In October, we felt called to go to Western North Carolina to help someone in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Two options fell through so we reached out to our cousin who is director of Empowering Hands. The day before we touched base with him, the ministry received a request for help from Bonnie in Bakersville, whose husband died while removing a tree from their roof. God was definitely involved in that process.
Because of broken promises from people who said they would help and never showed up, she was very skeptical we would be there. We got to know her and she was open with sharing her emotions since her husband’s death in October. We prayed with her and listened to her story. We were so blessed God chose her for us to serve.
When we got there, we weren’t expecting to see the road leading to her driveway washed away. Until the gully is cleaned of debris, including a huge tree stump, culverts cannot be installed. That work has to be done before the road can be rebuilt.
The only access to her driveway is through a neighbor’s front yard and up a slope – both all mud and virtually impassable. That made it impossible to get stone to the section of driveway that was asphalt in the spring and is now mud. Because of no road, we had to walk three-quarters of a mile up the mountain to her home.
Since we couldn’t do what we hoped to do, God provided other ways we could preserve what was left of the middle portion of her driveway. We cleaned out a culvert clogged by debris and added mortar to existing rock to prevent future undermining of the roadway. Two other drainage areas – guardrails installed in the driveway - were cleaned out and a trench dug to divert water off the driveway into the gully. We also installed a guardrail in another section to divert water from a spring into a stream and through the culvert we cleaned out the first day – instead of creating more mud. A two-foot deep rut along the side of the driveway was filled in with chunks of asphalt to prevent future washouts. The asphalt had been the driveway.
Bonnie is one of thousands of people impacted by Hurricane Helene. Some people in Western North Carolina are living in tents or in their cars because they no longer have a home. Although many roads have been rebuilt, many remain closed. Piles of debris – trees and personal belongings – line the side of roads, yards and parking lots. Some of those piles are more than 10 feet high. Tree debris is slowly being removed, but collection of household debris was not starting until January – and the hurricane was the end of September.
We stayed in Spruce Pine where the Toe River overflowed its banks, forcing water 8 feet deep into businesses and homes. Parks and ballfields are covered in mud and the town’s grocery store and gas station are closed.
Thank you so much for your generous donation to help with relief efforts in Western North Carolina. That money was given to First Baptist Church of Spruce Pine, which has provided more than 43,000 meals to those in need since the storm and a “store” where folks can get blankets, shoes, clothing, food, cleaning supplies, baby food, diapers and more at no cost. Pastor Rocky was humbled by the gift. Money also was given to Baptists on Mission, which has been in Spruce Pine to help people whose lives have been forever changed because of the storm. Aside from helping with recovery, they have a trailer with showers and another for doing laundry stationed at the church for people who need them. They were very grateful for the gift. We also gave a portion to Bonnie, who cried when we gave it to her.
It will take years for Western North Carolina to recover. Aside from hands-on help, the people there need our continued prayers.
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Bob and Carol Frazier

















