The COO of Samaritan’s Purse was in Lamar County and Lincoln County to encourage storm-weary residents as well as volunteers who are faithfully serving in Jesus’ Name.
Samaritan’s Purse COO Edward Graham and his wife, Kristy, visited Mississippi to encourage homeowners just days after two destructive tornadoes swept through the southern part of the state.
Edward Graham and his wife, Kristy, encourage and thank volunteers for serving Mississippi communities in Jesus’ Name.
“No one was killed, and from what I see with the devastation, that is a miracle,” Edward Graham said. “I’ve heard stories of survival, where the roofs were just getting ripped off, and people were huddled into their showers and bathtubs.”
Samaritan’s Purse immediately deployed to the counties of Lincoln and Lamar after devastating EF2 and EF3 twisters wrecked homes and left thousands without power late Wednesday evening May 6. Just two days later, armies of orange went into the communities to cut fallen trees, mud out houses, and tarp damaged roofs, while chaplains from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association also ministered to homeowners.
At one site, the Grahams met homeowner Justin Burdick, who pastors a local church. Because of the severe weather, Justin had canceled his Wednesday night service and stayed home with his family.
Justin Burdick recounts the night of the storm that toppled trees and damaged his home.
But when the sky changed colors and the wind gained speed, Justin and his wife gathered their three children into the car and raced south. Just minutes later, the tornado directly struck their home, ripping apart the roof and knocking over several massive oak trees in their yard.
“Despite our damage and despite our loss, the Lord was faithful and kind, and we were able to get out,” Justin said.
Just days after the storm, Samaritan’s Purse volunteers began cutting fallen trees and clearing debris from his yard.
“To look and see people out here now helping clean up, it’s such a blessing to get that kind of support,” Justin said.
The storm left behind massive fallen trees on Justin’s property, requiring chainsaw teams and heavy equipment to clear.
As Edward Graham walked the property with Justin, he reminded him that he is not alone.
“Know we have a lot of prayer warriors out there praying for you,” he said. The Grahams also met our volunteers and encouraged them to continue sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
VOLUNTEER IN MISSISSIPPI
“All that we do is not to do the good work of a charity, but it’s to share the Gospel,” Edward Graham said. “There is power in the Word. So, if you’ve never shared it, do it and watch what happens. Watch the miracles.”
Praising God Through the Storm
The Grahams visited Coaltown Baptist Church in Purvis, Mississippi, which lost most of its roof in the twister’s 130-mph winds.
Pastor Jimmy Breazeale shows the Grahams the damage at Coaltown Baptist Church after a tornado tore through during midweek services.
Church members had just finished dinner when their regular midweek service was interrupted by a tornado siren sounding in the distance. Pastor Jimmy Breazeale and his wife, Frances, quickly ushered everyone into a room behind the sanctuary.
As the raging wind roared around the building, the congregation fixed their eyes on Jesus by drowning out the noise with their favorite hymn.
“About the time that tornado hit, everybody was singing ‘Amazing Grace,’” he recalled. “And they were singing loudly.”
Although their newly renovated church building was destroyed, Pastor Jimmy credits God for sparing their lives.
Edward Graham and his wife, Kristy, saw the destruction throughout the church.
“God watched over us, and no one was hurt,” he said. “I know God is with us, I know this happened for a reason, and I know God is going to get the glory.”
As the Grahams and Pastor Jimmy walked around the remains of the church, they stopped at the sign outside the sanctuary.
“All the letters blew off in the storm, but those right there: Are you listening?” Pastor Jimmy pointed out. “God’s still in control, and He’s saying, ‘I’m showing you that I got the power and you need to be listening.’”
Pastor Jimmy and Frances were overjoyed when they heard that Samaritan’s Purse plans to help the church rebuild.
“We want to get back to worshiping,” Edward Graham said. “Now you can do that without a building, but it makes it a lot easier if you have a place for the community to gather.”
Gifting God’s Word
Because Pastor Jimmy and Frances had been focused on caring for their congregation, they had not been able to take care of the damage in their own yard. When a group of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers showed up to clear the downed trees in their yard, Frances breathed a sigh of relief.
Jason Kimak, vice president of North American Disaster Relief, joins the Grahams in praying for Pastor Breazeale. Samaritan’s Purse is going to help the church rebuild and repair their building.
“It was like a weight lifted off my shoulders,” she said.
After the team finished working, they presented the Breazeales with a Billy Graham Training Center Bible. Frances cried as she was handed the gift, because she had lost hers in the storm. It had been sitting in her car when the church steeple pierced the front windshield.
Edward Graham signs a special Billy Graham Training Center Bible to be gifted to Coaltown Baptist Church. The congregation was enjoying midweek services when a tornado ripped the roof from the building.
“It’s just so beautiful,” she said, admiring the leather-bound Bible. “And everybody who worked in my yard wrote a note, signed it, and put where they were from.”
When the Grahams visited the church, Frances was excited to show Edward the treasured Bible. He also signed the inside cover and included his favorite verse: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
Standing in the Need of Prayer
Just across the street from Coaltown Baptist Church, Landry Touchstone couldn’t hold back her tears when a Samaritan’s Purse box truck pulled into her driveway and team members offered to help.
In the wake of the tornado, her duplex had sustained extensive damage. After a tree fell directly onto her roof, part of her ceiling caved in, exposing her living room and laundry room. Fifty-foot hanging tree limbs swayed over her home, threatening to fall at any point.
Landry Touchstone’s roof was damaged by direct hit from a fallen tree. Our volunteers patched the hole to avoid further damage and make her home habitable until repairs can be done.
“Cleaning this up would have gotten pushed back for months, and I did not expect anybody to come out here,” Landry said. “But a few days later, Samaritan’s Purse just showed up, and they said, ‘We’re here to help. We’re here for you.’”
In addition to deploying volunteer teams to do tree cleanup and debris removal, we sent out a skilled technical tree team who used boom lifts and skid steers to safely remove complex hanging tree limbs, like the ones over Landry’s home. They also tarped her roof just before another storm rolled in.
Before the team began their work, they gathered with Landry to encourage her in prayer.
Homeowner Landry Touchstone thanks the team of volunteers who patched her damaged roof.
“I just broke down into tears when they asked if they could pray with me, because I felt like that’s all I needed,” Landry said. “I just needed somebody to hug me and pray with me. That alone was so relieving, standing in the middle of the mess.”
Samaritan’s Purse volunteer Laura Adkins, part of our Site Leadership Team, sees disasters as a doorway for ministry.
“We love being invited into a community to be the hands and feet of Jesus,” she said. “That’s our main purpose.”
Edward Graham added a challenge: “We need people willing to come down here and serve in Mississippi and other locations around the country, to let people know they are not forgotten. There’s a lot of work to be done.”
Please pray for our teams as they continue serving the storm-weary residents of southern Mississippi. Pray for men and women to come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. To serve with our teams, visit spvolunteer.org.
