Leavell Chapel at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary stands in floodwaters on Aug. 31. (Photo courtesy of Baptist Press. Copyright (c) 2001 - 2005 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press.)

When reality floods in: Impressions from the first 48 hours
Water pours through breaches in New Orleans’ levee system. Housetops become islands. People dot the rooftops. Others roam flooded streets aimlessly. They drag or float plastic bins containing all the possessions they could save. What do they guard in those treasure chests? Photos? Money? A Bible?

What is really important?

Tens of thousands pack the Superdome with no power and deteriorating conditions. Calm prevails as evacuees take the disaster in stride. A man calmly leaves a dominoes game, calls to people in the bleachers below, plunges to his death. Some say he jumped. Even reporters are shaken by the vast sea of devastation. What thoughts must overwhelm ordinary thinking in a pitch-black night, punctuated by screams and moans from thousands of people isolated and afraid . . . in America.

A 25-foot wall of water picks up and dumps tons of floating casinos on top of houses and businesses across the highway. Miles inland, huge ships dot fields and forests. Tarpaper shacks float into an upscale neighborhood. One woman calls the hurricane "the great equalizer". Mother and child safely ride out the storm on a shrimp boat. Lootings, shootings, but far more acts of heroism. Plucked from rushing waters, reeled into helicopters one by one, more than a thousand victims barely survive. The Coast Guard, continuing the search around the clock, sees hundreds of tiny lights in the night. Victims, invisible in the daylight, rescued in the depth of night. Our own family tried to contact a friend who recently moved to Biloxi. Last conversation was on Saturday. They hoped to evacuate. It would be almost a week before we heard from Matt: the family home destroyed but all lives saved. Thank God.

When life is at its bleakest how do we behave?

"I would suggest a day of prayer . . . calm our spirits and thank the Lord," says Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco. "Life is the one common thing we all share." She asks that we recall Psalm 46. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble . . . ." God, suddenly, is real and tangible. In the back of a pickup truck, stranded on a small strip of road peeking above the water, a family kneels, asking God’s guidance. They don't know what to do next. Their lives may depend on it. Ancient trees, suddenly uprooted, litter the ground like a spilled box of toothpicks. In the middle, a statue of Jesus stands untouched.Tumbling out of news reports are sound bytes of raw feelings colliding with reality. "I just can’t fathom the intensity and power." "It has forever changed me." "We lost our soul." "Why did this happen?" "Where is God?" "It’ll be all right. I’m a deep Christian." "I’m thankful for a friend of mine, Jesus Christ."

Why do disasters captivate us?

Some of us welcome the chance to reach out selflessly to help. Some take comfort realizing that their own lives could be worse. Others are reminded that life is more than jobs and school and keeping on schedule. In America, our lives are often so padded with the fat of good living that we fail to see the fragility of life. Our safety nets can be blown away in a moment. Yet we go on with the fussy details of a crowded life not realizing God may call us home any moment. The whole human race owes its continuing existence to the love and patience of an almighty God.

God sent a calling card via Hurricane Katrina. We seem to be getting many lately. Victims of last December’s Tsunami are still struggling to recover their lives. The attacks of 9/11 permanently changed the way we see the world around us. A little-known article titled, "George Washington’s Vision," first published in the National Review, December 1880, shows the priorities which the father of America had: "Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land and Union."

The Chequamegon Bay Area local efforts
In the Chequamegon area, many local churches, businesses, and other groups are supporting the Gulf Coast victims. Here are a few:

Businesses like Ashland's Wal-Mart, Washburn IGA, and Bremer Bank have donation points for customers. Funds generally benefit Red Cross or Salvation Army.

At Washburn High School, the Business Education volunteers and the Family Community Career Leaders Association of America have come up with a number of creative fund-raising activities. The proceeds will go to the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

County Market has already donated bottled water and will contribute to the Ashland Truck Drive.

Many area churches like Saron Lutheran, Salem Baptist, Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church, Washburn Assembly of God, and Grace Bible Fellowship are collecting money, which will be sent to either major relief organizations or denominational headquarters for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Washburn Assembly held a fund-raiser and is also donating to Convoy of Hope both cash and needed items. "I would like to be a contact point for boxes," said Pastor Jon. "People can bring them to our church and can drop off donations. However, Convoy of Hope can purchase needed items at great discount, so your dollars will go much farther by sending the check or cash." Contributors can visit the Web site (www.convoyofhope.org) or contact Pastor Jon by phone (715-373-2939) or email: (jtarne@charter.net) for a list of items needed.

At Grace Bible Fellowship, several families have offered their homes for evacuees through their denomination, an approach which is available to many churches.

St. John's United Church of Christ is sending money to their UCC Mission, Back Bay in Biloxi while the area is still being cleaned and assessed.

The businesses of Ashland and other cities in the Chequamegon area are putting together a large effort:

Hurricane relief: Fill the truck...or two..or three initiative
The Chequamegon Bay Area will send a semi-truck load of needed supplies to Hurricane Katrina victims. The truck is sponsored by C.G. Bretting Manufacturing and Ashland Elks Lodge. Mary McPhetridge of the Ashland Chamber of Commerce and Stacey Adams from Northern State Bank head up the effort. ". . . many of the area businesses were extremely willing to be drop off points," McPhetridge said.

Drop off sites during regular business hours:

All Northern State Bank offices
Bremer Bank
Memorial Medical Center
Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce
C.G. Bretting Manufacturing
Ashland Elks Lodge
M & I Bank
Associated Bank
Country Market
Washburn IGA
Wal-Mart
Pamida
Bad River Casino
Ace Hardware - Ashland
Ace Hardware- Bayfield
Only the following items will be accepted:
Water and energy drinks
Toiletries including: toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, washcloths, etc.
Diapers and baby care items
New blankets

For more information or cash contributions, contact: Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce (715) 682-2500 or Northern State Bank (715) 682-2772.

Some other ideas:

Women’s Ministries Unlimited of Houston, Texas, suggests that other women’s groups send gift cards for the evacuees to purchase items they need. National store chains – food stores, pharmacies, clothing, discount and department stores – often provide such cards.

Consider starting a bake sale, auction, or other fund-raiser setting to gather money to send to the reputable charity of your choice. Local businesses may be willing to host your activity or offer matching grants for the money you raise.

Remember "See you at the Pole" Wednesday, September 21. This could be a wonderful opportunity for prayer and support for hurricane victims.

Ministering in the Eye of the Storm: Project: To My Friend
Jill Rigby and Manners of the Heart--A Personal Appeal from Baton Rouge to Northland Christians

Jill Rigby, a Godly woman in Baton Rouge, found herself and her ministry, Manners of the Heart, at the heart of the storm of evacuees streaming out of a fallen New Orleans. The Women of Grace at Washburn's (Wis.) Grace Bible Fellowship Church sent an email to see how they might help. Jill Rigby’s replies were swift and urgent. It's not often Christians find themselves planted squarely in the middle of a disaster where the need for Christ's love in action is so desperately wanted. Jill is such a Godly person with a very specific set of needs. Jill Rigby and her Manners from the Heart curriculum have been endorsed by speaker and writer Elisabeth Elliot and featured through: Focus on the Family, The Advocate, Alabama Living Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Flowers are Forever, Independent Appeal, Good Morning Texas, At Home, LIVE!, and others.

Let the Northland pool our many creative minds and resources to:

LAUNCH a letter writing & pack-a-sack campaign for the children of the storm.

RAISE funds for the evacuees' urgent, immediate needs. Gift certificates from nationwide chain stores are a practical and more personal cash alternative.

SPREAD the word to others in the area to get a broader base of support for helping the thousands of children who have lost so much.

PRAY for this little-supported, person-to-person ministry!

To help meet the great need, Grace Bible Fellowship invites other schools, churches, and children's groups in the Chequamegon area to partner with them to send as many letters and pack-a-sacks to these thousands of "children of the storm " as possible. To meet the ever-changing need for items for the thousands of displaced people, a fundraiser will be held at Wal-Mart with the store generously providing a matching grant for all funds raised. The money will be mailed or possibly delivered in person to Jill's ministry in Baton Rouge to meet the needs of the day. Groups are encouraged to come up with ways to raise money independently as well so a weekly gift certificate can be sent as long as needed to help support this strategically positioned Baton Rouge ministry. Grace Bible Fellowship offers handouts for spreading the word and is looking for help, items to sell, and people to buy at:

Children of the Storm Craft and Bake Sale Fundraiser
Ashland Wal-Mart

Saturday, Oct. 1

8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Kids can write letters, draw pictures, and help pack sacks.

Contact: Marilyn Jaeger (373-5663) vermarjae@charter.net

Leslie Wilson (747-2626) lwilson@wingsoverus.org

Emails from Jill Rigby to Northland Christians

Thank you . . . . We would greatly appreciate a gift certificate. The critical needs change daily. It would be a blessing to have that flexibility to purchase the "need of the day." Thank you for your forward thinking.

Our organization, Manners of the Heart Community Fund, a 501 c3 non-profit, has partnered with First Presbyterian Church in Baton Rouge, to gather donations of the bare necessities to be distributed through our downtown outreach center at the River Center, currently housing more than 5,000 evacuees. We are a revolving door bringing folks in from the flooded areas of our state, New Orleans, St. Bernard Parish, Plaquemines Parish, and others, for shelter, food, and clothing, and assisting with long term aid. Each day the faces change as loved ones are found, homes are offered, and living arrangements are secured. This will be an ongoing need for weeks to come.

We continue to minister to the physical and spiritual needs. At the shelters of PRC Compassion over 750 evacuees accepted Christ this weekend. We have a worship service each morning at 9 a.m. with a special children's service in the afternoon at each shelter. To see faces darkened with despair turn to faces shining with hope is a blessing beyond words. God is in the midst of the suffering. Jesus as Savior has taken on an entirely new meaning for all of us in the aftermath of the storm. Please pray for a new beginning for all...We're praying that New Orleans will be rebuilt for God's glory, not man's indulgence. As the praise song says, "We want to see Jesus lifted high...a banner that flies across this land. That all men may see the truth and know...He is the way to heaven."

Thank you for reaching out to our brothers and sisters in need.

Beside you in Christ, Jill Rigby

Packages, messages, and donations may be sent to:

Manners of the Heart Community Fund
Jill Rigby
jrigby@mannersoftheheart.org
7608 Copperfield Court
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Phone: 800-923-2881 fax: 225-926-0978
Web site: www.mannersoftheheart.org

Carnival of Hope
(Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit, Jill wrote this encouraging message.)

Saturday, 10 Sep 2005

I just got in from our "Carnival of Hope," sponsored by First Presbyterian, Healing Place Church, and Abounding Love Ministries at the River Center. We cooked 3,000 hotdogs and 2,000 hamburgers. We cranked out praise and worship music to draw the lost out of their dark prison into the light of day. The children ran to our stage with smiles and shouts of joy. Children became children again. Makeshift sleds made from cardboard boxes allowed the kids to "fly" down the steep hill from the levee. (For our Northern friends reading this...this is closest it gets to sledding for our kids!) We had games, puppet shows, face painting, sidewalk chalk art...and more. In the midst of it all, the sweet aroma of Christ.

Jill

Letters to the Children of the Storm
Project: To My Friend
(The need in Jill Rigby's own words)

Let me share another project that we're working on through Manners of the Heart for children to get involved... If you go to our website at www.mannersoftheheart.org, you'll find "Project: To My Friend." This is an opportunity for elementary school children to send notes of encouragement with Scripture to the children of the storm. You'll see the full instructions on the website. We've partnered with PRC Compassion (www.prccompassion.org) to distribute the "friend sacks" to children in the shelters throughout the South.

We would deeply appreciate any help you can offer. This is a way for all to be directly involved, no matter how small the group. Perhaps a children’s Sunday School class could write notes of encouragement for children that we could include in their package. A ladies’ class could help the ladies, while the men’s class could help the men.

From Jill's web site:

What is PROJECT: TO MY FRIEND?

A lot of kids were hurt in Hurricane Katrina. Many of them had to leave their homes and their friends and start a new life in a new school. They need a friend. They need supplies for school. You can send them a paper sack with a letter of encouragement and a few of the school supplies they need inside. PACK A SACK--Thank you for your help!

Who Should Pack A Sack?

Any elementary-school-aged child.

What to Pack in Your Sack?
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Comb
• Pencils
• Erasers
• Stickers
• Glue sticks
• Crayons
• Note of encouragement (see instructions below)

• Self-addressed, stamped stationary (see instructions below)

(Please don't include cash, candy, scissors, or liquid goods.)

Don't forget to staple the bag shut so it doesn't spill.

Please write on your sack 'Girl' or 'Boy' depending on whether you are a girl or a boy. You might want to put your grade. Example: Boy; Grade 5

These lunch bags will be hand delivered to displaced children in shelters across the affected areas.

Send to:

Manners of the Heart Community Fund
Jill Rigby
jrigby@mannersoftheheart.org
7608 Copperfield Court
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
Phone: 800-923-2881 fax: 225-926-0978
Web site: www.mannersoftheheart.org

Grace Bible Fellowship in Washburn, Wis. is also willing to mail the sacks for you.