One year later...wow. This year has seemed like a lot longer than one year in some regards. And in some ways, it seems a lot shorter than one year. Jane and I and our three children evacuated before the hurricane and were not able to return home until nearly 10 months later due to the nearly 6 feet of water that flooded our home! Sure we came back many times - to pull out wet sheet rock, to remove wet furniture, and to oversee the mold remediation process and the re-wiring of our entire home.

The hardest part for our children has been the loss of their clothes, furniture, and toys. The hardest part for Jane has been the instability of "moving around" and the disconnection from relationships at what used to be Destiny Place Church. The hardest part for me (aside from dealing wtih FEMA and Insurance) has been the loss of my library, files, and sermons from the past 12 years.

In the midst of the hardness however, the generosity and love we have received from many has overwhelmed us and made us so grateful to be apart of the U.S. and the church! Our neighborhood is coming back...slowly. I belive that New Orleans at the end of the day, will be a much stronger and better city than it ever was before. Until that time, we wait, we labor, we pray, and we are grateful for the things that matter the most: faith, family, and the promise of a great future!

Thank you to so many of you for standing with us and pouring out your love not just in word, but in deed - a special thanks to Ron and Judy Noe for the gift of a home while we were in Tennessee and for the gift of transportation when we returned back to New Orleans! And a special thanks to all those at Faith Promise Church in Knoxville who adopted us for a brief season.

Please continue to remember the physical, but more importantly the spiritual rebuilding of New Orleans!

In Christ,
Jeff Powell