This month I want to give two insights into the ministry of Crisis Response: Boards and Prayer Walks. I’m going to weave these elements together.
Let’s start with boards. At the beginning of every team week the site leader (Katrina) or the construction supervisor (Ellis) creates the job board.
On the board are names and addresses of all the people whose homes we hope to work in that week, along with the names and contact information of the staff leading volunteers in those houses and the volunteers themselves. These boards represent the prayerful planning of the physical side of the work. They take into account the materials on hand, the skills of the staff and volunteers, the needs of the homeowners and the time available.
But the board can’t show the ministry that takes place in the homes. Homeowners are prayed for and with, tools are put down so that stories can be told and Good News shared, and at least once a day the work is abandoned entirely so that the staff and volunteers can go on a prayer walk, praying for the community and with almost everyone they see.
Prayer may in fact be the most significant ministry we do. In the week pictured above, I was the staff person at Bob Skord’s house. We went on a prayer walk and had joyful encounters with several people whose homes we had previously rebuilt. Then, as we walked past a house that has been rebuilt on stilts, ten feet up, that homeowner, who we had never worked with, asked if we could stop and help her carry a new recliner up the stairs and into the house.
We had heard rumors that this house was not too steady on its stilts, so we asked this homeowner and her sister about it and they confirmed that the house shook in even a modest wind, enough to make waves in the fish tank. They have been trying to get the contractor to admit a mistake and make repairs, but no progress so far. So we asked if we could pray for them and a couple of people did. Later we learned that one of these sisters is notorious as the community atheist. But she seemed genuinely grateful for the prayer. Will something more come from this encounter? Hopefully, but the prayer itself is already both ministry and witness.
Here’s the board for the following week:
If you look closely you’ll see that at Bob Skord’s house we progressed from laying floors to painting and installing trim. But again we tried to place people over projects and even prayer over projects. On our prayer walk we said hi to Kathy and Mark who were the first in the community to rebuild their house. They are deeply committed to rebuilding community in the community and express that love to volunteers and staff by the constant offer of snacks, water and conversation. This day they were busy loading several heavy concrete birdbaths into their van. We stopped to help and learned they were taking the birdbaths back to another homeowner, Shelli, whom we had never met.
Just at that moment (coincidence?) Shelli pulled up. Kathy introduced her to us, and we heard her story. She and her husband had moved into the community just three weeks before the hurricane. Their home and all their possessions were destroyed. As they waited to rebuild their dog died and Shelli’s husband was diagnosed with cancer. He died just weeks before they were to move into their new home. Can you imagine the grief Shelli is carrying? She’s got a sweet dog to try to break the silence in her home, but she is, of course, still easily moved to tears by her circumstance. What could we do? I asked if she would let one of us pray for her. Harry, who lost his wife to cancer a few years ago, did the praying.
This is the reason we’re there: rebuilding homes matters, but it’s ultimately about showing the love of Jesus to those still carrying the weight of the storm.
By the way, just for grins, here is what that job board looked like by the end of the week:
We have to be flexible.
Would you like to join us in serving these homeowners and communities? We have many weeks open this summer. You don’t even need to create a team. We’re assembling teams from individuals or small groups who sign up independently. Sometimes those composite teams turn out to be the most fun.
Contact Bob or Gail if you’re interested. You can also support us by prayer or financially. We’ve done some traveling and have more on the schedule, so financial support is greatly appreciated. Here’s the link to our giving site: Bob and Gail DeGray