In an effort “To know and love God by practicing the Gospel – Welcoming, Serving and Caring for all people”, our church members sometimes “get their hands dirty for Jesus” through church-sponsored activities as well as volunteering their time, talents and effort with other community organizations.
Thank you, Jaime H., for sharing your experiences with the tornado clean-up effort in Wakefield, Nebraska, which was sponsored by community organization Team Rubicon (not affiliated with the church).
Five Questions with Jaime H., active Raymore Christian Church member
Q: How did the opportunity to volunteer for tornado clean-up come about?
A: I heard about
Team Rubicon a year ago and took the classes I needed, but was apprehensive about signing up to deploy. Then on June 16, 2014, Pilger, Nebraska, was hit by twin tornadoes that merged into one huge tornado that touched ground for 32 miles. Three-quarters of the town was destroyed. Five more tornadoes hit the same area over the next two days.
When I saw that I could sign up to help, I did not hesitate
(“Heck yes, let’s go!”) . . . until I got the call telling me I was chosen
(“Oh no, what have I done?!”). I was excited, nervous, happy, worried all at the same time. When I arrived, I instantly felt at home when they knew exactly who I was. The nerves disappeared.
Q: What touched your heart during this project?
A: The farmers we were helping were so nice; no one thought they had it that bad. That struck me to the heart – each person we called on would say “I don’t need as much help as my neighbor, please go help him first.” That was what we heard, call after call, that they thought someone else needed the help so much more than they themselves needed it.
When I did go out with the strike team, the guys were great. They were so patient with me. They showed me how to use a chainsaw, how to fell trees, and never once did they feel I was going too slow; they were always encouraging me. The farmers were so grateful for everything we were doing. As hesitant as they were to accept our help at first, by the time we left, they were so glad we came out to help.
Q: What was the first thing that needed to be done when you arrived?
A: Pilger had plenty of volunteers so our team moved up the road to Wakefield, NE, and the Wayne and Dixon County area. The important part for us that first day was to prioritize what needed to be done right now and what could wait till later that week. Cleaning corn fields took priority. If they did not get debris out of their fields, it could tear up equipment big-time come harvest. That week the corn fields were calf-high, but in a few days they would be waist-high. Gotta get those cleaned up NOW. Bean fields took second precedent because they will remain low enough to walk for a few more weeks yet. Then houses, tree lines and such. I coordinated over 300 volunteers my first two days to clean fields. In the six days I was there we cleaned nearly 15,000 acres of farm fields.
Q: What was your absolute favorite moment? What was the hardest?
A: Two farmers lost their homes due to direct hits from the tornado, yet it took a bit of convincing before they would accept that we had plenty of volunteers to go around and all they had to do was tell us what they needed. My favorite farmer was Jon. He was so sweet. He was so excited when I called him Sunday; he was patching his roof and getting electricity today! Then two hours later, Jon called me – he had broken his arm while trying to get something out of his trailer, yet he was still attempting to use a Bobcat (with just one good arm!) to move a tree out of the way for the electric company. I told him if he had just called me, I would have sent someone out to help, he didn’t have to do it by himself, that’s why we are here! When I gave him the name and phone number of the local roofer who was headed out to help patch his roof, Jon said, “Oh, I know him, I went to his aunt’s funeral a couple of weeks back.” It made me realize how important neighbors and friends are, and that no matter how bad things are for you, someone else has it worse.
The saddest part for me was Friday, when it was time to say good-bye. I was ready to go home and get a good night’s rest, but I was not ready to leave my new friends, to leave Nebraska when so much more work needed to be done (even though we had finished 90% of the work orders). We cleaned farm fields, cleared trees so they could get to their fields, cleared trees so they could fix their fences and bring their cattle back home, and helped demolish what was left of their damaged homes.
Q: What did you come away with that will stick with you forever?
A: Looking back, it was neat to see how everyone quickly became a family. It did not matter if you were civilian, Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. That week, we were family. It was tough to go home. It felt like I was leaving my family, from the
Team Rubicon folks to the farmers we helped. I can't wait till the next time I get the opportunity to go work with my “family.”
This deployment was what I needed. It has filled a gap, opened a passion, the spark that was needed to light the fire within. I hope there are many more opportunities to keep this light burning.
What will stick with me forever . . . the feeling of helping someone in need. The hugs I got from the homeowners. The feeling of not knowing anyone when I walked into the room to having best friends when I left a week later. The hope I saw in the landowners’ eyes as we walked away having completed more in a few hours then they would have completed in a week. The fact that we saved a farmer from having to sell cattle or acres to pay for someone to come in and help them do what we did for them for a handshake and a word of thanks and sometimes a hug. The moment when you are talking to a homeowner and you see the weight lift from their shoulders as they realize how much you have helped them. I hope and pray that disaster does not hit anyone, but in the same prayer, I hope and pray that when it does, I get to go help pick up the pieces.
