Christmas and New Year's have passed, and the daily newspaper has all but dropped mention of the events still unfolding in New York. Watching the New Year's celebration on TV at Time's Square I heard the announcer say that 9º was predicted at Ground Zero, and when the camera went to that site, it was easy to see that the machinery and men were out there working through the night.

I was thankful that God, St. Joseph's Chapel, the Salvation Army Tent, St. Paul's Chapel and Nino's are there for them. Most find their way to the free food and shelter. I pray that while they are there, that they will be open and hungry to hear about Christ, and receive the healing and comfort that only He can give. Matthew 9:37 says that "the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So pray that the Lord of the Harvest send out more workers."

Yesterday it was announced that they had found 13 more bodies in a group, and I wonder if it doesn't mean that more and more will be recovered in those deep pockets 80 or more feet below ground level. My heart aches for those still digging by hand, on their knees. Many I believe have near constant tears through the tough exterior, and the effects of this dig will last their entire life.

Even the short time we spent serving in the Red Zone of Ground Zero leaves me forever changed. My heart for the hurting has been soft for many years, but never before has it be even close to what I feel now for those people in New York who have lost close friends or family . . . and the pain I feel for those workers in near zero degree weather, looking for those friends . . . those feelings I cannot even fully describe. What they must feel we cannot comprehend.

My heart longs to be back with them to laugh, cry, hug and talk.

New York too has indeed changed, and anyone who has been there as a volunteer around them cannot help but come away with a strong sense of God's abiding grace and mercy in the middle of such pain and suffering.

Unless God opens that door, I know we won't have the opportunity to go back, but I urge you as you read this to keep them all in your prayers throughout the year. If it helps, keep coming back to our website, as in a day or two I hope to put up more pictures of what we saw there at Ground Zero . . . and they can be a reminder throughout the year of the need to pray.

Pray also for our President and leaders, for they carry a big burden as the war against terror goes on. President Bush needs, no, we need God's protection of them all, and His wisdom as they carry out the plans that have been laid down. And in your prayers, pray for safety for our troops, for they are the ones at the front lines like those firemen down in the hole of Ground Zero.

don