Hurricane Zeta’s last-minute intensification and change-of-course left many in Mobile unprepared and in the dark, the Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes in the Gulf Coast city among them.
Thanks to some swift action by staff and members of Eastern Shore Baptist Church, Daphne, however, the campus care homes quickly got powered up and back to normal.
“After Hurricane Zeta, Dana Watson called me to say they had no power,” said Chip Colee, chief administrative officer of Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries. Watson, chief operations officer for South Alabama, directs the Mobile campus.
Immediate action
“The houseparents were pretty concerned about all the food they store for the kids in the freezer and fridge,” Colee said. “Additionally, you’ve got houses full of kids and no air conditioning, hot water, etc.”
One home at the Mobile campus houses nine girls, the other seven boys.
“I sent a quick text to a friend on staff at Eastern Shore Baptist in Daphne,” Colee said. “Within a couple hours, he shows up with other staff members from Eastern Shore, bringing generators, bottled water, gift cards … and a load of encouragement for our hardworking house parents.”
Upon receiving Colee’s text, Tony Higginbotham, worship pastor at Eastern Shore, swooped into action.
“We had already been through Sally and had access to three generators. I called people in the church and asked if I could take their generators to the children’s home,” Higginbotham said. “We went around with a truck and trailer and picked them up and took them.
“They were extremely grateful,” he said. “It was a treat for me to go on campus and see what a great facility they have there. Children were everywhere. They kind of swarmed us when we got there, and they helped us get the generators unloaded.”
Gift of giving
Eastern Shore also brought gift cards purchased with the church’s missions offering funds. “When disasters like that happen, you have unexpected expenses to get your household up and running. We knew that these families would experience the same,” Higginbotham said.
Watson said the gesture was greatly appreciated by the houseparents. “It was completely unexpected and also so thoughtful that they brought the gift cards so our kids could eat and relieve that stress on the house parents,” he said.
“It really meant a lot to the houseparents,” Watson added, noting that they’ve been through “a really strange time, with COVID and two hurricanes disrupting the homes’ routine, structure and school schedules.”
When the power resumed and the generators were no longer needed, Eastern Shore donated one of them to the campus homes for future needs. That generator was itself a gift to the church and turned out to be a gift that keeps on giving.
“When our power was down here in Daphne with Sally, some friends of mine in Mississippi found out we were in need of a generator,” Higginbotham said. “When this need arose, it went to the children’s home, and the people in Mississippi said to keep it.”
Colee added, “This is a beautiful picture of the body of Christ at work and the partnership we have with so many churches, who support us with finances, prayers and in countless other ways.”
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