there are in wheelchairs. Some look to me like they might
have been in nursing homes.
As we've explored the reality of this
situation, our church building is probably not going to be suitable as a place
for a displaced family to live. It's outside of town. No bus access. Very
isolated. People need to be able to get around and get to schools easily. Amy
and Michael Main have volunteered their home, so we've been waiting for the
right family to come to us. Long time RLP readers know Amy and Michael as
"Pepe and Evangelina." Michael has his own
blog called,
"The Main Point."
Tonight I got a call from a college and
seminary friend, Kyle Henderson, who is the pastor of
First Baptist Church in Athens, Texas.
Their church is a shelter for Katrina victims who are in Athens. They had a
woman and her three children there who were separated from their father. They
found him here in San Antonio at Kelley Air Force Base, and someone from their
church drove them here to be reunited with him. They are a hard working family
and want to build a new life for themselves here.
The situation at Kelley is good as an emergency
stopgap, but these people need personal help. I guess everyone needs personal
help, but things have fallen into place and I guess we're the ones to help these
folks. I spoke with the woman on the phone tonight. She's making arrangements
with FEMA, and they will move into Amy and Michael's upstairs, perhaps as early
as tomorrow. Their youngest boy will enroll in our high school and the older
kids are looking for jobs and hope to enroll in college at UTSA in San Antonio.
Our church friends will help these folks put
things back together and start a new life here. RLP donations are now at $2500.
Steve needs some more money, so I plan to give him some more on Monday or
Tuesday. And then we can use some of your money to help this family start their
new life.
Again, thanks for your generosity.
This Broke My Heart
In the flurry of phone calls tonight, I tried
dialing a 504 area code number that was given to me. I thought it was for
someone who works with FEMA and was here in San Antonio. No one answered so I
hung up. A couple of minutes later I got a frantic phone call from a woman with a
beautiful and gentle Southern accent.
"Someone called my mobile number. Who is this?"
I told her that I was a pastor in San Antonio
trying to get in touch with a family from New Orleans who are in a local shelter.
She sounded very disappointed. She told me that she was from New Orleans and is
sheltering in South Carolina. She can't find her fiancé and has heard nothing
about him. Every time her phone rings she hopes it is him. We talked for a few
minutes and she asked for prayer. I assured her that our church would stop for a
moment next Sunday and pray for them. I asked if she had internet access and she
doesn't, so Jeanene and I are trying to help her find him. His name is Kevin Lee
LaRoque. He is 50.
Here is the page the Red Cross setup for
him. I've kept her phone number and would love to be able to call her with good
news.
I know it's a long shot, but if anyone has time
to run computer searches, maybe one of us will find him.
rlp
