God’s Perfect Timing

By Tina V. Bryson

It was more than 100 degrees, but nothing could dampen the spirits of community members from Dawson Springs waiting for the arrival of essentials from Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Operation Sharing. The tractor trailer emblazoned on the side with the words “We Deliver Hope” felt like hope personified in a town where seven months prior nearly 75% of homes were destroyed by an EF-4 tornado.

“The tornado was horrible. It came through and destroyed one side of the town. When I arrived at the church that morning, the whole roof was peeled back and I just stood there and wept,” said Jeff Winfrey, pastor of the Dawson Springs Primitive Baptist Church. “The Holy Spirit said it’s a building, go check on your people.”

He did just that and said he found some miracles of people who survived, and stories that broke his heart, like the sisters whom he’d known all his life. Their home was just flattened. They were found together about 80 yards away. Their sons were devastated that their mothers had not survived the storm.

Early after the tornado, the church used the donated funds to buy building materials for a warehouse to keep the truckloads of donated food that had been sent to Dawson Springs. The Amish provided the labor to rebuild some homes and the much-needed warehouse. Then, the church financed the building of a food bank in the downtown area, so that people in need would have easier accessibility to the food.

“When Operation Sharing called with a donation of bathtubs, kitchen sinks, and vanities, we had just moved the food,” Winfrey said. “Now we had this warehouse to house those essential household items that could help families when they are ready to rebuild. The timing was perfect. God is awesome and CAP is a blessing.”

The community developed a Long-Term Recovery Committee to determine how to help families when they get to the point of rebuilding. Local leaders and volunteers help coordinate donated items and funds, and work with groups outside the area on logistics to get building supplies, furniture, and other household essentials to help families get back on their feet.

In many cases, when there is a natural disaster, Operation Sharing is the first CAP program to respond bringing in water, cleaning supplies, and other necessities. Wesley Howard, a CAP tractor trailer driver, has been on the frontlines making sure that these items make it to people in need immediately following a disaster and months later when families may be still struggling to put their lives back together.

“Items brought in by Operation Sharing helped many families and individuals,” Winfrey said. “We coordinated with the Long-Term Recovery Committee to organize distributions to the community.”

Construction has begun on several homes, and a few others have been completed, but Dawson Springs is still a long way from a complete recovery.

“The building for our new food bank downtown was built with donated funds, but it is now operational,” Winfrey added. “We thank the Lord for that. Our town needs many more rebuilds, but things are moving ahead slowly.”