12/28/2024
Re4Him 2024 End of Year Report
(Re4Him, stands for the 4 “RE’s” - RE-new, RE-store, RE-focus, RE-purpose)
As I write to report what we have seen the Lord do over the past year and cast vision for the future, I want to give a quick overview for those who may not be familiar with our founding and speak of the changes that our ministry has experienced this year. I never intended to start a ministry but the Lord had other plans. While doing street outreach with a friend, praying with a woman, a man experiencing homelessness she knew walked up and told her he had just gotten a job. I asked if we could pray a blessing over him. After we prayed, he asked us to come pray with his friends that were camped in the bus stop enclosure across the street. It was a Monday night and they told us they were hungry. After getting them a meal my friend suggested we have a “picnic” together the following week. For 12 years, we continued to have a “picnic” — our 4 original friends turned into 120-200+ friends that came weekly to the park in front of the courthouse in Greensboro, NC. Some came just to get a meal, others came for prayer, some just needed a hug and to know someone cared about them. Through the years we helped many get into addiction treatment, directed people to services needed, led street outreach teams, prayed with and loved the friends we made along the way. It has been an incredible journey! We have seen people saved, healed, baptized, filled with Holy Spirit and set free.
From the beginning, the call of our ministry has been to bring the love and transformative power of Jesus to lives to REnew, REstore, REfocus and REpurpose through Him. This year we have felt a shifting, yet the call remains the same. We are committed to bring the hope that is found only in Him. One way we feel led to do this is by bringing solid, biblical teaching on our freedom in Christ along with practical ways to walk it out. The release of our book, Free INDEED, this year has been a huge part of this shift in outreach focus. We have been in awe of what the Lord is doing in the lives of those who have read and worked through the book. It has been a great honor to pray with people and see lives transformed as Jesus heals and delivers. We feel this coming year will continue to bring an increase to our prayer ministry as well as more travel for teaching and conference opportunities.
After providing a meal every week for the past 12 years, we felt that the time had come for us to hand over that part of our outreach ministry to others who share our love for those we serve. It was an incredibly hard transition but we followed His leading. We served our last Monday night meal on September 30th, just a few days after Hurricane Helene devastated the Western North Carolina (WNC) mountains. Two days later, I was in the mountains for the first of 8 trips so far and 17 days of ministry on the ground (and MANY more days spent coordinating from home). As shocking as the pictures and videos are, seeing it first hand can be truly overwhelming, the needs are so great.
Our first trip was with Baptists On Mission to the small town of Lansing, NC. The flood waters had immersed the downtown completely. Standing on my toes and reaching as far as I could, I could not reach the high water mark sign on the local fire department wall. We spent the day helping set up a distribution center for supplies. We were so encouraged by the steady stream of people bringing in load after load of supplies from all over the country. By the end of the day the makeshift store had been completely stuffed and a second location had to store the overflow. Volunteers worked with the fire department. to search for those missing, clear debris, muck out mud from buildings, prepare meals, and organize the many supplies. The scale of the destruction was truly epic and the stories we heard throughout the day were hard to comprehend. One of the firefighters told us about going out to check on people and seeing houses that had been completely lifted up and set down intact a football field away from their foundations. One local woman told us about a friend who lost his home and was so distraught, he got in his car and shot himself. We left that day with lungs full of dust from the dried mud that covered everything, and hearts on fire to return to do whatever we could to ease the burden and show His love.
I spent the next weekend in Asheville working with Storm First Responders, a friend’s search and rescue team that utilizes dog teams. The team leader got injured and had to go home for treatment, so I helped coordinate the teams in his absence. While the teams were in the field I helped the local church where we were staying set up their supply distribution center. People from all over the country came to help and many began to contact us to find a place to serve. We worked to help people get connected to organizations to best use their skills. Amazing friendships were formed and God connected my heart with Asheville 1st Nazarene Church. Much of the funding we have received has gone into bringing supplies for their distribution center. We see Jesus working through them! As I have worked alongside their volunteers, I have prayed with people who have gone through incredible trauma. Some have lost homes, many have lost jobs, and hardest of all, others have lost friends and family members.
In November, we spent a weekend working with a church in Marion NC and a ministry that brings awareness to the dangers of human trafficking. The risk of trafficking rises significantly during natural disasters. Along with the supplies we delivered to various areas, we brought along materials that outlined risks of human trafficking and safety protocols. We provided sleeping bags, camp stoves/fuel, and other supplies and worked with volunteers for distribution. We visited a campground that was flooded and the highway bridge in front of it was completely washed away by piles of debris caught in the current. I delivered supplies to the town of Marshall. The downtown area was gutted by the river. I met 3 elderly family members whose house was washed away by the River and whose flood insurance will not cover enough to rebuild. They are ineligible for help from FEMA. Trauma and fear of the future is weighing incredibly heavy on hearts and so many are afraid that the world is moving forward and they will be forgotten. I ask all who are reading this to remember to pray. This recovery will take years, and the people of our mountains need to know they are not forgotten — not by God, and not by us.
We returned to Asheville in December for a 5 day trip to bring supplies, to work in the distribution center, and to prepare and provide meals for volunteers and those coming for distribution. While there, an elderly woman came into the distribution center in desperate need of help to clear her basement so FEMA could assess the storm damage. This couple are both veterans and in ill health. We were able to bring a small team to clear a path in the basement while others worked to remove a downed tree. We prayed with them and we hope to return with a larger team to help repair other damage to the property.
We were blessed to take part in a Christmas toy giveaway and outreach in Asheville. On this trip we also brought supplies to a small nonprofit providing for the hard hit area of Old Fort, an area where many are living in tents and campers. We are hoping to work more with this group in the future as they bring in temporary housing.
The majority of the funding we have received for WNC has gone to supplies for distribution centers. We have also provided a set of SAT phones and supplies for Storm First Responders for communications within the search and rescue dog teams as cell towers were not functional. We provided meals for volunteers and those coming to receive help, we sponsored Christmas for a family in Asheville as well as a family in Old Fort, and we helped to find sponsors for additional families in need. We also gave funds to be used for grants for those who have lost jobs and are unable to pay utilities, etc.
This year has renewed my awe of God yet again! We have seen the wonder of His goodness smack dab in the middle of things that are far from good. When trauma of the past keeps one in cycles of pain or when the trauma of a natural disaster hits — healing and hope are in HIM alone! Years ago He radically saved me out of atheism and healed me spirit, soul, and body. I know without a doubt, I would have ended myself long ago without Jesus. My heart is absolutely compelled to share the love and hope that only He can bring.
I am so incredibly thankful to all those who have prayed for us and for those who have given so we can go and minister His love, hope and healing. I am asking for your prayers as we believe Him to expand our faith and step out in even greater ways in 2025.
Directions we feel the Lord leading us in 2025:
1. Free INDEED: conferences/teaching/personal prayer times and training others in deliverance and healing prayer
2. Continued work in the mountain regions, possibly to bring teams for street outreach opportunities.
3. I feel led to get my chaplaincy license and complete additional trauma training for disaster response.
Needs for 2025:
1. Funds to continue providing supplies to WNC as needed
2. Operating and travel expenses for local and nonlocal outreach. We do not want to charge for conferences or classes so all who need healing and freedom can come and receive.
3. We are believing big that God will provide a small motor-home that can house our team of 4 to travel in a cost effective manner to teach/preach/conduct conferences as well as respond to disaster relief situations where having a self-contained mode of travel and place to stay allows us to respond quickly with less complications.
We ask that you would pray and believe with us going forward. If you feel led to help in any of these areas by joining us in outreach ministry, hosting a Free INDEED conference/classes, donating a motor home, or if you would like to contribute financially, please contact us.
May 2025 be a year of God’s incredible Presence overflowing in your life!
Hurricane Helene’s effects on WNC:
• 27 counties in North Carolina experienced damage
• 103 deaths confirmed (72 in Buncombe County), many still missing
• More than 30-31.3 inches of rain dumped over the North Carolina mountain region
• 126,000 homes damaged or destroyed
• Approx. 100,000 people were without water for 52 days in the Asheville area. Water has been restored, however lead has been found in the water.
• Over 100 bridges destroyed, 400 roads closed including main highways. It is estimated that repairs to roads and bridges alone will cost several billion dollars.
• Soaring unemployment — unemployment rate in Asheville alone (Bumcombe County’s largest city) has doubled since the hurricane.
• According to the US Census Bureau, the Appalachian mountain regions have high rates of poverty, lack of access to health care, overcrowded living situations, many caring for a disabled loved one, and a high percentage of those on disability as well as an elderly population. The US Census Bureau stated, “More than half a million North Carolinians under disaster declaration after hurricane Helene were at high social vulnerability to disasters.” Many who have weathered this storm are now at high risk of not being able to weather the aftermath of rebuilding their lives after unexpected loss and no safety net.
• Severe economic devastation:
• Tourism accounts for about 20% of the economy. The height of tourist season is the changing of the colors which was almost a complete loss. Tourism for the holiday season has been down by 70%.
• Lost agricultural crops for the season (crops that have experienced flooding by law can not be sold)
• Much agricultural land experienced erosion or the complete washing away of top soil.
• Christmas tree farms are a big part of WNC and many were lost in the flooding and land slides. (I know of one tree farm that lost 60,000 trees on their farm alone.)
• Jobs lost due to buildings being destroyed or severely damaged.
• Many in these areas live paycheck to paycheck with little to no safety net. Many who did not lose their jobs were off work for weeks as power and water were still not available in many areas and this has set many people behind in bills.
• Severe ecological devastation:
• Flooding contaminated waterways with household toxins as well as industrial waste. The full extent of the environmental damage and the consequences to the population of WNC as well as wildlife remains to be seen. One scientist has said he expects it to be a decades long ecological recovery.
• Significant damage to the State Fish Hatchery occurred, killing 600,000 fish.
• Aquatic species are very susceptable to changes in the water quality due to silt and contaminants, putting many aquatic species at risk including several at risk and endangered species.
• Trees and foliage that were destroyed created an opportunity for invasive species to gain ground.
• Ecological devastation most often has human an economic tolls as well. Sources:https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2024/10/hurricane-helene.html https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/bf7fdc09ffd242a5a8c6b5fe714e9c7fhttps://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2024/10/25/helene-recovery-habitat-and-ecology-upended-in-western-north-carolina/75812096007/https://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-helene-by-the-numbers-flooding-death-toll/story?id=114360081https://www.citizen-times.com/story/opinion/2024/12/15/lead-in-asheville-drinking-water-health-risks-in-children-and-adults/76882937007/
