"The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40
As I drove from the New Orleans airport to Camp Slidell on a late Monday afternoon in February, the destruction left in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina was apparent. Litter lined the road, trees lay on the ground, houses and apartments stared vacantly back at all onlookers. The destruction was so vast that it reminded me of an old sermon illustration that I relayed to Vicar Chris Matthis who was riding with me.
The story is told of a man who was walking along a deserted beach at low tide. In the distance he noticed someone approaching him. He curiously watched the person bend down, pick something up, and throw it into the sea. This routine was repeated numerous times as the two walked toward each other. When they finally met, the man asked the stranger what he was doing.
“I’m throwing these starfish into the sea,” he said, “You see, if I don’t they will die in the sand.”
“But don’t you see how many there are?” the man protested. “And these are just the ones on this beach. There are hundreds of beaches and thousands and thousands lying on each beach. You can’t possibly make a difference.”
Without saying a word, the stranger bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea. Looking the man in the eye, he replied, “Made a difference to that one.”
In many ways when we first drove into the area, that is exactly how we felt. How can we possibly make a difference? There is so much destruction! There are so many needs! But that is how it was for us workers. It was one person, one job, or even part of one job at a time as we reached out with God's love to other people with our words and deeds.
On Tuesday we "mucked out" a house in Chalmette. The owner was a 90 year old woman, now in Hospice care. Her two daughters joined us in clearing out the debris left in the house by the 10 feet of flood waters. Nothing was salvageable; they were praying that the structure itself would be reusable. You can imagine my surprise when I got in a conversation with one of the daughters and found out that not only does she know my brother, who used to live in New Orleans, but that her daughter and my nephew were best friends in High School! That gave me a little extra energy as I shoveled the wet mud out of her home. We didn't get the house done, but we did make a great start. Words of appreciation assured us that we "made a difference to that one."Wednesday found us power washing the inside of Gethsemane Lutheran Church, also in Chalmette. It had been stripped to the studs and needed cleansing from the black mold that was present everywhere. One individual from the congregation was present as we sprayed the interior floors and frames. He spoke for the congregation as he thanked us. His handshake was firm and we walked away knowing that we had "made a difference to that one."
Wednesday evening we met my congregation's adopted family from Village Lutheran in Lacombe. This family of 4 had lost their home, cars, and their business. They are movers, and both of their trucks were washed away. Now they struggle to survive in the cramped quarters of a FEMA trailer. As I presented them with a check from Trinity they could not hold back their tears, and words were not necessary. I knew how thankful they were that we had "made a difference to that one."Wednesday evening Bible Study at Village Lutheran Church in Lacombe began with a delicious pot-luck supper followed by the study led by their pastor, Rev. Edgar Homrighausen. This man of God retired a few years ago and then was called by God to start a new congregation which now worships over 160 people every Sunday! Our visit gave us opportunity to interact with people whose faith was making a difference in their own lives. "The National Guard has left. The government is too slow. It is the church people who are coming here to work that are holding these communities together," one person said to me. We listened to stories and brought back to our camp 70 box lunches which they had prepared for the volunteer laborers for Thursday.
On Thursday we were back in Lacombe cleaning up trees in the yard of a young man who lives with his elderly blind father. Chain saws in hand, we attacked the once mighty ones, now fallen. Eight hours of intense labor was enough to clear up all but the trunks of the largest of the trees. A can of Coke, a grateful handshake, and a smile affirmed that once again we had "made a difference to that one."
Friday invited us to hit the streets of the French Quarters in New Orleans with Bibles and Cross-in-the Pocket coins bulging from our pockets. We sought out the locals and shared the Good News with them. One man, upon receiving a Bible, informed us that his unbelieving son-in-law was coming that day and that he had promised to give him some religious literature. He now had in his hand what he would give to him. Through strangers God had provided the Bible he needed! There are other stories, but we know that we had "made a difference to that one."Saturday we packed our gear and flew back home. Tired but inspired! The week had gone by fast! So many people and so many needs, like starfish on the beach. We could not meet them all. But this I do know: as I lay my head on the pillow that night and drifted off to sleep thinking of what I would share with God's people in my sermon the next day; God looked down on me from above, smiled, and said, "made a difference to that one!"
-- Rev. Michael C. Wolfram
(Rev. Michael Wolfram, Vicar Chris Matthis, and Dennis Trollope from Trinity Lutheran Church, Des Moines, IA volunteered their services to Lutheran Disaster Response from Feb. 13-18, 2006)
For additional information, to schedule a trip to Louisiana or to inquire on how to get involved in the Katrina outreach, contact Ellie Menz (515) 386-8420 or ellie.menz [at] idwlcms [dot] org
