When Joe and Casandra Fletcher returned to their Macon, Ga., home from a Mother’s Day trip in May, they were shocked to see a sign saying that the city was under a curfew. They were further shocked to discover that they could not drive to their home because of downed trees and power lines.
The Fletchers are among the more than 100 people in Macon whose homes were damaged or destroyed by a tornado that Sunday morning.
About the same time the tornado was striking the Fletcher home, Harold Southerland was just waking up at his home near Dothan in preparation for his usual Sunday attendance at First Baptist Church, Ashford, in Columbia Baptist Association.
Southerland is a veteran member of the Alabama Baptist disaster relief ministry. He and other members of churches in Columbia Association have responded to more than a dozen calls for assistance during times of disaster in the U.S. and abroad.
"I was notified that Georgia Baptists were requesting assistance," Southerland said. "Specifically they needed a chain saw crew. … So I started calling our team to see who was available, and we ended up with seven of us on this trip.
"Our average age is just on the sunny side of 70," he added.
When Joe Fletcher was asked what he thought when this group of Alabama Baptists drove up to his home to provide assistance, he used a word not normally associated with these hardworking men. "They were beautiful," he said. "By that time … I had burned up my chain saw on the big trees trying to do it myself. I was completely given out. These men were a beautiful sight."
Similar sentiments were expressed by others — "Thank you," "Bless you," "I am so thankful" and "I can’t believe you are doing this" were common. Many had a difficult time understanding why they would work in 90-degree heat for hours at a time, day after day.
But talking with them, one could get the impression that they feel they are more blessed by what they do than the people they go to help. And they know that each person helped provides an opportunity to share Jesus and His love.
When pressed to express why they do what they do on their own time and at their own expense, the men said: "People are in trouble," "I am a hands-on guy," "I love the fellowship," "It is a calling of the Lord" and "This is something I can do for the Lord."
Still, the volunteers expressed the need for additional men and women to assist in disaster relief efforts. Nearly all skills a person has can be used in some way in this ministry, Southerland said, pointing out the special need for more pastors/chaplains who will serve as ministers to the affected people as well as team members.
To learn more about disaster relief training opportunities, call 1-800-264-1225, Ext. 229.
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