Texas DR teams catapult Floridians toward recovery
By John Hall/Texans on Mission
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – On a warm Florida day, Eunice eats lunch with her neighbor, Jackie. They laugh and smile as they tell jokes and stories, some going back 38 years to when Eunice first moved onto the block. The scene oozes joy.
It’s hard to believe Eunice had difficulty speaking a couple of weeks earlier because of shock in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. The storm flooded the neighborhood, and she and Jackie escaped neck-deep water by climbing atop a rescue truck.
“You just don’t know what to do,” Eunice said. “You sit in shock for a couple of days with your mouth open, not knowing what to do. What do I do? Who do I call?
“Then you guys show up, with the goodness in your hearts and your service to God. And you get the process started. It’s a blessing. We’re so grateful you are here. Words cannot express.”
Volunteers from a St. Petersburg disaster relief site that Texans on Mission is helping coordinate were in the middle of “mudding out” Eunice’s home – removing wet sheetrock, flooring and cabinets. When they finished, they went to work on Jackie’s house.
Cooperative efforts
The On Mission Network site has brought Christians from across the country together to deliver help, hope and healing in Christ’s name. Teams from Ohio, Florida, Texas, Virginia, California, Maryland and Alaska are slated to minister in communities that have been overlooked since the storm. Charis Fellowship, Texans on Mission and Virginia Baptist Disaster Relief are working together on the site.
Piles upon piles of sheetrock and flooring line the streets where the teams are ministering. Working a home or two at a time, teams are catapulting people forward in their recovery since the hurricane.
“This is the body of Christ in action,” said Rupert Robbins, Texans on Mission disaster relief associate director who is coordinating the site.
“Our connection to Christ connects us to fellow believers and God’s call to minister to the hurting. The Bible tells us to love our neighbor, and that’s exactly what we are doing. We’re meeting needs. We’re sharing the Gospel. We’re seeking to glorify God in all we do.”
Surveying damage and visiting with residents, it’s clear where the teams are working. Where they go, recovery goes with them. People’s spirits are high. They’re helping each other out. The community is pulling together.
Two disaster relief volunteers sit down to join Eunice and Jackie for lunch. Hugs go around a small patio table. Friends – new and old – come together.
“This has never happened before,” Jackie said. “When they say this storm is historic, it is historic. Our parents, our grandparents never experienced anything like this.”
Tennessee churches helping each other, neighbors
By Lonnie Wilkey/Baptist and Reflector
NEWPORT, Tenn. — While hurting people in Cocke County and other counties in northeast Tennessee welcomed Tennessee Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, not as much help was needed as volunteers expected because members of local churches already were helping each other and their neighbors.
“It is amazing what the Lord has done through our churches,” said Mike Hensley, director of missions for East Tennessee Baptist Association.
Every one of the association’s 38 churches (of which the large majority have 100 members or fewer) ministered in one way or another, whether it was donating food and water, volunteering to assist others or just doing whatever needed to be done, Hensley said.
“You don’t have to be a large church to meet needs in your community,” he added.
Some church members have worked 70-80 hours a week to meet needs since the storms ended. “Our people have really worked hard,” he said.
The former pastor of Swannsylvania Baptist Church in Dandridge and lifelong resident of Cocke County noted the flood was of historic proportions.
Though three rivers in the county all flooded causing extensive damage to homes and local churches and accounting for two known deaths, it could have been catastrophic, Hensley added.
“The dam in nearby Waterville held. If it had collapsed, the town (Newport) would have been destroyed,” he said. “It’s a miracle that it didn’t.
“Jesus is the hero. He kept that dam from breaking, and He has worked through His people and He will continue to do so,” he added.
Similar stories occurred throughout the region. Mountain City was one of the hardest hit areas in Johnson County.
Pastor Jamie Bodiford of First Baptist Church there noted that the first stage of response was “survival mode.” Church members began providing water, food and shelter just to help people survive, he said.
“They began helping neighbors. They knew what to do and they responded,” Bodiford said.
The church then moved to help people clear trees and do general cleanup. First Baptist took requests for help and partnered with Roan Creek Baptist Church, which used its fellowship hall to house and feed chain saw teams.
“It has been a good partnership,” said Roan Creek pastor David Hankal. “Jamie has contacted me daily about needs. It’s been a good relationship and partnership as we work together.”
Bodiford said the church will move to a rebuilding stage in the days ahead. A lot of folks did not have flood insurance because they never saw the water get that high, he noted.
“We are praying for God to lead us in the right response. We want to do whatever we can to help.”
