Long Boat Key Sarasota Storm Relief 2011
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Thursday, March 31st brought many storms our way here in Florida. Most of
the weather was just north of us. Unfortunately there was what is termed,
straight line winds that hit the Long Boat Key area just south of the
Sarasota/Manatee county line, right where two mobile home parks reside side
by side.
The winds lasted about 30 seconds and happened just before 5 PM.
Fortunately the residents who were home were busy inside their homes. As
the wind ripped through the parks it grabbed various pieces of sheet metal
and other debris and hurled it throughout the parks.
As quickly as it started, it was over, yet the work was just beginning.
Emergency teams immediately were called to the scene and began assessing
the damage and securing areas where major damage had occurred.
Ed McCrane, the Emergency Management Chief, called me a couple of hours
later to ask if we would be able to come out early the next morning to help
with the relief efforts.
I quickly put out the call to some local folks, including the Barnabas House
and prayed that we’d get some people to come out and help. When I headed
out in the morning I still hadn’t heard back from anyone. Even Mary Jo had
a dentist appointment and couldn’t join me until later in the day. I was
praying that the Lord would provide and headed out. Not far down the road I
received a call from the Barnabas House and they had three guys who
volunteered to help out. I went to pick them up and we headed to our
storage container to load up supplies and then headed for LBK. By the time
we arrived a few other people had also contacted us to come and join in the
fun. Altogether there were a total of 17 of us helping out here and there and
we worked on 15 homes. It was a lot of work and everyone worked hard.
Bill, Wayne and Gilead from the Barnabas house, managed to hang out with
us from early in the morning until late in the evening.
As always we began the day with devotions. It was about a 45 minute drive to
the area that was hit by the storm and since the Barnabas guys were trapped
with me, we read scripture and talked about it on the way. We then had
multiple discussions about the Lord throughout the weekend.
As we were serving, many people came up to us and told us that they couldn’t
believe we were helping them out. As the conversations continued, we were
able to share the Lord with many of them. One lady called our church and
said that she wanted directions because she wanted to attend a church where
people actually lived what they talked about!
The Barnabas House guys were really enjoying themselves and couldn’t
believe how much ministry we were able to do. We took time to pray for
people and passed out Bibles, tracks and CD’s. I told them that all of these
people thought that we were there to help them clean up their homes, but we
were really undercover Jesus agents infiltrating their ranks, telling them
about Jesus! We then just happened to be helping them clean up! It was a
lot of fun!
The weekend also opened up more ministry opportunities for me and the
Barnabas House. As the guys are getting to know me, we are forming closer
relationships. I continue to attend the Monday night Bible studies. The
Sunday we were working, we went to church and all three of the guys went
with us and they really enjoyed it. That following Tuesday I started to
disciple one of the other guys at the Barnabas House and he wanted to do it
on Thursday as well! When I showed up on Thursday, he had invited several
of the other guys! The next weekend, they had invited even more people to
come to church with us! Please continue to keep the Barnabas House in your
prayers and that the Lord would continue to open up doors of ministry for me.
Also this week four of the guys from the Bowery are heading down to Florida
this week to spend some time with us. One of them will be speaking at our
church this weekend and doing the Barnabas House Bible study next
Monday. We will also be providing dinner for them. Please keep them in
your prayers.
We will also be holding the first meeting for our annual NYC Bowery
Thanksgiving Outreach. Please keep this in prayer as we begin to form our
team. If you are interested in joining us, please contact me as soon as
possible.
We are also in the final weeks of preparing for the 8th grade class mission’s
trip. I will be taking 28 kids and adults from Calvary Chapel School to NYC
from May 1-6 to serve at the Bowery. Pray that all goes well on this trip.
We have two more trips planned to go to the Bowery, one in June for a week
of maintenance and one in August to run the kitchen while Clyde is on
vacation. We are also looking for volunteers to join us on both of these trips
so contact us if interested.
Again, we covet your prayers and support as we continue to live out God’s
will for our lives!
the weather was just north of us. Unfortunately there was what is termed,
straight line winds that hit the Long Boat Key area just south of the
Sarasota/Manatee county line, right where two mobile home parks reside side
by side.
The winds lasted about 30 seconds and happened just before 5 PM.
Fortunately the residents who were home were busy inside their homes. As
the wind ripped through the parks it grabbed various pieces of sheet metal
and other debris and hurled it throughout the parks.
As quickly as it started, it was over, yet the work was just beginning.
Emergency teams immediately were called to the scene and began assessing
the damage and securing areas where major damage had occurred.
Ed McCrane, the Emergency Management Chief, called me a couple of hours
later to ask if we would be able to come out early the next morning to help
with the relief efforts.
I quickly put out the call to some local folks, including the Barnabas House
and prayed that we’d get some people to come out and help. When I headed
out in the morning I still hadn’t heard back from anyone. Even Mary Jo had
a dentist appointment and couldn’t join me until later in the day. I was
praying that the Lord would provide and headed out. Not far down the road I
received a call from the Barnabas House and they had three guys who
volunteered to help out. I went to pick them up and we headed to our
storage container to load up supplies and then headed for LBK. By the time
we arrived a few other people had also contacted us to come and join in the
fun. Altogether there were a total of 17 of us helping out here and there and
we worked on 15 homes. It was a lot of work and everyone worked hard.
Bill, Wayne and Gilead from the Barnabas house, managed to hang out with
us from early in the morning until late in the evening.
As always we began the day with devotions. It was about a 45 minute drive to
the area that was hit by the storm and since the Barnabas guys were trapped
with me, we read scripture and talked about it on the way. We then had
multiple discussions about the Lord throughout the weekend.
As we were serving, many people came up to us and told us that they couldn’t
believe we were helping them out. As the conversations continued, we were
able to share the Lord with many of them. One lady called our church and
said that she wanted directions because she wanted to attend a church where
people actually lived what they talked about!
The Barnabas House guys were really enjoying themselves and couldn’t
believe how much ministry we were able to do. We took time to pray for
people and passed out Bibles, tracks and CD’s. I told them that all of these
people thought that we were there to help them clean up their homes, but we
were really undercover Jesus agents infiltrating their ranks, telling them
about Jesus! We then just happened to be helping them clean up! It was a
lot of fun!
The weekend also opened up more ministry opportunities for me and the
Barnabas House. As the guys are getting to know me, we are forming closer
relationships. I continue to attend the Monday night Bible studies. The
Sunday we were working, we went to church and all three of the guys went
with us and they really enjoyed it. That following Tuesday I started to
disciple one of the other guys at the Barnabas House and he wanted to do it
on Thursday as well! When I showed up on Thursday, he had invited several
of the other guys! The next weekend, they had invited even more people to
come to church with us! Please continue to keep the Barnabas House in your
prayers and that the Lord would continue to open up doors of ministry for me.
Also this week four of the guys from the Bowery are heading down to Florida
this week to spend some time with us. One of them will be speaking at our
church this weekend and doing the Barnabas House Bible study next
Monday. We will also be providing dinner for them. Please keep them in
your prayers.
We will also be holding the first meeting for our annual NYC Bowery
Thanksgiving Outreach. Please keep this in prayer as we begin to form our
team. If you are interested in joining us, please contact me as soon as
possible.
We are also in the final weeks of preparing for the 8th grade class mission’s
trip. I will be taking 28 kids and adults from Calvary Chapel School to NYC
from May 1-6 to serve at the Bowery. Pray that all goes well on this trip.
We have two more trips planned to go to the Bowery, one in June for a week
of maintenance and one in August to run the kitchen while Clyde is on
vacation. We are also looking for volunteers to join us on both of these trips
so contact us if interested.
Again, we covet your prayers and support as we continue to live out God’s
will for our lives!
and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the
darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10
darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. Isaiah 58:10
