Texas Sized Task

Hello from Beaumont Texas. I have a little access to computer this evening so I wanted to blog really quick with an update.

They say everything is bigger in Texas and from the looks of things, hurricane relief is no different. So far we, the Southern Baptists of Virginia have cooked 144,984 meals. This is not a misprint. It is the official total. At one point, the two kitchens on site were putting out 20,000 meals per day. By the time our team arrived we were putting out about 7500 meals per day. It's amazing how much food two teams can provide. All in all we know of 26 states worth of Southern Baptist that have responded to this disaster and served as Christ would serve.

Our days have been about 18 hours long...no joke...we get up at 3:45 or 4:30...no joke...and go to bed at 9 or 10...only to get up again at 4:00...no joke. It is physically demanding, but extremely rewarding! How great it has been to to work alongside of my dad on this mission experience. We have seen some incredible things together. Having 2 Rons in the group certainly kept things interesting and fun!

It's been an incredible experience. I've seen things I've only ever dreamed of seeing. You know, I love hurricanes and am fascinated by their power and destruction. Now I've seen first hand just how horrific it can be for people to truly lose everything. We live in our little comfortable world and see these images on TV of people that say they've lost it all but their lives. This week I met those people. I walked through shells of what was once a home. You could literally walk through walls because so much of the homes were destroyed. In Sabine Pass Texas, me dad, and Trish worked a feeding unit and witnessed total devastation. I have some incredible shots that I will post next week of what an 8-foot storm surge 3 miles from the nearest water can do to a wonderful little community that's a lot like our own Max MEadows.

I met a man named Sam. Sam was sitting in what was once his garage. He owns/owned a beautiful white home in this town and now he stands by a table he pulled from the wreckage and fights back the tears as he thinks about the havoc nature has loosed on him and his wife Katie. I look around and the top of the garage door frame has water debris to show just how high the water was in his home. Sam is a Christian and when he was asked how we could pray with or for him, he asked that we pray for his lost neighbors! Wow!

I ask you tonight to please pray for these families that are homeless and hurting. Please check back next week for more information and pictures.

In Christ,
Ron