Pictured left to right: my brother David Elbourne, Mrs. Bea, me, and James. James drives a truck for a living. Even with Katrina in the gulf, Mrs. Bea did not want to evacuate. James drove in from Texas just in time to take her to higher ground.
Mrs Bea heads up the children’s church at Lakeshore Baptist. Her daughter, JoEll is our pianist. JoEll, her husband Geb and two of their kids lived in a house on the same property. Mrs. Bea’s sister, Vergie, and her two grown daughters, Lisa and Tammy also had a house there. All three homes were destroyed by the storm.
We have always said that when you look up the word “hospitality” in the dictionary, it ought to have Mrs. Bea’s picture beside the definition. After the storm, my Dad, brother, and I made our way from Baton Rouge down to Lakeshore to check on things. When we drove up to their property Mrs. Bea and James were sitting in two salvaged kitchen chairs underneath the only bit of small shade they could find. The first thing Mrs. Bea did was give me a big hug and offer us all something to drink.
In the pictures below, you can see steps leading up to where Vergie’s house used to be. You can see what’s left of the blue house in the distance. James, Mrs. Bea, Vergie, Tammy, and Lisa have set up camp there and we have been bringing them food, water, ice, and miscellaneous essentials. I have a generator for them coming tomorrow. I would really like to get a better roof over their heads than just a tent as they make plans to bring in more permanent trailers onto the property. If anyone would like to donate a camper for this need please contact me at elbourne@lakeshorebaptist.net.
