Hope and Help

Hope is more than just a word –

it's a state of being.

It’s a firm belief that

even if you don’t know how,

even if you don’t know when,

God will come through

and better days are ahead.

Life sends rain…

Hope dances in the puddles

until the sun comes out again.

- Holley Gerth

Amidst the loss of life, possessions, treasured time with loved ones, houses, cars, and security after Hurricane Harvey, glimmers of hope and help continue to arise.  People have spent long hours helping box up what can be cleaned, saved, and restored.  Homes have had the sheetrock, insulation, wet flooring, and damaged items removed.  Mounds of discarded items are starting to be picked up by trash trucks to give some semblance to recovery.  As good as it is to have the stack removed, it is bittersweet as irreplaceable items have had to be discarded.  Progress is being made with much more to come in the days and months ahead.  As the first phase of cleanup is winding up in Houston, supplies are being gathered and sent to offer help and hope to the people in Puerto Rico.

Renewed hope and help are still happening because of events that took place during Hurricane Harvey.  During the storm, Brandi Smith, a news reporter for KHOU 11, was with cameraman photographer Mario Sandoval covering events from the North Sam Houston Tollway.  They switched sides of the freeway to continue the coverage and Brandi noticed a semi-truck that was taking on water.  The windshield wipers were going which made her think someone was still inside.  While reporting, she saw a truck pulling a boat pass by.  She flagged it down, ran after the truck, and asked the sheriff’s officers to please check on and rescue the driver.  You could hear the urgency and concern in her voice.  Word of the rescue spread and Ms. Smith, Robert Roberson, and his wife Virginia were invited to meet on the Ellen Show.  After big hugs, Roberson was able to thank Brandi Smith “for saving my life.”  He continued, “She will always be my angel.”  Smith responded, “I’m just so glad I was there, and those deputies were there.  It’s like you said, the Lord placed guardian angels all along the way for you.”  Because of this heartwarming story, Cheerios is donating 50,000 boxes of cereal for Harvey victims.  Ellen presented the Robersons with a $10,000 check to help with recovery expenses and also gave Brandi Smith a $25,000 check to go to the Rebuild Texas fund in honor of her efforts.

Deshaun Watson, rookie quarterback for the Texans, received his first game paycheck recently.  With Houston still in the process of recovering from the flood, he decided to split the amount of money in his check into thirds and share it with three of the cafeteria workers inside NRG Stadium who had lost their homes and cars due to Hurricane Harvey.  As he presented the checks, he told the women, “For what y’all do for us every day and never complain.  I really appreciate y’all.  I wanted to give y’all my first game check to help out y’all in some type of way…Hopefully that’s good to help you get back on your feet, and if there’s anything else y’all need, I’m always here to help.”  Deshaun Watson knows the impact that a gift of hope and help can make because he and his family were the grateful recipients of a house that was built by Habitat for Humanity.

Glimmers of hope continue as … one last box is filled and moved to a safe place for storage, the final board is dry so rebuilding can begin, a once thought destroyed item and picture have been restored, longtime friends along with new ones continue to help with the process, contractors are being secured, housing is being offered, and there is dancing in the puddles because the Son is shining, providing, and with us.   

But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish.

Psalm 9:18

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

Psalm 25:5

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Proverbs 23:18

but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Isaiah 40:31

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23