And I have the rash to prove it....

The Lumber

Just as i turned the page, I felt it.  I wasn't quite sure what "it" was though....first it started with a little wiggle of the floor lamp, then it gradually got stronger and more defined.  As I set down the book that E and I had been reading I noticed it in the walls, this time more pronounced.  Was the room really dancing or was the shake that I felt a figment of my imagination?  I really started to question my own sanity until my little boy while looking at me asked "whatsat" (Roughly translated "whats that")?  Sure enough the room was shimmying around like a dancer with no rhythm.   Ahhh, the great Eastern Earthquake of 2011.   I thought for sure that natural disasters only happened one at a time, but as many of you experienced these last two weeks this is certainly not true.   Who would have thought that the East Coast would have seen an Earthquake and a massive Hurricane only a few days apart? 

Some have said that it is judgement from God, others a sign that the end is near!  I personally think it is an opportunity to realize that control, is more of an illusion than we think. Seriously stop to think about it... how many of you thought that you would be the proud owners of a shiny new generator within the past two weeks?  Even with this downturn in the economy a man could have made himself a fortune with a small truck load of generators and a few sump pumps.  In many respects I don't think we realize how dependent we actually are, dependent on our lights to work when we flip the switch, dependent on our A/C to keep our homes cool, dependent on the refrigerator to keep that prime cut of meat delectable instead of rancid. In a lot of ways I thought that I would have to go to a foreign country to see the kind of disruption that old Irene caused many of you.

Although these things are at best an inconvenience, they are also a great opportunity to walk with our fellow neighbors, friends and family in a time of despair just like I think Jesus would have done.  This past week I had that opportunity to walk in some of your shoes.  I had the chance to see the devastation that passed some of your homes and landed on others.  I had the great privilege to show the love of Christ, just as I would want to see it, while at the end of the street the world walked by without ever knowing your despair.  I recently had the opportunity to join the EFCA Disaster Relief group, along with 4 other men from our home church in Charlotte in walking along side those suffering the effects of Irene in Greenville, NC.

Don't tell Mom.  These may or may not be power lines.

Why Greenville? You might ask yourself this question since the epicenter of this storm hit much farther north in many of your own back yards.  The simple answer is because just as in many other areas, this area also had people in need.  When we arrived in Greenville, I was surprised that I didn't see widespread damage.  In fact it almost seemed that life was just as usual, businesses running, traffic lights working, and A/C cranking.  But if you looked closer down the side streets and alleyways you would find widespread damage in the lives of families that the storm chose not to pass over.  People who were living a total hell, as all of their earthly possessions and more costly than that, their security had been stripped away, shadowed by the many limbs and debris of fallen trees into and through their houses. 

Newest definition of "Tree House"

Many of these people had no means to help themselves, some of them had no idea where to begin, and the world just seemed to walk by on the other side of the road.  Sadly I would have been one of them if I had not been invited to go along on this trip.  My mind was not focused on serving those in my own community.  My mind was securely distracted with packing and moving our family to serve the "least" of these 10,000 miles away from home.  How foolish!  Lord, thank you so much for allowing me to serve those in my own back yard and giving me a greater perspective of serving You through serving people.  I can tell you this, there were many logs rolled, many pounds of wood moved, but also many lives touched, many of which will hopefully be for eternity.  It was a great opportunity to serve the Lord through serving people, but also a great reminder of why we are going....and I have the poison ivy rash to prove it.    

This is the "One".  Poison Ivy....lovely little thing.