Weaverville, North Carolina

Our first boots-on-the-ground mission started with a livestock-trailer load to help a friend and her young children who were without supplies. There was devastation all around. No power or drinkable water, food going bad, and limited cell phone service to connect with others. She called out an SOS and our team prepared to act. Then we thought, why only take one car load when we can fill up our truck and livestock trailer for that community? So we purchased supplies on our own credit cards, knowing this was what we needed to do. How could we not? We hooked up our humble livestock trailer and stopped at any open stores on the way west. The trailer was then filled to the ceiling with water, toilet paper, shelf-stable food, gasoline, and by the generosity of a donor: eight generators. Our team delivered over 10,000 pounds of survival supplies within 60 hours of the flood hitting!

What we saw is really hard to describe and pictures do not do it justice to the utter destruction and life shattering events in Weaverville. Much like the rest of the small mountain communities of Western North Carolina, the destruction was apocalyptic. The things nightmares are made of — but for too many it is reality, and a historical tragedy they will live with forever. Whole roads washed away by flooding, mudslides burying homes, and most important of all: lives lost. We were the first relief that came to Weaverville. Nobody had gotten there yet to aid this community. Although we were moved to literal tears at what had happened, something greater had prevailed: LOVE. It was almost hard to get people to take supplies because they thought surely someone needed it more than them (even though they had gone two days without water). Our Appalachian neighbors are resilient and deeply humble. We said if you won’t take it for you, can you deliver it to someone you know needs it? This moving narrative from a team member says it all:

“The stories I have are many…I’ve held so many individuals who reach for a hug, sobbing and collapse into my arms. They exhaled as they saw the supplies. I flagged down an older gentleman along our roadside pop-up drop. He and his wife looked over as I asked “What do you need?. He answered frantically, “Do you have water?” So we loaded up cases of water for them and their neighbors. His eyes welled up and he said “You saved us, we’ve been driving and driving and can’t find water” to which I said, “It’s my joy, do you need gas?” His eyes got huge and he was confused…everyone is frantically running on E and nobody is giving out gas… He said, “You have gas?!” I smiled and we loaded three huge full gas cans into his truck. I walked up to his car window to say goodbye and he couldn’t say a word as tears ran down his face. As he pulled away he whispered, “You’re an angel.”

This interaction is one of dozens from our first trip. We stepped out in faith and purchased the supplies and went where we felt sent to serve. BUT how would those funds be paid off? Well, we didn’t know the blessings we were about to receive from our obedience is action. Over $46,000 was raised in donations in just the first few days. The team was able to rest, resupply and go back to Weaverville the very next day with even more because of all the generous donations we received.