Two years after Hurricane Katrina, many people you talk to are under the impression that those displaced by that catastrophe are all back on their feet now. That's normal. When was the last time you thought about the 1.69 million people who were displaced as a result of the December 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean? Whenever some disaster strikes, there is a surge of humanitarian assistance that generally parallels the surge in news coverage. When a disaster ceases to be “news,” the surges wane. We get back to the business of living. We forget. James and Gloria Bogan want people to remember that people are still affected today by Hurricane Katrina.

They should know. They're former residents of New Orleans, driven from their home just two days before Katrina made landfall. Two months later, when they were finally able to assess what was left of their home, they returned to what James called “a city under siege... like the day the Earth stood still.”

James has a brother in California, so they took what little assistance they could obtain from FEMA, rented a truck, packed it and their personal vehicle with whatever they could salvage, and headed west. Four days later, they arrived in Buena Park where James' brother put them up in a motel. The next day, they were referred to the Red Cross who then referred them to the Orange County Rescue Mission's OperationOC (OPOC), a relief operation established specifically for the evacuees of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

After very limited success in trying to access promised federal assistance, the Bogans found that OPOC was a breath of fresh air. “The people at OperationOC were so good to us!” Gloria says. “Everything that OperationOC promised us, they did! When we went out there, it was open arms. It was like we were not strangers.”

When the Bogans found an apartment in December 2005, OPOC was instrumental in getting them settled, providing rental assistance, a refrigerator, furniture, clothing and vouchers for food and gas. In the next weeks, James and Gloria both applied for and were awarded positions with UCI Medical Center, where they continue to be employed today.

The Bogans are doing okay now, but losing just about everything they owned and being uprooted from the place they called home for many years are not events that are easily forgotten. “People say, ‘You gotta get over it.’” Gloria recounts. “I'm still stressed out about Katrina!” But James and Gloria take consolation in their faith that God had His hand of protection on them in New Orleans and He continues to provide for them today. They want the readers of this article to know two things:

• God is faithful to His children. He saw them through one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, and put them back on their feet in California. No matter what happens, they trust Him to take care of them.
• “Katrina children” are still out there and still have a long way to go before the affects of Katrina are dispelled.

“We're still here,” James says. “We're still surviving.”

Many homeless people are separated from their family, friends, church and community. During the holidays they feel it most strongly. Yes, they are hungry, but it’s a longing for family that brings most people to our door on Thanksgiving. The turkey dinner we serve with a genuine, caring smile is the closest thing to home many homeless people get all year. But families come, too. They come so the children won’t have to sit at an empty table imagining the turkey dinners in their neighbor’s home.

Whatever brings them here, we promise you, they are going to experience love and compassion. Will you help us serve up love and thousands of meals to hungry men, women and children during the holidays?

Amazingly, by God’s grace, we can provide an entire meal for $1.34! Whatever you give, God will bless! Please send your gift today.

Thank you!

Illegal guns. Printing counterfeit money. Manufacturing drugs. By his early 20s, Joshua had racked up a number of felonies and short terms in prison. What makes a young man head down such a path? Like so many men who come through our recovery program, Joshua was following in his parents’ footsteps. He grew up in a home full of alcohol, drugs and guns. The better question is, how could he have taken any other path?

Joshua describes his younger self as a skinny, goofy kid. Around age 15 he discovered that taking drugs with the other kids made him popular. He loved it. He enjoyed partying. Crime was just a way to make a living. He is very adamant in saying he never committed crimes that would hurt other people. He didn’t rob anyone and his only victims were drug dealers and users. He has always believed in God but never understood which rules in the Bible you have to follow and which ones you can ignore. He decided as long as he didn’t hurt anyone else, he could live any way he wanted. But somehow the way he was running his life wasn’t working out very well.

So he hit the road. Miami, New York, Los Angeles. But he couldn’t run away from himself. He was miserable and wanted a new life. One day, he went to the library and started searching on the internet for a place that could help, and up popped the Orange County Rescue Mission.

Bit by bit Joshua is changing. He’s never been around people who truly cared for him, who aren’t going to let him down. He’s learning about God. He’s learning a new way to love himself. He’s learning a new way to live. Your support made all this possible. This Thanksgiving, Joshua is grateful for you.

Madison and Taylor Null of Mission Viejo, ages 10 and six, are an inspiration to us all. Throughout the month of September, they distributed 150 fliers to homes in their neighborhood asking people to make a difference by donating new and used winter clothing items to the Orange County Rescue Mission. Their stated purpose was to help make the winter months more comfortable for homeless men, women and children. By the end of September, they had collected a truck-load of coats, jackets, sweaters, blankets, sleeping bags, hats, scarves, gloves, mittens and hygiene items.

This stellar effort will take the bite out of winter for many individuals and families facing the quickly-approaching lower temperatures. It just goes to show you: no matter what your age, there is always a way to reach out to those in need. Madison and Taylor's parents are proud of their little philanthropists, as well they should be. Way to go, kids... you're the best!