I stood looking at the devastation with a sense of foreboding that was hard to shake. Hurricane Katrina had wreaked such havoc across the Gulf Coast that the images on television and in the newspapers made it appear horrendous enough. To see it first hand was almost more than I could take. It was not possible to capture the full magnitude of annihilation in pictures. In these images the devastation was reduced, flattened, and seemed of manageable proportions.

But seeing it face to face I realized it was not manageable. This part of the U.S. will never be the same.

It was not possible to capture the full magnitude of annihilation in pictures. In these images the devastation was reduced, flattened, and seemed of manageable proportions.

I suddenly realized I was standing in the midst of the Louisiana destruction exactly four years to the week after standing at Ground Zero in New York City where the smoke still poured out of the crumbled and twisted rubble of what had been the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Seeing both "up close" has made a lasting impression on my soul. The World Trade Center tragedy was beyond description in its horror, and that experience was compounded by the reality of sheer human evil at an incomprehensible magnitude. New York City was gripped with fear. The silence on the streets and the grim and uncertain look on people's faces reinforced the sense that this was a city under attack. I was in awe at evil's ability to inflict such horror on a population.

Hurricane Katrina brought a different sense of awe"the sudden awareness of the frailty of our existence in the face of natural forces beyond our control. As I looked over the scene, I thought about the tsunami in the Indian Ocean: A wall of water destroying several nations' coastlines, tens of thousands losing their lives, and a world in shock.

Now here we were again, but this time in a highly developed country. Economic advantages and developed government agencies seemed to offer more insulation from so much that can ravage a world where resources are limited, governments are ineffective, or infrastructures are weak or nonexistent.

The destruction along the Gulf Coast was beyond comprehension. Entire communities were erased. Hundreds of thousands of homes were left uninhabitable. Businesses and institutions that provided employment and services to millions of people ceased to exist. Local, state, and even federal government agencies were so overwhelmed that tens of thousands of people clamored for assistance from agencies incapable of adequate response. Blame will likely be assessed, but actually, no one was prepared for a loss so overwhelming.

As governments and other agencies struggled to marshal their forces for response, I came face to face with the people of God already on the ground, coming from all over the nation and pouring themselves out in selfless service and compassion. At local Churches of the Nazarene, pastors"despite suffering personal loss in the storm"were coordinating and organizing relief efforts through their churches. In some cases, lay people whose homes were damaged or destroyed helped others with creating crisis care kits, distributing food and water daily, offering places to sleep, and donating cleaning supplies. Hugs, words of reassurance, and frequent spontaneous prayer were the order of each hour. Teams of volunteers came from across the nation, helping communities clean up homes, repair roofs, and cut broken limbs and downed trees.

Whatever the nature of the loss, God's people are ready. Giving hope, help, and compassion, they bring God's hands to broken lives.

Nazarene Compassionate Ministries, Nazarene Disaster Response, and others gave needed leadership and coordination to these heroic efforts. Hundreds of godly, compassionate, sacrificial Nazarenes poured themselves out in service to others. Millions of dollars poured in from generous Nazarenes around the globe. Whatever the nature of the loss, God's people are ready. Giving hope, help, and compassion, they bring God's hands to bear in broken lives. I saw it in New York, heard of it in response to the tsunami, and saw it again in response to Katrina. Thank you, Nazarenes, for your heartfelt engagement with human need and your loving expression of Christlike compassion.

Jesse C. Middendorf is a general superintendent in the Church of the Nazarene.

Holiness Today, March/April 2006

Please note: This article was originally published in 2006. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.