Looking for the one, by Stacy Ball
A place called Grace Plaza, by Stacy Ball

Looking for the one

Dear family and friends,

We wanted to write to let you know about our recent trip to San Antonio . BNF has had a presence in San Antonio for 7 years. We are good friends with the founders Mark and Suzy Roye. After the hurricane, 13,000 people were taken to San Antonio . Mark and Suzy were there from the first day. They and their team have been to the shelter every day caring in many different ways. The needs are overwhelming and they felt that God told them not to look at the masses but to look for the "one" to touch. We let our city of Muncie know of the need and we were overwhelmed with a generous offering to take to San Antonio . A group of 5 left Muncie last week. After traveling for two days we arrived in time to catch the end of their Sat. night outreach. Sunday we accompanied Mark as he spoke at two area churches who have supported their efforts. Monday we hit the ground running at 6 a.m. helping load the 200 children on buses for their first day of class in San Antonio . Walking back into the shelter at Kelly Air Force Base, I was trying to take in the gravity of the situation. I was reminding myself to just look for the one. I had only taken about 20 steps into the building when the one came to me. An elderly gentleman walked up to me and handed me his zip lock bag filled with all of his papers. He said that he didn't know what to do. He asked if I could help him. I was clueless as well. We went down the hall looking for FEMA. I saw from the papers that his name was Louis. He told me that he was 73 yrs. old and that he had been in the dome in New Orleans . He said that he was lucky to be alive. It was obvious that he hadn't showered in days and needed new clothing. We found Mark who lovingly got him some clothes and helped him get cleaned up. I then turned around in the hall and another elderly man asked me if I knew anything about the post office boxes. Joseph, 78, and his daughter told me of their ordeal. Their house flooded and they spent one day in the attic. They escaped knowing they would die from the heat. They walked through neck high water to a college. After some days there, they were rescued. Joseph cried as he told me about his life in New Orleans. He had spent his entire life there and had been a fireman for 30 years. He was very sad about losing his mother's piano and his lifelong collection of piano music. They were planning on relocating to another daughter's house temporarily. I held his hand and cried with him. We attempted to leave to meet the Atlanta BNF team when another man walked up to us and asked us for help. Jerry had spent a week in his New Orleans apartment alone. His elderly mother and four sisters had been taken on a bus together. He didn't know how he ended up in San Antonio alone. He had been in the shelter for 10 days and didn't know if any of his family was alive. We asked if he wanted to spend the day with us. We met the Atlanta BNF team that had driven the 30 ft. mobile kitchen to San Antonio. We spent the afternoon at Sam's Club purchasing food and equipment for the kitchen. In the car, we began making calls in an attempt to find his family. By the end of the day we still had no luck. We took the mobile kitchen to the Air Force Base and started getting it set up. The next morning we purchased more food and went back to the base in order to feed lunch to all of the police force. The police at the base work 12 hour shifts and weren't being fed. Mark had heard that the morale of the police was very low. We decided that Texas brisket was necessary. We fired up the barbeque pit and a stream of police began to arrive wondering what we were doing. They were very excited to hear that the food was for them. Serving the police that afternoon was truly a blessing for us. We spent the evening being treated to dinner by Daryl, the accomplished chef of 30 years. He had been befriended by Mark and Suzy upon his arrival at the shelter. He wanted to cook us all a New Orleans dinner. He spent 7 hours cooking jumbalya, gumbo, shrimp creole, and finally crawfish etouffee!!! What an honor for us all. That evening I finally found Jerry's family. His mother and sisters were in a shelter in Gonzales, LA which was 8 hours away. I talked with his sisters who was excited to know that Jerry was alive. Our final day was spent getting Jerry and his family entered into the survivors data base and we made transportation arrangements for Jerry to travel to the shelter in Gonzales. While walking in the halls of the shelter with Jerry, we were stopped by many policemen who wanted to know what was for lunch and what time it would be ready. While serving lunch, a lady ran up to the kitchen wanting to know where Pastor David VanCronkhite was. Paula had previously lived in the Atlanta warehouse for two years. She had since moved to New Orleans with her family. Her house had flooded and she was evacuated to San Antonio. We got her number since she plans on relocating in San Antonio. We told her that we would be back in a week and would help her get settled. Pastor David will be in San Antonio as well next week! Another team of 10 from Muncie is leaving for San Antonio this week. The team will stay for a week. Bob and I are going to New Orleans to meet the Atlanta BNF and Minneapolis team in Metairie, La - just north of New Orleans. We will then join the Muncie team back in San Antonio. Please keep us and the team in your prayers as we travel. We are very humbled by the outpouring of resources that Muncie has given in order to bless San Antonio. We have compiled a power point presentation of our first visit. If you would like a copy, please let us know. In closing, many of you heard about Daryl and Gwendolyn. Daryl had his first job interview that went very well. One day in the car together, Daryl told me his survival story. Through his tears, he said that he wouldn't have survived it all if Suzy and Mark hadn't found him. Gwendolyn has decided to stay in San Antonio as well. She has found her two sons in Phoenix. Miraculously, her cat was also found in New Jersey!! She is loving her new host family and San Antonio.

Much love,

Stacy

Ps 34:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

Can He borrow you today?

A place called Grace Plaza.

Dear Friends,

Just wanted to give you another update of our trip to Texas. Bob and I returned home late Saturday night. We had been in New Orleans and San Antonio for a few days when Mike Lynch - Minneapolis BNF - called us to say that the Beaumont, TX area had been hit hard from hurricane Rita. He asked us to come. We arrived in the Beaumont area on Tues. morning. We arrived in Nederland just south of Beaumont. The hurricane hit on Sat. and Mike was on site at 9 am Sunday. He set up a distribution center at Triumph church in Nederland. They gave out water and milk on Sunday. By Monday they were supplied with food and ice as well. When we arrived on Tues. we helped with the distribution line. In the afternoon we left half of our team of 10 at Nederland and Mark Roye - San Antonio BNF - Bob, Curt, Ish, and myself took our trailer and grill to set up a feeding site in Bridge City which is about 15 miles to the south. It’s called Bridge City because the only way into the city is over very big bridges. We needed special permission from the police to enter the city because it was closed and police posts were not letting anyone in or out. We arrived in the city about 3pm, set up quickly, and prepared to serve dinner. We had been given permission to use a strip mall called Grace Plaza. It was owned by a couple who attend Triumph church. That night we served 300 meals. Dinner consisted of a piece of bread and some roast cooked on the grill. We didn’t have many supplies or equipment at that point. People were eating on the ground or off of their cars. I talked with one man who was so grateful for some hot food. He wanted to know who we were and why we were there. After explaining, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said that he didn’t even know what to say in gratitude. That night as it was getting dark we realized that it was going to get interesting without power. We cleaned up using the lights from our suburban. In the nick of time someone showed up with a generator that would power one of the stores. Also as it was getting dark and reality set in as to where we would sleep, an RV pulled into the lot. Much to my surprise, a friend of Mark’s - named Angel - had driven it from their home in order for us to use. It was like a little piece of heaven showed up - complete with air conditioning!! The weather was still 100 plus degrees. God was very gracious to us.

The next few days were 16 hour days. We fired up the grills at 7 am. Drove to Nederland - again back over the very big bridges - to get some meat from their freezer truck. We also purchased tables, tents, etc at stores in Houston and Beaumont. Only Sam’s and Lowe’s were open because they had their own generators. We served lunch and then cooked and served dinner. Our days ended after 10 pm. Bob, Mark, and Curt had the really hard job of cooking and cutting meat in the heat. I was proud of them and their dedication. Each day more supplies came in. We unloaded trucks, sorted and organized. Our sidewalk looked like a warehouse. We had great times with our friends from Bridge City who worked along side us. Terri and Dave who owned the plaza. Becky and Tom who lost their home and all their contents. They were displaced from their homes and we became a family on a mission. At night we cooked the meat that neighbors brought to us from their freezers which were defrosting. After 10 pm we would sit around the table, eat shrimp, and listen to soothing music. Those moments will remain as sweet memories to me personally. In the midst of devastation, loss and destruction, we felt God’s presence, peace and grace as never before. There was no place we would have rather been. God also sent His presence in the form of a lost dog we named Rita. We were very original. She wandered up the first night. She was very traumatized and it took a long time to finally gain her trust. By the end of the night though, she was sleeping with Mark in the RV. Rita was a delight to us all over the next days. She rode home with us and as of tonight is adopted by a family from Mark’s church in San Antonio.

The ministry in Bridge City quickly became a bit overwhelming. The second day we fed 750 meals. Thurs. was 1300, Fri. was 1800. As of today - Mon - they are still feeding 1800 per day. Mike Lynch also set up another distribution site at a school in Bridge City. That site is giving away food, ice, and water. Over 2000 cars are coming every day. The ministry at Triumph is overwhelming as well. They are also helping 2000 cars a day. They are feeding up to 3500 each day for lunch alone. Mike Lynch again has been instrumental in the provision. Mark has also been able to get trucks in from the San Antonio warehouse. Once again, God is being glorified by the cooperation and dedication of His people.

Our team was very excited to see how God would show up just in the nick of time. One day we were running out of food. As the last plate was served, a truck pulled up with thousands of boxed lunches. Another night we knew that we didn’t have enough food. We were all praying for God to multiply the food. As we ran out, some beef stew arrived to feed the last 50 people. Our last day at lunch, we were finished as three people walked up. Just as we were telling them we didn’t have any food, a man walked up with a sack full of really nice boxed lunches. The elderly couple and young mother with children were especially blessed! God also showed up daily in our physical bodies. The pace and the heat should have been exhausting. We got tired at times, but it was evident that we were burning some special grace.

Our team and Mark had to leave over the weekend. A team from Atlanta and Mike Lynch’s family covered until Mark arrived again tonight. Mark and some of his team plan to stay for two more weeks. Bob and I are planning on returning as soon as possible. I truly love Grace Plaza and Bridge City - except for the big bridges.

Please remember Bridge City. The area is devastated. Almost all houses and structures have suffered some damage. Many homes, churches, and stores are demolished beyond repair. Some power might be restored next week. People are truly suffering in the heat. No stores in the area are open. Most are unable to work and will suffer from lost wages.

Remember Mark Roye and his family as well. Mark and Suzie have not had any time together in a month. Suzie told her kids to just think that Mark is a soldier that is off to war. They laughed as they told me the story, but in essense it is true. We are in a war to bring care, hope, and the reality of restoration to people and cities. We are in a war to bring about the reality of God’s supernatural power and provision even in the midst of destruction.

Much love,

Stacy