An elderly woman sits upright in her chair and
watches the Houston Astros take the lead through a snowy static of
rabbit-ear reception in late October. She loves baseball and enjoys
sitting in her favorite spot, taking in a little television. Relaxing
is getting easier in her golden years, but she misses home.
A
few other Hurricane Katrina survivors sit with her in the converted
parish hall at Christus Victor Lutheran Church, Ocean Springs, Miss.
Resting her arm on a white plastic banquet table, she moves her head to
try and make the glare of the fluorescent overhead lights go away.
She’s been living in the church since the beginning of September, when
she walked in alone a few days after Katrina destroyed her home.
The
woman is among thousands helped by Christus Victor members and
volunteers. Hours after Katrina’s landfall less than 100 miles away,
the church was up and running as a Red Cross shelter. It didn’t take
long for the congregation to get involved.
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