Posts tagged Prayer Journey

Dorsal Fins & Prayer Meetings

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After the prayer meeting we had on St George Island on Saturday night, we were blessed that our prayer journey had us in the area a while longer. First Baptist Church, St George Island was gracious enough to put us up in their retreat center for the night which allowed us to stay in town and worship with two churches on Sunday morning.

We first worshipped with our friends from United Methodist Church, St George Island. Pastor Themo Patriotis and others were incredibly gracious with us. The worship service was excellent.

During the service I had the opportunity to share about our journey. I took some time to share about the awful things that we had seen and heard about through the course of our journey. I highlighted the difficult time I had on Friday as I experienced the oil in such a close, sickening way (a glimpse of which you can see in the video below). No need to over-exaggerate, I painted the picture as we had experienced it. And it was ugly, painful, and heart-wrenching.

Now, it’s not easy painting a picture this grim in a church service. It is hard to handle.

Fortunately, I was able to tell them this:

But it doesn’t end there!

You see our story does not end with tragedy. It ends with our Lord winning the battle, with His redemption and restoration.

I shared some thoughts on Colossians 1:15-20 with the congregation. I pointed out how God Himself is redeeming all things and how this gives us great hope in times like this. We must remember that our Creator is also our Redeemer.

Later in the service Pastor Themo asked Ben and I to serve communion to the congregation. What a powerful moment! It was a great blessing to serve them in this way as well.

After fellowshipping with them for a little bit afterwards, we headed straight over to First Baptist Church, St George Island. This was another great service. Pastor Mike Whaley, his wife Judy, and many others were again very kind to us. We again had the opportunity to share with the congregation. I delivered a similar message, this time highlighting that God is in control. I again shared the Colossians 1 but brought in the renewed creation of Revelation 21. This was the point to the hope that we have that though BP, the government, and others may struggle to get this situation under control, we know that our God is in control.

Afterwards we headed to Pastor Themo’s home for lunch. We were joined by Eric and Christine Purvis, two wonderful worship leaders who led worship at the prayer service the night before and the Methodist church’s morning service. Themo’s wife April cooked a wonderful Greek dish of stuffed peppers. It was excellent. We enjoyed a great time of conversation, particularly focusing on the spill and how we might better care for God’s creation. It was so encouraging to hear people genuinely interested in fulfilling their call to care for God’s creation.

After a (long) while we spent some time praying for April’s mom, Lynn, who has been diagnosed with a rare, untreatable form of cancer and Lupus. This was another powerful time where the Spirit was definitely present. I also ask that you all please join us in prayer for our sister Lynn.

As this was the final (official) stop of our journey before beginning the trek home, we asked that Themo and April join us in prayer. We headed down to Lafayette pier in Apalachicola. We had a wonderful time of prayer with two incredible servants. We were so blessed to get to know Themo and his wife. It was one of those time that you wish did not have to end. That must be why we got on the road 3 hours after we had intended. It was certainly worth it though.

Late Sunday night (actually 1:00am Monday morning) we arrived back in New Orleans. We were exhausted, worn down, energized, saddened, and encouraged all at the same time. What a way to end the trip, highlighting the hope we have in the Lord and finding encouragement from brothers and sisters in Christ!

May the message ring out that:

IT DOESN’T END THERE. THERE IS HOPE.

GOD IS WITH US. GOD IS IN CONTROL. GOD HIMSELF IS WORKING TO REDEEM ALL THINGS.

More from our prayer journey:

In Shock

“I’ve Got Tears In My Eyes”

Oil Spill, Prayer, Prayer Journey

Dorsal Fins & Prayer Meetings

Jun 22nd

“I’ve Got Tears In My Eyes”

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Although Friday wore me out, I got up early Saturday morning to go back to Orange Beach before setting out on the next steps of our prayer journey. The picture that I saw was no better than the afternoon before. The rain the night before had failed to wash away either the oil or its stench from the beach. Wave after wave of oil still washed ashore.

Furthermore, there was now dead wildlife to be found on the shore. First, a blue-clawed crab; dead with oil on its body.

Next, hundreds of dead, little minnows. These were scattered across the shoreline.

Third, a hermit crab which lay lifeless on the sand.

Signs of other, potential casualties surrounded me. Sadly, more minnows swam on the shores edge. Perhaps it was just a matter of time before they joined the others on the shore. Other fish could be seen jumping out of the water just offshore. Dolphins swam in these same oiled waters not far out.

Also, I watched as sharks – which must have been at least five feet long – fed on fish who likely had ingested the oil themselves. The unbelievable thing about this was that they hunted these fish literally 15 feet of the shore. We have been reading how another impact of the spill has been to drive sea creatures closer and closer to shore to avoid the oil. Alas, there was nowhere else to run.

After this we headed over to Pensacola Beach, FL to meet with an incredible young lady named Stacy. This encounter was certainly one that had been planned by God. You see, when we set out on the trip we were still waiting to hear back about several possibilities of people to connect with in this area. Stacy was not one of them. On the flight out to New Orleans I started talking with the woman sitting next to me. It turns out that she works right across the street from Westmont college where I did my undergraduate work. Not only that but her niece is also a Westmont alum. As I was telling her about the trip and where I would be headed, she mentioned offhandedly that her niece lived in Pensacola and that she might be interested in what we were doing. After the flight I gave this woman my card, but did not expect much to come of it from the niece’s end. Well, on Thursday night I got a call from her niece, Stacy, asking what we were doing. I told her about the trip so far and suggested we meet up and pray together.

So, we headed down to Pensacola Beach and met up with Stacy. It was surprising how just a few more miles down the coast the situation was again changed. The water was blue and clear. Apparently some tar balls had come ashore but were already cleaned up. When we were there people were swimming and enjoying the beach, albeit in decreased numbers.

There on the beach we enjoyed a wonderful time of prayer. It is so amazing how we have this common bond as Christians where we can come together in prayer with someone we did not even know moments earlier. Not only did we spend time praying but we were able to share stories about caring for God’s creation and humane consumption. Ben and I had a great time and were blessed by this encounter.

After our time with Stacy, we continued on down the Florida coast to the beautiful St George Island. St George Island is a small island surrounded by incredible eco-diversity. Though it has not yet been hit with the oil, fear abounds. Even if the oil does not reach the shore, the island may still be deeply affected economically.

On the island the pastors of the Methodist and Baptist churches on the island had arranged a prayer and praise meeting for Saturday. We set up on the beach just past their spectacular lighthouse. The meeting was late in the evening so we were blessed by great, cool weather. A variety of leaders took part in the event. Both Ben and myself were able to participate in reading scripture, sharing brief messages, and praying. This was a powerful time with upwards of 70 people (estimates have reached as high as 100) gathered together on this small island to pray for this situation. A few thoughts rang out during the course of the evening:

God is in control
God is with us
We must humble ourselves and pray.

As waves crashed, birds soared overhead, and the sun descended we proclaimed that the God who had created these incredible things was sovereign over this situation. It was so amazing to see these wonderful people stand together and declare their trust in the Lord. Ben and I were blessed to have been able to participate in something so great as this. While the day had begun rough, facing the challenges of the spill up close and personal, it finished as a time of comfort and hope.

{UPDATE: Apparently Pensacola has now had a new round of oil wash ashore. Let us pray that this too can be cleaned up quickly and completely.}

More on our prayer journey:

In Shock

Oil Spill, Prayer, Prayer Journey

In Shock

Jun 22nd

“I’ve Got Tears In My Eyes”

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The clean beaches we saw in Gulfport, MS on Thursday’s leg of our prayer journey were not to be found on Friday. As we crossed the state line over into Gulf Shores, AL, we went from a fear of what could happen to a realized fear.

Upon arrival, we noticed that the yellow flag was flying on the shore. This indicated the danger but allowed people to go in the water. And go in the water they did. The beach was a contrast of beach umbrellas and cleanup tents, people wearing bathing suits and workers wearing special protective boots and gloves, people playing in the sand and workers digging up the oil in the sand, people swimming in the water and people taking pictures of the oil and tars balls in the water.

The reports we had heard of tar balls found on the beaches there were most definitely true. They was scattered across the shore. Solid to the touch, those found in the sand were not as sticky as I might have thought. Perhaps it result of having been in the sun and covered in sand. As I crumbled one in my hand, however, it quickly became much more sticky and stuck to my hand. In fact, after washing it off in the ocean water and scraping it through the sand, my hand remained covered with a layer of oil. It was only after wiping down with several baby wipes that I started to make some progress.

Ben, bravely trekked into the ocean to see what he could see. There he saw what looked liked little flakes. When he reached out to touch them, they dissolved immediately on his hand revealing droplets of oil. Even with these moist drops he was only successful in partially removing it from his skin. He, too, was left with an oily layer that was only removed later with a more intentional effort and help.

Imagine what it might be like for an animal that happened to come into contact with it.

Meanwhile contracted workers continued to work just a few yards off the water’s edge. Every couple hundred yards or so there was another group of workers. The scary thing was that the oil was not just found in chunks on the surface. They had to dig down into the sand where they continued to find the contaminated spots. They filled bag after bag after bag with oiled sand. Every short while an excavator/tractor would come by to be filled with the many bags. They were then transported to the nearest collection of dumpsters that had been brought in just for that purpose.

Whereas access to the contaminated areas was extremely restricted in Louisiana, here people were not separated from the workers, oil, or water. It was bizarre to watch as people would step across tar balls to go swimming in the water. Or as people set up their towels, chairs, and umbrellas right near the cleanup tents. Or as tourists snapped picture after picture of the work, sometimes posing right next to the workers.

After a while we headed a little further on down the beach to Gulf Shores State Park. There workers in hazmat suits collected countless oil-stained booms. As I walked out on the pier there, a look down into the water revealed massive tar balls on the ocean floor. Even worse, fish were swimming and jumping in the area, surely unable to avoid contamination.

Next, we continued on to Orange Beach which is the next city to the east of Gulf Shores. Though we only traveled a short distance the picture drastically worsened. The flags had gone from yellow to red meaning: “DO NOT GO IN THE WATER.”

This was with good reason. As I walked toward the shore, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this was one of the more beautiful beaches I had seen. This pristine beach contained beautiful white sand, clean of any debris. But as I approached the water the picture completely changed. The last 10 or 15 feet to the water (at high tide) was completely stained with oil. It was from white to some sort of orange-brown. Walking barefoot, I immediately felt the grease of oil between my toes. An overpowering stench of oil filled my nostrils. I watched as each wave deposited a new line of oil on the sand. As the waves retreated back, they revealed the large amounts of oil in the water. Furthermore, both large globs and tiny droplets of oil were visible on the surface of the water. In contrast to our experience in both Louisiana and Gulf Shores, there were no workers, no security; just a few others watching this disaster unfold before them.

I was profoundly impacted at this point. I sat overwhelmed at the tragedy before me. It was like watching the scene of a car accident. Horror stood before me, but I could not bring myself to leave. After a couple hours locked into the disaster, a heavy storm rolled in. Thunder rumbling in the background, raindrops falling on my head, I just stood there. I was in shock, unable to even think. The damage we had caused to God’s creation was more than I could handle.

What had we done? How awful that my own consumption had been a factor in causing this! Why weren’t we doing more to fix it? How tragic that I could do nothing more.

Overwhelmed and shocked, all I could do was call upon our Lord.

For more images and videos, please visit our Facebook page, our Flickr page, or our YouTube channel [video content coming soon].

[I apologize for the delay on these latest posts. As you can imagine, this trip has been filled with long, challenging days. Our schedule has had us up early and working very late every day. Now that we have returned, I will be back on track.]

More on our prayer journey:

Brokenness, Oil Spill, Prayer, Prayer Journey

“I’ve Got Tears In My Eyes”

Jun 18th

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On Thursday, our gulf coast prayer journey began appropriately. We had a chance to pray on the beach of Grand Isle one last time before moving along. We worked our way from Grand Isle, Louisiana all the way to Gulfport, Mississippi. The road included much beautiful scenery. The way was scattered with rivers, marshes, bayous, forests, and some great trees.

Upon arrival at Gulfport, we headed straight to the beach. There we found a pier and walked to the end to see the condition of the water (which was totally clear of oil).

At the end of the pier were a couple of guys on a bench. Ben soon struck up a conversation with one of them, a local fisherman named Michael. It turns out that Michael had been crying and praying about the oil spill when we showed up. He shared much of his story and thoughts about the spill with us, but the following quote is what will stick with me for a long time:

I’ve got tears in my eyes. I don’t want it to get here. I don’t want it to get here! That’s my livelihood!

Somehow looking at it on the computer does not seem to do justice to the sincere passion and pain that he delivered it with. This man truly felt the pain of many of his gulf coast neighbors and deeply feared how it would impact him.

As we spoke a man sat quietly next to Michael with his head buried in a booklet. At some point along the way, Michael interrupted him. Luis, who only spoke Spanish, was out from Texas for a few days visiting family. Though I didn’t want to interrupt his personal, devotional time, I am glad that we – and by we I mean our new friend Michael – did. It turns out that Luis was going through a Catholic devotional.

Luis had a powerful story. He had lost his wife in 2003 (if I remember the date correctly) and had turned to drinking. But in 2005 he gave up drinking and turned to the Lord instead. It was great to hear his story and share what we were doing as well. He and I had a great time sharing how God is in control pase lo que pase (“whatever happens”).

After a while the four of us, who were absolute strangers 20 minutes earlier, joined together in prayer on the end of the pier there. What a powerful and unexpected time!

As of Thursday morning a couple of plans had fallen through and I was wondering if anything meaningful was going to happen. Certainly the two of us would pray, but I thought that other than that it would mostly be filled with a lot of driving, catching up on work, and planning. What a pleasant surprise to see God move in this way. As we walked away, our two new friends were encouraged as were we. And I have a new friend Luis who wants to give me a call sometime.

God is good!

More on our prayer journey:

Oil Spill Prayer – Update & Prayer Journey

Oil Spill, Prayer, Prayer Journey

Decontamination, Frustration, & Oration

Jun 17th

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Wednesday our gulf coast prayer journey took us down to Grand Isle, LA. This is located to the southeast of New Orleans and has been a placed of much activity these last 59 days.

Once there, we first went to Grand Isle State Park where much oil has been spotted. We walked by a camp where many of the cleanup workers were gathered on our way to the beach. What we saw upon arriving was disheartening. Booms stretched as far as the eye could see in each direction. A look beyond the boom revealed that the shores were blackened by the oil. Looking closer you could see not just the globs of oil but some very large chunks as well. As we walked out along the pier small patches of oil were visible floating across the top of the water.

But what made it worse was watching the sea life that was swimming near and through the oil. A stone’s throw from the water’s edge swam shrimp, schools of fish, and dolphins. Additionally, birds were diving into that same water to catch those fish which may well have been contaminated.

I have been reading about how many of the animals have been forced closer to shore to avoid the oil. However, they do not seem to be safe there either. It seems that for many there is nowhere to run.

We also learned that where there used to be a countless supply of crabs running on the shore (to the point that you had to be careful not to have your toes pinched), they are no longer there. “The crabs are all gone,” said one resident.

Now, unless you have special clearance it is illegal to go beyond the boom. But I watched as two people (without permission) crossed the boom to take samples on the shore. Security quickly showed up to make them leave. Not only did they threaten to have them arrested but they were forced to be decontaminated. Apparently they were fortunate because it only took 5 or 10 minutes to scrub off their shoes. I was later told by a BP spokesman that it could take up to 3 hours.

As we worked our way around the island we later hit another part of the Grand Isle beach. Within 5 minutes of reaching the beach, we were approached by no fewer than 3 or 4 security guards. We were sternly (but kindly) warned not to cross the boom. Again, boom 3 layers thick stretched across the shoreline. As I looked at the tar balls before me and the numerous oil rigs in the background I couldn’t help but wonder, “was it just a matter of time before this happened?”

Frustrations ran very high across the island. Economic difficulties are rising. The jobs of many have been called into question. It’s not just about the short term. If you are a fisherman, it could possibly be years and years before being able to resume work in the area. Even those who may not be directly affected feel the trickle down effect of it all. These challenges and the apparent lack of progress in the local cleanup have many frustrated and angry. Some described the people who live there as “depressed.” One woman has been so stressed out about the situation that she has lost 16 pounds as a result. Protests are not unknown, though outside of the passive one pictured below, protests seem to have been replaced with less public anger and frustration. Perhaps that reveals something of their mindset as well.

Everywhere you go people are talking about the spill – about amount of oil, locations, frustrations, economics, science, and more. There are now even snow balls and mixed drinks with names like “tar ball” and “oil spill.” There is no escaping it.

Some who went down to spend the summer on the beach are flat out of luck. Even grandparents have turned their grandchildren away because the beaches and water are no longer available. Life on the island is now changed.

I was also able to spend a few minutes with a BP spokesperson at the local community center which has been taken over by people offering assistance, loans, and answers to questions. Instead of expressing anger (which has been well covered by many others – locally and globally), I chose to hear the positive things they are doing to help this community.

Much of what they are doing in Grand Isle focuses on the needs of the youth. They will create a youth jobs program, sponsor a fireworks display, and build a volleyball court (since there is no longer a beach to play on). They have tried to take ideas originating from the community itself. When asked how people might pray for BP, the spokesperson demonstrated his concern for the community by asking for prayer for the residents first, BP second. While these and other efforts in no way make up for the damage, it is good to know that there are at least a few positive things like this taking place. [More about approaches to BP in the future.]

The last thing we did was to join the members of First Baptist Church, Grand Isle for a Bible study and prayer meeting for the oil spill. The Bible study was a meaningful time where residents, missionaries, a member of the Coast Guard just in from Washington state, and ourselves shared testimonies. We also had an opportunity to hear their concerns, frustrations, and needs.

After the study, we were able to lead a prayer meeting. Before we began in prayer I shared a few thoughts on how God is with us even in these difficult times. Then we – young and old, local and stranger, but all children of God – joined together for a very meaningful time of prayer. This was the most impactful time of the whole day for me. To stand together and express our faith and confidence in the Lord with those who find themselves right in the thick of this tragedy was incredibly powerful.

I cannot put this post up without mentioning the great help of Becca Knight and Katie Newman – two young missionaries who have given their summer to help out First Baptist Church. They gave up their entire day to guide us around the island, make arrangements, and pray with us. We were greatly blessed by the hospitality of these two, their friend Dillon, and the rest of First Baptist Church.

Through the night the following thoughts resounded: God is with us, God is in control, and God is faithful.

More on our prayer journey:

Oil Spill Prayer – Update & Prayer Journey

Oil Spill, Prayer, Prayer Journey

Choppers, Marinas, & Shelters

Jun 15th

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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:

Oil Spill Prayer – Update & Prayer Journey

Animals, Oil Spill, Prayer, Prayer Journey

Let the Prayers Flow

Jun 14th