Sammy’s Purse

Happy Fall!!

What a blessing it has been to serve with Billy Graham’s organization, Samaritan’s Purse in Jackson, Kentucky. It was a hard realization that the flood, which caused so much temporary destruction, actually brought peace to the people we served with. I talked with Eric, our team leader, who is a beast, early on in the week about the Tower of Siloam in Luke 13:4-5. We discussed how God does not view believers on how much sin they have placed in their life. Prior to my conversation with Eric, I wondered if God punished the land of Jackson, Kentucky. Eric helped me understand that God will work in mysterious ways, but never enjoys punishing his children.

From Monday to Saturday all the guys from Gap K Activation Squad worked together on ripping out drywall, insulation, nails, furniture, appliances, cabinets, flooring, ceiling, etc. We traveled to houses in the area that were completely under water (the flood rose one of the local rivers 47 ft higher than usual). We hit around 12 houses and purposely served these Kentuckians, who somehow still had smiles on their faces and love in their hearts. It was crazy hearing some of the experiences the homeowners had while dealing with the flood as it was rising. One homeowner’s name was Denise, she had more joy and hope than most of us boys. She lost so much in the flood: a barn and her horse, her two story gigantic home, and all the fun pictures that held so many fun memories. When the water started entering the house (in the middle of the night) she opened the door to water at her knees. As she frantically looked for higher ground she heard all the livestock take their last breaths as the water overwhelmed them. That’s when Denise remembered her lovely horse that she had for over 20 years. And she knew then and there it had drowned. Denise has been divorced for a while and her abusive husband took all the money while she kept the land. She has been broken down to pieces time after time and had every right to be mad at this world.

Yet, Denise stood out to me because she displayed an empathic heart and a hopeful spirit. Her material possessions were lined up in piles of debris outside her house, yet she stood tall and firm with an understanding that God has kept her safe through it all. AMEN! Denise chose to look past the loss of her worldly possessions and in doing so gained eternal life in Heaven. She understood that the flood destroyed lifetime achievements, automobiles, and loved ones. But, what pulled her through the flood was her solid foundation on the ROCK of the Almighty One. The ROCK that always stands firm through every natural disaster or rough season you will encounter. I thank God for the opportunity to hear Denise’s influential story that brought me so much encouragement. Denise’s loss had me questioning God’s compassionate heart, but after realizing God used the flood to place us into her life, I looked at the bigger picture where God will save His people through mysterious ways that look questionable through a human lense. Because of the flood, Denise rekindled her love for Christ and all that waits for her in Heaven! 

On Sunday October 2nd, I found a very similar human being to me named Clayton. We decided to run 4.5 miles at 5:30am from the church we were sleeping at to the church where Sammy’s Purse headquarters was. From there we would shower and quickly change to pack lunches and eat breakfast with everyone. Clayton and I became friends instantly, even though he’s a leader on L Squad. Anyways, on that wonderful Sunday of Sabbath, the Lord gifted Clayton and I the chance to go to a coffee shop called Daniel Boone Coffee Shop. We were hesitant because we missed church, but remembered we were the church and could worship the Lord wherever we were. With multiple other leaders, Bill, Milly, Drew, Clayton, Gracie and a few girls from L Squad, I traveled to this chill coffee shop and entered to a blessed scent of multiple candles and strong coffee odors. Bailey, one of the L Squad girls shared the Gospel with four other young adults and I had time to reflect & journal on the previous week. I ordered a chocolate chip coffee cake muffin that was so delicious and not nutritious. I read a bit of Live No Lies by John Mark Comer and was reminded, you know what I’m just going to quote it because it’s so good…

John Mark Comer, in his brilliant book Live No Lies writes, “The Philosopher Charles Taylor in his seminal work A Secular Age, wrote about how the West changed from a culture of “authority” to a culture of “authenticity.” Meaning, we used to live by what external authority structures (God, the Bible, tradition, and so on) told us to do, but now most Western people live from what their internal “authentic self” wants to do.” 

Comer quotes Dostoyevsky who wrote, “God and the devil are fighting there and the battlefield is the heart of man.” I have to quote this because it’s SO TRUE. We know God is victorious yet give Satan room to control our desires when we don’t constantly look to our Lord for legit everything. God listens to you, hears you, and loves you. Let him love you. Give him control and surrender to his authority because he actually LOVES you. He wants what’s best for you. God seeks a loving relationship with you. Guys I can type so much and get caught up in this stuff it’s so good.

After that peaceful café time, a bunch of us climbed the Natural Bridge which was magnificent. Once at the top, we sang worship and praised the Lord who gave us the ability to climb and admire his creation. This time of worship was a huge highlight of Sammy’s Purse because I, with multiple other friends, felt the presence of the Living God. We even got complimented by people walking by and encouraged by several others. What a blessing it is to worship God and all that he has placed in our lives. 

There are more stories I have to tell and honestly might just write a book because you guys are reading over 1000+ word blogs, so bless your heart. Love and miss you! Oh, I got to run 11 miles with Clayton today! We will be super sore and have to stretch more but I’m so excited to run once again! Praise the Lord!!

Eric & I 🙂

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake from Daniel Boone’s Café (it was as good as it looks)

Natural Bridge View

Natural Bridge Trail

Fall Colors!