Update from JPMF Project Coordinator

Monday October 17, 2005

Location: Pascagoula, MS

    Our first volunteer team arrived Saturday, October 15, after driving 15 hours from Greenville, Ohio. Praise God! They spent the remainder of Saturday setting up and settling in at Green Pastures church where they were staying. On Sunday, we worshiped with the local congregation and then surveyed the hurricane damage, particularly the house the group would be working on first thing Monday morning. After breakfast on Monday at the F.E.M.A. kitchen tent, the group drove a short 2 miles to their first project site.

    Their project was Pastor Jerry Ramsey’s home.  Pastor Ramsey experienced four feet of flooding in his church at the end of August when the hurricanes hit. During the midst of this natural storm, Pastor Jerry and his wife were also facing a personal storm.  While the hurricanes were flooding their church and home, Pastor Jerry Ramsey and his wife were at a Jackson hospital where Mrs. Ramsey was receiving treatments for ovarian cancer. Mrs. Ramsey has been told that her cancer has spread to her bone marrow and there are no longer any options for treatment.  They are so grateful for the team that is working to restore their house so they can return and live out what may be Mrs. Ramsey’s final days in their own home instead of the camper where they are currently living. 

      As I visit homes to assess damage, I am frequently directed to situations like the previous example that I did not have on my list at the beginning of the day. The people of Mississippi are extremely cooperative and sincerely appreciate the out-pouring of the volunteer help.  Please do not hesitate any longer to join in this good work.  Thank you. 

In His Service,

Ralph Opgenorth

Hurricane Relief Project Coordinator

John M. Perkins Foundation  

     On Monday, October 3, I traveled from Jackson to Moss Point where I was greeted by Bishop Houston Cunningham at the Green Pastures Christian Ministries. I was given a place for lodging where I could live while working in the community.

     For the next three days I toured the community with Bishop Cunningham and Pastor Keeton so I could inspect 25 homes damaged by the Hurricane. It soon became clear to me there is an urgent need for many volunteers to come and remove sheet rock from walls and wood from floors to expose the framing soaked by water during the flooding.  Most homes with this flood damage will not have insurance and the people cannot pay for contractors.  It is important to stop the spread of mold in the house and provide clean air in the living space.  There is also much roof and structure damage. However, those problems are temporarily covered and insurance will hopefully cover most of the repair. 

     Earlier, on September 30, Dr. John Perkins and I visited Bishop Cunningham and Pastor Keeton for the first time.  During the visit we were very saddened when Pastor Keeton took us to his church and explained how the building was flooded up to five feet of water. The damage to pianos, copy machines and all furniture was total. He explained the event when people were waist deep in water and some were floating on mattresses coming to the back of the building where they could climb to the 2^nd story classrooms by an outdoor stairway. Pastor Keeton was at the bottom of the stairs helping people climb to the steps. Two days later he noticed his leg being very sore and he remembered people stepping on it many times to get up to steps above the water. Dr. Perkins and I saw he needed much help to restore the building but we could not promise all the help he needed. 

     Then a wonderful event happened just as I was prepared to leave for travel back to Jackson, October 6.  I received a call from Pastor Dave Lind’s office in Rutland, Vermont. His church expressed an interest in finding volunteers who could help restore the building. At the very moment I was speaking with Dave’s secretary, Pastor Keeton drove up in his car and I was able to have them talk together as they discussed plans to have volunteers participate in restoring the church building. Suddenly and with great joy we witnessed a divine intervention providing an answer to a problem we thought we couldn’t solve!

     In addition, we have already established two locations for lodging very near the project sites where volunteers can sleep, shower, and cook meals. Each site is ready immediately for thirty or forty people a piece.  We are planning to establish a third station soon near Gulfport or Biloxi.  We are now anxiously awaiting the arrival of volunteer workers. 

     As I plan my work for the coming weeks, I want everyone to imagine the urgency needed to solve this problem that threatens the health of all these people. As a first step, we are asking that you please send as many volunteers as possible to do this work. As noted in the previous paragraph, we are ready to accommodate the volunteers and start work without delay. If you cannot send the volunteers yourself, please talk to family and friends that can so that we can all work together to complete this good work. 

In His Service,

Ralph Opgenorth

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                Click here for volunteer information.

                  Photos From the Mississippi Gulf Coast

        Flooding has caused mildew and dry wall damage.

           This church in Tylertown serves as a volunteer shelter.

            Green Pastures Christian Ministries in Moss Point.

Click here for additional photos.