Volunteers in Mission 2004

Arcadia, Florida in November 2004
Is it still Disaster Relief - four months after the hurricanes?

By Peter Saderholm

As we entered Desoto County and the City of Arcadia at its center, one had to be amazed at the extent of the damage that was still evident from the hurricanes of the summer of 2004. Blue tarps are visible on roofs everywhere because about 60 percent of the buildings had received roof damage. Piles of debris lined the streets and highways in every direction. The town functioned but at a reduced scale because many residents still could not return home for the lack of acceptable housing. In the middle of all this was the Trinity United Methodist Church which had sustained only minor damage and was now the focal point for an extensive effort to help this community recover from this destruction. We were the second of three teams of workers from the Baltimore - Washington Conference to be assigned to help with this effort. Fortunately, we were able to bring the Conference Early Response Trailer with us and this is our story.

Eight people from St. Matthew’s United Methodist in Bowie spent a week—November 5 to 11—in Arcadia helping as we could. The team consisted of: Pete Saderholm, Gordon Harvey, Linda Owens, Kendrick Weaver, Debra Marshall, Bob Paulen, Ralph Atticks, and Jan Thomas. We came prepared to start working on reconstruction projects but because of our equipment in the trailer, we worked mostly on debris clearing. Chain saws, shovels, heavy rakes, wheel barrows, tree pruners, hand saws, and a blower were all put to good use. We were doubly blessed on our first full day by the arrival of a man from Minnesota with a Bobcat who wanted to help. So for six days we cut and piled while he hauled trees and all forms of debris to the curb for eventual disposal at the County dump. When four chains saws are cutting and other hands are stacking, a big pile of debris can be created and moved quickly. In those six days we cleared out about 16 home sites. 

We were able to work hard because of the care and feeding provided at the church. Breakfast and a hot lunch were provided for us. We slept on air mattresses in Sunday School rooms. The church had showers for us use at the end of the day. The church kitchen was available to use to cook dinner or we could venture to a local restaurant. Other Church crews were also working and so the Church Fellowship Hall provided a nice location for all of us to make new friends.

The real story, however, is the people we helped and the impact on our team. I have never been on a VIM Team where I did not come home feeling I received more than I gave. Arcadia was no exception. When talking to members of the team, each has indicated that it took them several days to sort out the impact of this trip on them personally. When you deal with several families or individuals a day and help them recover a little of their life back from a devastating storm, then pray with them for God’s Blessing and a return to a normal life, it has an impact on you personally. Some people in this area have been able to clean up their debris and repair their homes and so are back to life’s routines. For most people, and all those we helped, this was not a possibility because of their age, their health, or the extent of the destruction. But a team of eight people with equipment can handle many tasks beyond the capability of individual home owners.  Now we did not return these properties to their original state, but in each case the home owner knew that somebody cared enough to help and major visible improvement was achieved. This would put them in a better state of mind to tackle the remaining tasks or adjust to a slightly different life arrangement. Somebody cared and came a long distance to help. That is what matters and this can give them new hope and vitality.

God sent us and we did His work. Now He works in them. When the opportunity occurs, go on a trip and experience the impact it will have on you.