Several people have asked for a recounting in greater detail of the week that transpired in service to reuniting Rita Mary Leon & her family in the aftermath of Katrina. There continue to be so many miracles. When each moment of the journey is considered, there is not a time that we did not feel the angels with us. There was so much grace. At the moment of this writing, we have had the blessing of reuniting Rita Mary with all three of her sisters and their extended families. All have now been found and reunited with one another.

It’s been (and continues to be) an amazing journey. The news just isn’t doing the scope of this story justice. Hundreds of thousands of people have been sent wandering into new lands, seeking familiar faces and trying to navigate the unknown. I know how challenging it has been for us in Los Angeles to try and get answers, information and supplies, I cannot imagine what it is like for those in the Gulf Coast who are trying to do the same with limited electricity, Internet, money and information.

It is a blessing to have been of service at this time. So many of us have stepped forward during this unprecedented time and we are shining brightly. Know that as a community, we are making a difference. Every prayer, every time the Light is sent, every donation, with each and every moment of breath, we are making a difference, and I am filled with gratitude for the gift of this journey, for the gift of our community. We are blessed and we are a blessing, each and every one of us.

So, here’s a bit about our journey:

The week of the hurricane, Rita Mary called and asked Wes & I to send Light to her family. Of course, we did. Then on Monday, Labor Day, we went over to visit her. She still hadn’t heard from her family. At this point it had been a week. She had three sisters living in New Orleans, Doris, Velma & Dorothy. Each sister had a family and Rita Mary was worried about all of them.

Rita Mary knew that Doris’ daughter, Denise, had a small summer home about 50 miles from New Orleans in a town called Independence. Both Rita Mary and her daughter Janice surmised that Denise had probably evacuated with her parents to Independence, but no one could get in touch with them. They had Denise’s cell phone number, but repeated attempts to call did not go through. As we sat with Rita Mary on Monday, we began trying the number. Wes & I asked for some super-duper-Angel-mojo and on the second attempt the phone began ringing and someone picked up. We were in shock! I said, “Is this Denise’s line?” and the person said, “Yes, I’ll get her for you…” and then Denise was on the phone and we gave the phone to Rita Mary. It was the first time she had been able to speak with her family in a week. As it turns out, Denise and her family (a total of 10 people) evacuated to Independence with not much more than the clothes on their backs. It was beautiful to witness the energy of the families as they reconnected by phone and also heartbreaking to hear of their journey. It was likely that their homes in New Orleans were a total loss, and during the conversation it became evident that the family needed help… remember, this was a week after the storm and the infrastructure was not yet in place to get assistance, financial or material, to Independence.

On Tuesday, we went into action. As it turned out, we could not wire money because the Western Union depots were either down or out of cash. And the local markets were out of food. Wes began talking about flying into Baton Rouge and bringing materials in person. We began calling airlines…. But then inspiration hit! A co-worker of mine suggested a corporate jet. Someone must be flying relief missions, she surmised.

So, we began calling around. As it turned out, the corporate aviation sector was indeed coming to the rescue. Through a series of phone calls, we connected with a beautiful gentleman by the name of Noel who worked for Avjet. When we told him that we were trying to get immediate relief to 12 people (by this time two more people were on their way to Denise’s house from shelters) in Independence, he said he’d get our stuff on a plane. He wasn’t kidding. We got a message about 8:00 p.m. Tuesday night telling us if we could get our stuff to Burbank airport by 10:30 p.m. that evening, he could get it to Baton Rouge. Unfortunately, we weren’t ready. But we wouldn’t make that mistake again.

So on Wednesday morning, we began assembling goods to send to Independence and sent a shout out to the USM community. We knew that Noel could call us anytime with space on a plane, and we needed to have everything assembled. So we went shopping. We had received a list of clothing sizes & food that was needed by the families. Let me say, a HUGE shout out to Out of the Closet Thrift Store in Hollywood. When they heard what we were doing, they sold us clothing for pennies on the dollar. Thanks to their help, we had bags & bags of stuff we could ship. We also bought a bunch of stuff at Target & Trader Joes. It’s strange to be buying when you know that everything is needed. Also, by late afternoon, we heard from the Heartfelt Foundation. They’d heard of our efforts because Berti had forwarded them our email (Thank you Heartfelt & Berti!). Heartfelt sprung into action, too and purchased air mattresses, water and food to ship to the families. A co-worker had also joined our Angel Brigade and was assembling various essential goods too.

It was good that we all were working so quickly, because Wednesday afternoon we got the call from Noel. We had a PLANE! Yes, a PLANE! We needed to be at Burbank airport by 8:00 a.m. the next morning to load up. We couldn’t believe our good fortune. What a testament to the goodness that is available to us when we follow Spirit’s guidance.

Now we really moved into over drive. We had to assemble and pack up everything for transit. Wes and I were up pretty late that night preparing everything, and early Thursday morning, we made our way to the airport, aided by the beautiful angel, Nemo, who donated his time & his taxi to the cause (we couldn’t have transported everything without him).

We were directed to Mercury Air — a private aviation company. There we watched the jet land. It was a beautiful Gulfstream G2. Each and every person at Mercury Air & the crew of the jet, were touched by our story and pitched in to help. From the guys who loaded our stuff on to the plane, to the woman working behind the desk, we all worked together to maximize the opportunity. When it became clear that our “huge” load of stuff took up less than 1/4 of the plane’s capacity, we asked the pilot if he would wait while we ran to the store for more stuff. He said OK…

So we were off to Smart and Final… driven by one of the men from Mercury Air & using one of their vans. There, Wes commandeered the employees of Smart and Final to pull down boxes and flats of all kinds of food. Boxes of cereal, 50 lbs bags of rice & beans, canned fruit, canned vegetables, etc. If we were sending a plane, we were not going to send it empty. We probably purchased a few hundred more pounds of food. (I also should mention that by this time, we also had heard about 30 people staying at an ice skating rink in Hammond – a few miles away from Independence – who needed things. Denise said anything extra we sent, she would take over there). Well, we filled the van, and by the time we loaded the plane, it was full, too.

I don’t know if I can find the words to describe how it felt to have manifested a private jet to fly in goods to Rita Mary’s family. The pilot of the jet described the jet’s owner as a businessman and a Christian who lived in Florida, had made it through hurricanes and just wanted to help… I mean, a plane! God is good… that I know. Divine Grace was present through everything.

A few hours later, the plane touched down in Baton Rouge and Denise & her family were there to meet it. The food & clothing filled up a big SUV and pickup truck. It was beautiful to know that we were able to send material & energetic blessings where they were so desperately needed.

(As some of you know, Wes & I work with the angelic realms. Someone said to us, “leave it to the two of you to get a plane — of course two angels would manifest a set of powerful wings!” That really gave me pause…. Yes, powerful wings, indeed).

Once we returned from the airport, I had to go into the office… and I began searching for other family members. God is Good, again! We were able to find Rita Mary’s sister, Velma. She and her family evacuated to Jackson, MS and were staying at a hotel. We were able to give them word of their other family and get them in touch with Rita Mary.

So here we were, in the midst of a glorious day. The plane… another sister… and then… my car was broken into. Yes, in the midst of Angel Duty, someone smashed my car window and stole my stereo. Ugh! It made me crazy that while we were using our funds to get essentials to people in need, we also needed to pay out $500 to fix my car. But there are no mistakes. It made me realize that we cannot see life through the filter of good and not-good. “Bad” things happen because. Just because. And they’re not indicative of our worth, value or the goodness we spread into the world. Besides, how could the little inconvenience of my car compare to what the people of the Gulf Coast were going through. But I mention this part of the adventure here, because it was unbelievable at the time.

So now, we’re at a plane & two sisters. The third sister, Dorothy, was the one we were really worried about. She refused to evacuate and lived in a neighborhood that had been flooded. We couldn’t find any sign of her.

But then Friday morning, I saw a posting on the Red Cross site from someone looking for Dorothy’s son. I called and asked if she had found him? She said, yes and that she had given him word about his mother. My heart stopped! “His mother? Do you know where she is? We’ve been looking for her!” The woman on the other end of the phone said that by law she could not give me information about his mother… that’s when my mind became overwhelmed with possibilities. So I begged her to tell me if she was alive. The woman took a breath and realized that I was worried, and said, “Oh, yes, ma’am! She’s fine! I’ll give you a number and you can ask about her. Her son knows where she is and he’s on his way to get her.”

Oh, MY! She was alive!

I began screaming to Wes, “Dorothy’s Alive!” and with trembling hands, I called the number. It turns out that some boys from her neighborhood took her out by boat when the flood waters began rising. She was now in a nursing home in Natchitoches, LA. We spoke with her and gave her word of her other family members, then began calling everyone to give them the good news.

So here it was, Friday. Twelve days since the storm hit, and we had found most of Rita Mary’s family.

Since then, we’ve taken donations and wired them funds (many thanks to all who have contributed), and talked with many of Rita Mary’s family by phone.

Words cannot describe the deep blessings Wes & I feel for having been allowed the privilege of being with Rita Mary’s family through this journey. Through it all, we kept calling in the light and asking how to be of service. We continued following our Divine Guidance, taking leaps of faith and asking for assistance. As Rita Mary says, “You can’t out-do Spirit.” And Spirit had big plans for us all.

On Monday, Labor Day, before this all began, Rita Mary pulled a card from the Healing with the Angels deck. It was the “Miracles” card. I can’t imagine a more appropriate quality to describe this past week. It was indeed a week of miracles. At each and every turn, Spirit out-did our prayers and hopes.

And still, there is quite a journey that lies ahead of all impacted by these events. There are jobs to be found, homes to be rebuilt, the maze that is FEMA, local government and the Red Cross to be navigated. Please continue sending the Light for grace through it all. Truly, we have not seen anything like this before in this country.

And for those of us living in Los Angeles, this truly gives us cause to contemplate our future (living in an earthquake zone & all). There are several things that come to mind… for one, I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t have anyone’s phone number memorized (with the exception of my mom’s). Everyone is on speed dial… so if calamity struck L.A., and I lost my cell phone, the only person I could call is my mom. So lesson #1 – memorize key phone numbers. #2 – keep a supply of cash on hand. #3 – read your insurance policy and understand coverage (also take pictures of your stuff and put them somewhere safe – like the internet). #4 – have a central point of communication with someone out of state (they will be able to coordinate communication easier than someone in the impacted region). #5 keep a duplicate set of important documents and phone numbers in a safe deposit box or other safe location away from your home. #6 – Remember that Grace is here in all things.

And that, is a rather long summary of our work with the Angels last week. And it also continues into this week. We also tracked down more members of the extended family. And each time we find someone, it is the most glorious feeling… it is walking hand-in-hand with Divine Grace.

And I am humbled to have been a part of this journey, humbled that Spirit allowed me to participate in a healing of this magnitude. This is a grand time in our evolution, my friends. And there will be more and more opportunities for us to be of service. We are the lucky ones. We have been given the tools and the attunement to step forward in leadership and heartfelt service and make a difference during the challenging times, each of us in our own unique way. So in this moment, I celebrate each and every one of us, for I know there are countless angels among us who are helping to pave this healing journey with Light. Thank you for your prayers, for the Light, and for your heartfelt support. Know that as a community, we made a profound difference for this family and for many others.

And if any of you are called to make contributions to Rita Mary’s family, the “phone lines are still open” — please let me know and we will direct funds appropriately. Heartfelt Foundation is also expanding their efforts into the region. So there are many places to step forward in service.

Again, Light to everyone. Know that you are loved. We felt the wind at our backs, through this journey, and you were a part of it.

With Light and Blessings,
Laurel