About the only nice thing that results from a hurricane is the kindness that is extended to people in need by those who can help. Our household was the grateful beneficiary of an extremely kind act after Hurricane Florence. Thankfully, we didn’t have the damage that we had with Hurricane Matthew two years ago, but water did get into our basement. After the storm, some members and supporters of Fayetteville Academy’s soccer team came over and helped us vacuum out the water and clean up. They were Connor Sisk, Will Pryzgoda and his father Craig, and Coach Andrew McCarthy and his daughter Kelsey. Craig Pryzgoda, an engineer, saw me trying to put the wheels on my new generator and he jumped right in to help. He had the wheels on in 15 minutes. It would have taken me an hour. I tried to pay them for their help but they refused. These are the same kids who cook hamburgers and hot dogs for the homeless in downtown Fayetteville every Friday. What a blessing they were.
I have heard tell of other acts of kindness after the storm. An elderly couple at my church had a lot of debris and downed limbs in their yard. Two young men who gave only their first names showed up and cleaned their yard completely. The men wouldn’t accept any payment. The couple think the men were young soldiers from Fort Bragg.
I heard about linemen from Mississippi who stopped in Roseboro when they saw a cardboard sign tacked to a telephone pole, pointing out a side street that lacked power. It was four days after the storm and the street, which has elderly residents, wasn’t due to have its power restored for several more days. The Mississippi linemen spent several hours working and restored the power. The man who posted the sign (and who had power at his own house) said the linemen had “huge hearts.”
Meanwhile, our church is a member of the PCA – the Presbyterian Church of America. The PCA is sending a team of unpaid volunteers to Fayetteville to help church members and their friends and family with the cleanup. Christians have a heart for this type work because they do it in Christ’s name (read our faith column in this issue about that very same subject). One of the Christian organizations that shows up everywhere is Samaritan’s Purse, run by Billy Graham’s son Franklin. There is an exciting story that revolves around my oldest grandson’s former tennis coach. When Marshall III was first learning the game in Wilmington, his coach was Kyle Glasgow. Kyle and his fiancée Krystal volunteered with Samaritan’s Purse in Wilmington. After one of the projects they were involved with, they decided to get married. One of the pastors in the group officiated. You can see it here: https://www.facebook.com/SamaritansPurse/videos/476353202867650/
Acts of kindness are not restricted to Christian organizations. There are many groups of people, such as volunteer firemen and civic clubs, that have stepped up to help out in eastern North Carolina communities that saw lots of damage. Without them, the disaster would have been much worse. Praise God for them.
Our household is prepared for the next storm, which we pray is not anytime soon. I hope I will be with the Lord before this happens again. I am worn out from the ordeal and getting too old to do all this stuff. But the kind actions of the Fayetteville Academy soccer group helped us get through. Thank you.
