Day in the Life: Samaritan’s Purse

 

At 5am Rey’s alarm goes off. It’s a song about moving to California. You would think that something so calming would be more enjoyable to wake up to. I share a small church-office-turned-bedroom with my 5 teammates; we all sleep on the floor with our sleeping pads and bags. I hear the others rustling, but it’s Rey that’s always the first out of the room. I follow her groggily, tripping over our scattered possessions and shuffle down the hall to the bathroom. We are staying at Covenant Church, which is graciously hosting Samaritan’s Purse’s entire disaster relief team in Houma, Louisiana. 

I curl up in one of the church’s armchairs and sip coffee out of a styrofoam cup. My quiet time is my favorite part of the day, even though I have to wake up so early to do it. It’s been a sweet time lately, just spending time with Him before life here gets started. 

At 6, people congregate in the hallway to make their pb&js for ministry lunches. We wear slippery plastic gloves that intensify the process: sometimes the hardest thing you have to do during the day is open a ziploc bag when you only have about 10% mobility in your fingers. Breakfast is served at 6:30 by the Chaplins, who scoop fluffy eggs, french toast, hash brown casserole, and bacon onto our plates. I promise they are trying to kill us with exuberant food portions and vigorous Southern hospitality. After breakfast is a 10 minute devotion time and chores. 

I change my clothes after breakfast. My daily outfit consists of a bright orange t-shirt, a pair of 10$ men’s jeans (waistband sinched by a carabiner), and size 14 little boys’ work boots I found at Walmart. I look like Bob the Builder, but I’ve grown to embrace it. Today, we gathered by the trucks to listen to our team leaders, James and Sharla, tell us the plan for the day and pray over us. Usually around 8, we’ll head to our first job. 

Ministry last week mostly consisted of home “mud-outs” (total house demos). We ripped off moldy drywall, tore rusty nails from boards, smashed tile flooring, and brushed old insulation from the walls and ceiling. I had a team of all women, and really appreciated how everyone embraced the physical labor. Homeowners would raise their eyebrows in surprise when we pulled up, and their jaws would drop when they watched a small group of inexperienced females destroy their house.

Today, however, we were doing yard work. At 8:30 arrived at a small, white house with a sweet older couple standing on the porch. James and Sharla assessed the house and spoke with the homeowners before motioning for us to get out of the car. We circle around and pray for the couple before pulling out wheelbarrows and rakes. I speak with the husband for a few minutes while the team gets started. He and his wife have lived in the home for as long as they’ve been married, raising their kids, and walking to the church across the street on Sundays. He speaks of his community, and how important it is for people to help one another, despite modest circumstances. 

After each job is done, the group circles around the couple and prays over them, presenting a Billy Graham Bible that all the volunteers have signed. I presented the first Bible that day, feeling like I was fumbling over the words. I pictured the man walking across the street to church that Sunday with the brand new Bible proudly tucked under his arm. 

We hit 2 more houses that day. Around 4, the group headed back to the church to shower in the Samaritan’s Purse trailer showers. Another team congregated on the lawn in front of the showers to wait, looking tired and disheveled in their not-so-bright-anymore orange t-shirts. Dinner is at 6, served in the same abundance as breakfast, confirming my theory that Bev, the cook, is trying to fatten us up for winter in Romania. It’s working. Storytelling is right after dinner, where people get to share with the group the ways God has been working during ministry. God has been working in everything, but sometimes volunteers crawl around in an attic all day showering insulation on all their teammates and never see the spiritual fruit of their labor. Storytelling is to keep those volunteers from getting discouraged because God is always working, even when we can’t see it. 

I love working with Samaritan’s Purse. I love the early mornings and the laughter and getting to know my squad better. I love hanging out with an older generation (most of the other volunteers here are in their 60s). I love working with my hands, and putting my faith into action. I love meeting homeowners and sharing with them the good news, through word and deed. This experience has challenged me physically and spiritually, but I guess that’s where the growth happens. 

 

Next week we will debrief in Gainesville, and then on November 5th, we will finally launch for Romania! Keep praying for:

• Negative Covid Tests

• Our hearts and minds to be prepared for ministry in Romania

• Travel Safety