Blessings from the North Carolina Baptist Men's Disaster Relief Team

Ten days ago Mother Nature gave a lashing to North Carolina. I wrote about my experience before seeing any of the damage up close and personal. Today, I helped clean-up some of what she left in her wake. It is not in the helping that my writing comes, but from the people I worked alongside – the North Carolina Baptist Men Disaster Relief Team and their volunteers.

Men, that have been knocking on doors offering assistance; orchestrating the placement of tarps on roofs, removal of trees, and teams of volunteers. Men who work tirelessly alongside the rest of us. These men kept the chainsaws running, wheelbarrows full, and inspiration coming our way. Even after being at it for ten days and seeing much destruction, smiles remain on their faces.

I am sorry to say, I don’t remember their names with the exception of the project foreman, Johnny Toole. Johnny, along with most of the other men, are older and retired. The work we were doing consisted of lifting heavy trees, running a chainsaw, and general pick up. Let’s not forget the weather conditions of the day. The high was 90 degrees. I would work for 15-20 and take a water break. These men worked for 30 minutes before taking their break. At each break, jokes were told and friendships grew.

With every group of men, women are not far behind (or ahead in some cases). It was the same here. I had the opportunity to meet three great ladies who I hope to get together with again sometime in the near future. Two of the women who found themselves relocated to North Carolina like me. One from New England, the other from Colorado. The work continued throughout the day as the friendships grew.

As we were getting ready to leave for the day, the lady who lives in the house came out. She walked over to Patti and I with a halting step. She gave us a big hug and said, “Bless you!” Little did she know, I couldn’t help but be blessed because of the people I worked alongside today.