The deacon there told of me of trying to console a woman who was just informed that a number of her close family members perished in the storm. He asked her to hold out her empty hands and tell God, "It's too much, I can't handle it," and give it over to Him. This prayer is now being said over and over.

Yesterday, FEMA called a meeting for the residents of Slidell. People told there would be 30+ representatives on hand to answer questions, help, etc. Remember now that it's still very hard to get around, traffic awful and fuel scarce. Auditorium was packed, no one from FEMA ever showed or even called. Also told of an out of state ambulance crew who would not pick up a man having a heart attack as this was against FEMA regulations. My friend said he would take down their names and call every newspaper in the country if they didn't provide aid. They were thus convinced to render help.

Our church found out yesterday that business interruption insurance will only cover $25,000 for the year, so we're going to trust in God to keep us going until the parish can get back on its feet. It could well be a very long road depending on the engineers tell us once they are able to get in and inspect the buildings. We provide a home for many folks who have been deeply impacted, particularly the working poor, and our ministry going forward will be more vital than ever. We've started our on-line Bible study and I plan on going in Saturday evenings and conduct a house Service for our people in Jefferson Parish. Typical of our community is an older couple found stranded in Houma, LA, yesterday.

They are both physically unwell and had no financial means going into this mess. The wife is in a wheel chair, making it impossible to stay at a shelter, so they've had to stay at a local Ramada Inn, racking up daily expenses which they cannot afford. And to top it off, their car broke down and had to be towed during the evacuation. Our local priest there is now trying to make contact and find out what can be done to help. The clergy in this part of the diocese, along with our leadership, have been positively outstanding from day one. St. Luke's continues as a beacon of light.

Clergy, staff and volunteers are working around the clock. And it's so heartening to see folks who've lost everything pitching in wherever and helping out. I've never been a big fan of bureaucracies or large operations. The recovery here is only reinforcing this mind set. It's been individuals, small groups of people, church organisations and people working through churches who are carrying the ball and saving our bacon. We've been blessed by a number of relief convoys coming in from all parts of the country, which is so heartening to us. As they are arrive, and we know some are still on the way, we're sending them to the new hot spots that show up.

Presently the need is for canned meats and non-perishable foods, socks, underwear, diapers, sanitary and hygiene products. For trucks coming in, we could use some strollers, cribs and other baby/toddler items. People here are starting out with absolutely nothing. As always we're desperate for cash to help folks stranded, stuck and without any resources. Praise the Lord our SUV need has been remedied. Attached is a photo of my wife, Stacy, with one of our new babies here at St. Luke's. Below is a report from dear friends in Texas who've taken in one of our parish families. We give thanks to God for the overwhelming blessings coming our way. With gratitude, love and prayers in Jesus' Name, jerry+ op To help: www.stlukesbr.org or write me off-line kramermission@yahoo.com

Friends

As some of you are aware, M. and I are supporting a New Orleans family, while they are getting their lives back together. They came to us through a long time friends, Rev. Jerry and Stacy Kramer. Jerry is the pastor of a Episcopal parish in New Orleans, whose parish was under five feet of water. Many of his parishioners lost everything.

The mom, Dorla Ewing, is 50 years old, born in Belize, Central America, a beautiful country, that coincidentally M. and I visited last year and loved. She came to the USA when she was a teenager. Her daughter, Adina, is 16 and junior in High School. Both Dorla and Adina take care of her brother, Ramon, who is 29 and autistic. They came to us late last Saturday night by bus from Baton Rouge. Each with a suit case of used clothing and less than $100 between them. That is it! They lost everything.

The first step in rebuilding their lives in Spring, Texas was to celebrate Mass Sunday morning at Christ the Good Shepherd. They are religious people, who truly put their trust in the Lord. After Mass we took them on a car tour of the area and in the evening reunited them with relatives who arrived from New Orleans two weeks ago. This was a very exciting event and put big smiles on everyone's faces. Also, since the relatives were two weeks into the rebuilding process, they were very supportive, had done much research, and had a lot of good information.

Yesterday they went to the Red Cross for financial assistance. About 8,000 people showed up at St. Agnes Baptist Church across town, but since they got in line at 4:15 AM, they had only about 1,000 people in front of them and their process was complete by noon. They immediately went to Chase bank and cashed the check to give them some money. It was nice to see our Red Cross donation at work. At the same time Adina (the 16 year old) and M. visited and researched to two area high schools.

This morning Adina is starting school at Klein Collins, we hope to get the mom in to visit a doctors, visit social security, call FEMA and contacting HUD about housing. It is quite a process when you are starting a new life ... literally

Per my first e-mail, several of you asked how you could help. There is plenty of opportunity. While their immediate needs of food, shelter and clothing are being fulfilled and they are adapting to their new life in Spring, Texas, longer term needs of job, furniture, car, etc. are still to come. For the time being, I ask that you let me know and keep any used furniture, that would be good for a small apartment eventually. A car will be very important in the near future since everything in Spring is so spread out. So I ask that you let me know, if you know of anyone who could lend them a car, sell them a low priced car in good conditions, or in some other way, help get them a car.

To Rev. Jerry and Stacy Kramer, I want to say thank you for sending Dorla, Adina and Ramon to us. We are receiving more than we are giving.

There are many good stories coming out of such a tragedy. A good friend of our, who lost their son in Iraq, felt a true peace of mind for the first time last week, while working in a shelter. She has returned to help almost every day since.

God Bless

+Jerry

The Rev'd Jerry Kramer is rector of the Church of the Annunciation in New Orleans