NEW ORLEANS (BP)–A group of senior adults visiting Gatlinburg, Tenn., used technology to keep in touch with their families while Tropical Storm Isidore drenched their homes in New Orleans.
The group of seniors from First Baptist Church in New Orleans used cell phones to keep up with the status of their homes and families while they attended a senior “Jubilee” retreat in Gatlinburg Sept. 23-26.
The theme of the weekend centered around God’s faithfulness and provision in difficult circumstances, and the group experienced the truth of that teaching as they dealt with a tropical storm hitting while they were away. No families or homes were in danger, and the group was able to return home Thursday afternoon.
“It rained the whole way home, but we took our time and God was with us,” said Bob Moore, associate pastor of administration at First Baptist New Orleans.
The group knew the storm was headed their way before they left for Gatlinburg, but they decided to proceed with the trip because they had already paid for it and had been praying for God’s guidance about whether to go.
They waited until Sept. 25 to leave Gatlinburg because at the time Isidore was expected to make landfall Thursday evening and the group wanted to get home before the storm hit.
They drove to Hattiesburg, Miss., and were told the roads to New Orleans were closed because Isidore had hit early Thursday morning. They drove the rest of the way Thursday morning.
“One thing I learned was how wonderful our staff is,” Moore said. “Our senior pastor was with us, and our staff did a wonderful job of updating us about what was going on at home and keeping us calm.”
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