Sunday, August 31, 2008

Please Pray for State of Louisiana and the Surroundings

I am sure that now, you are hearing on the news what we in New Orleans have been bracing for all week--the arrival of Hurricane Gustav. Right now, the primary sentiment of Gulf Coast residents is one of extraordinary trepidation. None of us want to relive the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, and based on the forecast of Hurricane Gustav and Mayor Nagin's proclamation that Hurricane Gustav is the "Storm of the Century," there is a very strong possibility that we will--almost three years to the date of the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

To update you on the path of Hurricane Gustav, here is the latest real-time map (which is updated by the National Hurricane Center):



For those of you who know me, my close friends and family have evacuated safely (or are in the process of evacuating). I am reading your emails now this morning, and want to thank you for your concerns. Please think about the other people of New Orleans and Louisiana as well.

Please pray for the people living on the Gulf Coast, many of whom simply do not have the psychological or financial wherewithal to make it through another hurricane like Hurricane Katrina. Many have lost everything, and are in the process of potentially losing everything, again.

Please pray that the people of New Orleans will never lose their generous, abounding, and unparalleled spirit, even despite tragedy and hardship. Please pray for the people who are still evacuating, that they would not encounter car troubles, that they can make it through the bumper-to-bumper traffic relatively quickly, that they would be able to purchase enough food, water, and supplies, even despite the empty shelves, and that they can find rooms in which to stay. Please pray that the levees will hold. Please pray that by a miracle, the storm would weaken and that the Gulf Coast may be protected.

Also, please pray for those who have lost their family, friends, or homes during Hurricane Katrina, and who are still coming to terms with their losses. In a time of frenzy and fear, the blogger at Contraflow Maps reminded me to "remember" the losses from Hurricane Katrina with this image:



I hope you do the same.

9 comments:

  1. Hope you have a safe trip! You all are in my prayers.

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  2. Thinking about you and I will pray that Louisiana be spared such devastation again. I will probably have to pray through the night for you all, but it will not be for lack of effort!
    Keep safe PE!

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  3. hey sweets~of course/thinking of you, friends, family + neighbors as I am sending prayers your way for safe journey, peace of mind and God's protection.....

    take care, peace + ((( h u g s )))

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  4. I'm relieved to hear you are safe, Chef Ben and I had dinner a couple of weeks ago and were wondering if you were here or there, but it sounds like you're there! Stay well.

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  5. my love and wishes to all of you down there...

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  6. I'm glad the hurricane weakened by the time it landed, but I'm still praying that everyone's homes will be safe when they return. So I hope the same for you and everyone else who evacuated. Keep up that Nawlins gumption!

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  7. Hey PE, You still got your hat on?
    Glad the hurricane was not as strong when it arrived.
    Hope all is well when you return home and for all the other hurricane evacuees.

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  8. Thank you all for your kind and heartfelt prayers and words LA Chic, Melinda, Taste Memory, Foodhoe, Sweet T, and Chez Ben. I am doing well and my family is in the process of getting back to daily living. I will keep you all updated with developments, but I am so grateful and touched by your support.

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  9. "O Christ, you are the Good Shepherd of the whole of your creation and for this we give thanks. As sheep depend upon the love and guidance of their shepherd, we depend upon you to supply our needs. In your shepherding care, gather us to your side. There, in the flock of those who have heard your voice, give us nourishment for the labour of the day, peace for the evening hours, and rest for the night. In your love for all the world, invite us, as you invited Peter, to feed your lambs and tend your flock. As we have found rest and refreshment in your presence, so enable us to shepherd others - giving protection, guidance, and nourishment to all people whom you would gather to yourself." Amen.
    ---------------------
    christina

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