Miss Oly

We are planning on sending another team to New Orleans to help with the ongoing needs of the people there. I thought I would share this story with you to help you understand more clearly why we are going.
Enjoy!

Tuesday's at Trinity Church are special [the church we will be assisting]. It's the day Pastor Michael Sprague shares the church's post-Katrina story and team members tell stories of meeting homeowners they've been working for. The following story was told by team member Stephanie Olivero who was with a group from the First Presbyterian Church - San Diego volunteering the week of October 22. Her team had been sent to New Orleans to gut a house for "Miss Oly."

We arrived at the jobsite early Monday morning and began working after our group grasped hands on the sidewalk and prayed for the day. Soon we were introduced to a slightly built older woman, Miss Oly, who I noticed was surprisingly full of energy and very friendly. I was drawn to her immediately, and I listened intently as she began talking about the job and her story.

She began by telling us the house we were working on was her mother's. When asked where she was, Oly replied, "Oh Baby, she's passed." Oly said it in such a way it made me feel as if her mother's passing had been years earlier and she was at peace with it now. I was surprised to find out that it had not been too long ago. Group members began to gather as Oly told her story of survival during Katrina.

Oly and her mother (she called her "Miss Theresa") had been playing cards and watching TV together at Oly's house during the hurricane. The power went out and a short time later water started coming into the house. It was rising rapidly so Miss Oly took her aging mother up the attic stairs to higher ground. She returned to the ground floor to get blankets. After seeing how fast the water was rising, she decided to get as much upstairs as possible as fast as she could. After making several trips, she went downstairs one last time to get ice cubes but found the refrigerator floating in the kitchen. She swam back to the attic door opening and tried to get back up but couldn't find the strength. She called out to her mother and Miss Theresa said, "Oh Baby, don't you drown and leave me here to die alone." With that, Miss Theresa situated her walker in such a way that Oly could grab it, then her foot, and then pul l herself to safety.

Tragedy would not go away. That night while sleeping, Miss Theresa fell through the ceiling landing in the water below. Oly woke up to see her mother lying in the water and screamed, "Hold on Mama!" She lowered a bed sheet down to her and told her to hold on to it. Miss Theresa held on for a while but went into a nervous panic. Oly pleaded with her to calm down and hang on. Miss Theresa said, "I can't do it anymore, I'm too tired. Don't save me, save your energy for yourself." Miss Theresa then laid back, put her arms by her side, and rested in peace. She knew she didn't die alone; she had Oly by her side.

Miss Oly was rescued through her attic window sometime later but was not able to retrieve her mother's body until late November. She said the most emotionally painful experience she has ever encountered was knowing she had to leave her mother to save herself.

What I will always remember about Oly is how she was filled with joy and was at peace. I figured that could only come from knowing Christ Jesus.

This is from TouchGlobal's update (the disaster response ministry of the Evangelical Free Church of America).