Choppers, Marinas, & Shelters

Yesterday – day 1 of our oil spill prayer journey through the gulf coast – was just the beginning. With the arrival of day 2 things really kicked into gear.

We worked our way down to the Venice (Louisiana that is) area which is south of New Orleans. There was no big circus, no neon lights, no large signs announcing “Oil Spill Ahead.” In fact, the highway was characterized by calm and verdant scenery. This was broken only by the numerous police cars (to ward off BP protesters?) and round after round of helicopters that were ferrying bags around (presumably sand for the construction of six berms for the barrier island project).

The first stop of the day was at a community prayer center where we took the opportunity to pray. The design (including crosses and a prayer alcove built in the shape of the empty tomb) pointed to the great hope of the gospel. We prayed for the area and the effects of the spill, while holding on to that hope.

From there we headed down to the Ft. Jackson Rehabilitation Center where they are working to clean off the birds (pelicans) that have been oiled by the spill. Unfortunately, they were not letting outside groups in today (though we were able to see some of the cleaned birds from a distance). This article from someone granted media access gives a good description of the work they are doing there. Before we left we were able to pass along some encouragement and spend some time praying for this restorative work.

Our next stop was the Venice Marina. Typically the center of much fishing activity, the marina was lifeless. Very few boats went in or out. We watched as NBC made their hourly update, the pace of their broadcasting contrasted by their news that little was happening.

An interesting conversation with a ship’s mate revealed that many of the boats have been contracted by BP, though he indicated that they are not working too hard. He also pointed out that that they are still waiting on 3 weeks worth of payments. He said that he would really just prefer to be back to fishing. Unfortunately, it sounds like that is a long ways off.

We headed a little ways down the road to Cypress Cove Marina. There we stumbled into a conversation with guy (who asked to remain unnamed) in public affairs from the US Fish and Wildlife Service. This conversation will be fleshed out a lot more in several future posts. Here are a couple interesting quotes from him:

“We are the problem.”

“This is the cost of doing business, but maybe we should re-think how we do business.”

“What is it gonna take?”

He also pointed out that the birds, turtles, and other animals that are dying as a result of the oil is really just a warning sign. He thinks the bigger problem is at the microbial level, where this spill will have even longer term effects. It could be many, many years before fishing is restored, and certain animals could disappear altogether. He also emphasized how much of our food comes primarily from the Gulf, and how much of that may be lost.

My friends, his point was clear: this is bad, very bad! Our consumption and this colossal disaster very well may have changed a culture, a key source of food, an ecosystem, and the species found there.

Lastly, on our way back to New Orleans we stopped by the Plaquemines Parish Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). There we met with the shelter director, Jacob Stroman, who was more than welcoming. The shelter has seen a rise in animals that are relinquished (given to the shelter) recently, most likely due to the economic challenges resulting from the spill (note: “most likely,” because many people do not share why they give them up).

While there, we watched as a woman adopted a 5 year old dog. It was neat to hear as she shared her story with us. And the staff was overjoyed to see this dog find a new home. However, 40+ dogs and 50+ cats remain. This is certainly one of the effects of the spill that goes unnoticed: God’s creatures abandoned, stranded, and left in cages. While the workers at the shelter deeply cared for the animals there and did the best they could, this is certainly a less-than-ideal situation (note: Ben will be sharing this story more fully on the Not One Sparrow site soon).

It has been a long day, but a good one. A day filled with stories, unforgettable sights, and lots of prayer. It is midnight local time as I write this, and we will be up early in the morning to head to Grand Isle, LA where we will spend much of the day around the island with the good people of First Baptist Church, Grand Isle.

Very soon we will conclude this second day of our prayer journey in prayer. Please join us.

More on our prayer journey:

Let the Prayers Flow

Praying Confidently in the Midst of Disaster

Oil Spill Prayer – Update & Prayer Journey

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