Trust God

BY TINA V. BRYSON

The car drives slowly through the Arkansas neighborhood where Keely Easter’s mother-in-law lives. The damage to her home has been repaired, but the road to recovery is long for so many others. Blue tarps still cover roofs of homes, a gas station, and the local Kroger. The trauma is still fresh for many residents of Little Rock since the EF3 tornado hit in April — but the community impacted by it has come together.

“When the tornado hit my mother-in-law’s house, she said, ‘I can hear it. It’s here.’ Her house suffered minor damage, but then across the street, some of the areas were flattened. Our uncle’s house, three blocks up, was completely gone,” said Easter, who coordinates deliveries with Ben Ridner, manager of Christian Appalachian Project’s (CAP) Operation Sharing program in Corbin.

“As people are starting to rebuild, we are assessing the needs and reaching out to families that still need help,” Easter explained. The church continues to trust God to help them meet the greatest needs.

“We had to build this distribution center to facilitate the partnership with Operation Sharing. When we received our first load, I was overwhelmed and thankful,” said Dannie Daniel, a member of New St. Hurricane Missionary Baptist Church and part of the team that coordinates distributions.

“We have doors and furniture that we have received from Operation Sharing. We try to target people that we know have lost their homes,” said Daniel, who also leads the prayer line during distribution. “After the tornadoes, people had lost everything. People wanted prayer to have their homes rebuilt. We care about them, and we want to make sure they feel valued.”

Items provided through Operation Sharing will continue to help families recovering from devastating tornadoes, as well as provide essential goods and household items for families struggling to overcome the challenges of poverty.

“We are grateful that donors give back, because the need is great,” Easter said. “All I can say is, ‘Thank you, thank you, thank you.’”