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Into the Need: 24-7...

Into the Need: 24-7 Ministers to Katrina Survivors - 25 Sep 2005

On the morning of Aug. 29, Hurricane Katrina hit the southern US coast with terrible force and devastating effect, displacing over a million people. It was the greatest humanitarian crisis in the US since the Great Depression of the 1930's.
Katrina was the sixth strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic basin - 90,000 square miles, an area nearly the size of the UK, was declared a disaster area by US governmental authorities. 24-7 USA scrambled to mobilize a response team. Within days, 29 people from Transit and the Kansas City Boiler Room community were in Houston, Texas serving into the vast need they found there. They stayed in Houston for weeks pouring out their lives to storm victims. As they served and prayed, God showed His power and love to the survivors, people who desperately needed a touch from heaven.
After they constructed a 24-7 prayer tent, they partnered with churches and ministries at the Astrodome. They offered hands to the helpless, encouragement to the hopeless, and prayers on behalf of the needy to our God who sees His people and who comes to the aid of those who call on Him.		"an area nearly the size of the UK was declared a disaster area"
As the 24-7 team worked among the needy and displaced, amazing testimonies arose from the scene, illuminating the kind intentions of God towards the people. These are a few of those testimonies.
Reuniting Family Within 48 hours of arriving in Kansas City, 24-7's USA Transit students rushed to Houston to give what hope and help they could to the displaced and devastated located in or around the Superdome, which had become an effective refugee camp.
"On Sept. 9, we were working in one of the shelters spearheaded by The Net Church," writes Adam Short. "I was sitting at the info table helping people find lost family members, get housing, and get prayer for their needs. At one point, two New Orleans survivors came to the table. When I asked them if they had any family that was unaccounted for, they said yes. The woman's husband, whose name was Nhan Dao, a 70-year-old man from New Orleans, was missing.
The Astrodome: an American refugee camp
They told me he had been in the intensive-care-unit unit in a hospital in New Orleans when Katrina hit. Nhan's family had evacuated to Houston, but they hadn't heard whether or not Nhan survived. I took down the family's info, along with dozens of other names, and began scouring the internet. I was calling numbers left and right trying to find this man.
At first, I had no luck. Nhan wasn't on any list I used to search for him. 'Hmmm. Let's try again.' So I found out about another list and guess what? Nhan Dao was on the list!!! In fact, there was a note beside his name from his doctor asking if anybody knew if Mr. Dao had any family! (He was originally in a New Orleans hospital, then evacuated to another hospital).		"I was calling numbers left and right trying to find this man."
The doctor's note had a phone number beside it, and I was thrilled! I called him directly (the doctor's name is Dr. Hani Sharkey in Lafayette, LA). Long story short, Nhan Dao and his family are now reunited!!! Man how exhilarating...what a new understanding of being lost and now being found. This is tangible relief, y'all. Plain and simple. Food's important, water's important. But look at how significant it is that people be reunited with their family members!!" the 24-7 team ministering to survivors

Healing Prayer
Mary Arndt, a nurse in Kansas City, served with the 24-7 team in a makeshift clinic on site. "Most patients that came in had the Norovirus which was breaking out in the astrodome," writes Mary. "I would get their vital signs, settle them in, and ask them if I could pray for them. As I did this, I saw patients that were dry-heaving, having major loose stools, and sobbing be calmed down completely.
praying with children in the Astrodome
One woman had suffered from severe diarrhoea for three days. After I prayed for her, she had a formed stool and was able to go to the Astrodome to be with her family. Awesome! Another man who came in had been manning a boat and helping take people to a bridge for rescue. He was sobbing and dry-heaving, but as I prayed for him he calmed down extremely. He had been suffering from nightmares of women and children drowning and screaming for help. He had not slept decently in five nights. I asked if he felt like God had been near or if he felt like God had turned his back on him. He said, "not turned His back on me, but not near." As I prayed for him, I asked God to draw near, touch his body, and let him rest. I asked that God would let him sleep, calm his stomach and let him really just rest. After I started an I.V. and prayed for him, I left him. A couple hours later he was sound asleep in the noisy clinic. Seriously, God is awesome!"
Thank you Thanks to everyone who partnered with 24-7 USA in prayer and finances to make this trip possible. Hundreds were assisted medically, counselled, and prayed for during the weeks we spent there. The love of God has been shed abroad that people would receive Him and walk with Him forever. Let's join together and see His perfect love manifested throughout the world. Come on!