For former Heisman Trophy-winner Danny Wuerffel, New Orleans has been a place of both highs and lows.

In the 1997 Sugar Bowl at the Superdome in New Orleans, the star quarterback of the University of Florida was on top of the world as he led the Gators over rival Florida State, 52-20, to win the school's first and only national championship.

Wuerffel soon experienced another high point in the Crescent City when the New Orleans Saints drafted him. Then as an NFL rookie, Wuerffel discovered Desire Street Ministries (DSM), located in New Orleans' poverty-stricken Ninth Ward.

Wuerffel began helping the organization, which provides health care, housing, education and recreational opportunities for residents of the Desire Street neighborhood. He became DSM's full-time director of development after retiring from the NFL two years ago.

Wuerffel was blessed to be in New Orleans.

But when Hurricane Katrina submerged most of the city on Aug. 29, his life and ministry were turned upside down. And the already-struggling Ninth Ward was one of the hardest hit areas.

"The worst part of humanity came out in the aftermath of the hurricane," Wuerffel told Today's Christian, referring to the looting prevalent in New Orleans after Katrina. "But in all of that, I believe that somehow God is doing things that inevitably will be good.

"Romans 8:28 says that we know that all things work together for good," he said. "All things aren't good. But all things can work together for good. Part of my faith reminds me that this is not my ultimate home. Things will not be ideal here. But we have the opportunity to do a lot of good. You don't know why things are happening the way they are, but you trust that God is in control."

Wuerffel, 31, his wife, Jessica, and their young son, Jonah, evacuated New Orleans, escaping Katrina's carnage. Mo Leverett, who founded DSM in 1990, also evacuated safely with his family to the Atlanta area.

When Today's Christian contacted him in September, more than three weeks after the hurricane hit, Wuerffel was pessimistic about his home.

"We saw our neighbor's house in a photo," Wuerffel said. "It was up to the roof with flooding. We can only assume that's the same for ours. We're trying to allow ourselves to experience the different emotions that come with a tragedy like this. I have wept over our city, thinking about the many families and children that probably drowned in their homes. It's an incredibly sad thing.

"At the same time, we've experienced times of incredible joy and vision and see an opportunity to do greater good than we've ever done before," he said. "We're very resolved and very determined and passionate about helping people."

?The disaster has forced the couple to "relearn the difference between wants and needs."

?"How much time do we spend thinking we need this and that, and get bent out of shape?" Wuerffel said. "Now we have nothing, but we have everything we need. I have my wife, my son, and we have food and shelter. We feel fortunate to have that because not everybody does. I think it's a perspective that doesn't just happen overnight. It's one that the Lord has been working into our hearts over a long period of time. Our spirits and our mission are strong."

Indeed, in the aftermath of Katrina, Wuerffel has been working from his parents' home in Destin, Florida, attempting to locate people and raise money for families associated with DSM, which suffered major damage.

Wuerffel said DSM's 40 full-time employees have been accounted for, and they have located at least 60 percent of the 190 students who attend Desire Street Academy, a school for boys in grades 7-12. For several agonizing weeks, an eighth-grader named Heath, whom Wuerffel and his wife support with a scholarship, was missing in the aftermath of the storm. But Danny's prayers were answered recently when Heath and his family were found safe.

"There is an eighth-grader who my wife and I provide a scholarship for to attend our school," Wuerffel said. "I am praying regularly for Heath. No one knows where Heath or his family is or if they left the city. My heart will be broken if we don't find Heath."