WEST POINT, Ga. – Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers don’t receive pay for the work they do, unless they count the smiles, thank yous and hugs.
“We get our necks hugged a lot,” said Ronnie Register, a retiree from First Baptist Church in Sparks, Ga. who, along with his wife, Linda, has responded to disasters across the country. “The people we help are so overwhelmingly appreciative.”
Last week, they were with Disaster Relief volunteers who deployed to a neighborhood in West Point that was struck a devastating blow by an EF-3 tornado. The volunteers spent the week sawing trees from homes, tarping damaged roofs to keep rain out, and sharing the gospel with survivors, three of whom prayed to accept Christ.
All totaled, they put in the equivalent of 224 volunteer days, prepared 425 meals, completed 27 chainsaw jobs, and made 316 ministry contacts.
“They worked hard and got a lot accomplished,” Register said.
Bethel Baptist Church Pastor Chris Hendricks gathered beneath a tent on the parking lot for Sunday worship, a brilliant sun beaming down on the twisted lumber that used to be their church building.
The twister that hit shortly after daybreak on March 26 damaged or destroyed an estimated 100 homes in Troup County, but no deaths were reported.
“God has delivered us from the storm,” he told the tornado survivors in his sermon. “He delivered us from harm’s way.”
Gov. Brian Kemp had declared a state of emergency to allow government agencies to respond more quickly to several communities across the state that had tornado damage, including Milledgeville where Northside Baptist Church was damaged.
Andy Buchanan, director of missions in the Troup County Baptist Association, thanked the many volunteers who donated their time and money to help local residents.
He specifically called out the Disaster Relief crews who arrived on the scene shortly after the tornado touched down.
“We can’t tell you how much it means to us,” Buchanan said.
