When Somebody Cares deploys after a disaster, Mark Roye from SC San Antonio normally loads up his cooker and connects with a local church. While the church serves hot meals to the community, Mark helps them set up as a Point of Distribution for supplies. But in the Texas Hill Country following the July 4 flood, things have been different.
Because of the tragic loss of life and the challenge of search and rescue efforts, flooded areas were not immediately accessible—many of them are still closed off. And because the downtown areas were not flooded, food and groceries are readily available. As many organizations and agencies have been waiting for permission to work, SCA and relief partner CRI found favor with the city of Hunt to begin mucking out homes in the Bumble Bee Hills neighborhood.
“In all my years of disaster relief, this is my first time focusing on muck-outs vs. meals, POD set-up, and distribution,” Mark said. “And I’ve never seen this kind of collaboration. God’s story-line keeps growing more and more every day.”
Hundreds of volunteers have served so far, working on a total of 24 homes. Four of those homes are ready for sheetrock, which is being provided by Somebody Cares thanks to gifts from our donors, along with a generous grant from one of our partners. But God is also providing in ways only He can orchestrate.
“At breakfast one morning, I noticed a man wearing a God’s Pit Crew shirt, so I began a conversation,” Mark recalls. SCA has partnered with God’s Pit Crew during previous disasters. That conversation led to the team leader visiting the work-site, where he noticed a need for dehumidifiers to dry out homes after they’re gutted.
“They brought us a trailer of top of the line dehumidifiers and set them up for us. They are currently drying out four houses right now,” Mark said. “If we were renting these, the cost would be about $2,000 a day.”
“It was God’s sovereignty! It was amazing.”
Mercury One purchased over a dozen generators, and First Assembly of Kerrville is donating tools for muck-outs and clean-up. The founder/CEO of Roma Boots, who is a friend of Doug Stringer, delivered 50 pairs of women’s and children’s boots that will be gifted to local residents.
“Something like a pair of boots might mean the world to somebody who has lost everything,” Mark said, adding: “It’s just crazy what God’s doing. Everything we need is coming together for something we’ve never done before. It’s a whole new level of favor.”
Please pray for upcoming needs for skilled labor for flooring installation, cabinets, etc. There is also a need for warehousing in Kerrville.
Thank you for joining with us, not only as we help in Hunt and Kerrville but in other locations where SCA is coming alongside the local church as well.
Your generous giving helps us continue meeting desperate needs! You can DONATE HERE.
Special thanks to SC San Antonio, SC Baltimore, Ally Force, Heart Ministries Minneapolis, Hill Country Daily Bread, Daily Bread San Antonio, Mercury One, Roma Boots, God’s Pit Crew, CRI, and other partners on the ground and across the U.S. We also thank our affiliate and partner churches, ministries, businesses, and individuals who have stepped up to help in various ways.
“The Kingdom of God advances along the pathway of relationships,” Doug said. “Thankful for all of our relationships who are a NET that WORKs.”
Thank you for caring!
Photo credit: Mike Jones, C116 Photography