October 14, 2024
The roads were littered with fallen power lines and abandoned cars. Heavy duty work vehicles with license plates from all over the country filled every open lane. These are some of the scenes that greeted us when we arrived in Valdosta Georgia on October 3, 2024. Our mission was to help those who had been impacted by hurricane Helene. I was privileged to be among the fifteen unique individuals from TMU who felt a burden on their hearts to partner with Samaritan's Purse to do disaster relief.
When we arrived at the neighborhood we would be serving in, the air was humid and solemn. Orange shirts exited the van one by one as an overwhelming hush fell upon us. This once impoverished community was now paralyzed. What should be shaded areas were now sunny with the lack of standing trees. Dogs could be heard barking as children emerged from broken homes. We introduced ourselves to the first home owners and our team leader Matthew spoke with them about the damage.
For the next three days we would work on tree removal and lawn clean up. Ridding the yards, houses, trampolines and sheds of the invasive wood. The ringing of chainsaws became a hum and the muscle pain was suddenly noticeable. Through the hard labor, we were blessed by an additional team member in the form of a nine year old boy named Skielar. Skielar lives with his grandmother Wanda, who’s yard was the second that we cleaned. Raised in a poorly functioning double-wide trailer, Skielar is without parents and guidance. We were able to give him a purpose for a few days while sharing the love of Christ. When we first met Skielar he was a hostile, dirty child full of frustration. Over a short period of time he opened up his heart and mind to a group of college students who simply showed him kindness.
It was easy to feel as if we weren’t making a difference in the grand scheme of things but this is a lie from the enemy. Samaritan’s Purse requires no special training, only able bodies to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Disaster relief is just that, using our hands and feet that the Lord gave us to be a witness with our labor. There are no specific words to say to the homeowner who has lost so much, but, restoring some of what they have lost says it all.
The non-believer cannot fathom that random strangers would volunteer to clean their yard for free. This in itself is a testament to the love of Christ. Catheryn, a volunteer from Valdosta that joined our team put it this way “To be here is a blessing. I didn’t know what God would do even inside of me but I had to be obedient.” Although we were serving the families in need, the blessing always goes both ways.
At the end of our last day our team Leader Matthew, a thirty four year old from Wisconsin, became emotional when thanking us for our work. With tears in his eyes he stated “You all have made me a better person.” He proceeded to embrace each of us and tell us genuinely that he loved us. The body of Christ is so powerful that only four days spent serving together can change a life forever. I would encourage every child of God to do as His word says and “Go”,whatever that may look like. We are to be bold in our witness and become better people because of it. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” This verse was repeated throughout the trip and reflects the hearts of believers who find rest in Him. Even in the midst of the storm.
