Hurricane Harvey, Port Arthur, Texas

Homeowners’ reflections:

“All I want is to know someone cares.”  What heartbreaking words, and how privileged we are to be able to say ‘we care’. 

Because of understaffing at their jobs, Zykia and Derrick each work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week for the state corrections system. Their marriage was on shaky ground with those hours and stresses; then came five feet of water into their house. They lost three cars, they are uninsured, their house is uninhabitable, and they are struggling to clean up their home on their eight hours a day away from work. What a blessing to be able to minister to them, help them work through some things, give a box of Legos to their son, and give them some time out together while we removed dripping carpet and molding walls and started the process of returning their house to a home.

We pick up physical trash, but most importantly we listen as people tell their stories, healing a bit with each retelling. Thanks to Central Wesleyan Church, we wrap moms and grandmas in prayer shawls as a way to say someone does care. We are honored to lift them all up in prayer to the ultimate Healer. We are humbled to see their grateful spirits.

A volunteer reflection:

You go into someone’s home carrying tools of destruction and you cannot help but feel that you are ripping apart a piece of someone’s life. You know it is for the better but it is impossible not to feel bad. Then just when you think you will not be able to do much more of this, the homeowner comes over to everyone with a smile on their face thanking us for our help and explain that what you have done is a blessing and they just did not know how they were going to get it all done and in some cases where they were going to begin. And that makes you look forward to doing it all over again the next day.