Q&A with One of SFC's First Responders to the Gulf Coast
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As a volunteer on SFC's first team to go to the Gulf
Coast, Kelly Blough served at one of the two initial sites where
CityTeam Ministry is providing assistance. She served in Waveland
and Bay St Louis, Mississippi, and the other initial site is an
evacuation center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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| Q: Share with us
what you did and experienced there, and how did it compare to what
you anticipated and were prepared for? |
| KB: I didn't have any
idea what to anticipate. The opportunity arose so quickly, and
before I knew what I was saying I told Keith I wanted to go. Once it
dawned on me that I really was going, but we didn't know where or
what God would call us to do, I had three overriding fears. First, I
was afraid of being unused or un-useful, and even getting in the
way. Second, I was afraid of the shame I would feel when facing
people who had lost everything when I have so much. Third, I was
afraid that I would break down and not handle the tragedy I saw. I
prayed, and God reminded of a song that was sung in church a few
weeks earlier called "Trading My Sorrows". God was telling
me to trade my fears, my sorrow and my shame "for the joy of
the Lord." With that, the fear went away and I felt a new
confidence that whatever I faced, I would not be facing it alone. |
| When we arrived I found it easy to be useful, because
there is so much to do. The people were gracious to us and grateful
for our help. While the aftermath we saw was very tragic, we were
shielded from the worst part of the human carnage, except for that
which remained in the hearts of the people we met. |
| Q: By the time this
interview is published, another team from SFC will be serving there.
What is some of the advice you share with other Christians who are
considering going there? |
| KB: Go! Don't worry
about being a hero. Don't worry about bringing "the right
skills." Just go! What a privilege it is to serve our God just
by being open to His calling to serve his people when they are in
need. Know that if you do go, God will use you, probably in many
ways that you'll never know about. I pray and hope that the tiny
amount of time we spent there, and the tiny amount of work that we
did has a lasting purpose in God's plan for the people we touched. |
| Q: How has your time
spent serving in the Gulf Coast changed you going forward? Will you
be going again? |
| KB: I'm still unsure
of all the ways it has changed me and it probably hasn't changed me
enough. It is so easy to go back to our lives and lose the
perspective that we gained for a few short days. But I know that God
is still working on my heart through the experience. I hope to go
again. I'd like to participate in the rebuilding, and I'd love to
see Second Street Elementary when it is populated with school
children, as it was meant to be. And someday, I'd like to visit Bay
St. Louis as a tourist, and visit with people like Jim, Wanda,
Tricia and others we met, as friends. |
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Contact
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| To volunteer or get more info about volunteering, please
fill out the volunteer form. |
| For questions about a particular activity within the Katrina
Recovery Ministries, please feel free to contact any team
leaders mentioned on the web page, or contact Terri
Goehner. |
| For questions or concerns about locating information about
the Katrina Recovery Ministries on this website, please
contact Rich
Clewett. |
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