We are showing hurting families in Texas that God has not forgotten them.
Samaritan’s Purse is providing Texas flood survivors in Kerr and Tom Green counties with brand-new campers and vehicles.
“One of the greatest things about these gifts that we are giving to flood survivors is that they are paid in full,” said Tony Williamson, a Samaritan’s Purse staff member facilitating our camper and vehicle dedications on the ground in Texas. “And this is a great picture of the cost that has been paid for our salvation. That God has sent His son Jesus to die on the cross, to be buried, and to raise on the third day—paying our sin debt in full.”
Since July 8, we have been helping homeowners in the area get back on their feet by cleaning out flooded homes, recovering precious belongings, and sharing the hope of Jesus Christ. Now we are replacing items critical to return to everyday life. Many residents are still without housing or daily transportation.
Over the past week, Samaritan’s Purse has distributed 25 new vehicles and also set up 19 campers as temporary homes for families. Dozens more vehicles and campers will be dedicated to hurting families in the coming weeks.
With each vehicle and camper dedication, Samaritan’s Purse staff share the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our rebuild teams soon will begin rebuilding stick-built homes and providing manufactured homes to flood victims who lost everything. Teams will also help with repairing certain damaged homes.
The Gospel remains at the center of what we do as we help Texas recover in Jesus’ Name. We praise God that more than 60 people have received Jesus Christ as their Lord during our response so far, and we pray that many more come to saving faith as we continue to work in the region.
A New Camper Restores a Couple’s Faith
While the water’s long gone, scars from July’s deadly floods still remain in places like San Angelo, Texas. Scattered debris drifts by barren homes that line the dirt-covered streets where families once lived. Signs saying “Hill Country Strong” hang in restaurant windows or are posted on roadside pickets. The now dry, sun-scorched ground wouldn’t suggest that deadly floodwaters once engulfed the region just over a month ago.
Among these stripped, empty abodes is Brittany and Leverne’s house. The door is removed from its frame, and waterlogged furniture litter the front yard. But now they have a reliable and air-conditioned dwelling parked in their backyard.
In recent days the couple received a new camper from Samaritan’s Purse, providing them a temporary place to live on their own property as they prepare to take their next steps.
Brittany and Leverne were living in a motel across town with their two dogs before Samaritan’s Purse provided them a camper on their property to move into.
“You wouldn’t expect someone to go to these measures to help you, but Samaritan’s Purse doesn’t even know us and they care so much to help,” said Brittany, after she and Leverne received the keys to their camper. “You really care. You listen and you hear what we need, and God works it out from there. It’s a miracle.”
They recounted how, in the span of only a couple hours early on July 4, nearly 15 inches of rain inundated their neighborhood. “The backyard was a lake,” Leverne said. He saw the street out the front window covered in water, too. “There was nothing I could do.”
Orange shirts appeared on their road after the waters receded and Samaritan’s Purse volunteers got to work clearing out and cleaning their flooded home—and even mowing their lawn. As the team removed the ruined drywall, they found mold had spread in the walls.
A group of volunteers, along with staff from Samaritan’s Purse and Billy Graham Rapid Response team chaplains, joined Brittany and Leverne at the joyous occasion.
“If it wasn’t for Samaritan’s Purse, I would still be breathing that bad air,” said Brittany, who has asthma. “The volunteers tore out the walls and flooring, and really exposed what I was breathing.”
Some of those same volunteers joined them to celebrate as Samaritan’s Purse staff dedicated their new camper to God, providing them with the keys to their paid-in-full, fully equipped camper. We also presented the couple with a 30-day devotional booklet to encourage them with God’s Word each day of the coming month.
“Thank you, Jesus,” Brittany said after the dedication. “I didn’t have house insurance, and the truth is that I couldn’t afford it. But then Samaritan’s Purse said, ‘God’s got you, and in the Name of Jesus, we’ve got you.’ Jesus has had us and Samaritan’s Purse has used their hands [to help us].”
“It pulled me out of a time that was really dark—now I can see Him again.”
Far more valuable than campers, Brittany and Leverne were drawn back to the Lord in the aftermath of this flood and, in part, through the witness of our volunteers.
“I realize that He’s here no matter what,” Leverne said. “You can go through hard times, and it can feel like a dead end—like you’re stuck. It pulled me out of a time that was really dark—now I can see Him again.”
Providing Vehicles in Jesus’ Name
Samaritan’s Purse is also providing new vehicles to Texas families. Edward Mertz is one of many Texans whose vehicles were irreparably damaged in the flood. Last week, Mertz was able to celebrate as he drove off in a brand-new truck.
“Samaritan’s Purse is here, and they are one of the few to reach out in our time of need,” he said.
The Mertz family gathered outside Kerrville Bible Church last week to receive a new car from Samaritan’s Purse after losing theirs in the flood.
Edward, his wife Jennifer, and their two children were asleep when crashing lightning rocked them awake. Edward looked out the back window to see his truck floating across the yard.
“When that happened,” Edward recalled, “we knew we had to evacuate regardless if it was going to recede or get higher.”
They escaped in their Ford Bronco with water curling over the hood. When Edward returned days later, his truck didn’t start and his property was laid waste.
“The storm was totally random; it was the last thing we were expecting…never in a million years did we expect that much rain that fast,” he said.
Edward and Jennifer knew about Samaritan’s Purse through Operation Heal Our Patriots, a Samaritan’s Purse ministry that hosts wounded veterans and their spouses for a week of Biblically based marriage enrichment at our lodge in Alaska. Both Edward and Jennifer served as Marines for a time, and came to the Alaska retreat in 2014.
“Me and my wife are convinced that it saved our marriage,” Edward said about their time in Alaska. “It grounded us and brought us closer together.”
Jennifer and Edward experienced God’s goodness over their marriage while in Alaska with Operation Heal Our Patriots. The couple again saw the Lord provide for them in their time of need when they received a new car from Samaritan’s Purse.
Through the contact he had with Samaritan’s Purse chaplains, Edward decided to apply for help. Samaritan’s Purse also gave the couple a travel trailer and funds to rebuild his property fence.
“Samaritan’s Purse has been there the whole time,” he said, expressing gratitude for how our chaplains and related Family Care ministry have stayed in contact over the last decade. Now Samaritan’s Purse was able to assist them again in crisis.
“It’s nice to not be forgotten,” he continued, “and sometimes while we were down there at our house, it seemed like we were forgotten. Samaritan’s Purse has helped us through that—and that’s the honest truth. They made this last month a lot easier than what it was going to be.”
Samaritan’s Purse is partnering with Hendrick Automotive Group, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, to supply these new vehicles to flood victims in Texas. In addition to campers and vehicles, we are replacing furniture, appliances, and medical items (hearing aids, dentures, eyeglasses) for both homeowners and renters. Samaritan’s Purse is also offering grocery gift cards to help tide families over during this difficult time.
Please continue to pray for our ongoing work in Texas.
