On September 22nd, we had the opportunity to be involved in relief efforts for Hurricane Florence victims. We headed down to New Bern, NC to help the family of a friend of ours, and it was such an eye-opening experience for us. We were blessed with the opportunity to go and be the hands and feet of Jesus.
As we pulled into New Bern we noticed trees down every where. The water levels (which were no longer covering the roadways) were still extremely high, even right up to the road. The neighborhood we went to was a very nice neighborhood. It was on a marina, hence all of the flood devastation. We drove around the neighborhood in search of our destination and saw boats from the marina sideways, on the grass (one of which had almost hit a building), and piles and piles of debris along the road of people’s belongings which are now ruined. All of the houses were fine structurally as God, by His grace, decreased the storm’s wind speeds significantly before it made landfall. These residents’ belongings, however, are a different story.
We pulled up to the house that we were there to help with, and already there were piles upon piles of ruined belongings by the road. Our crew of about 15 people started to head in and see how we can jump in there and help. We equipped ourselves with work gloves and face masks, as the flood water had contained sewage. For hours we pulled out appliances, keepsakes, tools, pictures, etc. that were no longer any good. It truly was a heartbreaking experience. We headed over to help a neighbor who was working by himself, and we did the same thing at his house. We pulled out everything he owned and put it by the side of the road. We ripped up carpet, and prepared for the drywall to be taken out. This man that we helped had lost his car and his truck to the flood water. This was a great experience for us to help us learn to count our blessings!
Overall, we were blessed to be a part of this experience. I encourage you, if you are able, to head down to the coast and go help someone who is in dire need. Not only is it satisfying to help others, but it will help you put your own life into perspective, and help you remember how blessed you are. It sure helped us! Please continue to keep everyone who was affected by this storm in your prayers, and again, if you are able, go down there and volunteer to help.
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