I have always wanted to serve like this but each time there was a call for help I had to work. When I first got the email from Frank Dowd I thought “Wow, I’d love to do that, but I have to work.” Then, my church [Greater Houston Church] showed a HOPE worldwide video regarding the opportunity to serve in Oklahoma and the Lord really stirred my heart. So, the very next day I emailed my boss asking if I could use my vacation to serve. God blessed my request and He went above and beyond – like He always does. Not only did I get the time off, but I didn’t have to use my vacation. My employer paid me to go AND they are matching up to 25 hours of my serving time with a contribution to HOPE worldwide.
The experience was nothing short of amazing. I have never in my life seen so much devastation. My heart was moved in so many ways. This tornado could have hit anywhere. It could have been me, my mother, or my family needing help. It was a lot of hard work in the scorching hot sun, lifting logs, debris and pushing wheelbarrows. But, aside from all the hard work, what was most rewarding was getting to know the people we helped, seeing their smiling faces and grateful hearts. Even though they have been through such devastation they STILL had room to offer a smile and a hug. I’m reminded of Mrs. Joyce a little lady we served. We met her at Wal-Mart. She noticed our red HOPEworldwide t-shirts and inquired to what we were all about. She then proceeded to tell us her needs.
When we got to her house it was beyond repair, in fact it was about to be demolished and all she needed was for us to move bricks (what seemed like a thousand) for her. I had the teens make an assembly line halfway around her house. While the teens passed the bricks they began singing songs of praise. You could tell their songs really heartened Mrs. Joyce as she stood on the porch smiling with glee as we worked. She was so encouraged that she gave all 28 of us a hug.
Another woman we met lost her father in April, the tornados hit on May 20, heavy winds ripped through her area a week later and on May 31 she lost her mother. Then if that’s not enough, her divorce became final in June. We had the privilege of working on her property and getting to know her. We listened, prayed and encouraged her with God’s Word.
This trip was all about helping and loving others and giving hope though hard work. I was so impressed by our teen volunteers. They never complained, each worked hard every day and pulled together to serve. The whole experience has really put things into perspective for me. Life is short and things are just things…they are not what is meant to be treasured because it can all be taken away within seconds.
