In 2011, the worst fire in Texas history struck Bastrop County (just south of Austin). The fire burned almost 35, 000 acres, destroyed over 1600 homes, killed 2 people, and took more than a month to contain. The cause of this devastating fire was determined to be sparks from power lines toppled in 35 mph wind gusts.
Our church joined forces with churches all over the state to help the rebuilding efforts in the area. Faith Village, an organization formed from the inter-denominational efforts of four churches in Smithsville, TX coordinated the work crews that donated their time and energy to help this struggling community rebuild.
On Monday, June 18th, at 7:00 am, nineteen volunteers from First Baptist Church, Clyde met for the five hour drive to Smithsvillle. We arrived around 1:00 pm and after grabbing a quick bite we were divided into four work crews and started our journey to our assigned locations. Most worksites were a 20-30 mile distance from our host church. My crew went to a home that was under new construction. It was close to completion and needed only a few finishing touches. The two residents were living in a small camper close to the home and had attempted to put the floating floor in on their own but did not have the skills to do the job. I appreciated their efforts as they represented so many individuals in the area that needed only a hand up… not a hand out! The entire home had virtually been restored by the volunteer efforts of many churches across the state saving the owners the extensive labor costs of a new construction.
Each afternoon after a full days work, we would return to Smithsville, a beautiful town that looked like it came right out of the 1950’s. Throughout the town were gorgeous Victorian homes. An interesting piece of trivia is that this town was the site of the movie Hope Floats (starring Sandra Bullock) The home pictured below appeared in the movie and was only a few blocks from the church where we were staying. We walked there as a group one afternoon and passed people sitting on porch swings, walking, jogging… it was like a scene straight out of Mayberry.
At the end of the workday, after a meal prepared by yet more volunteers from our church , we had a meeting on the church steps of FBC, Smithsville . Here we shared with the other teams about our efforts during the day and had a devotional time of praise and worship. The rest of the evening was spent with various activities…. Some played dominoes, some played basketball…. I, slept! The fact that I am an early sleeper worked to my benefit since mattresses were in a very short supply !
Each day the jobs changed throughout the week consisting of weed-eating, plumbing, electrical work, etc. One interesting resident was a woman that many groups suspected of being a witch. The symbols of witchcraft were drawn throughout her property. She had extensive water damage to her house due to the air drops of water in attempts to control the fire. We will likely never know the impact that has been made on this woman’s life because of the selfless efforts of God’s people. This image has been left as a reminder to this woman of the one that can truly change her life.
On a personal level, likely the most meaningful event occurred on Wednesday morning. My daughter’s boyfriend made the 80 mile trip from Belton to Smithsville to ask me for permission to marry my only daughter. Sitting on the steps of the historic church, I could tell he was a little nervous but he made it very obvious that his intentions were sincere. I regret not capturing a picture of that moment to share with Jenna but am proud to announce that I will be adding a new member of the family about this time next year.
The trip was a wonderful experience and will always be memorable for the time I got to not only help those who genuinely needed it and appreciated it but also for the milestone of passing the blessing to a prospective family member. I remain ever grateful to a company that allows its employees the opportunity to live out its mission of being true “helpers of people”.