October 22, 2024
From his home in Chicago, Send Relief Ministry Center Director Qusai Mahmud watched the news of devastation caused by Hurricane Helene and wished he was close enough to help. Then he got a call from Trey Salter, Send Relief’s director of operations.
“He asked me, ‘How far are you from Wisconsin, and what do you know about water tankers?’” says Qusai.
Next, Trey sent him a text with an address in a small town in north central Wisconsin.
Far away in North Carolina, many residents of hard-hit towns have already gone two weeks without running water, and the estimated time to restore service is a consistently vague “to be determined.”
The dire needs of these communities can’t be met with bottled water alone. In support and coordination with North Carolina Baptists on Mission, the team knew a response of this magnitude would require water tanker trucks. But new trucks can cost six figures, and well-maintained, used equipment is difficult to come by.
After long hours spent online, Trey’s team found two used tankers and two problems. 1. The operations team was in Georgia, and the trucks were in Wisconsin. 2. Trey needed a way to pay for the trucks.
God provided both of these needs through an extensive and strong network of Southern Baptists all over the country. Even before the damaged infrastructure and water crisis in North Carolina was fully known, national WMU offered the strength and generosity of their network to help.
“WMU has partnered with us through their Pure Water, Pure Love fund in the past,” says Trey. “They gave us several grants to provide water relief after the hurricanes and earthquakes in Puerto Rico.”
“Within 24 hours of a request made by Send Relief, WMU acted swiftly to approve funding for two water tankers totaling $80,000 through Pure Water, Pure Love to help during disaster relief and recovery,” says WMU Executive Director-Treasurer Sandy Wisdom Martin. “It is our joy to serve alongside our cherished denominational partners to provide life-giving water as well as the Living Water.”
Funding secured, Trey reached out to Qusai, who, as it turns out, was in exactly the right place in Chicago.
After hearing from Trey, Qusai jumped in the car and headed to Wisconsin.
“I don’t know anything about water tankers,” Qusai says. “I just listened to about two, three hours’ worth of videos about water tankers on the drive there and became a very short-term expert—it’s information I’ll probably never have the opportunity to use again, but I was so glad to be able to help!”
Not only did the trucks pass inspection, Qusai was able to have gospel conversations with the truck salesman and with travelers he met on his drive home.
“It’s amazing how God uses us and opens up these opportunities. I was so thankful to get the call from Trey,” he says.
WMU Senior Manager and Pure Water, Pure Love Project Manager, Kristy Carr, shares Qusai’s gratitude to be part of this large SBC network of people serving in times of need.
“We can do so much more together,” she says. “As horrible as these natural disasters are, I think we see the best of Southern Baptists coming together and really being the hands and feet of Christ and being able to meet physical needs and spiritual needs. And it kind of gets us all back to our roots and very much into what the Lord has told us to do.”
“It’s basic and it’s critical,” Kristy continued. “Just to be a part of that is exciting because God can do so much more than we can ever imagine. As people are being helped, as those physical needs are being met, our prayer is that gospel conversations are happening, that the Holy Spirit would move, and that so many would come to know Him as Lord and Savior.”
The very next day, Send Relief purchased the tankers using the Pure Water, Pure Love water grant from WMU. A trucking team drove round the clock in shifts to deliver the vehicles to hard-hit areas in North Carolina.
In the days since the initial grant, WMU has gifted another $40,000, allowing an additional tanker to be procured.
“We know the work is just beginning,” says Send Relief President Bryant Wright, pointing to the continued needs in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “Thanks to the gifts and partnership of Southern Baptists, Send Relief can invest in these communities in the months and years ahead,” adding, “Please pray with me that our volunteers and local churches will have opportunities for gospel conversations in the coming days as they truly demonstrate the love of Jesus in action.”
