Saturday Morning on the Coast

Thanks for all the comments on the last post. You never know when a topic will strike up with so many readers. I appreciate the fact that so many people stop by and check in on what's happening on the Coast and in John Dobbs' world. Yesterday I helped out at the reception table at Central. I haven't done this particular job in a while because reliable Texan Jon Hensen has been doing a fantastic job with this. I enjoy this job, even though I do not always know the answers to the questions people ask. One benefit of working the table is the realization of how many people have yet to make any progress on their homes. One couple we met have been married 67 years. She is 83, and he is 92, and they are still so in love it just glows around them. They never had children, so there's no family to come and help them. They heard from someone that we were offering help to the community. Their income is very low, but instead of being rejected by SBA (which would have been a blessing in this case, opening the door for grants), they were offered a loan. Look at their ages, and tell me why SBA offers them a 30 year loan? Their capability to make the payments is very low. Not only that, but the adoption of FEMA guidelines is forcing them to raise their house - less than a foot. Yes, that's right. Thousands of dollars must be spent to raise their house less than a foot in order to comply with new flood zone regulations. They do not have the money to do this, and repairs cannot begin until it happens. They live just 8 or 9 blocks away from our building. As they left, David and I were both speechless. Realizing that eight months after Katrina's storm surge there are still people who have made no progress on their home is heartbreaking. That is why it is vital that we continue on with the work, and why service minded people must keep coming to the Coast. This afternoon, Lord willing, Maggy and I will drive over to Enterprise, Alabama. In the morning I will be making a relief presentation and preaching at the Elba Church of Christ. Elba helped us early on. The Disaster Response Team set up grills for a few days to feed people - back before we had power. After they left, people from the Elba church came several times and cooked hamburgers, unloaded trucks, and did all kinds of service projects. Their minister, Tim Gunnels, recently resigned and is moving to Alamo, TN. Tim committed early on to raise $10,000 for our congregation. He also was one of the few people who called me and prayed with me on the phone. Needless to say, Tim and the Elba church have both meant very much to us in these past eight months. Sunday night we will be with the College Avenue Church of Christ in Enterprise. Enterprise played an important part in the hurricane relief effort when they sent a contribution for $25,000. On their website they advertise that "John Dodd" is coming, but that's me. My good friend is Danny Dodd, and our names have merged together in various configurations over the years! We are so grateful for everyone who has partnered with us as we try to do our best to restore and repair the broken lives of people. Chris Lockhart came over from Mobile yesterday to work alongside with me. We took Robbie to the emergency room - he has an ongoing painful problem with a tooth that needs a root canal and cap. He is back on anti-biotics again. We also took a lady to City Hall so that she could get her permit to get started on her house. She lives in a camper park. Park is too nice a word ... it's row after row of campers in an abandoned grocery store / strip mall parking lot. Chris and I stopped at Monica's for a good lunch, where we unexpectedly ran into Meridian Street Church of Christ minister Cornell Johnson. Cornell ate lunch with us and we enjoyed the fellowship. Afterwards Chris helped me get my washer and dryer hooked back up (had been disconnected because of laying flooring down in the laundry room). I always appreciate the way Chris visits and helps out ... mostly through encouragement. We had a wonderful rain shower yesterday afternoon, which was very needed. Thank you, Lord! I would like to thank volunteer Chris Robey from Vernon, Texas, for his blog post HERE. Chris, and some of the guys he mentions are coming back to help again soon. He will speak for us one Wednesday night while he is here. Preaching at Central tomorrow will be Martel Pace. My thanks to Sam Long at Faulkner University for his help in securing brother Pace for the day. Martel's lesson will be on "The Consequences of Sin", and I know everyone will be blessed by this veteran Gospel preacher's message. Currently we have no work crews here. If you are interested in helping, give us a call. We do have some groups coming in later in the week. Thanks again for reading and commenting when you can.