I looked at the phrase “Bringing Help, Hope, and Healing” displayed in red letters across our trailer. It was day 4 of our rebuild deployment in St. Louis, MO. I had woken up on the cold, carpeted basement floor at the church—a once-thriving upper-middle-class community now priced out by inflation. Throughout the week, we worked with homeowners in North Central St. Louis, rebuilding their homes after a flood had devastated the community two years prior. The project was led by Dan Freeze from the Jefferson Baptist Association, who had been leading teams since the floods began, and by this point, the project was nearing its end.
During this process, we encountered homes in various states of disarray. Most were in poorer neighborhoods – multigenerational, passed down through families. While we focused on rebuilding, the church faced another crisis. Over the years, it had dwindled in size as families moved away, the congregation aged, and funding dried up. By the time we arrived, the church could no longer afford to use its main sanctuary due to utility bills. The large building lay empty, except for the basement. This church needed mold remediation, which our team was trained to provide, but addressing the deeper crisis within the church was something no training had prepared us for. The church needed hope, just as every person we encountered did.
Our mission: “Help, Hope, and Healing.”
Throughout the summer, I learned more about the meaning behind that phrase. We might have been cutting down a tree blocking a driveway, but for some, it was the relief of finally being free. We might have been scooping eight inches of mud out of someone’s house, but to them, it was clearing a mess they thought they could never afford to clean up. We might have been removing drywall from a struggling church, but to them, we were a sign that Jesus was still with them. This is the ministry of Southern Baptists Disaster Relief: sharing the Gospel -not merely through words but through actions. My experience with Missouri Baptists Disaster Relief was characterized by one thing: the Gospel message in action.
The Missouri Collegiate Disaster Relief Team (MODR Collegiate) was founded to offer college students a new way to serve during the summer. Mainly drawing from schools in Missouri, the team has responded to many significant disasters. My story of ending up on the basement floor of a church needing mold remediation is a testament to God’s faithfulness in answering a willing heart. The California Baptist University school year was ending, and I was seeking a meaningful way to spend my summer. I considered staying in Seattle to work maintenance at my old church or finding an internship at my current church. As a Bachelor of Applied Theology student, I wanted this summer to be impactful.
I had a persistent dream of building a disaster relief ministry but lacked a clear path. This desire led me to ask the Lord to open doors for disaster relief, which He did quickly. After speaking with my professor and dean, Dr. Chris Morgan, he connected me with Kendrick Neal, the director of Disaster Relief for California. Following that, I was quickly introduced to Aaron Werner, director of the MODR Collegiate team. Before I knew it, I was on a plane to Jefferson City, Missouri.
During the 10-week summer, our team of thirteen traveled to eight different deployment sites with varying needs. Our first stop in Sikeston, MO, involved minor tornado damage primarily focused on tree limb removal. The situation was much more severe in Spencer, Iowa, where the town was still reeling from massive flooding. In Iowa, I gained a deep appreciation for the volunteers willing to tackle mold remediation and mud-outs. Our next major stop was Houston, Texas, where Tropical Storm Beryl had caused flooding and downed trees. Instead of working directly with homeowners, we helped cook meals for the Salvation Army, preparing between 4,000 and 9,000 meals daily. This cross-ministry work opened my eyes to the common connection we share in Christ. We concluded our summer work in Ruidoso, New Mexico, cleaning up floods caused by burn scars.
These diverse locations and the varied people we met helped me understand the Gospel in ways I had never known. As a theology major, I’m expected to grasp the Gospel as a biologist understands the cell. Honestly, my understanding was limited by my lack of practical experience. While I had studied the Gospels and had some evangelistic experiences, I was relatively inexperienced in seeing the Gospel in action. What I found in disaster relief was evangelism through actions rather than words. I was surprised by how, at the end of each work site, giving homeowners a Bible and offering to pray often brought them to tears, recounting how their experience had reignited their faith or inspired hope. This form of ministry showed me that God works through our actions as much as through our words. From clearing trees to preaching sermons, we witness in multiple ways. The essence of our witness relies not just on what we do but on the heart with which we do it. I am confident that anyone can operate a chainsaw. The difference lies in the motivation behind it. What makes SBC DR special is its ability to help people in their greatest times of need, offering them the hope of Jesus and providing resources for healing their homes and hearts.
