STORY # 1 FROM HURRICANE LAURA DISASTER RESPONSE IN NEWTON

When you enter a property to offer assistance following a disaster you never know what you will encounter, the people you will meet or the stories you will encounter.  Turing off the county road on to a drive way deep in the woods it was overwhelming the number of trees down on this property.  Knocking on the door and identifying myself was the beginning of a journey that I would not trade.  The door opened and I met Mr. C.  Mr. C had been trying to clear his yard, but his wife was concerned for his health.  Unknowingly to Mr. C, Mrs. C had completed paperwork requesting help clearing their property.  Mr. C showed us around the property and we saw the enormous job ahead.  As we served Mr. and Mrs. C we began to hear more of their story.  The reason Mrs. C was concerned for Mr. C’s health was because he had a heart attack two years ago which resulted in five bypasses.  As the trees began to be cut and three large piles stacked in the pasture with a skid steer, Mr. C became more and more thrilled to receive the help.  As hours passed and the skid steer never stopping, I had the privilege of hearing stories from Mr. C and discovered he is a man of faith and at the age of 82 still faithfully teaches and serves his Sunday school class.  We shared favorite verses, Bible stories and encounters with God we each had enjoyed.  After praying with Mr. and Mrs. C, Mr. C said, “If you are ever back in this area, please stop by to see if I’m sitting in a chair on the property.  I would love to have more time to visit!”  I hope there is another opportunity to visit with Mr. and Mrs. C as we sit in chairs on their property!