After more than a week of tagging along with our U.S. Disaster Relief team, I have an even greater admiration and respect for our staff and volunteers. Members of our U.S. Disaster Relief team had just closed our tornado cleanup work in Macon, Georgia, when they were dispatched to Indiana and Iowa to begin what FEMA officials are calling the second largest disaster in recent history.

The hours are long and work orders seem to multiply in hours. Despite the stress, these dedicated staff still joke around with each other and take the time to get to know our volunteer teams. In the midst of great need, they still see God’s direction and his care for individuals. Setbacks aren’t just obstacles to them, they’re a way for God to lead and guide our teams as they reach out to people in need.

June 20
As Samaritan’s Purse photographer Jon Black and I drove from our disaster relief base in Columbus, Indiana, to Cedar Falls, Iowa, we made plenty of phone calls to the Iowa’s department of transportation trying to find a way over the Mississippi River. Many of the state’s roadways were closed due to flooding along the river.

The large concrete bridges we passed now looked like low-lying footbridges.

We made a stop in Iowa City, home to the University of Iowa, which made national news when the Iowa River overflowed its banks and damaged the university’s campus, downtown area, and many residential neighborhoods.

An area near the university’s campus looked like a ghost town. Roofs of vehicles peaked out over stagnant waters as ducks floated down the main street. The railroad tracks divided the area, and as I stood looking at the businesses drenched in the muddy water, I could hear the rush of the river on the other side. It was a terrifying sound, one I’m sure many homeowners heard just minutes before their possessions were washed away.

In Cedar Rapids, 25 miles to the north, mounds of ruined furniture, wet carpet, and possessions lined the streets, waiting for city officials to haul them away. Stop signs had been completely bent backward by the thrust of the surge. A bridge weighed down by railroad cars carrying rock was no match for the water. The waves overpowered the metal bridge and the railroad cars, which were carried off downstream. High water marks, brown grass, and the smell of mold, fish, and dampness permeate the entire community.

One woman I saw was sitting on the back of a pickup truck, holding her head in mud-covered hands. Her entire street is a brown debris-covered mess.

As we drove by, it was comforting to know that there’s hope even in the midst of such devastation. Our disaster relief teams will be in the Cedar Rapids area on Saturday, as we offer not only assistance, but also the love of Jesus Christ to people in need.


June 19
What volunteer team leader Syd Ruiz expected to see during the first day at a job site was a team dressed in gray Samaritan’s Purse T-shirts with power tools in hand.

So when she saw 16 young Amish men walk toward her, she was surprised.

“All I could think of was the movie ‘The Witness’ with Harrison Ford,” she said. “I could almost hear the music that was played when the Amish community raised the barn. I was very happy to see them.”

The team’s leader was working for a neighbor when he saw images of the Indiana floods on the man’s television. He felt compelled to help, and asked 16 young men from the Amish community to participate in the relief efforts. He arranged for transportation to Columbus, nearly two hours away, and joined up with Samaritan’s Purse.

“When I picked them up at 4:30 a.m., they already had all their chores done,” said Lowell Phillips, the group’s driver.

The workers were quiet at first, speaking only quietly in their Dutch-German dialect. But as the day continued on, shy smiles turned into open English teasing.

Syd had to constantly coordinate with our base of operations in Columbus to get work orders processed quickly enough to keep up with the hardworking Amish volunteers. Within two hours, the team had completely gutted one homeowner’s flooded basement and was ready to move on to the next house.

At Samaritan’s Purse, we often use the phrase “Serving in Jesus’ Name” to describe the nature of our work. As a nondenominational organization, this phrase helps us keep our focus in the right place, on helping hurting people.

The Amish group didn’t want any recognition for their philanthropy, and even the team leader asked that I not use his name. Most of his answers to my questions were short and polite; the motivation behind their efforts was profound in its simplicity. When asked why the group had partnered with Samaritan’s Purse, he simply replied: “Help like this is always appreciated. It honors God to help people in times of need.”


June 18
Although the floodwaters have receded and highways have reopened, life has not returned to normal for many Columbus, Indiana residents. Stories of lost possessions, extensive home damage, and tremendous uncertainty continue to steadily stream into our disaster relief base in the area.

Each night, our teams meet to share about how Samaritan’s Purse is helping people at their moment of greatest need. Some residents here have prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior, others have recommitted their lives to Christ, and still others simply cry as our volunteers pray with them and offer words of encouragement.

This week, our staff and volunteers met Joe King. For the last four years, Joe worked six to seven days a week to provide a nice home for his family. He installed new kitchen cabinets himself three months ago, putting some of the final touches on a series of ongoing renovation projects.

After the flood came, Joe’s months of work were destroyed in a matter of minutes. He points to the 5-foot watermark on one wall as the cabinets lie on the floor, against a wall stripped of insulation and drywall.

He tells of his 3-year-old daughter’s questions. “Daddy, has our house floated away?” All she knows is that her playground equipment is still submerged in brown murky water.

But despite his own woes and anxieties about the future, when people offer their prayers, Joe always tells them: “Pray for the Samaritan’s Purse volunteers who are out here, putting themselves in harm’s way to help people.”

Samaritan's Purse , United States , U.S. Disaster Relief , Indiana , News Blog from Indiana