ML Graduate Hits the Ground Running in Shreveport, Louisiana

Editor's Note:  Lyn Oglesby, MDiv '05, sends the following note after seeing the link on our website asking people to send supplies to All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Thanks for putting up the note on the website to send donations to the Shreveport church.  We haven't been in the news, but Shreveport has had a huge number of evacuees.  I have not yet been in Shreveport a month, and so I've had to hit the ground running.  I opened the Mental Health center at one of the shelters, and two of our psychologists have been working at the shelters on a daily basis.

Our members have logged countless hours helping at shelters: serving meals; organizing donated items; distributing clothing, toiletries, games, etc.; helping evacuees complete "paperwork" so they can get medication, housing, driver's licenses and other types of disaster aid; and playing the guitar for evacuees.

The shelters here are not as beautiful as the ones you see on TV in Houston. Most of ours have people sleeping on mattresses on the floor, and they have asked for eye shades and ear plugs so they can sleep better!  I bought all I could find for them.

Our church is a drop-off point for supplies that we take to the major distribution centers.  Needs seem to change hourly, and the most needed items are new underwear and socks for boys and girls, men and women. In a second collection, my congregation contributed over $2000 last Sunday so that night I bought $1100 worth of children's underwear, socks, backpacks, diapers, and baby formula. We plan to use the remainder of that donation for rebuilding our Louisiana churches.

Parishoners from my church in Lancaster, PA (where Lyn interned as a student) have sent us both money and children's clothing and school supplies. With some of the money, we bought phone cards, which we personally distributed to evacauees.

People have been very generous, as has the District. Rosemary Bray McNatt called me this afternoon to ask if we could use help from another minister, and within half an hour, I had confirmed an offer of housing, board and use of a car from a family who aren't even members (yet), but who have three youngsters in our excellent Religious Education program.

Jan Carlsson-Bull is coming next week to provide crisis counseling and to help out at our church. I am thrilled.  Lots of folks in my Lancaster church have sent us money and items for children. One woman sent hadmade soap that she makes as a business. A tiny Vermont church offered to send people to build an entire house! It's too early for that, but they have sent us over $2000.

Thanks again for preparing me for all this--I repeat--thanks again for preparing me for all this, and for publicizing the needs of the hurricane evacuees in Shreveport. They were so traumatized for the first few days that all we could do for them was hold their hands and pray with them, in ways that they understood and were used to.

Love and hugs to all,

Lyn

Madeline (Lyn) Oglesby, MDiv, PhD
Minister
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church
9449 Ellerbe Drive
Shreveport, Louisiana  71106
www.allsoulsuushreveport.org