November 12, 1998

Louisiana responds to Mitch devastation in Nicaragua

By Joshua Lewis*

Food aid to help Nicaraguans in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch is secured for shipment. UMNS photo by Joshua Lewis

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Ronnie Berg felt a bit like Jonah after his recent efforts to help Nicaraguans in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch.

He didn't wind up in the belly of the whale, but he did watch as the belly of a C-130 cargo plane was loaded with nearly 20 tons of United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) food aid bound for that devastated country.

Berg, a member of First United Methodist Church in Covington, La., has business ties to Nicaragua, but he knew nothing of UMCOR's existence until he accompanied his wife to a recent church charge conference. After the conference, he helped arrange the cargo shipment to the flood-ravaged country.

"It started at that charge conference," he said. "Man, I didn't want to go. I wanted to stay home and watch TV. I was kind of like Jonah," he said, referring to the reluctant Old Testament prophet.

At that church conference, Berg heard the North Shore district superintendent, the Rev. Grayson Watson, mention UMCOR. The next day, Berg contacted Bob Osgood, director of UMCOR's Sager-Brown depot in Baldwin, La. Osgood put him in touch with UMCOR officials who could authorize food shipments.

"We made a deal: They would ship 40,000 pounds of food if we could get the Nicaraguan government to guarantee it would go to the most needy people and not into storage or onto the black market," Berg said.

The shipment had a market value of about $30,000 and included 3 tons of beans, 6 tons of rice, 9 tons of canned meats and high-protein bars, among other items, he said.

Berg began working with the Nicaraguan consul general in New Orleans, Mayra Grimaldi, and they received a letter from the country's vice president making the needed guarantee. On the strength of the letter, UMCOR Assistant General Secretary of Emergency Services Lloyd Rollins ordered the food shipped, Berg said.

Food aid to help Nicaraguans is loaded aboard a C-130 Hercules cargo plane at the New Orleans Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base. The United Methodist Committee on Relief shipped almost 20 tons of food on the flight. UMNS photo by Joshua Lewis

However, an airplane was needed. That's where the Rev. Dwight Ramsey, pastor of First United Methodist Church in New Orleans, entered the equation. Ramsey contacted Grimaldi to see how he and his congregation could help, and he learned of the transportation need.

Ramsey, who had worked on a food relief shipment to Russia in 1992, drew on some of his contacts to secure a C-130 cargo plane that would transport the food to Managua. "And that plane was the critical thing," Berg said. "Otherwise, the food would have just sat here."

The timing was propitious. "They say the Lord's train is never late, but it's close," Ramsey said.

The plane flew out of the New Orleans Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base early Nov. 9, loaded to capacity, which is a rarity for the sizeable planes, according to a squadron member.

"Every bean and piece of rice that we could put on it is (in) there," Berg said.

Ramsey and Berg stressed the importance of the donations to UMCOR that made the shipment possible.

"It's important to note that this would not be happening had it not been for the faithful United Methodists across the country who have constantly and consistently made contributions to UMCOR," Ramsey said.

"This shipment was possible because of donations made before there ever was a disaster in Nicaragua," Berg said. "Every Methodist ought to be proud of this shipment. It represents every one of us."

*Lewis is a contributing writer for the Louisiana United Methodist Review.