At 62, I was floating along nicely making plans for our future retirement and deciding where we were going to live and what wonderful sights we were going to visit. Then God intervened and said to my wife “come home.” Here I was, a professing Christian, left with a hole the size of the Grand Canyon in my heart and all of my plans dashed on the rocks of despair. That was when I came to know Jesus and start to follow His plan instead of mine. His plan, revealed through a series of steps, was for me to come to Kentucky and offer my services even though I had never heard of Christian Appalachian Project.
Once here I was placed at Grateful Breadz and served there for a month. Then came the flooding in Rockcastle county and I saw firsthand the physical, mental and spiritual devastation that a natural disaster can inflict on a person, a family and a region.
Two months later came the next disaster disaster, a flood in Pike County, and I watched in awe as my fellow volunteers worked tirelessly to get people back into their homes by doing the most arduous of tasks with a loving spirit and boundless energy. They were totally selfless in their efforts and kind beyond words to the disaster survivors.
Disasters don’t care who you are or if you are prepared; therefore the response has to be timely. We were on the ground surveying the damage within 24 hours and people started assessing homes, doing cleanouts and providing needed supplies within 36 hours. The CAP-wide effort was herculean and included everyone from President Guy Adams to one of the short-term volunteers who spent as much time at the host church in Pikesville as she did in the volunteer house during her volunteer time.
The response has to be compassionate. The volunteers have to show the love of Christ to devastated people who need to tell their story. Sometimes this is a simple as stopping and hearing the history of a piece that has to be discarded and sometimes this can be hearing a tirade against the world or the volunteer. We are there to start the process of healing, bring hope to the families and let them know that someone cares enough help and listen. I feel privileged to have become a full-time volunteer in the disaster relief program and pray that I can be the hands and feet of God to those in trouble.
Carl Ford is a long-term volunteer who started with Grateful Breadz Food pantry and now serves full-time in the Disaster Relief program. He lives in Mt. Vernon Volunteer House.
