We received word early Thursday morning that electrical power had been restored on our block in River Ridge, so I drove home. As soon as the word also came that the sewers were malfunctioning due to massive power outages that could not easily be restored, Margaret decided to stay behind with my sister Carolyn in Jasper, Alabama. I’ll pick her up on my way South after the revival at Fulton, MS, this Sunday-Wednesday.

I dreaded the drive back to New Orleans, anticipating that the clogged highways for evacuating would be repeated for returning. Traffic was heavy but not congested, and moved along at 70 mph. The New Orleans radio station reported that the city was still getting rain, the last remnants of Hurricane Gustav.

To the friends who have called, asking if we need help with our churches, etc., we have answered that thus far, it appears Baton Rouge was hit much worse than us and that the heaviest damage seems to have been in the parishes of Terrebone and Lafourche (that would be Houma and down-below Raceland areas). I’m certain many of those churches will be needing our help. Joe Arnold is the director of missions there (Bayou Baptist Assn, Houma). To contact him, send an email to Mike Canady, the director of missions and ministries for the Louisiana Baptist Convention (Mike.Canady@lbc.org; the phone is 800-622-6549). His secretary can put you in touch with Joe in Houma, or with the director of missions for Baton Rouge, Roddy Conerly (Baptist Assn of Greater Baton Rouge).

Returning to New Orleans, I took the Causeway across Lake Pontchartrain, just as we had done returning from Katrina’s evacuation. I bought a few groceries on the Northshore since all reports were that long lines at grocers here made shopping difficult. Even in Covington and Slidell, the stores were crowded and many shelves were bare. In Metairie, some of our favorite shopping places were still boarded up. So reminiscent of Katrina.

No damage in my neighborhood, other than the occasional downed tree. Limbs everywhere, but we can clean that up.

Are there any finer people on the planet than Mississippians? Two instances….

Sunday, all four lanes of Interstate 55 were filled with slow-moving traffic. Start and stop. Somewhere along about Brookhaven, a bridge crossed the interstate and a group of teenagers stood on it, holding a banner that read: “Good Luck. God bless you.” They were waving to everyone and the drivers were honking their horns. Only in Mississippi.

Thursday, driving back, at the Welcome Center on Interstate 20 just inside the state line near Meridian, congestion was the order of the day. People lined the streets, directing motorists to various parking lots. Everyone was so nice. (Later, I noticed security workers doing the same thing at the Louisiana welcome center above Slidell on I-59, but the center near Meridian was so much nicer and the parking so much more plentiful….)

We watched a lot of the Republican Convention this week. Wednesday night, as we killed time waiting to hear from Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, my mom said, “What time is Sarah speaking? I want to hear her.” I laughed, “Mom, I’ll bet you are the only 92-year-old farm woman in the country waiting up to hear a politician.” I told her Pop had trained her well.

Not sure how much of all this political stuff she is assimilating, however, because the next day she asked me if Obama was the Republican or the Democrat. (Background: she grew up Republican and Dad was the lifelong union-member/activist Democrat. They joked about canceling each other’s votes when they participated in elections.)

Thanks for your prayers and continuing concern for us down here.

Freddie Arnold and his steering committee have decided to cancel our training event called Ridgecrest on the River, scheduled for Saturday September 13.

I’m intending to do a cartoon with some child in school saying, “G is for Gustav, H is for Hanna, I is for Ike, J is for Josephine….” with a note at the bottom saying, “Gulf coast children have their own unique way of learning the alphabet.”

I fear that with three more months left in the hurricane season, our people down here are going to feel we’ve had our season since almost every soul evacuated for Gustav. If we get another serious threat from a hurricane this year, I wonder if anyone is going to evacuate—and that could be tragic.

Stay tuned.