Letter from Biloxi

The last time, I travelled to Biloxi, Miss., was with a group bringing relief supplies days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. This month, I returned with another group to build a new house, and I had the opportunity to see how much the area changed — and not changed — during the nearly four years since Katrina.

Biloxi has changed, but not enough. At first glance, there are visible signs of prosperity. Glitzy casinos advertise the latest payout and featured entertainers. There are shopping malls, gift shops and restaurants everywhere.

But there is something else, something different, that you couldn’t help but notice.

For example: Beside a brand new Waffle House is an abandoned lot of a former business. In between a casino and a novelty shop are barren properties, each with an exposed concrete foundation and all surrounded by weeds. Everywhere you travel you see signs of normalcy beside images of tragedy.

For me, it was a visible reminder of how much the area still needs help. The stamp of Katrina is still prevalent throughout the area. Beachfront properties once occupied by stately old mansions now contain a few new houses but also trailers, government-issued Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) cottages and abandoned lots.

“There is no middle ground,” said David Cumbest, pastor of Heritage United Methodist Church near Biloxi. “Everywhere you turn, there are signs of prosperity and signs of poverty. Most of us would still be in MEMA cottages if not for the work of churches all over the country.”

David should know. For the past four years, his church has housed literally thousands of church volunteers, who had come from all over the country either to repair existing homes or to build new ones. The upstairs education building has been converted to house volunteers. In addition, a bunkhouse, complete with showers, kitchen and a gathering room, was built behind the church. Supplies are stored in two warehouses nearby. All in all, nearly 100 volunteers live, work and are supplied at this one church.

Amazingly, this story is repeated many times over throughout the Gulf Coast area. Literally hundreds of church groups and concerned citizens from all over the country continue to come every week to lend a helping hand.

There were four groups in the complex counting ours: One from Blacksburg, another from Illinois and the third from Pennsylvania. We shared meals, took work assignments and, at night, enjoyed recreation and worship. Within our four groups were students as well as retired people, musicians and college professors, preachers and construction workers, all working together to serve God and the people of Biloxi.

Far more in return
Hundreds of church groups still go to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi and New Orleans each week to help rebuild the area but, truthfully, this is not the only reason so many groups make the long journey and work so hard to help people they don’t even know. It feels good to help someone else, but each person who goes receives far more in return than he ever provides in construction labor alone.

For example, our work group from the Lynchburg area was made up of local preachers, retired professionals and a few who took a week’s vacation from active careers. During the 14 hours cooped up in vehicles on the drive down, we shared stories, swapped a few jokes and, basically, got to know each other.

We left on a Saturday and arrived the next morning in time for worship at Heritage United Methodist, our home away from home as it is for more than 100 volunteers each week. At one point, we were asked by the pastor to stand and receive the applause and prayers of a grateful congregation and community.

Each day, our group and three others shared food and cooking duties. After breakfast, we packed a bag lunch for the work day.

Our particular group is part of multi-church effort to build a new house for Jeanie Lowery. Ms. Lowery and her father (who has passed on) lived in a house in Ocean Spring, Miss. In post-Katrina reality, she lives in a MEMA cottage; she, along with thousands of other people, will soon lose the cottages. Jeanie is 52 years old, disabled due to back problems.

On the work site, we were assigned jobs to match experience. Carpenters were soon installing crown molding and building a deck, while those of us less experienced were installing flooring or painting. In the midst of the work, Jeanie often joined us, providing snacks, expressing appreciation and, occasionally, telling stories of her experiences during Hurricane Katrina.

Each night, we returned to the church to clean up and eat dinner. Afterward, the groups gathered for a few minutes of devotions and to share experiences.

During one session, a retired university professor named Jim stood and shared his struggle to find a meaningful relationship with God. “God seems to talk to others,” he said. “Why won’t he talk to me?” Shortly after retirement his wife unexpectedly died of cancer. Devastated, Jim described his grief but also spoke of the many friends who surrounded him with love. His brother called him frequently with the same question: “Are you all right? Are you really all right?”

Frustrated with what seemed like constant nagging, Jim finally asked, “What do you want me to do?” His brother suggested he start a Bible study. “A Bible Study? Why would I do that?” Jim responded. He himself did not understand what prompted him to actually do it. Yet, it was the men’s Bible study and breakfast he started that helped him discover God had been talking to him all along. While helping others understand the Bible, Jim deepened his own relationship with God. Clear proof of God’s work was evidenced by the men surrounding Jim, who were all in Mississippi because of that Bible study. Hearing his heartfelt testimony, one of our men commented, “It was worth coming to Mississippi just to hear Jim.”

On our final evening in Mississippi, we celebrated at a restaurant to sample the famous Cajun cuisine. The next morning, we left the Gulf Coast satisfied we had helped build a house for Jeanie Lowery. But on the long drive back, we discovered that Jeanie was not the only who was benefiting from our trip. We, too, were given a special gift of providing help for someone in need. We made a lot of new friends and, best of all, we deepened our faith.

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.” He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” (Luke 13:18-21)

I like to think that our mission trip, like thousands of others from across the country, was part of a tiny mustard seed that grows and becomes a tree or yeast that permeates every part of the dough. In our own way, we made a difference for someone, for a community and, most of all, for God and for ourselves.

--Davies is the Lynchburg District Superintendent of the United Methodist Church.