Frustrated

Our church has been working to get Hurricane Katrina evacuees out of shelters into homes or back home. My wife, Joslyn, has been an energy dynamo in this area, taking one family by the hand and sifting through the paper, politics, propaganda and pushing to get them a house, utilities, financial assistance and a job.

She's one of several in the congregation who have re-routed their time to help stranded families return to normal life.

We're both frustrated today. One family absorbed a week's work. Joslyn and the church committee quickly worked to get finances for the family, take the mother to view an available housing unit, get deposits paid and to weave the family through the back door of the process that involved long waiting lines.

Mission accomplished. With keys in her hand and utilities on, the last step was to bring a small army of church women to the house to turn it into a house where a home could thrive.

Today, a group of church women were set to help, mop, sweep and help the family move into a three bedroom unit.

Yesterday, after all of the hard work, with new washer, dryer, stove and refrigerator on the the grounds, the mother decided she didn't like the house. She refused our efforts and won't move in.

Boom! Crash!

A weeks work went down the tubes. We were both so frustrated at the money and time lost, we went home, ate ice creame and watched T.V.

So what now?

We'll look at the next name on the list and start all over again.

We were not promised that our efforts would always be rewarded everytime by grateful recipients. There will be times, as we do God's work, that the only thank you will come from God.

As we work on the next family...

We'll keep a half gallon of ice cream ready.