Hurricane Helpers

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.  You will always find people who are helping.’”  ~ Fred Rogers

Dorian, a category 5 hurricane, spent days hovering over the Bahamas causing major destruction with wind and rain before traveling and making landfall on the outer banks of North Carolina.  Other parts of the country were also challenged with the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian.  And the helpers came.

Jermaine Bell, 6 years old, lives in South Carolina.  After seeing the destruction caused by the hurricane, he decided to use the money he had earned and was saving to go to Disney World to help the people in his community.  Jermaine bought chips, hot dogs, and water to give to the evacuees as they were heading to higher ground.  He made a sign to let people know about the free food.  Jermaine fed about 100 evacuees.  He told a reporter from WJBF, “The people that are traveling to go places, I wanted them to have some food to eat, so they can enjoy the ride to the place that they’re going to stay at.”   Jermaine even prayed for a family that their house would still be there and OK when they returned.

Rikki Kahley’s Bride-to-be-bachelorette party was scheduled to be in the Bahamas.  After Hurricane Dorian hit, Rikki called the Nassau Baha Mar resort and found that they had weathered the storm and were still open for business.  Kahley’s sister Chloe, 17, suggested that they try to help the people while they were there.  Thus, the bachelorette party turned into a mission trip.  The bride and bridesmaids contacted family and friends for donations to take with them.  As the day came to depart from the Atlanta International Airport, the nine women and their 40 suitcases left for the Bahamas.  Delta Airlines allowed the extra luggage to be carried for free.  The people at the resort had already set up a foundation to distribute supplies to the neighboring islands.  Baha Mar provided transportation for the group and the supplies that were brought.  There was also around $1800 in cash donations to purchase blowup mattresses and other much needed supplies to give to the people who had evacuated to Nassau.  A little boy also sent a suitcase full of toys.  Rikki and her bridesmaids helped make a very difficult time better by their thoughtfulness and gifts.

Whether it’s a storm caused by nature or a personal storm, may we, too, be willing to share of our time, effort, and resources to help lighten the load for others.

In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Acts 20:35

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

James 1:22