These survivors weren't looters, gang members or rapists. They were like my 77-year-old in-laws or your neighbors down the street, only black and smelly and scared and tired. They were so grateful as we led them up, one at a time, into the Astroarena seats to wait for processing, only because they knew that finally someone with organization and the means to help was holding their hand and telling them they were going to be okay.

It was an amazing testament to the organizational skills of man, being able to find, transport and set up cots, food, water and medical care for 25,000 people. In twelve hours.

As new survivors poured in, there were hundreds- literally hundreds- of single moms with children under the age of two. Many had babies only weeks old. Weeks old! These babies hadn't eaten formula or milk in days. Mothers had lost the bottles while wading through floodwaters, or had reeking ones that were now useless.

There was powdered formula donated everywhere, but only a few new bottles at the Dome. There were jugs of water. So I began to mix formula like mad. I distributed what I could, but realized there was an immediate need for fifty baby bottles, or some of these infants were going to fall into shock. I called friends on my cell and begged for them to immediately get in their cars, run to the store, and then meet me at the edge of the complex parking lot. I stood there and caught bags of bottles tossed to me from their car. I ran- literally ran- back to the Astroarena, where we filled bottles as quickly as possible. The looks on the mothers' faces was a mix of tearful thanks and exhausted relief.

There were mothers who politely, but on the verge of tears, would come up to me and just blurt out "I haven't seen my 10-year-old son in five days. Can you help me find him?" What can you say? What do you do? You stop, after not having eaten or drunk anything for twelve hours, and you help her.

ON one occasion, I was actually able to locate a 12-year-old boy and his 16-year-old brother, and reunite them with their mother, sister and aunt. It was a tearful and joyful moment that likely benefited me more than them. I was humbled by, and grateful to, God allowing me to help them.

The next day, we were told that another 50,000 evacuees were coming to Houston to stay. It was on to the George R. Brown Convention Center, as the Astrodome was full of evacuees and volunteers. Again within 12 hours, beds, food, and a complete triage unit with full equipment was set up and ready to serve 8,000 people. I'm not kidding- in 12 hours it went from empty to running.

I was volunteering in the medical unit of the convention center. The triage unit treated 900 people in one day. Nine hundred people is usually the number of patients a mid-sized hospital sees in two weeks or more! There was a busload of 50 children from a mental institution who hadn't been medicated in a week. Fifty people from our church arrived within 2 hours of the call to meet and care for each individual patient.

There were some adults who hadn't taken their medication and began hearing voices. They begged, in moments of lucidity, for their medicine. After receiving it, peace came to their faces and they asked for prayer. We gave it to them. Rev. Doug Richnow and others were right there, ministering to those in need.

Now that everyone has eaten, showered, and received sets of new clothing, the crazed looks of fear and exhaustion have been replaced with absolute thanks and humility from these good people of New Orleans. They feel human again, and now they are finally realizing that many people care about them deeply. They also realize that they have no home in New Orleans right now.

Where is the opportunity in all of this? It seems obvious now that I've been there. The lectionary reading for this past Sunday was Romans 12:9-21. In it, the scripture tells us to "honor one another above ourselves", to "share with God's people who are in need" and to "practice hospitality". We are to"mourn with those who mourn", and to "be willing to associate with people of low position". How often do we as God's people get to actually put into immediate practice the lectionary reading? It was a blessing to us here.

This natural event- while horrific for the many who were unprepared- happened within the confines of God's truth in the material realm. All of us on the gulf coast know what a Cat 5 storm can do. All of us knew (including the governor of Louisiana) that the levees were designed for a Cat 3. Yet, hurricanes have many natural benefits- in fact, necessary ones- to our ecosystem.

Those who are broken or poor are caught in this paradigm of benefit and tragedy. It is up to us- commanded to us in Isa 58 and many other places- to help those in need. I was honored and humbled to be a part of that command this week.

--Howard Castleberry is the acting Disaster Relief Director for St. John the Divine (Houston) Epsicopal, a position recently created to help survivors of Katrina. Formerly a career photojournalist and then successful Houston businessman, Howard now works on church Adult Education and self-directed theological studies. He and his wife Joanne have four children.

If you want to help, please send donations to: St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston, Texas 77019, RE: Katrina Fund. You may also contact me at hcastleberry@houston.rr.com