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Finding God in the Storm
Since his wife was scheduled to fly home on August 28, John Coyle and his son did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina. They lived in North Biloxi, MS, an area that was not prone to flooding. Many of the neighbors didn’t evacuate, either, knowing that Hurricane Camille in 1969 hadn’t even touched their neighborhood. But John’s wife’s flight was canceled due to weather conditions, leaving him and his son to wait out the storm.
Katrina hit sometime before dawn, and John and his son awoke to the streets flooding. Their house was on a small hill from the street, so they watched as the water got closer and closer to their door, wondering if it would stop soon or if they would need to retreat to the attic. The strong winds uprooted a tree and threw it through their roof. At that point John and his son, worried and unsure, decided to pray.
“We prayed on the couch,” John says, “and the winds started going the other way.” This was a sign that the worst of the hurricane was over; the eye had passed them. As the water receded, furniture, boats, clothes and other miscellaneous items washed up from the street.
John has seen God “in just about everything we’ve done.” He sees his decision to work for Camp Biloxi as a valuable and life-changing experience. He also saw a positive change within his own church. “We became stagnant for many years,” he says. “We lost our works, were less mission-minded.” When the hurricane hit, his church reached out more to people in need, and continues to support the mission of Camp Biloxi. John appreciates faith-based groups connecting with homeowners that are unchurched, as many have come to know Christ through them. “The homeowners started going to church because they saw God’s hand with the volunteers.”
John stands for a picture by an image of the flooding in Biloxi.