Related Topics
Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief Sharing Hope in Alabama
05/06/2011
HENAGAR, Ala. – For Lowell and Didi Barron of Section, Ala., the morning of April 27 was horrifying. Fast-moving storms streaking across the state drove them and their three young daughters first to a closet and then into a dank cellar.
"I was watching the trees going back and forth, back and forth, and then one time I saw them go forth and I never saw them come back into view," Barron said of the storm that hit his area around daybreak. "I said alright girls, it’s time to get down in the cellar…I figured if the trees – big trees – were disappearing from view, we needed to get under the house."
For Johnnie Jones, an elderly woman living alone in a mobile home in nearby Macedonia, there was no lower level.
"I was here and I was so scared," Jones said. "There wasn’t anything I could do. I didn’t know if the house was going to go or what."
"I heard the limb hit the house and it sounded like a big tree but it wasn’t one of the big ones, it was just a limb…It was a blessing that it didn’t come toward the trailer. If it had, it would have crushed the trailer and me."
For the Barrons and Jones, the day ended well. When the storms passed, both found they had large trees partially resting on their homes. But unlike 249 other Alabamians, they had escaped with their lives.
They had survived the worst outbreak of intense tornadoes in 79 years. Across six southeastern states, 350 people were killed and billions of dollars in storm damage tallied.
The storm outbreak has led to a major mobilization of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers, including nine chainsaw and two shower units from Kentucky. Staging from Happy Home Baptist Church in Henagar, the teams have been fanning out since across northeastern Alabama to cut trees and restore hope.
Larry Koch, a veteran disaster relief volunteer who is serving as the incident commander for the Kentucky teams, said more than 80 volunteers were participating in the response.
He said the volunteers’ purpose in serving is to meet both physical and spiritual needs.
"Yes, we are here to help people recover their homes and property but our number one goal is to be the hands, the feet, the eyes and the heart of Jesus Christ," Koch said. "We want to serve them in Jesus’ name… The hands-on type of work opens up doors of ministry that would never open up otherwise."
Koch said he was especially pleased with the work of chaplains that were accompanying each chainsaw crew and three additional chaplains who were ministering to individuals in the streets of the affected areas.
"We saw an 81-year-old lady make a profession of faith today," beamed Howard Evans of New Enterprise Baptist Church in Somerset. "It was special."
Happy Home Baptist Church Pastor Clint Graham said he sees God working even in the midst of the tragedy. After taking one couple food and money donated by the Kentucky volunteers, he said he saw a man who had previously been hardened against the gospel tear up and ask for prayer.
"I found out that they do more in Kentucky than play basketball," Graham said of the Kentucky volunteers. "I’ve met some of the most awesome people…"
Barron, who had a Kentucky disaster relief crew cut and remove the trees from his house and yard Wednesday, said the crews’ presence was lifting the spirits of the people in the communities.
"It makes everybody feel the Lord," he said.
Jones said she was grateful for the Kentucky group that cut up the huge tree that narrowly missed her.
"It was a big help to me…" she said. "I am crippled, can’t get around too good and so I was just thankful that they came."
"We had a wonderful prayer before they left and I was thankful for that."
Donations to assist with this and other disaster responses can be made at www.kybaptist.org/dr or by sending a check marked "disaster relief" to Kentucky Baptist Convention, P.O. Box 43433, Louisville, KY 40253-0433.
The Kentucky Baptist Convention is a cooperative missions and ministry organization made up of nearly 2.400 autonomous Baptist churches in Kentucky. A variety of state and worldwide ministries are coordinated through its administrative offices in Louisville, including: missions work, disaster relief, ministry training and support, church development, evangelism and more. For more, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
by Robert Reeves, KBC Communications
