His Hands and Feet
Many of you have probably seen the news coverage of the flooding here in GA. Our community was hit especially hard. Our subdivision was partly under water- the houses on the back road were completely submerged and houses just 100 yards down the street from ours had about 4 feet of water. Thankfully, our home was spared as we are on higher ground. We have friends at church who live in our subdivision who had water up into their second story and other friends who had a few inches of water all over the first floor. My best friend is a teacher at Clarkdale Elementary just around the corner from our home and our church. The school flooded very quickly and they were forced to evacuate on Monday afternoon, leading the children to buses through knee deep water. By the time the sun went down, you could only reach the school by boat and from the air you could see that the school was flooded to the roof. The teachers lost everything. Needless to say, it has been a hard and devistating few days for our friends and neighbors.
Overnight last night, much of the water receeded and the part of our neighborhood that could only be accessed by boat yesterday is now dry. And for those of us who call ourselves Christ's Followers, the work of being His hands and feet begins. Last night, Jack and the other pastors met to come up with a game plan for how we can serve those around us who have lost so much- and they have realized there is much we can do in the days and weeks ahead. Today, our church is open from Noon until 7 pm serving a free meal. Tonight, our church will be used by the elementary school to hold a parent's meeting. And this morning, we split into teams and walked through the destroyed neighborhoods distributing cold water and flyers about the meal. I didn't want to stay inside and let others do all the work, so I loaded Noah and Josiah into the double stroller, Jack and Caleb pulled the wagon full of water and we walked the back street of our neighborhood. The devistation is overwhelming. The water line on one house was on the roof and we were there as one family saw their home for the first time.
But it is amazing what a bottle of cold water and a free meal can do. The spirit of those cleaning and working on their homes seemed to instantly be lifted as we approached with water. And I was so very very proud of Caleb. He eagerly ran from the cooler bringing water to every single person we saw- he handed out more water than Jack and I did! And his precious three year old smile brought a smile to those he came in contact with. We explained to Caleb that we were giving out the water because Jesus loves us so much and He wants us to love others. I could hardly get him to take a nap today becuase he wanted to go back out and give more water!
In the coming days and weeks, we will have the opportunity to touch the lives of those around us with the love of Christ. And while we are moved by the devistation, simpathetic to their plight, it is Christ's love that compels us into action. I pray His people, His body is moved into as action as eagerly as Caleb was today. And I pray this sweet small lesson sticks with our child- that Christ's love moves us to love the world and be His hands, His feet and His voice to the world. Please join me in praying for our neighbors who have lost so much and our church as we strive to be Christ in Austell, GA.
"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. " 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
This is the back road in our subdivision- we realized today that in front of that house in the center of the picture, there was a Ford Expedition that you can't see because it is completely submerged.
The back road of our subdivision from the air.
This is our cul-de-sac just 100 yards from our house.
This is our friends' home.
This the road between our home and our church that Jack travels each day.
Clarkdale Elementary from the air.
Overnight last night, much of the water receeded and the part of our neighborhood that could only be accessed by boat yesterday is now dry. And for those of us who call ourselves Christ's Followers, the work of being His hands and feet begins. Last night, Jack and the other pastors met to come up with a game plan for how we can serve those around us who have lost so much- and they have realized there is much we can do in the days and weeks ahead. Today, our church is open from Noon until 7 pm serving a free meal. Tonight, our church will be used by the elementary school to hold a parent's meeting. And this morning, we split into teams and walked through the destroyed neighborhoods distributing cold water and flyers about the meal. I didn't want to stay inside and let others do all the work, so I loaded Noah and Josiah into the double stroller, Jack and Caleb pulled the wagon full of water and we walked the back street of our neighborhood. The devistation is overwhelming. The water line on one house was on the roof and we were there as one family saw their home for the first time.
But it is amazing what a bottle of cold water and a free meal can do. The spirit of those cleaning and working on their homes seemed to instantly be lifted as we approached with water. And I was so very very proud of Caleb. He eagerly ran from the cooler bringing water to every single person we saw- he handed out more water than Jack and I did! And his precious three year old smile brought a smile to those he came in contact with. We explained to Caleb that we were giving out the water because Jesus loves us so much and He wants us to love others. I could hardly get him to take a nap today becuase he wanted to go back out and give more water!
In the coming days and weeks, we will have the opportunity to touch the lives of those around us with the love of Christ. And while we are moved by the devistation, simpathetic to their plight, it is Christ's love that compels us into action. I pray His people, His body is moved into as action as eagerly as Caleb was today. And I pray this sweet small lesson sticks with our child- that Christ's love moves us to love the world and be His hands, His feet and His voice to the world. Please join me in praying for our neighbors who have lost so much and our church as we strive to be Christ in Austell, GA.
"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. " 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
This is the back road in our subdivision- we realized today that in front of that house in the center of the picture, there was a Ford Expedition that you can't see because it is completely submerged.
The back road of our subdivision from the air.
This is our cul-de-sac just 100 yards from our house.
This is our friends' home.
This the road between our home and our church that Jack travels each day.
Clarkdale Elementary from the air.
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