They were told that a hurricane was coming . . . They were told to pack for three days . . . They were told to evacuate the city . . . They thought they would return home . . . But in a single day, the destiny of one church was changed forever! Hurricane Katrina had already struck south Florida as a mild Category 1 hurricane, but after returning to the Gulf of Mexico and regaining strength, she was back! Only this time, she was predicted to be a dangerous Category 5 hurricane, and her next target was none other than New Orleans, Louisiana. For years, the city was warned that a storm like Katrina could eventually strike, but no one knew exactly when. Yet, in 2005, the time had finally arrived. Hurricane Katrina had her eye on the crescent city. As the city's residents scrambled to prepare for the worst, thousands hunkered down while countless others evacuated. But one eastern New Orleans church called Smoking for Jesus Ministry made plans to evacuate and weather the storm together! In a 40-car caravan of approximately 200 members, they began a journey that would mark one of the greatest modern-day deliverance stories of our time. This is a story of the utter devastation, tragedy, and losses surrounding Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. More importantly, though, this is a story of how this church experienced the hope of God's peace, love, provision, and faithfulness through the storms. And as they traveled together throughout the states of Louisiana and Texas, they had no earthly idea of the amazing promises of God that awaited them at the end of the journey. But first, they would need to survive! Mount Up! This is the story of How One Church Survived Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Mount Up!
How One Church Survived Hurricanes Katrina and RitaBy Willie L. Monnet, Sr.AuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Pastor Willie L. Monnet, Sr.
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4520-2415-8Contents
Acknowledgments............................................ixWarning: There's a Storm Coming............................xiIntroduction...............................................xiiiChapter 1. The Calm before the Storm.......................1Chapter 2. In the Midst of the Storm.......................9Chapter 3. Shelter from the Rain...........................23Chapter 4. Uncharted Waters................................41Chapter 5. Pathway to Purpose..............................59Chapter 6. Anchored in the Lord............................69Chapter 7. Troubled Waters.................................83Chapter 8. Raging Waters...................................95Chapter 9. After The Rain..................................105Chapter 10. Following in His Footsteps.....................125Epilogue...................................................139"Meet the Members".........................................147
Chapter One
The Calm before the Storm
New Orleans, Louisiana
"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!" Isaiah 26:3 NLT
On Friday, August 26, 2005 the weather was beautiful and the afternoon winds were calm. Children returning home from school were anticipating the freedom of the weekend and my wife Claudette and I were looking forward to a few days of much needed rest. We'd just returned home from Destin, Florida after conducting our annual Marriage Refresher for the married couples of our church Smoking for Jesus Ministry, where I am the pastor. However, while getting settled back in, I turned on the local news only to learn that a potentially catastrophic Category Five hurricane named Katrina was threatening to strike our city within 72 hours. The city, though, didn't seem to be too concerned. There was no uproar or sign of panic. Oh, had we only known what was to come. I look back now a bit wistfully at how calm we all were, before the storm.
At the time, our church was located in eastern New Orleans and had been in operation since 1996. We had regularly scheduled weekly services such as Monday night Bible Studies, Tuesday women's Bible study, Wednesday night discipleship class, Saturday corporate prayer, and Sunday morning services. We were also in the process of building a new church adjacent to our current structure. That weekend, though, our plans were in for a drastic change.
At 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning, I turned on the television to hear the meteorologist report that Hurricane Katrina was looking more and more like she was headed directly for our city. My initial thought was, "Perhaps she may turn and miss us." In the past, we'd evacuated for several other storms, but nothing had ever happened. And to be honest, I didn't really feel like running from another hurricane. I was exhausted from our trip, and simply wanted to recuperate before getting back into my normal routine.
For a moment, I seriously considered hunkering down and weathering it out. After hearing later weather reports, though, I knew that I needed to make a decision soon, because time was running out. Based on what it looked like, we were up against a pretty intense and potentially deadly storm. I began to pray and seek God for direction, asking, "Lord, what should we do? Should we stay or should we go?" And shortly thereafter, all signs pointed to "Pack up and EVACUATE!"
* * *
On the afternoon of Saturday, August 27, Mayor Ray Nagin and other state officials began reporting that people needed to start seriously making plans to evacuate the city, because a mandatory evacuation would be ordered on Sunday. Some New Orleanians were already packed and ready to go. Others had decided to get an early start on traffic and were already rolling. As I watched on television, I could see that the highways were beginning to fill. I knew then that we needed to create an immediate evacuation plan. That's when I told my wife to get on the phone and call Minister June Roth, our church event coordinator, to assist with the planning.
Minister June got on it right away, and she reminded me and my wife about the Emmanuel Fletcher Retreat Center in Lumberton, Texas. Our church had made plans to stay there for our annual family retreat later on that year. So that worked out perfectly. Minister June called the owners and worked out all the details, then let us know that the retreat center was preparing for our arrival. That was good news.
After that, I asked her to use the church directory to contact all of our members to see who might need a place to stay, and to create a list of those who would evacuate with us to the center. I also told her to ask church members if they knew of anyone else - their family or friends - who might also come with us. Even though the retreat center was not free, we were not at all concerned about the cost. We would take care of that later. We were more concerned about people making it out alright.
Minister June informed everyone who was coming to bring three days worth of clothing, medical records, and important documents, just as suggested by our mayor, and she let them know that we would all meet up at the church Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m.
* * *
When I woke up early Sunday morning on August 28 and turned on the television, I quickly discovered that Hurricane Katrina had not budged and was still on her predicted path to strike our city within 24 hours. She was headed towards us and the forecast revealed that we could experience a storm surge from Lake Ponchartrain about 18 feet high with seven foot waves above the surge! My wife, who was watching the news with me, turned to me and said, "I knew this was not going to be a regular Sunday morning."
Usually around 7:30 a.m., I would see the sanctuary filling up with church members and visitors dressed in their Sunday best, parents dropping their crying infants off at the nursery, and children and youth scurrying off to their Sunday school classes. An hour later, the Praise Team would be singing praise and worship songs, our announcement team would be reading off the clipboard of important events, and shortly thereafter I would be preaching the Word of God. But on that particular Sunday, God had another plan. We were preparing to evacuate.
I'll never forget that day. When I looked around the sanctuary, everyone was dressed comfortably in jeans, shorts, t-shirts, and tennis shoes, including me and my wife. We wanted to be comfortable for the journey ahead. There was no time to waste, so I informed everyone of the upcoming plans and the route that we were going to take, and then I proceeded with this prayer:
"Lord, we thank You and we honor You once again. Father, we thank You for the storm that You are sending our way. In Your Word, You said to give thanks in all things, because this is Your will concerning us in Your Son Christ Jesus. God, we know that You work everything out and You do all things for the good of Your people. So we are not complaining this morning, Lord. We just ask to hear Your Spirit and to be able to flow accordingly. Master God, now we ask that You watch over and protect each one of us and guide us on the road. We look forward to returning to see Your miracle in this place, no matter how high the winds get or what may blow away.
"You said that we have a foundation with You, and that we can count on You. So we expect when we come back, we will see Your mighty hand move again in this city. And O God, even with the tragedy that You may bring upon this city, perhaps some will repent Lord, and some may want to give their lives over to You, Father. We know very well that some people may lose their lives. Perhaps it may cause those who are still alive to want to serve You, Lord, and not the world. So Father, have Your way in this city. Help us to submit to Your will, Father, and have us do whatever You want us to do today. Help us to be obedient to Your voice. We thank You that You have provided us a place of refuge. Some do not have money, Lord, and some do not have ways to get out. But we thank You for giving us a place and a way of escape. Now please guide us with wings of eagles, Lord. We thank You, Father. In the name of Jesus, Amen."
* * *
As we proceeded out of the church, we were pretty calm and in good spirits. Although we took it seriously, most were thinking of the many times that we'd evacuated in the past, only to find that it was either a scare or resulted in little to no damage. So many of us figured it would be just like the other times. And most members were looking forward to a nice break away from work and school for a few days.
I remember seeing members' cars and trucks packed to full capacity with pillows, blankets, games, food, soft drinks, CDs, and DVDs for the long ride. For most of them, this was something fun! It was like they were going on a three-day vacation. It was just another road trip.
Around 9:30 a.m., those of us in our vehicles overheard the radio announcer say that Mayor Ray Nagin had just issued a citywide mandatory evacuation! Nothing like it had ever happened before. The news reports shifted from relaxed citizens of New Orleans to families hurriedly boarding up their homes and filling their vehicles with water, food, luggage, and gas. And the highways were getting more and more congested by the minute.
After we received that report, I knew that we needed to get moving. By 10:00 a.m., the caravan headed out onto Chef Menteur Highway towards I-10. However, while my wife left with the caravan, I, and a few other brothers from the church stayed behind to finish boarding up the properties. Elder William Tumblin who has been in the ministry alongside me for over twenty years, helped orchestrate this part of the process. This is what he remembers:
Elder William
"After we prayed, I, Pastor Monnet, and a few other men stayed behind to help board up our church, administrative building, restaurant, hair salon, nursery, and our pastor's house. We also boarded up the House of Joseph and the House of Leah, which were homes for both single men and women. Once we were done with that, we didn't waste any time. We knew the storm was coming. So the next step was to get into our vehicles and hit the highway."
We quickly realized that we would not be able to get out of the city the usual way. Those who are familiar with running from hurricanes know that sometimes you have to take back roads and highways that you normally would not travel to avoid just sitting there for hours in gridlock traffic. So once my wife informed us that the traffic was really bad on I-10 headed west, the men and I then headed out in another direction towards Slidell, which was going east. We figured that going the back way would be a little less congested, which, unfortunately, wasn't the case. We took Highway 90, which brought us to Baton Rouge in about five hours. Usually, it only takes 45 minutes to get there. Reports later showed that it took some people nine hours just to reach that distance.
Let me just say that it was total turmoil getting out of the city and out of harm's way. There were a lot of people on the roads. Traffic was literally bumper to bumper the whole time while driving to Lumberton, Texas. I remember while me and the brothers were on the road, I looked over into the cars beside me and could see the weariness and fatigue on people's faces. There was a sense of heaviness in the atmosphere. Every gas station was packed with cars, trucks, and vans, and soon, some of the stations were completely wiped out of gas. Men, women, and children stood in long lines waiting to use the restrooms gas station after gas station. It was real. It was really real. None of us had ever seen or experienced anything like it before in our lives, including my wife, who recalls:
Wife Claudette
"When we got to Kenner, which is normally about a twenty minute drive from eastern New Orleans, the traffic was backed up for so many miles. It took us about four hours to get there. There were scores of cars that were bumper to bumper. Everyone was moving so slow. We were leery of getting off the roads because we were concerned that it would take us hours to get back on. But we had to stop numerous times, because we had to consider the fact that we had kids, teenagers, and elderly members with us. So we had to get off at different intersections. [When we'd stop,] I could hear people saying, 'We're going through all of this and this storm is probably not going to do anything.' A lot of people were getting edgy, even some of our members. This wasn't a normal situation. But everybody stayed cool. We just talked to each other and encouraged one another to keep pressing. I remember listening to Marvin Sapp's song, 'Do You Know Him?' It made me think about our situation. It was like, 'Did we really know Jesus?' It was as if God was testing us to see if we were going to act like true Christians. There were people cutting in the bathroom lines, cussing all around us, and some of them had really bad attitudes. This was a time to really put our faith into action, show the love and character of Christ, and believe that God was going to get us through this ordeal."
It was much different from past hurricane evacuations. Actually, it was worse. It seemed like more people were trying to flee this one. But I could totally understand why because of the severity and size of Hurricane Katrina. She was predicted to hit us head on as a Category Four or Five hurricane, and she was scheduled to strike New Orleans early Monday morning. So there was much pandemonium within the city!
Although all of this was happening around us, God filled me with His peace, and I didn't really worry about what would happen. Even though I had no idea what we would encounter in the next few days, I believed that God was with us. Plus, I didn't really think that the prophecy God had given me was going to come to pass yet! Little did I know. Thank God, though, for His peace and for the knowledge that we would make it through, no matter the weather.
Chapter Two
In the Midst of the Storm
Lumberton, Texas
"So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for He will never fail you." 1 Peter 4:19 NLT
On Sunday, August 28 around 11:00 p.m., my wife's caravan pulled into the parking lot of the Emanuel Fletcher Church Alive and Conference and Retreat Center in Lumberton, Texas. Normally, it would've taken four hours to get there; that day, it took twelve. Imagine that! My wife recalls the journey:
Wife Claudette
"It was indeed a long trip. When we got there, we were literally exhausted. But the owners and staff of the retreat center welcomed us with open arms and treated us with such kindness. They even prepared a hot meal upon our arrival. I remember seeing everyone - men, women, and children - hurrying off to the cafeteria to grab something to eat. By that time, we'd worked up a pretty good appetite. We were so grateful for their spontaneous hospitality. Before dinner was over, Minister June and I worked on a plan for sleeping arrangements. There was a two-story dormitory style building, with showers, huge bathrooms, a wash room, kitchen, library, guest lounge, and classrooms. There was also a guest house on site to accommodate individuals with special needs, and it had a suite for me and my husband to occupy, which was quite homey."
According to my wife, the place seemed pretty accommodating for all of us. However, first things first, everybody needed to get some rest from the extended road trip. So Minister June helped with the room assignments:
Minister June
"I was placed in charge to help coordinate room arrangements. I have this natural drive to help others in need, so as exhausted as I was at the time, I immediately jumped into my role, grabbed the clipboard, and was off running like the Energizer Bunny! My adrenaline was supernaturally pumping, because God knew that in my own strength I was too tired and weak to do it all. Everyone needed a bed to sleep in, so it was my job to orchestrate this process. The retreat center was a dormitory style setting with many beds, but not a lot of rooms. Consequently, I had to do room assignments for men, women, children, and teenagers. The Lord gave me instantaneous insight! And trust me, I needed it. Minister Monnet (pastor's wife) and I arranged for the single women to board together on the first floor, while the men and teenage boys resided upstairs. The women with children slept downstairs, and unfortunately, the married couples were unable to stay together due to limited spacing. I was married myself, so that was kind of a shock at first, but considering the circumstances, no one complained. We all figured it would only be for a couple of days anyway."
When I arrived around 2:00 a.m. Monday morning with some of the brothers who'd traveled with me, we discovered that everyone was already settled and asleep in their beds. So we followed suit behind them to get some sleep ourselves. I knew that it was only a matter of hours before Hurricane Katrina would make landfall in the city of New Orleans.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Mount Up!by Willie L. Monnet, Sr. Copyright © 2010 by Pastor Willie L. Monnet, Sr.. Excerpted by permission.
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