10/25/2024
Late last night we arrived home from helping with relief efforts in North Carolina, and I have some thoughts to share, and a request.
First, I better never hear anybody saying stuff about how they should have been more prepared. Nothing even remotely close to this has EVER happened in the Appalachian Mountains in recorded history (that is, since the flood in Gen.7).
20+ to 30+ inches of rain falling on 3000 foot tall mountains in one day brought into play forces that can scarcely be comprehended by the human mind. Massive amounts of water flowing down the steep slopes caused mud slides, that snowballed into avalanches of liquid earth, filled with huge trees, rocks and other debris, cascading down the mountains at 40+ MPH. Many of these were hundreds of feet wide, and anything man made in their path was annihilated. Roads, houses, barns and bridges were flattened instantly. The only thing that would eventually stop them is when the mud slide reached a creek or river, dumping it's contents into it. The creeks and rivers, which were already swollen to levels approximately 15 TIMES higher then EVER in recorded history, then carried the debris down stream, destroying almost any man made infrastructure in their paths.
And when you see it first hand, and witness the fact that this level of devastation has happened to literally HUNDREDS OF SQUARE MILES, it becomes clear that words and pictures will never convey the true scope of the devastation.
Next, this should be a very humbling reminder to us all to be thankful. Thankful for our families and friends. Thankful for a place to live, food to eat, and water to drink. Thankful for everything that God has kept the devil from taking from us (Job 1 and 2).
And next I wanna talk about people.
Anyone who thinks that people don't care anymore, has never experienced something like this.
Whether they were helping complete strangers, or their friends and neighbors, I saw people answering the call..... thousands and thousands of people. In even the most remote places that we pushed to looking for stranded folks, we were walking in the muddy footprints of their neighbors who had already been there to check on everybody....regardless of race or culture.
This is the heart and spirit of my America, and it's still beating strong.
And last there's faith. If everything was stripped away from you, and all you have left is your faith, would you still be thankful? These past days, I have witnessed countless people who have suffered terrible loss, who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, and are still thankful, and praising His name.
That is because we don't just believe in a religion or ideology, we believe in our Savior, and His Promise that no matter what we've lost, it's nothing compared to the joy that's to come (Matthew 5, Rev. 21).
My request is that you join me in prayer for our brothers and sisters in the Appalachians.
(Credit:Adam Dufour)
