Our trip to the greater Houston area showed us the beauty of God’s hand as we provided relief for flood affected people through community. Strong financial support enabled us to travel to Texas and to support ourselves and our work while we were there. You all surely traveled with us in our hearts.
On Monday in Vidor, Texas (a small town near Beaumont, Texas), our team helped to restore one home. We worked with another couple, who were skilled in home repair and who directed our work. This home, like many others, had to be gutted down to the studs. The United Methodist Church’s Texas Recovers program provided the building materials to her free of charge.
We were surprised by an unexpected ice storm on Monday night and had to remain at our “home away from home” on Tuesday, because it was unsafe to drive to Houston. We continued our work that day by making phone calls to 126 families of the Wesley United Methodist Church in Beaumont who had been affected by Hurricane Harvey.
On Wednesday we made our way to the west side of Houston. Our work took us to two neighborhoods where flood waters had settled for several days. We spoke with two different women, heads of their households, about their flood and recovery experiences. As in Vidor, many houses have to be gutted down to the studs. On the left, you can see the extent of the restoration work that is taking place in many homes.
Men and women from across the country are offering their skilled and unskilled labor to help Texas recover. Our team contributed to these efforts. In the picture on the right, we shared a fajita lunch with another work crew that one of our team member’s friends had generously prepared for us.
We return to Kentucky with opened eyes and grateful hearts. Our prayers remain with the people of Texas who have been affected by the hurricanes and with those who made our trip possible by their generous support.