Jody & James | Who Ya Gonna Call When Disaster Strikes?

One of the ways that God pours out His blessings on His people, is through His other people.

Being in fellowship, as part of a church family, brings a person opportunities to establish relationships that support and encourage others through unfortunate life experiences.

Jody and James are a couple who recently lost everything because of a fire. James had lived in the home they were renting for 15 years. He had invested his own money in landscaping and had built a garage on the property for his hobby business of fixing cars. The garage held all his tools, many car parts, equipment and supplies.

They had recently learned that there were serious mold problems in the house and the landlord had decided not to remedy the situation, but to sell the home instead. Jody and James suddenly had to move, but before they could find a place and begin moving all their belongings, there was a fire that destroyed everything they owned.

They did not have renters insurance so they lost everything. Naturally, they were devastated. Jody says it has been a horrible time for both of them.

They had been customers at the LOVE INC Thrift Store, A Gathering Place, in Stuarts Draft from time to time and had previously met one of the volunteers there – Pastor Bruce Hankee. After the fire, Jody and James visited the store to buy some clothes to replace what was lost in the fire. When they explained what had happened to them, Pastor Bruce was more than sympathetic.

This is a true example of what it means to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Pastor Bruce was nudged of God to do something to help the couple. He went to their burned out home and offered to help with salvage and clean up efforts. When he saw the total destruction and how much there was to do, he made a call to the Greenmonte Church where his son is currently serving as pastor.

Members of this congregation were also open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Within an hour, the church leaders had mobilized a team of volunteers to show up and help. By sending an email message to the congregation, Seth Hankee opened the opportunity for his congregation to be the hands and feet of Jesus for this couple. One person loaned a front end loader, another loaned a dump truck and 8 more pitched in with their helping hands and feet.

Together, within 2 days, the Greenmonte folks and Jody and James were able to completely clear the debris and take metal scrap to be recycled.

A friend of James provided them, for very low cost, a camping trailer so they could have a place to live until they get on their feet again. The church furnished a refrigerator for the camping trailer. Through the compassion and “boots on the ground” assistance of a group of kind, loving members of the Greenmonte church who came alongside and worked shoulder to shoulder with their neighbors, Jody and James are surviving a very difficult tragedy.

They still need to find a better place to live and it will take more time for them to fully recover what was lost, but they remain very grateful for the way a network of LOVE INC relationships across our region came together to help in their hours of greatest need.