Faith amid the fury
BATON ROUGE, LA. — On the Sunday before Hurricane Katrina came, Otis Shields attended worship services as usual at the Elysian Fields church, New Orleans.
Then, like a lot of people, he had to get out of town in a hurry.
A few days later, with his home and church building under water and the whereabouts of many of the congregation’s 325 members uncertain, the church elder described how he was trusting in God.
“I don’t know about my home or anything else,” Shields said at a meeting of church leaders in Baton Rouge. “But we’re just keeping our heads and our prayers up because God is good and we know that.”
Later, he prayed: “Father, we know this is just a little jot on the road. It’s a struggle for us, but we know that you are a compassionate God, and you have seen the whole thing. And we just ask you and thank you, Father, for your mercy.”
Then, like a lot of people, he had to get out of town in a hurry.
A few days later, with his home and church building under water and the whereabouts of many of the congregation’s 325 members uncertain, the church elder described how he was trusting in God.
“I don’t know about my home or anything else,” Shields said at a meeting of church leaders in Baton Rouge. “But we’re just keeping our heads and our prayers up because God is good and we know that.”
Later, he prayed: “Father, we know this is just a little jot on the road. It’s a struggle for us, but we know that you are a compassionate God, and you have seen the whole thing. And we just ask you and thank you, Father, for your mercy.”
View Comments
