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“Go Tennessee” was the highlight and flavor of May—a mission to aid in  hurricane relief efforts in the town of Hampton. Hurricane Helene hit eastern Tennessee on September 27, 2024 as a tropical storm, causing flooding and mudslides. By October 7, 2024, the national death toll stood at 200. Fifteen were from Tennessee. National weather service records show:

Elizabethton, Carter County: 7.56 inches
Knoxville, Knox County: 4.97 inches
Gatlinburg, Sevier County, 8.84 inches
Greeneville, Greene County, 5.77 inches
Bristol, Sullivan County, 6.54 inches

What this doesn’t indicate is the massive torrents of water gushing from the surrounding hills for hours on end.

Our mission centered on a town near Elizabethton where logs washing down from the mountains caught on bridges, forming dams. The dams caused shifts in the normal course of the river, which then washed through Hampton. Houses were lost and damaged by the flood. Spring Street’s asphalt broke apart and boulders filled the yards.

One resident I spoke to said he climbed onto the roof of his house and watched debris flow by for five and half hours. Another piled up mattresses to the ceiling and stood on those for several hours. During this time, they had no access to any basic necessities of life.  How long does it take to heal from a disaster like this? Who helps the survivors? How soon do those not affected forget? Can you imagine trying to restart your life after such an event?

When the hurricane hit, I immediately wanted to respond but knew better than to go without local contacts. My cousin owns a place over the mountain in North Carolina. She told me to grab my chainsaw and go, but at 74, I didn’t think it wise. Going into a devastated area without contacts isn’t advised at any age. In 1985 my brother’s home and the general area suffered the destruction of a tornado. I remember going to help him rebuild, and how authorities had taken control of access.

So, instead, I contacted pastors at our church asking if they were associated with any churches in the area. It took time, but eventually we contacted an Alliance church in Elizabethton and our mission took form. Eight months after the storm, there was still significant recovery needed.

Our team of volunteers took shape, consisting of 17 male basketball players, 6 female basketball players, two coaches, and a chef, all from Grove City College. We even had a videographer along for part of the trip. In addition to me, one of our pastors and two other church members agreed to go. Our granddaughter just graduated from Theil College, and with a week off before starting her next academic adventure, she volunteered to also go. Having my granddaughter along made it special for me. The final blessing came the night before departure when someone canceled last-minute, and my better half arranged to come with us. Sadly, she had been freed of dog-sitting since our ancient beagle had passed on recently.

We had no idea what we were walking into or what work we be asked to do, but mission work is like that. The unknown is part of the fun, and overcoming adversity brings joy. To my surprise, an additional mission to the same area is scheduled several months from now. These recoveries run long after the disasters are forgotten by the unaffected public.

Accommodations for our team were arranged at the Fairhaven Ministries campus on Roan Mountain, which consists of small family-type chalets, a dining hall, and a lodge. It’s typically used as a retreat for pastors, their families, missionaries, and Christian workers. The complex sits high up the mountain above the flood damage. Hiking Trails and the beauty of God’s creation surround it.

The dining hall became the center of our morning devotions, briefings, and evening reflections. It sported a piano, and to everyone’s delight, one of the female basketball players and a coach turned out to be very talented pianists. Even better, the college folk joined in to sing and dance to old time music. Note: the facilities provided no cell phone, TV, or internet service. One would think it was 1959 and even though these students played on the same teams, we watched as new awareness of each other’s strengths and weaknesses blossomed into genuine caring.

Hampton sits in the Doe River valley, several miles from the campus. Several churches have committed to aid in the town’s recovery. Hampton high school remains closed at this time; it will require extensive remodeling. Three homes are being built by volunteers with a fund of $300,000 raised by the churches. One of the churches donated significant funds to the project only to have their church and several homes destroyed by a later storm. Even so, the church voted not to fund construction of a new church but to raise additional money for those hurt by the second storm.

Step in, Nail Benders for Jesus, who volunteered to build a new church for the generous folks supporting others in need. The stories of love and courage would require a blog post of many pages, but we promise not to do such things.

A local coordinator met us each morning on Spring Street with direction, supplies, and inspiration. We collected rocks, and debris, and worked at landscaping. We also supported construction of the new houses. Some of us painted new drywall, cleaned up construction materials, cleaned out debris from garages and homes, and did carpentry work.

Most importantly, we interacted with the community, professional volunteer construction workers, and other volunteers from local churches. A good example of the local folks was an 86-year-old woman who insisted we use her garden hose and soap to wash. It made us feel good to share in the efforts. Our granddaughter visited an elderly stroke victim in his home, eventually coaxing him to his front porch so he could watch the progress. My wife worked with the chef, organized the lunches and pitched in wherever possible with other recovery activities.

Two basketball players and I were assigned to build a small porch on one of the new houses. Concrete base supports had already been set, and the vinyl siding at the base of the door was notched. To square up the posts I calculated dimensions using the 3-4-5 method and we attached the base brackets. We didn’t set the posts as we had other things to do.

At two o’clock in the morning I woke from a deep sleep, with the realization I had used the wrong measurement. I grabbed my calculator to confirm my mistake. Now, I accepted the need to confess my mistake to my young trainees, which I did at breakfast.

We corrected the mistake and while we stood talking, the battery drill in my hand burst into smoke and flames. When our work on the porch was finished, my crew and I were sent to Roan Mountain to build a shed from a kit, but the base was missing.

Not only that, but the kit had been sitting on the site for months and carpenter ants had infested it. The elderly couple looked devastated when we confided the shed couldn’t be constructed.

There is a materials supplier in Hampton called God’s Warehouse who supplies free materials to flood victims . Unfortunately it was closed, and we were unable to get materials for the base. At our evening reflection the pastor asked volunteers to sum up their day. One of my helpers simply said, “we faced adversity”.

We all thrived during the week knowing God is with us in the adversities we face. We felt that sometimes we get to be the hands and feet (and sore backs) of God. There was an incredible outpouring and accepting of love in that place and time. More teams from other locales and churches will contribute their time, efforts, and money over the coming weeks. Is there ever a time God doesn’t need us to fulfill His Great Commission by living the Gospel, allowing ourselves to love as Jesus loved?

It wasn’t all work, a local church hosted a picnic, and the local coffee house hosted a pig roast. The picnic was held at Watauga Lake, where several people took a dip in the icy waters. I highly recommend visiting the lake if you are in the area. It’s one of the cleanest in the nation, a beautiful spot.

Appalachian Coffee Cupboard held the pig roast in their backyard, with180 people in attendance. A local guy took to the basketball players and organized a tournament of bean toss. It was a big hit. In addition, we hiked to a gorgeous waterfall one day after work.

So, what can you do with this? We came home with more love than we started out with, we came home with our hearts warmed and spirits high. A sacrifice of time, energy, and money, overshadowed by blessings. God always uses a bigger shovel.