April, 2023 – Gail’s update from the Reach Global Crisis Response base in SW Florida
Each time I travel to Florida, I have to pause and take in the scenery. I need to ask myself, “how does it look?” and “how are the people doing?” Let me share some of those answers with you.
How Does it Look?
Parts of SW Florida look like they are moving toward recovery. Other parts of the coastal region looks much like it did right after Hurricane Ian blew through, bringing its 150 mph winds and its 15 foot storm surge. As I wander around away from the coast, there is much improvement – at least on the outside. The piles of debris are gone. In fact, in some cases whole homes are gone. Much of the mobile home wreckage left behind by Hurricane Ian has been toted away, leaving raked landsites that used to be people’s homes.
In other cases, the homes have been gutted and are cleaned up on the outside, but very little progress has been made on repairs. Sometimes that is because homeowners are “frozen” – they are simply unable to decide what to do. Should they rebuild their current home? Should they tear it down and bring in a new unit? Should they try to sell the property “as is”, hoping to recoup some of their losses? These are hard questions – truly complicated questions – being faced by a population that is largely in their 80’s with health and financial issues that were daunting before the storm.
Thankfully some homes are coming along quite nicely. Our friend, John, has worked tirelessly for many months accompanied by helpful neighbors and Crisis Response team members, and his home is officially “back to normal”. Lynn and Michael are making forward progress by having some work done by a contractor and some by Crisis Response volunteer team members. I got to help two wonderful crews of volunteers put up drywall, and truly make the house “come alive” again. I got to watch Mark and Jen endure a week of dust as they and a dedicated team of volunteers from Indiana sanded off old texture and taped and floated the drywall that was recently installed. There was joy in one house in Fort Myers when yellow paint was applied to walls that have been made new!
These amazing men gave their time, energy and expertise to give Michael and Lynn the gift of walls!
I always enjoy working alongside Lynn as we see her house slowly taking shape!
Volunteers from Liberty EFCA worked with Mark to tape, float and paint his walls – a huge step toward “normal”!
How are the people doing?
There is also progress that is harder to see – the progress that is being made in human hearts.
I got to meet with a group of ladies that are gathering weekly in their community clubhouse to study God’s word. The group has grown from six to about 14 who are attending regularly. They began with materials called “Beyond Disaster” which have been prepared by the American Bible Society. Then they moved through a selection of Bible studies I helped to prepare called “Jesus, our Help, Hope and Healing.” These studies have taken the ladies directly into God’s Word and allowed them to encounter Him in ways that are deep and personal. One of the ladies has trusted Christ for her salvation, and she is hungry, hungry, hungry to grow in faith and knowledge. It is a joy to behold!! Several other women who were “churched” in one or more seasons of life, are beginning to grow in ways that are amazing and delightful! Several are reading their Bibles regularly, coming to Bible study, and attending church on Sundays for the first time in twenty years. We are nudging them toward Jesus day by day, and their hunger for Him is growing. That is exciting!!
“The Bible Study Ladies”
Our friend, John (pictured above with Katrina Welch) also trusted Christ for his salvation, recently praying with Pastor John Secrest from Compass Church. Katrina and I got to take John to Compass Church one Sunday. He was eager to go, but needed help finding the way and walking through the door – a challenging thing for a man that has never been a church-goer. As Pastor Secrest taught from the book of Ephesians, unfolding the depths and breadth of our salvation, our friend responded, with a huge smile saying, “really?” Truths that seem just too good to be true are becoming wondrously true in the life of this newly saved octogenarian – and we rejoice over the work of God in His life!
There are always more stories to tell than can fit on a page. They are stories of hope even in a season of despair because God is at work. I rejoice at the opportunity to be a part of the work God is doing in SW Florida, and would invite you to join us in that work. There is still so much to be done! Please labor with us in prayer – asking God to help us to see and walk through the open doors He provides. Please labor with us by serving – If you’d like more information about coming to serve in one of the ReachGlobal Crisis Response sites, just let us know! We would love to have you come work with us!! Labor with us by giving. As Bob transitions out of full time ministry at Trinity Fellowship and into part time ministry with ReachGlobal Crisis Response, we need to raise the funds to draw a small salary. If you would like to give to the work that Bob and I are doing with ReachGlobal Crisis Response, feel free to use this link to make either a one-time or recurring donation. Bob and Gail DeGray