connections: Miracle in Lime Green Shirts

Bishop Ward and members of conference disaster ministry teams move to help people affected by tornados and Hurricane Isaias in Bertie County.

Bishop Ward:
Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ.

Hurricane Isaias blew through Bertie County causing great destruction and heartache. United Methodist people are extending our energy to offer comfort, cleanup, and help.

Gill Wise:
These are mostly teams that have come in from all over the Beacon District. We do have one team here that’s come in from the Heritage District. Their team went with us. The number of folks have just saturated this area with green shirts and it has really made a huge impact. Today, we’re just coming in and tarping homes. We’re expecting rain this afternoon so that’ll help protect some belongings. We’re also just cleaning debris. We’ve had one team that has gone door-to-door with coloring books and crayons to speak specifically to children and to encourage them and love on them and to listen to their stories and to share the love of Christ with so many. It’s just been a very wholesome day in the many ways we’ve reached out not only physically, but spiritually to meet the needs of each individual. 

Tim Fitch:  
The day after the hurricane, we came to Bertie County. We had heard about the tornados that had touched down and we arrived here on Morning Road and just started seeing devastation and meeting individuals and talking to individuals. We came here to this house and I met the lady that lives here with her five kids. I came up to her, asked if we could pray, and after we began to pray, she started to tell me the story of what happened during the tornado. The tornado up the street took out a trailer park and it jumped over right behind her house so it touched right back down right here and it blew off both sidewalls of the house. She lives in one side of the house or stays in one side of the house, that’s where her bedroom was and on the other side of the house. was her children’s bedroom. She and her husband got sucked out into the middle of the road. She said the next thing she knew she was just laying on her back looking up at the stars. Then she just kind of clicked, “Where are my kids?” Her kids were on the other side of the house and they were sucked out of the house. She said that her three-year-old was holding onto the doorknob as the wind was blowing and she told that story as she held her three-year-old in her arms. That was extremely, extremely powerful.

Marvin Kelly:
When you all rolled up, it was like a miracle in lime green shirts of sorts, and just very very thankful. I don’t know how this would have happened without that level of assistance and just everybody saying, “What do you need us to do? What do you need us to do?” and it’s pretty much done. I’m still in awe.

Bishop Ward:  
Thank you for your prayers and partnership as we work to bring comfort wherever there is hurt and harm in our world. May Christ be with you today and always.