Disaster Response in COVID - 2020 |
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Even during the COVID pandemic, our country has experienced significant disasters that have called our disaster teams out of isolation and into action. Since the last week of July through the last week of October, 2020, California Southern Baptist Disaster Relief Ministries has deployed teams to feed, pray with and assist disaster survivors in the following:
- Niland, CA – Ash-out for Imperial County wildfire survivors
- Seaside, CA – Mass feeding for evacuees from the CZU Complex fire
- Oakhurst, CA – Mass feeding for evacuees from the North Complex Fire
- Vinton, Louisiana – Chainsaw team sent to assist those impacted by Hurricane Laura
- Oroville, CA – Personal Property Recovery for wildfire survivors of North Complex Fire
- Online – Chaplain prayer support for those who seek spiritual support
The numbers of people behind this list number in the hundreds; hundreds of hurting people that God called us to love, to pray with and to help. Hundreds of stories to touch your heart and show you how God is using DR to touch the lives of believers and non-believers alike. All that said, the work is far from finished. There are still hurting people in need. There is still ministry to be done. “The fields are white unto harvest… but the laborers are few.” We ask you to pray… there are more callouts coming.
Neils Johnson
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She was a precocious little thing, standing in the ash of her childhood home talking all about how the evacuation went that day. She described the blood orange sky, the heat and how her beloved dogs, Hoss and Tiger escaped the car moments before the evacuation despite her best efforts to keep them calm. Her brilliant smile and pixie haircut ruffled by the breeze, was a sharp contrast to the devastation that surrounded us.
Faith, as she was introduced, had spent her life on the mountain, and had barely escaped it when the fire swept through that day. As we sifted through the ashes, we listened to her stories about the recent death of her father, and other significant traumatic events in her young life. She watched without emotion and we unearthed the remains of her two dogs that had taken shelter under the trailer and had perished in the fire. Her difficult world was already small, and COVID made it even smaller. Our team attempted to recover the smallest trinket for her and her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.
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During our time there, Faith blossomed. She had people to talk to, and more importantly, people who listened to her. She glimpsed a life beyond her isolated mountaintop, and hopefully experienced the love and acceptance of Jesus Christ through our team. It is our fervent prayer that the seeds of faith we planted will grow into a full and abundant life that God has created her for. We believe she will… her name after all is… Faith.
Because of the support and hospitality of Grace Baptist Church in Oroville, this story is just one example of the people you enabled us to minister to. Faith painted this small painting and wanted it donated to the church so they would always remember her. The discolorations are ash. Thank you for all you did to welcome our team.
Dawn Fulkerson
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Tales from the Field: Berry Creek and Feather Falls |
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The CSB Disaster Relief Ministry team was based out of Grace Baptist Church in Oroville. The people we served were in the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls about 25 miles NE of Oroville. The Bear fire swept through the area at night with very little warning, forcing most residents to flee with what they were wearing. Officially the fire claimed 15 lives, but the locals know that number is not accurate as many people were living off the grid in remote valleys in unpermitted cabins.
When the fire roared into the area, hundreds of homes, barns, and workshops were destroyed. Schools and local business once the heartbeat of the town were reduced to ashes. My duties included ash out (personal property recovery), working security each night, and acting as the Chaplain for our team and the people we served. We traveled up the mountain every day to a home site and tried to find anything we could for the survivors. We heard stories about the car they had been restoring, the families that called these places home and we comforted them as they mourned. Although I was able to talk and pray with many homeowners and to help them in these difficult moments, it was an unfair exchange: I got so much more out of the experience. It was amazing to see the Lord on the move with so many hurting people. Truly the team was the hands and feet...
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We often throw around the phrase "it is only stuff" but at a place like Berry Creek where the entire town was destroyed the real meaning comes into focus. While most people lost everything, they were thankful when we were able to retrieve a few family mementos, and when we gave them Bibles to replace the ones lost to fire. The Lord is doing great things with the survivors and those that were blessed to serve them.
All of this is my awkward way of saying the experience sharpened my understanding that I need to focus more on things of eternal value, not silly little 'treasures' that can be stolen by thieves or burned by fire. During a time when our country feels more divided than ever, this was a poignant reminder: The love of Christ removes all of the stuff that we allow to divide us. We are all children of the King.
Tom Evans
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The partnership that Southern Baptist Disaster Relief nationally has with Home Depot and Lowe's continues to provide huge benefits for SBDR. This past year SBDR National received over $250,000 in rebates from Home Depot alone. The Steering Committee oversees the disbursement of these funds to State Conventions upon request for development and deployment.
All of our California SBDR expenses for our September deployment in response to Hurricane Laura were paid for out of the Home Depot funds.
All volunteers and church members can help contribute by registering their personal credit cards with Home Depot and Lowe's and at the end of the year Southern Baptist Disaster National will receive roughly a 5% rebate of total purchases.
See the linked documents for details and instructions and register your cards soon.
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DR Calendar
*DR Chaplaincy Manual Training
*Meets requirement for NAMB DR Chaplain Endorsement
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COVID-19 Word Search Answer Key |
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Help with DRone!
DRone newsletter is for us all, and benefits from your input and perspectives. We need your stories, your photos and your experiences.
Please send your stories, articles, thoughts, suggestions and PHOTOS to Laura Johnson, ljohnson@csbc.com. This is a team effort! Won’t you join with us?!
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Disaster Relief Contributions are gratefully accepted and help underwrite CSBC's current or future response to hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc., in California, nearby states or mission partnership countries.
Response services include the preparation of hot meals for disaster victims who are without basic utility services, recovery assistance to victims without insurance resources, cleanup of homes, and transportation for volunteers to affected areas.
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Please share this newsletter with your friends and churches - help spread the word about CSBC Disaster Relief work in California! |
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DRone is a monthly publication of California Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief to inform and encourage DR team members and friends as we serve together to bring help, hope and healing to a hurting world during a time of crisis. Questions/comments about DRone should be directed to Laura Johnson, ljohnson@csbc.com, 916-693-3428.
Please sign up here to receive this newsletter in your inbox.
DR Director: Mike Bivins, 916-673-7622
Contributors: Tom Evans, Dawn Fulkerson, Neils Johnson, Maggie Roth
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