To Mississippi and Back

AiG Convoy Heads South

A tractor trailer and AiG trailers and trucks headed south to Mississippi loaded with relief supplies including 4,000 sets of school supplies for public school students. Rod Martin, the director of AiG’s Web department has set up a special page where you can hear voice mails and view video clips that the team are sending back on a daily basis. Follow the convoy by linking to the special page: On the Road to Mississippi — Katrina Outreach Update. I have included the written report that Tom Miller (Director of Outreach, who headed up this operation), sent back this morning:

3:30 AM came early today (Thursday). I am sure that most of the team was up at or around that time in order to get ready and to arrive at AiG headquarters prior to 5:00 AM. We had packed the tractor trailer and our large Events trailer the evening before. As it turned out, Josiah (one of our Event Coordinators) had quite the talent for organization and packing. He is a youth pastor, and I thought that anyone who can handle that job could do something simple like assemble, pack and ship almost three thousand backpacks, five hundred hygiene packs, and various other donated items in the span of a day and a half.

God was once again gracious and provided the discernment and wisdom needed to complete the task. Josiah had volunteers coordinated through the ministry, his youth group and local home school groups to assist in the effort. The lower part of the museum was a beehive of activity as the process got into high gear. By midday on Wednesday, there were twenty six loaded pallets waiting for the truck to arrive. He did such a great job that we only needed one additional AiG truck and trailer. The big truck was a little late because the owner/driver stopped to have it washed! He new what we were doing and he wanted his rig to represent us well.

We got everyone and all of our personal effects loaded into the AiG truck and van and pulled out around 5:45 AM. We stopped at the front gate and circled up for a word of prayer before heading out. After a quick stop to top of the fuel tanks, we headed south. By 9:45 AM we had made contact with Tommy Mitchell and coordinated getting him picked up. Underway once again, we didn’t stop again until we hit Alabama. We fueled the vehicles (and the team) when we stopped for a roadside lunch. We then got back to the business of driving. Steve (Event Coordinator) had his harmonica and we had a good laugh making up a few AiG “blues tunes” on the way down.

South of Montgomery Alabama, we passed a familiar truck. It was our tractor trailer full of backpacks! We caught this on film and I can’t wait to see the footage. Rick (our driver and honorary AiG team member) pulled of at the next rest area with us and we made plans for the final leg of the drive. We hit some fierce rain just north of Mobile, but we still made good time. The van with the film and web crew went on ahead since we were going to stop for diesel with Rick at a truck stop west of Mobile on Interstate 10. As you all know, hurricane Rita is bearing down on the Louisiana/Texas border, and as we were heading west, there was an enormous amount of traffic heading east as people evacuated those areas for safer locations. At the truck stop, there was a fifty gallon limit since fuel was in short supply already. We brought ten gallons of diesel with us so we put it in Rick’s big truck (he already had his fifty gallons) and refilled our reserve cans as well as the tank of the truck. The fifty gallons that he got would not get him very far and we felt that we should try to help get him back home and our fuel would get him another sixty or seventy miles down the road.

We pulled into Ocean Springs right at 7:00 pm, and were greeted by Pastor Barnett and his wonderful wife Traci. They were determined to take us out for a meal, but when we couldn’t find anything open, we ended up coming back to the church and sharing our picnic food with them!. What a blessing to be here. We saw enough to make us shake our heads in disbelief while we took our short ride around town tonight. I cannot imagine what we will find tomorrow.

We will be delivering the back packs and school supplies tomorrow. It will be a great time, and we will share the details with you as soon as possible. After the delivery, we will tour the area and distribute the hygiene packs and other donated goods. Tonight, the team is sleeping on air mattresses in the choir room and the pastor’s office. Most of the team is asleep by now and it’s time to sign off. We thank everyone for your prayers and support. Our God is doing amazing things down here. We are thankful for your for your support and for the opportunity to serve.

Jason Lisle in Public School

It is rare these days that Public Schools allow a creationist speaker in to speak—but recently, Dr. Jason Lisle was invited to speak in a number of classes in a public school. He sent this report:

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak in a public middle school. I spoke to several seventh grade earth science classes and showed how the evidence is consistent with creation. Since I was given almost an hour for each class, I was able to cover quite a lot of topics including fossils, radiometric dating, dinosaurs, rock formation, carbon dating, canyon formation, the global flood, and evidences that support a young earth. The students were able to see how such evidences (when properly interpreted) support creation and the flood. I showed how creationists and evolutionists have different views of history and how the different starting assumptions can lead to different interpretations of the same evidence. I pointed out that there are a number of PhD scientists (like myself) who are convinced that the creation view of history makes a lot more sense of the evidence than the evolution view.

The students were very receptive and attentive. I allowed time for questions in each session, and the students asked great questions. One of them asked (given all the evidence that supports creation and the global flood) why the textbooks teach millions of years. I reminded him that we interpret the evidence in light of what we already believe about the past. I also pointed out that if there was a global flood, then there can’t be millions of years of evolution; but many people want to believe in the millions of years of evolution. When I (briefly) mentioned the big bang theory, one student asked what it was. As I explained it, many of the students began to smile and even chuckle. They thought the idea that the universe just popped into existence from nothing billions of years ago was funny! Actually, I do too! How sad that most public school students will never hear any of these powerful evidences that support creation and flood. But at least these seventh grade students have now heard both sides.

Enemy of Creation Movement Lectures Against Creation in Public Schools

It’s almost ironic, at about the same time as Jason was giving lectures in a public school, Eugenie Scott, (professed atheist and ardent anti-creationist) from what is called the “National Center for Science Education” (which is actually just an organization set up solely to oppose the teaching of creation and oppose the creation movement generally), was giving lectures at Indiana University against the teaching of creation in public schools. You can read an article about this at: Indiana Daily Student

Kentucky Post Article Slams AiG

A few weeks ago, AiG staff had a letter to the editor published critiquing one of the staff reporters from the Kentucky Post, pointing out the gross errors in what was written claiming supposed contradictions in the Bible. I’m sure the Kentucky Post staff reporter was not happy being shown as inaccurate and just plain wrong! Well the same staff writer has written another article, this time slamming AiG. We will write a response and see if they publish it. You can read the article at: Kentucky Post Article

Terry Mortenson Interview

A reporter recently interviewed Dr. Terry Mortenson about his upcoming visit to Jacksonville. The interview was published and you can read it at the following link (what a phenomenal piece of advertising for the conference!): Florida Times Union

Photo of the Day

Two staff members yesterday were seen around AiG in Hawaiian shirts! I have included the “photo of the day” showing Rod Martin and Mark Looy competing for the gaudiest shirt of the day look! You may want to put on sunglasses before viewing the photo.

Washington Post Photo Shoot

The Washington Post reporter who interviewed me requested one of our photographers to take some photos of me inside and outside the Museum for possible inclusion in the article he is writing on the creation/evolution issue. I have enclosed just one of the many photos that our staff member Daniel Lewis took yesterday.

Long Day

Yesterday, I spent five hours with our strategic marketing consultant, and then last night all of the leadership team met with our consultant until midnight! I was a long but very fruitful day as we continue to deal with day to day operations and plan carefully for the future.

Special Guest

Today (Friday) we have a special guest coming to AiG to share a presentation with the staff over lunch. I will tell you more about this in my Blog tomorrow.

I know this has been a long one---but thanks for stopping by!

Ken