The Bible School Becky an I attended, RHEMA Bible Training Center, had been collecting funds to help alumni in the New Orleans area. Today they sent out an email detailing how the money had been distributed and also included some hurricane stories from alumni I thought you might find interesting:
" There is one issue that we would like for you to agree with us in prayer.
As of this writing there are two alumni that are unaccounted for:
Beverly Paul we have found her name on a Red Cross list but we have not
been successful in locating her.
Judith Sisk we have no word of her whatsoever.There are many amazing survival stories of Gods protection and provision.
Included with these is the emotional gratitude being expressed by our
alumni for your generous gifts. The alumni who have been called, visited
and given relief checks have been touched deeply by the RHEMA family
reaching out and blessing their lives at this time. Here are just a few of
their stories:
Donna Pike, (95, 96) lived in St. Bernard parish in the New Orleans area.
Fleeing the storm and expecting to return the next day, she left with only
the clothes on her back and a couple of blankets not knowing that in a few
hours she would suffer the loss of everything she owned. It now appears it
could be months before she will be able to return to her home. She is
currently living in Broken Arrow with her son.Noel and Jessie Rovira, (88, 89) fled the storm to find shelter in a
hotel on Canal Street. When the floods came, they fled to the higher
floors. When night came, thugs overran the hotel and Noel knew he must
relocate his family and 90-year-old father to another location. He set out
in chest-high water to locate a boat but the thugs refused to help unless
he paid them $100.00. Knowing it was the only way out he paid the money and
used the boat to relocate his family to a local overpass where they spent
the next two nights and three days. Weary, with no means to obtain help,
they made a deal with one of the news crews to swap their story for a call
to the military requesting that they be airlifted from the overpass. The
news crew agreed and within a few days Noel and his family found themselves
being received openly by the city of Austin, TX. Since then they have been
united with friends and are living in Denham, LA.Willie and Vivian Mitchell, 1997 graduates, RMAI members and pastors of The
Bible Training Center in New Iberia, LA have been assisting evacuees who
have been relocated to their area and are living with church members.I am sure that as time progresses, many more stories will be told. Please
know that your generous outpouring of love, prayers and gifts have brought
much comfort into the lives of those affected by Hurricane Katrina.Truly, all of us working together are making a difference!"
Sincerely,
Pastor Kenneth W. Hagin