Ashe, the Burnsville site coordinator, had been volunteering for Baptists on Mission for some 15 years. He is a pastor at Coweeta Baptist Church, about 110 miles south of Burnsville near the Georgia state line, and taught vocational trades at a community college for 10 years before moving on to ministry full time.
But when he came up to survey the damage from Helene on Oct. 3, 2024, he decided to join the staff. He now trades off weeks in Burnsville and back home tending to his church.
“Just seeing the people, how humble people were — every one of them would say, ‘Go check on my neighbor, he’s worse off than I am’ — and then to see their faces turned from hopelessness to hope after we offered them assistance, that’s just worth it all,” he said.
Last month, Ashe visited several sites where volunteers were working. At one of the homes, volunteers were laying new vinyl flooring to replace hardwood floors damaged when the hurricane caused a mudslide, shattering windows and causing an electrical surge that killed all their appliances.
Christy Fox, who owns the home with her husband, Jeff, recalled how Baptists on Mission came over one bitterly cold day this past winter. Her husband showed them the house while she stayed in the car.
“My husband came out and he was like, ‘Well, they can’t help with the roof, but they can help with … ’ — and he started naming off all these things that we were trying to do ourselves. And I said, ‘Really?’” Christy Fox said. “’When are they gonna start?’ Because so many places have long waiting lists. And he said, ‘Monday.’ And I said, ‘Are you serious?’”
Jeff Howell, who retired last month as Yancey County emergency management coordinator, said he had a good relationship with Baptists on Mission and was impressed with their operation.
“There were a lot of shady people that came in and some really weird stuff that started happening” after the hurricane, Howell said. “It was not good, but it was very comforting to know that we always had Samaritan’s Purse and Baptists on Mission right there.”
And he added, for homeowners, there’s an extra level of comfort: “Having local people that talk like we do, it just kind of puts people at ease,” Howell said.
For the Fox family, as for the Thomasons, the assistance has been a blessing.
“Just seeing progress in your home, that helps a lot,” Christy Fox said. “They’ve made it a whole lot easier.”
This article originally appeared here.
