FIRST PERSON: Being taken by surprise on the Gulf Coast

I never thought that I’d have the chance to use chainsaws or rip down walls as a way of showing God’s love to people. However, shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, God called me to go down to the area hit by the hurricane to do just that.

The first trip was over the Virginia Tech fall break, Oct. 7-10. Eight of us from the Virginia Tech Baptist Student Union drove down with our four chainsaws to Picayune, Miss. Even that long after the hurricane there was still plenty of work to be done. We basically got to spend two full days doing nothing more than using our chainsaws to cut up trees that had fallen down in yards. Those two days were long and tiring, but it was all definitely worth it.

The second trip down to the Gulf Coast was over our Christmas break, Jan. 5-14. This time there were 18 of us: 13 from Virginia Tech and five from the University of Virginia at Wise. We drove to Gautier, Miss. with everything from hammers and tool belts to drywall tools—such as a keyhole saw—that nobody had ever heard of before. The first day we spent in Gautier, we had the opportunity to work on Gulf Coast Community College’s BSU building. As a result of the hurricane the roof needed to be partially re-shingled and with the help of two nail guns we were able to do it all in one day. The rest of the week our team was split into three separate groups. The roofing crew replaced plywood and shingles at a private home. The drywall crew replaced insulation and drywall at several private homes. Finally, there was the demolition crew which got to turn six rooms into one by tearing down all the dividing walls in the upstairs of First Baptist Church of Gautier.

1 Corinthians 3:9 tells us that “we are God’s fellow workers” here on earth. God used these trips to the Gulf Coast to show us how real that verse really is. He was literally there with us, side-by-side, through the entire process. He provided everything we needed for the trips, including money, vehicles, supplies and places to stay in Mississippi. He was there with us in October protecting us from the chainsaws we used. He was there in January, with what must have been a legion of angels, protecting us from everything, including traffic, falling lights, hammers, utility knives and more. God definitely taught us that when he calls you to go somewhere he really will take care of your every need, possibly more so than you could have imagined.

When I left for the trip in January, I thought it would be my last trip to the Gulf Coast for Hurricane Katrina relief. Towards the end of my week doing demolition work in January, God yet again showed me that he had other plans. I am now in the process of planning a spring break trip back to Gautier to do the same demolition work on the other side of the church. We will be in Gautier March 4-8 working side-by- side with God, and I can’t wait to see the cool ways that he is going to use us this time.