Debby Faught had planned to spend the early May weekend studying for finals. Instead, the University of Mobile (UMobile) student was on her hands and knees sifting through debris left after the April 27 tornadoes. As a volunteer on a “memory team,” she was hoping to salvage a few special mementos for families whose homes were destroyed.
“I knew that if I had lost everything in something like this, I would want as many memories as I could find. Finding photographs and a baby’s first Christmas ornament broke my heart,” said Faught, a junior majoring in communication.
Forty-five students and other volunteers from the Mobile community helped with disaster relief in Athens, Tuscaloosa, Concord, Cullman and Guntersville May 6–8. In addition, the UMobile Student Government Association donated $5,000 to Alabama Baptist disaster relief, and students held a blood drive on campus.
The UMobile teams discovered that Alabamians were pulling together to help one another through the disaster. When the team that worked in Concord stopped by a Lowe’s to pick up supplies, a man ahead of them in the checkout line heard they had come from Mobile to help and insisted on paying the $90.60 bill.
“I came … just to see where God can use me,” freshman music major Magan Wade said, and Chance Hill, sophomore business major, added, “I just came to help.”
The students said they were surprised that in the midst of the devastation, they would find fragile items like a light bulb that survived being tossed around in the wind.
Chelsea McDill, a junior studying elementary and early childhood education, said she wasn’t prepared for the amount of damage she witnessed.
“Leaving the worksite, I had mixed emotions. Part of me felt proud of our small accomplishment, but a large part of me still felt disheartened because, despite all our hard work, there’s still so much more to be done toward rebuilding this community. What I learned today, though, is that in spite of all the destruction and devastation, God is still God and He is still good. I hope that our efforts today helped the people of Concord know that,” McDill said. (UMobile)
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