Long after the rain caused by Hurricane Charley stopped, Texas Baptist Men quietly continued meeting needs in the wake of the storm that blasted the Western Florida coast in mid-August. And they prepared for the arrival of Hurricane Frances.
The statewide Texas Baptist Men feeding unit and chainsaw crews served as part of a massive Baptist relief effort in Florida before their units relocated to Georgia to wait out Frances.
More than 100 Southern Baptist disaster relief teams responded to the wreckage left by Charley. Volunteers prepared more than 800,000 meals, provided nearly 15,000 showers, cleaned more than 3,000 homes and washed nearly 2,000 loads of laundry throughout the state.
The state-wide Texas Baptist Men food service unit, one of several Texas feeding teams that have served for some duration, prepared more than 31,000 meals. A Texas Baptist Men communications unit helped coordinate all the Southern Baptist disaster relief units.
Larry Burks, a member of First Baptist Church in Plano who coordinated the statewide unit, said conditions were improving in the state, but a lot of work remained.
Workers had reconnected much of the power near Bartow and were moving south to harder-hit areas.
Trees remained down. Some areas still did not have electricity. Homes were missing roofs. Other houses had trees lying in the middle of them.
"The need is there, and more and more people are needing help," he said.
Frank Brooks, associate pastor of education and activities at First Baptist Church in Bartow, Fla., said the Texans' work inspired and elevated the congregation.
After seeing the Texas Baptist volunteers, members began trying to help other people in need, he said.
Having the unit at the church also reminded the town their congregation was there to reach out in service, Brooks said.
The ministry helped church members make contacts that can become opportunities to share the gospel.
Residents witness kindness in the actions of disaster relief volunteers, Burks said. He hopes they also saw Jesus.
"I think what they see is Southern Baptists cutting trees, cleaning and feeding them," Burks said.
"There's only one thing they could think--that we are doing a good deed in the name of Jesus."
Brooks said residents were upbeat as neighbors came together to help.
Some residents were gathering and cleaning one house at a time as a team.
But they were aware danger lurked on the horizon in the form of Hurricane Frances.