Katrina survivor grateful for help from Cape area

~ Felix Lewis spoke at the 54th annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast.

Hurricane Katrina survivor Felix Lewis says there is no place he'd rather be than in Cape Girardeau.

"You've shown me there is nothing you won't do for me," Lewis told a group of about 400 people Thursday morning at the 54th annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast in Cape Girardeau.

The breakfast, sponsored by the Cape Girardeau Ministerial Alliance, was held at La Croix United Methodist Church as the city's official National Day of Prayer observance.

Lewis, who is from New Orleans, resides in Cape Girardeau and is employed at the Cape Area Family Resource Center working with underprivileged youths.

A former officer in the Marine Corps, Lewis never thought he would experience anything as devastating as Hurricane Katrina. But now he believes anything is possible.

"I'm not going to say it won't happen to you," he said. "You just don't know when it will happen to you."

Over the past year, local agencies such as the Red Cross and Salvation Army responded and provided aid to victims of hurricanes and tornadoes. More recently, the agencies responded to tornado victims in Caruthersville, Mo.

Dr. Dan Steska, chairman of the event, said the breakfast was a time to offer thanksgiving for God's blessing and celebrate the unity between Cape Girardeau and Jackson. "As you know during this past year, there has been a great necessity for unity with the number of disasters," he said. "They have really impacted our community."

The theme for this year's Mayor's Prayer Breakfast was "America, Honor God -- A Celebration and Call to Unity."

Lewis said he never heard of Cape Girardeau before the hurricane, but knew Missouri's motto was the Show Me State.

"Since I've been here, you've shown me Missouri. You've shown me there are greater things in this world than material things," he said. "Since I've been here in Cape Girardeau, I've received nothing but love."

In addition to the Cape Girardeau National Day of Prayer program, Jackson's Ministerial Alliance held a lunchtime prayer service at the First Baptist Church in Jackson.

National Day of Prayer was first observed in 1775 and was established as a national day of observance by President Ronald Reagan.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

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