When Shawn and I were in New Orleans we ran into this woman and took
her information back to church. Well a team recently worked on her
house and this is her story written by someone who was on the team that
gutted her home.
"I feel somewhat
compelled to share briefly a story behind the woman whose house we
helped muck out yesterday in New Orleans. It is a story of great
heroicism and the best in our soul.
Angela is a woman who lives in the heart of the 7th ward. When the hurricane
hit, she and many on her street were caught in the aftermath. Her house
took on 6 feet of water. She slept in the upstairs of the corner
church. This 5'5" ball of determination helped to keep alive and then
led recuers to the homes of 10 people on her street. For 11 days she
and a young man who was her ally swam pulling a boat through the
neighborhood, bringing food and water and supplies from a neighborhood
cornerstore that was also flooded. She took us on a short tour,
including walking on the roof of the store which had been half blown
off. She would swim pulling the boat to the store; walk along the roof
and jump into the store which was 5-6 feet of water; she would dive to
the food cases that had canned food and packaged food. On her street
there was a blind man, an invalid, several elderly, one young family
with a newborn. She supplied all of them food for 10 days until they
could all be rescued. She could only go in the store until day six
because the smell was so putrid after that, it was not possible to
enter. As she showed us some pictures and recounted her story, we were
all stunned. We could hardly believe our ears. Here was a mighty woman,
and furthermore a woman dedicated to her neighbors. She literally saved
their lives. After about a week or so of this, several people were
getting moldy feet. All shoes were wet and mildewing, feet were getting
sluffy. So she went to the Payless shoe store to get shoes. She brought
back 12 pair. Then she commented, she could have been shot dead on
sight for looting. For shoes that Payless will never sell (in fact have
already thrown away) and will get insurance reimbursement for every
pair. Different perspective.
We came at her
request, because an earlier team had helped her aunt. We gutted her
house. She is a musician, a percussionist. She had $15,000 invested in
a set, that is now ruined. As we took stuff out to the street, she was
busy determining if anything could be salvaged. She was processing her
loss in light speed. We had taken much to the street, when a bobcat
with a claw rolled down the street behind a dump truck and started
crushing all her stuff and dumping it. What a stark, dramatic event,
seeing everything in your house being wasted before your eyes. I was
concerned for her. After lunch we continued by removing the drywall. It
was a moldy, musty mess. Yesterday she was strong, today though she was
emotionally a wreck. She has seen her house and goods and neighbors and
life all vanish before her eyes.
Tonight we
invited her to the mid-week service at Trinity church. She came and
experienced the testimony of others and the love of Christ in a new
way. She knows God gave her the strength to do all she did, but she
still is learning what it is to know God personally through Jesus. Pray
for Angie."
Hi guys it's Lorleanne, The Maywood group made it home safe and sound! I love this story! I think that it's a great idea to have someone share what they witnessed here on your page, it gives other people the chance to read all about what is happening in New Orleans. Wow Angie is an amazing woman, plus I totally understand the reason why she didn't want to go into that store after the sixth day! Well I love you two and keep in touch! >Muha< XOXOXO
Posted by: Lorleanne Ball | January 10, 2006 at 09:13 PM