Yesterday I was talking with Dee Franke, Fred's wife. I asked her a couple of questions about how high the water was in her house (about 3ft) and where her family evacuated to (Destin) and other things. We started talking about the canals that failed and she started telling me about people who had houses in those areas that were completely destroyed, some of them who went or go to church at Carrollton Avenue. These stories really caused it to come home to me just how much this has affected people's lives here. Coming down here and seeing how much still needs to be done and how different New Orleans is now, even though the city is so resilient. Just Dee's voice as she told me of one family after another that had had to move away from each other, building in different areas of the city or in different states altogether. Fred has also been talking to counselors that he hopes to have come here and do counseling. This is a huge need because the studies being done right now show an incredible amount of people still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The normal statistics a year after a disaster, any disaster, are about 8-9% as a high...in New Orelans is is 40% or more!!!! That just goes to show the effects that Katrina is STILL having on these people. They are trying to get things back to normal but for one, normal isn't going to be like pre-Katrina New Orleans and second, they just need so much help! This is why I'm here...and it feels good to have someone come in and be able to help them, but it hurts me to have someone call and ask for something simple and not be able to help them out. i just wish there was more awareness of the need still existing down here. but on that note, i wish people just looked around themselves wherever they live and saw the need that is EVERYWHERE!!! i mean, no matter where you are, there are people that could use some help, they might be too proud to ask for it, but you can see that...i know that i do not do as good a job of that as i could when i'm in school in fayetteville or at home in mtn home. we all need to Wake Up!! and see that we are so blessed and there are people next door that we can show the love of God to and his generosity and humble, servant spirit. As Jesus said "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." (Matthew 25:34-36) this is what he did and he wants us to follow in his footsteps. through Him we are able