In worship on July 6, Matthew Trenchard shared a testimony about the work he and others from Ardmore had done in western North Carolina as part of a trip with Baptists on Mission. Here is Matthew’s testimony:
My name is Matthew Trenchard (or for those of you that don’t know me- I’m better known as Noah and Levi’s dad). My son Levi and I were recently part of a 9-person team that went to the mountains of NC to help with Hurricane relief efforts through the organization Baptists on Mission. If you notice I’m wearing the standard uniform of a bright yellow shirt and work pants that volunteers wear while working at a damaged home.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we arrived at the First Baptist Church of Swannanoa. I was half-expecting a war zone with flood damage and destruction everywhere and was surprised to see people coming and going like normal around town. However, as you got closer along the Swannanoa River, the site of a mobile home twisted by flood waters caught my attention. More damage began to appear as it looked like half the embankment along the river was washed away, leaving exposed sewer pipes hanging in the middle of air. Piles of debris mounded up looked like something out of the Middle East. Many businesses were simply closed indefinitely, flooded by several feet of water.
Our group of 9 volunteers showed up to help with our home base at First Baptist Church Swannanoa. That Monday morning, I told Levi, “You know, I sure hope we don’t have to do drywall. It’s not my favorite.” So, it’s no surprise when the supply truck showed up and we started unloading drywall!
The house we worked at was a small, one-level house, less than 1000 square feet. We did not meet the family of this home but heard they were in the house when the flood waters rose close to 40 inches. That family is currently living in another city with other family members while their home is rebuilt.
That home is only about a mile from the church. Other volunteer groups had already gutted the house and cleaned it. When we arrived at the jobsite a mound of dirt was piled by the front door which was dug out of the flooded crawlspace. Also, weeds had started to overtake the property. The inside had old stud walls, patched plywood floors, no electricity, no water, no finished bathroom, no finished kitchen. The house was simply a box with new insulation in the walls.
Some of our crew started on drywall, others worked in the yard, others worked on replacing a window, some patched the plywood floor. The next day we worked on installing drywall. The following day was also drywall, taping the seams and mudding the seams with joint compound. It was drywall in the morning and drywall in the evening! Now none of us were drywall experts, we were slow, made mistakes, learned as we went. But, with God’s help, at the end of our trip we saw that little house turn from a wooden box into a home as walls began to take shape. It was sweaty, tiring, messy and dusty, but we had a great time working together!
I saw God working in the volunteers of our group and other volunteers from Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio. I saw God in the house across the street, also flooded, with a different church working there. And I especially saw God working through First Baptist Church of Swannanoa- feeding, bathing, and sheltering volunteers month after month after month.
In closing, I asked my son Levi If you could tell yourself a few weeks ago why you should go on this trip, what would you say? And he responded, “I’d tell myself these people need help.”
Thank you for letting me share today.
Thank you so much, Matthew, for sharing your story. If you would like to participate in any upcoming disaster response mission trips, please contact our Minister for Missional Engagement, Amy Gallaher (agallaher@ardmorebaptist.org).
