Disaster Relief Update - Friday, September 11, 2009

"I cry to You, Lord; I say, 'You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.'"" (Psalms 142:5) HCS

A disaster relief volunteer knows the importance of a shelter and a portion. When a life has been disrupted by storms, how important it is to find a shelter, a place of comfort and safety. The Lord is a shelter through disastrous times in our lives. What a great word to share with those to whom we are called to minister unto.

Remembering September 11, 2001

As this is being written our nation is remembering the horrific events of September 11, 2001. People around the world are remembering where they were and what they were doing when radios and televisions filled the airways with the incredible news of planes flying into buildings. On this eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania many Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are not only remembering where they were when the planes struck the World Trade Center and Pentagon but they are also remembering the sights, smells, sounds and feelings of the days and months that followed

Within minutes of the attacks SBDR volunteers mobilized converging on lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, a field in Pennsylvania and airports across the country to provide support to survivors and rescue personnel. Thus began the longest Southern Baptist Disaster Relief response to date. Communications units, chaplains, and feeding units were the first to arrive on the scene. Shortly thereafter recovery teams began assisting with the massive task of cleaning ash from apartment buildings and ultimately SBDR volunteers assisted Baptist Builders in repainting school buildings in New York City.

September 11, 2001 was a day of great loss for our country and the many families who lost loved ones. For Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers it was a day God had prepared them for and when called to step up they did in mighty ways. God is indeed our, "portion in the land of the living." May He continue to be praised by those who remember the sacrifices of SBDR volunteers who stepped in when so many were stunned into immobility and brought the presence of the one God into the midst of the mourning.

Kentucky and New York Volunteers Finish Their Work

Volunteers in KY and NY finished their work in Louisville, KY and Silver Creek, NY. It is interesting that both in NY and KY, one person made a profession of faith. When looking at numbers, we often overlook the small numbers, but for that one person, it makes all the difference. We should rejoice, because God has changed the eternity of one person. Thanks for all the volunteers who served in these responses.

2009 Hurricane Season
Thus far, the Pacific has been more active than the Atlantic. There have been 12 named storms in the Pacific and 6 in the Atlantic. Southern Baptists stand ready should an event occur, but continue to pray that there will be no major storms.