Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015 - Week 3 Begins

Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015

October 7,  2017

This blog was written by Catherine Botts, a World Renew - Disaster Response Service (DRS) Volunteer - Serving in Martindale, Texas with a team of volunteers assisting with the reconstruction from two floods in 2015.

Good Morning! Family & Friends,

What an amazing week we were given during week 2.  God is so good!  

Before I share about the projects that we worked on I want to share the devotional that was shared last evening from Oswald Chambers.  We were reminded of our reason for being here in Martindale, TX.  Chambers bible reference was from Mark 6: 45   "Immediately after this (the feeding of the 5,000), Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home."

If you remember this experience, it is when the wind rises up, the disciples are rowing, struggling to control the boat and then Jesus walks on the water to go be with the disciples.  He reassures them, "Do not be afraid" and he calms the waters.

Oswald Chambers several times in his devotional reminds us that we often tend to be goal oriented but that is not what God wants for us.  "What we call the process, God calls the end."  "It is the process, not the end, which is glorifying to God."

Being goal oriented is something that I struggle with.  Always checking a job, a task off my list that I forget the process.  So with this in mind this week I have tried to change my focus to the people that we are serving, to listen to their story, to hear their pain, and to do the same for others in our team while growing my relationship with God.

Keeping the process in mind, we are here to help the families we serve, to bring back their homes to a place before the storms of 2015.  Our first home is almost complete.  The team working there has done amazing work and the On Site Managers are preparing to do what DRS calls a last nail ceremony.  What happens is we have a time of prayer, bless the house and give a wicker wall hanging that has a cross the symbol of the Trinity in it.  The last nail is the one which is put in to hang the wall hanging.  This house will be completed!!!!

Team members were moved around a little bit this week where there were needs for skills and more people and a fourth house was begun. This home needed a deck and a room needed drywall and painting.  Good progress was made as the primer has been painted.

The team I am working with had a great week!   With the help of two of our team members for a couple of days we were able to complete the insulation, hang drywall in the bedroom and bathroom.  Also in the bathroom part of the drywall is mud and taped; the outside was enclosed with new T111 and it has been primed; the tub has been set and the walls are around it; and most of the plumbing is completed for the tub and sink.

Most importantly relationships have grown, new skills have been learned and only a few minor accidents have happened.  Thank you Lord!

In Oswald Chambers closing of the devotional he shares:  "God's end is to enable me to see that He can walk on the chaos of my life just now.  If we have a further end in view, we do not pay sufficient attentention to the immediate present: if we realize that obedience is the end, them each moment as it comes is precious." 

My prayer for each of you as you read this blog is that whatever chaos you are going through right now that you will allow God to walk all over it and to let him calm it for you as he calmed the wind and the waves for the disciples.  Enjoy the process.

Love, your sister in Christ,

Catherine

Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015 - Week 2 Begins

Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015

October 1,  2017

This blog is from Catherine Botts a World Renew - Disaster Response Service (DRS) Volunteer - Serving in Martindale, Texas with a team of volunteers assisting with the reconstruction from two floods in 2015.

God is good!

We had a great week!  Last Monday three different teams went out to begin work on different homes.

The first was a mobile home which needed skirting installed that had been washed away.  Before they could begin the skirting they needed to reattached the insulation underneath.  By Thursday they had completed all of the skirting but were unable to complete the painting of the steps that the homeowner uses to enter the home.  On Friday it rained so they came to join the second team, if the weather holds hopefully they will finish the painting this week.

At the second home where I am we have a team of three.  Our job is bigger than we thought but after one week we now have a firm foundation and the plumbing is ready for the bathroom.  We were thankful for Jan and John who joined us.  My friend, Victoria had taken the Sheetrock and insulation out of the ceiling and two walls in bedroom next to the bathroom.  She had begun to put in insulation in half of the ceiling but this is a hard job to do by yourself.  With three sets of hands they were able to complete the insulation and Sheetrock half of the ceiling on Friday.

Hopefully Jan and John will be able to join us again so they can continue the Sheetrock in the bedroom.  We plan to start mudding and taping as soon as it it in.

Tomorrow if all goes well Victoria and I will insulate the bathroom ceiling so that we can install insulation and Sheetrock.  That way on Tuesday we hope to install the tub/shower in place.

Our third team of four has been working on a home that needed the upstairs completed.  It needed painting, flooring, doors, casings and shoe molding; two airconditioners installed and a washer/dryer installed.  Also a small deck and steps to the yard were installed where they will put an external door in this week.  They only have a little more to go upstairs and then they will be able to move to the main floor.

God is so good!  We have been moving along eventhough we have had several days of rain.

Please pray that the rain moves elsewhere this week, anywhere away from Martindaled, Texas.  The prayers for safety have been working so please keep them coming.

This week the devotions for Thusday were from Revelations 1: 7

Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven.
    And everyone will see him—
    even those who pierced him.
And all the nations of the world
    will mourn for him.
Yes! Amen!

In the devotional by Oswald Chambers he reminds us that this passage is teaching us that Jesus comes to us in the clouds of life.  When things are going well we seem to get farther away from Jesus.  We think we don't need him.  But in the clouds (difficulties) in life we turn back to him.  Jesus wants a relationship with us.  Then others will see him in our lives.

Thank you for your prayers!

Catherine Botts

Martindale, Texas - Flooding 2015

September 24, 2017

This blog is from Catherine Botts a World Renew - Disaster Response Service (DRS) Volunteer - Serving in Martindale, Texas with a team of volunteers assisting with the reconstruction from two floods in 2015.

Good Morning! Dear family and friends,

The Lord placed it on my heart several months ago to come to the San Marcos, Texas area to serve.  As stated above we are in Martindale, Texas.  The Three Rivers Community Church is the site for World Renew reconstruction teams to live.  It is a great facility.  The projects that we work on are coordinated by the Blanco River Long Term Recovery Group.

We have three homes on our list to begin work on this week.  It will be such a joy this week as the first two homes are within walking distance of the church.  I have never had projects so close to the housing site before.  Often we need to drive a half hour or more.

We had our first team meeting last night.  The Lord's plan is always so much better than ours.  He gathers people from all over the world (US and Canada) and he brings them together for his good.   People who have the same heart to serve him.  People who will become friends and are his disciples ready and willing to serve.

In my devotions this morning I read from Matthew 28: 18 - 19

"18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,[b] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you."

And from Acts 1: 8

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

We are here as disciples of Jesus, he will give us the power of the Holy Spirit to do his work while we serve for him in Martindale.  Our prayer is that by sharing his love through our actions and our words that the families and the community see and feel Gods's love.

Please keep our team of 14 up in your prayers, and especially the families in the community.  There are still 70 homes that need repairs from two years ago.  Pray that we will be able to help complete one or two of the homes so that their lives will be able to return to a safer, healthier home.

Thank you!

Needs Assessment - Albany, GA - Dougherty County

Serving - DRS:  is a blog about serving with World Renew - Disaster Response Service in the areas of Rapid Response, Needs Assessment and Reconstruction.  The blog is written by Catherine Botts, a volunteer.

Saturday, April 29, 2017 - 6:15 pm

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Thank you for your prayers this week!  They are working!

People are coming to fill out applications with their Unmet Needs.  We have 5 more days to gather information this coming week.  We hope and pray that many more people will come into one of the two walk-in centers or open their doors to us when we are in their neighborhood.

As we have driven around the community we have seen progress but we can see so much more devastation. There is so much more work that needs to be done to help the families recover.

Please keep the Albany Relief & Recovery (Long Term Recovery Group) in your prayers as well as the city and county governments. The recovery will take a long time.  We pray that they will be able to find the resources they need to help their community.  Besides the homes, mobile homes and apartments that need so much work, the community has so many large trees and root balls that need to be cut and disposed of so people feel safe in their yards and neighborhoods.

Please continue to pray for more families to come see us. There were approximately 15,000 people in the two areas that were affected by the storm and tornado.

Link to Albany Herald article for Jan 2nd storm:

http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/dougherty-county-declares-state-of-emergency-in-wake-of-powerful/article_105a76cb-fe6a-5879-bbb7-99acf968c25f.html

Link to Albany Herald article for Jan 22nd tornado:

http://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/storm-system-claims-lives-four-in-dougherty-county/article_9870b8ec-3995-502d-95fe-40532bb28f25.html

One of our devotions this week was from Isaiah 40: 25 - 31.  The words were meant to be a comfort to God's people when they were released from captivity.  Our prayer is that the words will comfort the families, that they will run and not grow weary as they walk this journey of recovery.

Thanks for your continued support for our team.
Catherine Botts

Needs Assessment - Dougherty County, GA

Good Afternoon! Pray Warriors,

Some of you may not know that I gone but now you do.  I arrived in Albany, GA about an hour ago.  I am a part of a World Renew Needs Assessment team of 17 people.  The team represents 5 different states and Canada.  We are here to assist the Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG) collect data regarding the needs of the families within Dougherty County from two storms in January.

The first storm came on January 2, 2017 which consisted of both straight line winds and rain.  Many trees fell and homes were damaged both from the winds and fallen trees.  Some residents were without power for 2 weeks.

As they were recovering from the January 2nd storm an F-3 tornado came through the community on January 22nd.  The tornado damaged and destroyed many more homes.  The community was devastated again.  The faith community pulled together through both storms and provided over 100,000 volunteer hours during the storms to help with some of the needs.

At the request of the LTRG, World Renew was called in to help them gather data to see where are their families now.  What is still needed.  Will they have the resources to finish the work or will they need assistance.  This information will give the LTRG what they need to seek more assistance to help families.

We will be in Dougherty County until the 6th of May.

Please pray for the community.  They have been through so much.  We pray that they will not be discouraged.  We pray that they will come to the walk-in centers and/or open their doors as we come to their neighborhood.

May they understand that we are here to help.  Help us to listen.  Let us be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Thank you for your prayers!

Crossroads ..... Joplin, MO Sunday, July 10th

Good Morning!

Our team would like to thank you for your prayers yesterday as we traveled to Joplin yesterday.  The drive went well and we arrived safely.  The students were great!  The journey took 13 hours and they were amazing.

It is great to see how we are getting to know each other already and gelling as a team.  Thank you Lord for your plan!  For bringing us together.  The reason we are here is because of you!  You saw fit to choose us to be here, to work together and to be here for each other.

Last evening after we arrived at the Abundant Life Volunteer Village we watched a National Geographic video of what it was like on May 22, 2011.  How moving it was to hear from the different people, to hear from their perspective.

The gentleman who showed us the video explained how it was for him that day.   Where he and his wife were and how painful it was.  He said it took a year and a half before he could watch the video. How painful it still must be.  But in his voice I heard hope.  Even on the day as he and his wife prayed while the tornado was around them.  God did provide for them.  Many lost their lives and many lost their homes.  Some would ask where was God that day.  But we know He was here, He was crying with them, He was sending their friends and neighbors who were affected to help each other.  His Spirit was here.

I never believe in coincidence.  I believe in God's plan.  We are staying at the Abundant Life Volunteer Village.  The devotional that I have been reading this year is titled "Abundant Life Day Book".  My devotional yesterday was titled "I Am Worthy of Your Trust in the Worst Times."

What a reminder for me and for our team as we minister to Joplin.  Part of our reason for coming to Joplin is to help with the physical needs of the people we will serve but also we are hear to listen to them and their stories.

Hopefully we will be able to give them hope?  God has not forgotten them, He has sent so many before us and He has sent us.  We would not be here if it was not for the Lord working in our lives.  We are here to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

In the devotional for yesterday the author reminded me that "My great blessing to you is that no matter what happens, even when the worst happens, you have the knowledge and confidence that you belong to a God who can be trusted with even this.  Eventhough you don't know what I am doing, you can believe that I know what I'm doing.  Even though you may not understand how anything good can come out of what your're experiencing, you can believe that I understand how I am using all of this for your good.

This is a good reminder for each of us as we journey through life.

As a team our devotional for today is focusing on "Worship Only God".

Please pray for us as we learn more about why we should Worship Only God, and as we Woship this morning with the Abundant Life Church Family, as we go out with the lead construction manager to find out how and where we will serve.  Pray for the families that we will be serving that we may be a blessing to them.

Thank you for your prayers!

If you have any questions about World Renew please visit the World Renew - Disaster Response Service web page from the link on my web page.  Servingdrs.blogspot.com

Crossroads -- Joplin, MO

Good Afternoon!

For the next week I will have the privilege of serving along side the Crossroads youth group, their leaders and several adults from Corinth Reformed Church.  This will be the first joint mission trip for Corinth with World Renew in Grand Rapids.  World Renew and Abundant Life located in Joplin, MO have been partners sending mission trips before.

Our missions pastor and youth leaders began to talk about the possibility of coordinating a trip about a year ago.  It is so exciting to be able to join the 14 crossroad youth and the 9 adults to serve along side the Joplin Community.

Five years ago this past May 22nd an EF5 tornado struck Joplin.  There were 158 lives lost, 1150 people were injured, winds were over 200 mile per hour, and as of this year about 2.95 billion in damages have been spent.  With such a catastrophic tornado there are still many people who are still not back in their home.  It takes a long time to rebuild a community.

Saturday morning we will begin our journey to Joplin, MO.  Please pray for us as we travel that all will go well, that we will have time to get to know each other, that we will be safe.

Our prayer guide for the first few days Bible reading is from Phillippians 2: 2 - 5.  "If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus."

Please pray for us as we travel:  that we will gel as a team, that we will see His purpose for our trip.  That we will be able to share encouragement, unity, comfort, love, tenderness, compassion, joy, and purpose to the families we serve and to each other.

May we remember that Christ is the reason we are going to serve and that we are going to lift up the families and the community leaders who have been working for the last five years.  Please pray that each person we come in contact with with see the love of Christ through our words and our actions.

If you feel so inclined please check our the World Renew - Disaster Response Link on the side of my blog or go to:  http://www.worldrenew.net/domestic-disaster-0

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.