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Where does the time go?  It’s an age old question that rarely needs an answer.  The more important question is what did I/we do with the time that we were given?

Since our last post, life has been a whirlwind of activity. We had spent several days in the Tampa – St. Petersburg area of Florida to determine whether that was the area where our disaster recovery group should deploy.
On October 22nd we returned to the AIM base in Gainesville, GA intent to listen for where God was leading.  Throughout the week, it became increasingly clear that Florida was not our destination but that the recovery effort was to be in North Carolina.  On October 28th our caravan of 2 pickups towing campers, two vans towing equipment trailers and one small suv departed the base in Gainesville and arrived in Swannanoa, North Carolina.  This area of western North Carolina, where the Appalachian Mountains pass through, was severely affected by Hurricane Helene which dropped anywhere from 13-30 inches of rain over a 3 day period September 25-27.  The result was not only major flooding of creeks and rivers but landslides and wind damage which destroyed many homes and left many more uninhabitable.

Over the past few weeks, we have established partnerships with Excel College in Black Mountain, Operation Blessing, World Vision, Mercury One and others.  With these partners, we have established a Phase 1 base of operations to host, feed and house the initial groups of volunteers.  These hearty folks have spent countless hours removing mud and debris from houses and crawl spaces, canvassing neighborhoods and mountain roads to let people know that their needs are not being overlooked, and gathering data which will be used to support our long term recovery efforts of rebuilding homes and lives. We currently expect our mission in this are to be at least 2 years.

We took a break and were home for Thanksgiving and will return to NC on December 14th. Our current schedule has us back and forth between home and NC every 3-4 weeks until mid-January.

The days are long at times but we continue to be amazed at how God shows up and provides exceedingly and abundantly more than we can imagine.  We are so thankful for every prayer offered, every gift given and every heart that says yes to helping in any way.

We are grateful and blessed to be able to be ambassadors for the Kingdom.

May the peace and joy of the Christmas season dwell richly on you and your loved ones.

Jo Ellen & Gail

 

In January 2023, we embarked on a 1-week mission trip with 5 other members of our River City Church congregation in Riverside, Iowa to assist with disaster recovery in the Fort Myers area following Hurricane Ian battering Florida in September of 2022.  That was a week of eye-opening experiences as we worked in homes which had been flooded by an unprecedented storm surge.  The devastation of the area was evident as there were still piles of debris and destroyed belongings lining the streets in the neighborhood of Harlem Heights more than three months after the hurricane.  We visited with homeowners as we worked in their homes and neighborhood, listened to their stories and took time to pray with them.  After returning home to Iowa, we kept feeling the nudge, the urge, the calling to return to Harlem Heights and continue the work of restoring that community.  Altogether, we spent 16 weeks from January 2023 through May 2024, and found ourselves working as part of the leadership team for what would become called Adventures Relief (a part of Adventures in Missions).  We witnessed the transformation of a neighborhood as 176 homes were totally rebuilt, families reconnected, some individuals returned to church after years of separation and still others received Christ for the first time.  We also witnessed God answering prayers in myriad ways as we worked with thousands of volunteers, many of whom came for 1-week short term mission trips.

Fast forward to August, 2024:  We travelled to visit some of the churches and people who had served in Harlem Heights.  As we toured the warehouse and processing center of a food redistribution ministry at one stop, the head of the organization there shared with us something which we have taken to heart.  As he was describing how that ministry had grown he said, “What would happen if instead of trying to educate God about what is possible, we would say ‘Yes, Lord.’ Do what He calls us to do. Partner with Him and see what’s possible?”

We do not know where God will take us next but we know that He is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than anything we can imagine.

Our answer:  “Here we are. Send us.” and we have not been the same since.

Where is God calling you today?  In your home, community, family, world…?

Gail and Jo Ellen Crowe