To Mobile and Beyond!

Thursday, after a great breakfast and conversation w/ Jeff and Angie, we spent some time with the kids from Bethany helping them run their Basketball and Volleyball camps at the MBCC. Evan helped with Basketball and I helped with Volleyball. It was hot, Hot, HOT! I don't know how the kids did it each day standing out in the sun trying to teach these sports to such little kids. But they did. Thankfully, Evan and I were rescued from the drenching heat by Nelson Roth (although, by this point I was already soaked).

Nelson is Angie's dad and the founder of Relevant Ministry. He moved down to the Gulfport region in 2004 to pastor. He weathered Katrina huddled under a sofa with his wife. Post-Katrina, his church spent loads of time, energy and money housing and supporting relief groups that were providing cleaning, reconstruction and community support needs. He and his Elders determined that this was not something that the church could, or should, sustain as a church, that their responsibility was to be a church and not a relief organization. However, the understanding that the community still had a long way to go to rebuild physically, emotionally and spiritually led them to spin off their relief efforts forming Relevant Ministry. He has a pretty amazing passion for the pastors and people of the Gulf, and is trying to bring down interns to provide assistance to the pastors and churches of the area. He told us about how deeply Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is affecting the community by sharing how anxious he can get when he hears the wind plow the branches of a tree against his houses windows, reminding him of Katrina.

I realize that when many people think of the Gulf Coast post-Katrina, their thoughts typically gravitate to the cleaning and rebuilding efforts, but I bet few people think of the spiritual and emotional scars that remain. Nelson said that many people refuse any sort of help b/c they can always see someone worse off then themselves. This is has got to be even more true of pastors, who naturally have a tendency to try to be Superpastor. Now, post-Katrina, they are susceptible to this even more considering the elevated need to the people. So, anyone reading this that has experience in counseling and maybe looking for an opportunity to serve, let me know. I bet Jeff can find many ways of using you in Gulfport!

After meeting with Nelson, we traveled back to Mobile. We spent a quiet time in the afternoon at Arlin and Velma's. (Funny side story, Evan decided to take a nap and said he would wake up at 5. I decided to work on my blog posts. After working awhile, I noticed that my computer clock was showing 5:30, which is about when we wanted to go eat. So, I packed up, went upstairs and woke Evan up, only to find out that my computer clock is on Eastern time and not Central. Oops!! Fortunately, his alarm went off right after I realized I was an idiot, so I didn't feel as bad.)

Ate at a place called the Mellow Mushroom near the University of Southern Alabama. AWESOME pizza, and apparently a chain, so if you see one, eat there! And for desert: Fresh, Hot Krispy Kreme donuts. Good stuff!