The Fabric of Life: Ministering Through Domestic Disaster Response
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. - Romans 12:9-13
Lost Creek, Kentucky
After flooding, most people think of disaster response as mucking flooded homes and clearing trees and other debris. While these are necessary tasks during emergency relief, additional long-term recovery involves so much more, and means a lot to survivors of a natural disaster. Such was the case this last April, as ARDF and four volunteers joined the North American Lutheran Church in Hazard, KY, to serve three families after the July 2022 flooding in Appalachia.
Deacon Betty Budyka from St. Luke’s Anglican Church in Copley, OH, decided to join our disaster response trip at the last minute. Not knowing what to expect, Dn. Betty arrived at our host church and joined one of three teams to rebuild a home on Lost Creek. With a gift of pastoral care and experience as a hospital chaplain, Dn. Betty sought the Holy Spirit to show her how to minister to the spiritual and emotional needs of the family.
On day one, it didn’t take Dn. Betty very long to see what was needed to make the partially reconstructed house a home again. She began collecting and cleaning personal belongings that had been lost to the rock, sand, and water of the flood, plucking them from messy front yard or restoring previously collected items that were in boxes on the front porch - a front porch unusable because of the stacks of family items collected on it.
One item, a quilt, was noticed in the back of a tumbled and totaled SUV in the creek bottom. Upon inquiring about the quilt, Dc. Betty and another volunteer, Mary Beth Lee, learned that it belonged to a young woman and was made for her by her great grandmother. While on break, Dn. Betty and Mary Beth delicately removed the quilt from the back of the SUV and washed it in the creek before hanging it out to dry. The week after leaving, the quilt was presented lovingly to the young woman, who never thought she would see that quilt again!
Many survivors give up hope of having a semblance of the life they had prior to the event. They are forced to start over. That’s why Spiritual Care is an integral and important part of disaster response. As physical houses are rebuilt, we can also help restore the memories represented in personal items lost, broken, or ripped apart by the water and wind of a storm. When Dc. Betty restored personal items, cleaning and drying things like curio cabinets or toys played with by grandchildren, the owner of the house could share her associated memories, beginning a renewed sense of normalcy to her life. Simply listening is a beautiful ministry! As items were restored and returned to their rightful places, the front porch was cleared off, and by the end of the trip the owners had a front porch complete with vases of wildflowers to sit and enjoy each other’s company - something they hadn’t shared in nine months.
Interested in volunteering, but unsure if you have the right skill set? You may not feel equipped to serve in disaster response, but the testimony of Deacon Betty shows how even if you are unsure, simply saying Yes! to serving others in little ways can impact your life and help to restore normalcy in the lives of others. You do not need to know how to clear debris or use power tools to help - often times the little things, like cleaning toys and listening to stories, become just as important to the ministry of disaster response.
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