Andrew Belz: Goodwill to men

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Tuesday, December 17th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard.

We heard quite a lot about the devastation that came to western North Carolina this summer … as Hurricane Helene brought heavy rains and devastating floods. Here now is WORLD senior gift officer Andrew Belz who spent some time with the helpers and shares this reflection.

ANDREW BELZ: December cold has settled in over the ruined riverbank in Swannanoa, North Carolina where I live. Upended propane tanks, tattered pieces of mobile homes, and a stack of crushed cars still litter one hardened vista a mile away. Some neighbors deeply hurt by Hurricane Helene have fled, but others have hunkered down. And neighbors from around the country have sent in aid.

And how relief flowed in.

First it was pallets of water, on day one. Then the utility trucks came in caravans. Followed by backhoes and skid loaders—removing trees and debris by the semi load. Then came the hot food. Ahhh, the hot food: we ate it under heaters at picnic tables, food cooked by some of the finest chefs in the region. Whether at the World Central Kitchen, the early Thanksgiving dinner tent near the car wash, or the sloppy Joes tent near the hardware store, the warmth flowed.

Next door were the FEMA hot showers, the Potable Water tanker, the portable laundry facilities, the Red Cross medical trailers.

Where did all this help come from? The first bottle of relief water I drank was from Baptists in Charlotte. Our electricity was restored by linemen from Canada. Our bridge was rebuilt under the eye of an engineer from Kentucky. Thanksgiving dinner came from church people in Georgia and Florida. And the Mennonites from Indiana served hot food for five weeks, no less.

On a recent snowy morning I had the privilege of sitting with Bart Tucker, organizer of a Fuller Center for Disaster ReBuilding team. It was a noisy breakfast lodge with 20 men chowing down before heading out with saws and skills. Bart, a retired Air Force pilot who lives in northern Virginia, has served in disaster areas like Hurricane Katrina, where crews under his leadership rebuilt 100 homes. He knows the emotional tolls these storms take on people.

BART TUCKER: You know, that we all use the word PTSD. But you know, it's, it's exactly what it is. It's, it's, it's no different than a war wound. You know, one of the homeowners that we're helping got trapped outside her house and held on the doorknob of her porch to keep from being washed away by the floodwaters in chest deep water and, you know, she stayed there for two hours until they were able to rescue her.

Bart visited her after the first stage of her house had been rebuilt.

TUCKER: So the first time I met her, you know, in a 45-minute conversation and walking around her house, her eyes never dried up.

Now his mission is its final step.

TUCKER: But what our mission is is the rebuilding. So, you know, we, we transition into that as soon as we can. And the reason for that, of course, is, well, I mean, that's our, we defined it as our mission in life. But we think it's really important because this, you know, this is an important ray of hope when you see that first house going back together again. You know, it's not just that family, but the, the whole neighborhood sees it and the community sees it. So, you know, we talk about restoring homeowners and individuals and families, but of course, what it's really about is, restoring the community.

Bart and his Christian brothers and sisters will be coming back to North Carolina for several years, rebuilding one house at a time.

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed. And all people shall see it together. As it has for 2000 years, the light and the heat of our Lord Jesus’ arrival are expressed in the hands and feet of those who love him…and it is surely being felt on earth once again this December in North Carolina.

I’m Andrew Belz.

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