Out Here Hope Remains

There is hope for the helpless ... Cry Out To Jesus. -- Third Day

Monday, September 11, 2006

Friends

This morning began in the company of old friends. Yesterday Jeff and Shari Frank came to visit us. They live in McComb, Mississippi and go to the same church as Maggy's brother and his wife. I first met Jeff when he was in high school and I was a recruiter for Magnolia Bible College. We had an event on campus and he attended. Believe me, he was just as loud and hilarious as he is now. Jeff did not attend MBC right out of school, but eventually our paths did cross again. By that time I was Campus Minister at Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi. Jeff enrolled at DSU and spent a few semesters in the music program. He later transferred to MBC and I reminded him that I could have saved him the trouble of skipping from school to school if he had only listened to me way back when! Our paths crossed once again when Jeff served as a youth intern with Central several years ago. Ten years ago I had the privilege of marrying Jeff to his young and beautiful bride, Shari. Now a decade later they have three beautiful girls and are heading to Cozumel on an anniversary cruise. We took them to the Port of Mobile this afternoon and said 'bon voyage'! It was a joy to see my old friend. This morning also brough a special joy as I was able to spend some time with Don Yelton and his wife Harriet. The Yeltons have spent a lifetime being a blessing to others in ministry. Their work with the AMEN program is a blessing to Christians in the military. Their extensive work with Whites Ferry Road Disaster Relief has also blessed an untold number of people. This organization was instrumental in helping Central maintain its ministries for 2006 and allowing me to stay on board as minister for the year. I have corresponded with Don over e-mail, and always enjoyed gaining his seasoned perspective. I appreciate so much their work, but especially so since I have experienced firsthand the effects of a disaster. I would have enjoyed spending the entire day with them, but it was not possible this time! This afternoon I was able to stop by my favorite coffee shop for a nice English Toffee flavored coffee. I did a little reading on the front porch and watched the storm clouds pass by. There was a very pleasant cool breeze. I enjoyed the quiet moment and took advantage of it to speak with my Father. I saw one of our young people, Haley, who we have nick-named 'Lil Sis' because she is the youngest girl in the group. Then I went back to the office and had a long talk with Jeff about some of the things he wrote in his blog yesterday. It was a good conversation and made even more enjoyable when Robbie came in after his day of work at Signal. I appreciate the spiritual progress made in the lives of these young men. Today the TLC Volunteer Center opened. Now there is room for 150 relief workers to be housed in Pascagoula. This facility will accomodate people from all of the various relief groups. Housing is essential to having skilled labor come to the Coast to work. In the ribbon cutting ceremony, they thanked several industries and also the Central Church of Christ and Jeff Campbell and David Kilbern in specific. It's great to know that the community appreciates our efforts. Margie Kieper Describes the Katrina Surge in Pascagoula. The surge in this coastal area ran from 18 feet on the west to 16 feet on the east, with wave runup fairly far inland. This area, like many areas along the Mississippi coastline, was completely inundated almost up to Interstate 10. Surge ran up the river estuary, with bayous of Gautier receiving a maximum of fifteen feet on the west, and areas of Moss Point and Escatawpa receiving from nine to fourteen feet. Flooding was extensive well up the river basin, and also along the Escatawpa river and the many bayous. Pascagoula and Moss Point, which are surrounded by water features on all sides, were almost completely inundated, except for small areas of high ground. Larry James Remembers 9-11. Rare Earthquake Stirs the Gulf of Mexico. A strong tropical wave with impressive rotation and plenty of intense thunderstorm activity has emerged from the coast of Africa today. Several of the reliable computer models are forecasting that this will develop into a tropical storm or hurricane that heads westward across the Atlantic. - Dr. Jeff Masters A Teenager's Katrina Story. 100 Year Old French Tiles Exposed by Katrina Used by High School Students to Create Labrynth. The Rent Goes UP on The Coast. Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting TROPICAL DEPRESSION EIGHT FORMS. A strong tropical wave with impressive rotation and plenty of intense thunderstorm activity that emerged from the coast of Africa yesterday is now Tropical Depression Eight. ... this should be Tropical Storm Helene by Wednesday night. America's Religious Beliefs - new report from Baylor University. New Homes For Pascagoula Residents. Governor's Storm Fund May Cut Checks In Next Two Months. Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting