PERRYVILLE, Mo. – “Helping churches transform lives and communities with the gospel by bringing help, hope, and healing” is the motivating force behind the Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief (MODR). Putting feet to the ground, two MODR teams recently did just that in the communities of Waynesville, Duke and Perryville, Mo. Not only did they provide the tools to repair damaged property, but they shared God’s love to repair damaged lives.
It was this past November when MODR unit leader Dan Freeze received a call requesting a team to clean out some flooded homes in the Waynesville area.
While the team completed several jobs in the area, Freeze said one particular job in nearby Duke, Mo., stood out.
“It was through a series of God-ordained events that we ended up working on a house over an hour from where we were staying,” he recalled, explaining how the home of a 65-year-old widow received extensive flood damage. “Nancy was clearly depressed and had no idea how she would recover from this catastrophic event.”
Within a couple hours of the team’s arrival, Nancy commented, “I had given up all hope, and then you guys came. I don’t understand it.”
While Nancy may not have understood, Freeze said they all knew that God ordained the meeting. In fact, even though the initial flood cleanup was completed within a few days, Freeze said he felt very strongly that God was calling his team to return and rebuild the home. After discussing his thoughts with MODR volunteer Ann Stevenson, who was leading the operation, Freeze submitted the proposal to MODR Director Gaylon Moss, who approved it within 48 hours. The team returned on Jan. 13, completing the job in five days.
During this time, Freeze and his team had the opportunity to share the love of Jesus in word and deed … even presenting her with the gospel on two different occasions. Although she did not accept Christ at the time, Freeze felt confident the seed was planted.
Like Freeze, Stevenson said she immediately felt a connection with Nancy. One of ten projects completed within a week, Nancy’s was particularly urgent, as the flood waters had reached three feet high in her home. It was evident Nancy needed more help than just cleanup, Stevenson related. As a result, the home received new insulation, dry walls, painting, and new flooring throughout. She was also provided a new bathroom vanity and kitchen sink. Convoy of Hope donated all new appliances (stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer) while the Pulaski County Office of Emergency Management donated insulation and some of the drywall.
Disaster Relief wasn’t limited to Duke and Waynesville, though. Around the same time, MODR was called across the state to Perryville, Mo., after a devastating ice storm hit that area in early January. Thousands of Perry County residents found themselves without power as ice-covered branches and power lines caused outages. Area residents also needed assistance removing downed trees and branches. To make matters worse, the area received eight inches of snow shortly after the ice storm, briefly delaying the cleanup effort.
Leading the team of 33 was Tom Malott, Southeast Missouri MODR Regional Coordinator, as they responded to no less than 131 work requests from area residents. Of those received, 107 were completed in 17 days by 33 volunteers traveling to Perryville from all over the state.
Malott noted that while the work was very physically demanding, it was made even more so by the low temperatures, high wind and icy conditions. For the safety of the volunteers, team members took shifts, rotating in and out of the cold. In addition to assisting in debris cleanup, volunteers brought hope to area residents by providing meals and childcare at the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC).
Acting as the strategic command station for the projects, First Baptist Church of Perryville provided housing, meals and a staging area for volunteers. According to Pastor Logan Bennett, the MODR leadership and volunteers came together as a team to accomplish a great amount of work in a relatively short amount of time.
“I was quite impressed at how fast the team came together,” Bennett remarked. “We did not expect the number of volunteers we received. During the time they were here, I witnessed the love of the Lord, and the love for their neighbors,” he added. “Each volunteer was courteous and had a heart to serve, exhibiting exemplary Christian character. I do not know what we would done if they had not come.”
Susan Sandvig writes for Missouri Disaster Relief.