Good morning…
Waking this Easter Monday morning, I wonder, “What does it really look like for Christ to live in us?”
In the quiet of these early hours, my mind is drawn back to a letter I received on Saturday from the leader of our Disaster Response Team from church. A lightbulb goes on right now: “This is a tangible example of how the risen Christ lives in ordinary people.”
With permission I share the letter with you.
*****
Disaster Response Team,
I am writing to provide you an update on our trips to Newnan, GA this week to serve those impacted by the recent tornado. Thursday’s service was all chainsaw work. We removed fallen trees from atop a trailer and across property and Friday’s service was all roof tarping, the team tarped three homes! The families we served were incredibly humble, thankful to have survived the tornado and grateful for our assistance.
I witnessed something new on this trip that is worthy of mention. On Thursday while cutting trees I saw a woman and young girl rounding the home where we were working. I met her thinking she may the homeowner, but instead she stated she lived a short distance from the impacted area and asked if she and her daughter could assist. I hesitated initially thinking of their safety because they were not dressed for chainsaw work but decided to allow them to work on the fringes of the worksite pulling small branches to the road. A short time later I was startled seeing another young person behind me pulling limbs and as I turned was more startled to see a group of 15 people working in conjunction with our team to remove the debris. Speaking with their leader I learned that they also were neighbors that were not impacted and just wanted to help in any way possible. We ran the chainsaws as hard and fast as possible but each time I looked around there were volunteers lined up to remove our most recent cut wood. It was an outpouring of love that was unexpected and proved to be incredibly helpful. The local help continued to appear. On Friday while tarping a roof suddenly there were over 30 people coming down the street spreading out and removing debris, then there were others pulling carts offering us water and food, WOW! It created an emotional response that returns as I write you.
The North Georgia Conference has been spared a local disaster of this level for many years. The devastation caused by this tornado is significant and will take many months to recover. We will make other trips to the impacted area soon. Please stand ready to join and serve.
Thank you for all your prayers and to Northside Church for the support which allows us to conduct this meaningful service.
******
To me, this hands-on story has God’s fingerprints all over it. Serving others with the Spirit of Christ sparks contagious generosity. This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” (Romans 8:15, MSG).
…Sue…
