Driving out looking at the damage is mind blowing. I cannot begin to describe to devastation. The pictures cannot do it justice. In one area, you turn into a neighborhood and suddenly all you can see is debris, destroyed homes, smashed cars. I saw a mattress folded up and stuck on a tree, with the branches poking through the other side. I saw the few remaining boards of the frames of houses barely standing on their foundations. I saw the things that make up peoples' day-to-day lives, those little things we take for granted like toys and pictures and nick-knacks and furniture and baby blankets, all scattered across yards and streets. It takes your breath away. All I could do was stare. I close my eyes and I still see some of that devastation. And I wasn't even in the hardest hit area. Its shocking, and as we drove around the neighborhood, I was entirely speechless.
I'd already loved working at CSM, but actually witnessing some of the devastation over two weeks after the tornado gave me new energy. I am so thankful for CSM and what they do. Basically, CSM is a warehouse where people drop off supplies. Volunteers sort the items, and when an order comes in, they fill the order, load it on a volunteer's truck, and then the volunteer drives it out to the site that requested those supplies. We've emptied and refilled the warehouse over 30 times since the tornado.
On my first day at CSM, I was doing some sorting. The next day, I did some filing and then I started calling the churches and organizations we distribute to in order to see what they need for the day. I love it. I've gotten to meet so many people through this, many of whom I will never see in person. I have, oddly enough, developed relationships with a lot of the people I talk to on the phone. Pastor Wren, who I did get to meet, is so sweet, and I believe he genuinely wants to serve his community. There's David, who is pretty stick-to-the-facts. Ms. Kellie is so sweet and accommodating. Carrie genuinely wants to help people. Renee recognizes that more important even than supplies is our prayers for the people affected by the tornado. There's Sylvia, who shared how the community responded to the supplies they received, telling me how one little boy said it was better than Christmas.There are countless other people and churches who genuinely care about their community, who love them and want to serve.
CSM relied entirely upon their volunteers, and we have the best volunteers! There are many people who show up day after day. Gwen is a grandmother who decided that serving at CSM is what she needs to do, and she shows up every day. Her daughter, Kristina, comes and provides snacks and coordinates lunches for the volunteers. Noel came all last week, and when he found out I was a vegetarian, he brought me lunch! Then of course there are the drivers. Mama runs the loading dock, and I run orders out there all day, so I see those volunteers the most. There's Ms. Louise and her husband Nat, who have driven supplies all over the state! We had volunteers from New Jersey who drove all the way down with a truck load of supplies and then stayed and made deliveries for us! We've had volunteers from Michigan, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, and many other states! Steve, Crystal, Cameron, Clint, Hansell...I can't name all of the wonderful volunteers because we have way to many for me to keep up with, and plus it would take pages and pages to write down all their names. They won't get recognition for doing what they do right now, but I know that someday when these people run through Heaven's Gates, all of Heaven will be applauding them for the work they have done!
The things that go on at CSM would blow your mind. I’ve seen God’s hand orchestrating this entire mission. He gives us supplies before we know that we need it. He clears out space in order for another order to come in. I remember one day I had walked back with Mama to the freezer (it was really hot and that’s a surefire way to cool off!). We were headed back to the loading dock when in the food area we saw the volunteers gathered around the table holding hands. We jumped in the circle and the lady in charge of the area started praying. “God,” she said, “this table in front of us is empty. You know that. And You know that we have 5 orders for canned food that need to go out to these people. We ask You to fill this table again, and we thank You in advance for how You are going to provide.” I walked back a little later, and the table was full again. And that is just one story – that sort of thing happens literally constantly. I have countless stories, as do Mama and Roecker, about how God has provided exactly what we needed. CSM is truly where miracles happen every day.
It has been amazing to see the response of people. We have volunteers come in from different churches across Birmingham to help out. One girl came in, and she brought a few bags of peanut butter, jelly, and bread. “I saw on facebook that this is what y’all needed, so I stopped by Publix on my way here!” she said. And that happens all the time.
One man stopped by on his way home from work. He came in to put in an order that he could take back to Sipsey. I asked if he lived there, and he said yes. I asked if he had been affected by the tornadoes, and he said matter-of-factly, “Oh yeah. I lost everything. But I had to come out here for some work with the union, and I decided to stop by CSM to take back a load to help out my community.” He didn’t take a thing for himself, instead he wanted to help out others however he could.
I wish I could share every single story. These people are so selfless in their response. I’ve seen God work in hearts in ways that I never could have imagined. I would expect people to be discouraged and hopeless, but instead I’ve seen people set their own struggles aside to do what they can. In Pratt City, a man literally opened his home up as a distribution site. When Mama asked him how much room he had left to live in, he said, “Well, I have my bed and my bathroom. That’s really all I need.” I could go on and on about these people, the volunteers and the affected Alabamians. I cannot say enough.
But the heart of it all is truly the Gospel. The only reason we function as we do, the only way these people are stepping beyond themselves, is because they know the love that God has for them, the sacrifice Jesus made because of His great love for them, and the soul-driven need to respond in loving others. I have learned in a new way what it means to love my neighbor, as my pastor spoke about on Sunday. It is truly an experience that I wouldn't trade for the world. I'm so thankful that God has given me the opportunity to do this even for a little while!
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