Just Walk: A Testimony of Spiritual Care in Disaster Response
Deacon Betty has volunteered on two ARDF disaster response trips. As a hospital chaplain and a Certified Spiritual Director, she shares her reflections on spiritual care during disaster response below.
“Over a period of years, houses will be rebuilt. Possessions will be replaced. But the emotional and spiritual impact lasts much longer.”
- Deacon Betty Budyka
Just Walk: A Testimony from Deacon Betty Budyka
Deacon Betty (left) holding a salvaged quilt during a disaster response trip in 2023. Read about it here!
Just walk, Tommy said. Hmmm . . . As a hospital chaplain I was well acquainted with the concept. Taking a deep breath and stepping into the lives and pain of others was something I did often. And, with one disaster response trip under my belt, I could now consider myself a veteran ARDF volunteer… I was good to go! But standing there, surveying the site, I knew that this felt different. It was the beginning of my understanding that: (1) no two disaster response trips are alike, and (2) I needed to lay aside my preconceived notions so as not to bind God to the past but allow Him to work fresh in the present. Still, it felt different.
We were cautioned that the Dawson Springs, KY, trip was not going to be like the prior Lost Creek, KY, trip. In Lost Creek, we worked alongside homeowners and had multiple opportunities for ministry. But unlike the front-line ministry there, the events in Dawson Springs had happened some time ago and the homeowner we would be helping was living more than half an hour away. So other than the physical rebuilding of her home, the opportunities for direct ministry might not be there.
That first morning, we arrived at Jane’s house to gather tools and complete some site work before beginning our new project rebuilding Anna’s house that was destroyed by the tornado. The guys jumped out of the vehicles and commenced loading tools and moving rocks and grading the driveway. They worked like a well-oiled machine, with purpose and confidence. I felt conspicuous and uncomfortable just standing there. I reassured myself that this was only a temporary stop on the way to Anna’s where real ministry opportunities might present themselves. And if all else failed, at least I might learn how to use a drill!
Just walk, he had said. Hmmm . . . and when in doubt just pray, I thought. And so, the prayer walk began. Quietly and aloud, I prayed as I walked through the path the tornado had taken in Jane’s neighborhood. The hope in seeing some homes rebuilt was overshadowed by the heaviness of human despair and the enormity of the job still to be done. Holding both hope and despair before the Lord brought me to a stop and for a moment, I was unable to move. “. . . that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.” Just walk.
“Can you pray for us?” shouted a person frantically approaching us. “We called an ambulance but it’s taking so long to get here! Please pray for us!” My prayer partner, Linda, and I began to pray with the woman, whose name was Mary. All the while Linda’s heart was being drawn across the street to another woman named Sue. Responding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, Linda walked over to her mobile home. After introducing herself she sat down in the dirt with Sue and began to share in the mundane task of pulling weeds from the front yard. And Sue began to share her story. I had but a moment to appreciate the beautiful spiritual picture of two women just sitting in the dirt amidst a God moment. Just walk.
I reconnected with Mary - or rather, she reconnected with me. With tears in her eyes and fear in her voice, she was grateful to again receive prayer. Then a man walked by. “Please pray for us!” he said as he hurried past. Meanwhile, another volunteer, Gary, assumed a position in the middle of the crossroads to greet and guide the ambulance (a necessity in this more rural area with tiny roads, missing street signs, and missing house numbers). All the while keeping a sharp eye, Gary too was praying as Linda sat in the dirt with Sue and shared the love and healing power of Jesus. Just walk.
I soon replaced Gary in the task of watching for the ambulance. It finally arrived! As I guided the EMTs to Jane’s house, they inquired as to our role here. “We’re from ARDF,” I explained, “and we are in Dawson Springs helping families recover from the tornado.” Just walk.
With the work completed, building materials and tools loaded, and two unexpected opportunities to share God’s peace and love through prayer with Mary and Sue, the team came together to bid Jane farewell and offer a blessing for her new home. Sensing heartfelt appreciation behind Jane’s tears, I gently asked about her experience. As she began to share, I took a deep breath and stepped into her story . . .
During the late evening of Friday, December 10, 2021, an EF4 tornado tore through Dawson Springs KY. Jane and her daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren quickly took refuge in the bathroom as they heard the deafening sound, like that of a roaring train, grow louder and louder. Jane’s two-month-old granddaughter was placed in a car seat for safety. They huddled in the bathtub and witnessed the enormity of what was happening. Their home was being destroyed as they heard the ripping and crashing of wood, metal, glass and even, it would seem, their lives. Sue’s home across the way was torn from its mooring and instantly blown into Jane’s house, demolishing both. The tornado roared on.
It was over in a matter of seconds. Jane was severely injured but the other family members appeared to be okay, at least until the next day. As a result of the event, Jane’s baby granddaughter, Oaklynn, developed a brain bleed. She died a short time later.
In this small community of 2500 people, approximately 70% of the homes were damaged or destroyed. While the death toll lay at 19, the community moved necessarily from shock to purpose, rescue to recovery. Jane would spend months in inpatient rehab and many more in mourning.
And Sue, the owner of the mobile home across the way? She was not at her home when it became unmoored, demolishing Jane’s home and changing their lives forever. She had been safe and nowhere near the tornado. Sue continues to be stricken with a burden of guilt.
In long-term recovery, volunteers bring Christ’s love and hope for survivors of natural disasters. Over a period of years, houses will be rebuilt. Possessions will be replaced. But the emotional and spiritual impact lasts much longer. That is why spiritual care is so vital in disaster response. God uses us to help heal those who are suffering. It is a ministry of presence. Along with a physical rebuilding, volunteers bring prayer, intercession, and hope in the darkest of circumstances. The team hadn’t even arrived at our assigned project at Anna’s house yet! But in that mysterious way in which God works, of course we had.
“. . . that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.”
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