Houston Northwest Church Creates Reasons to be Thankful Post-Harvey
By Divya Joseph
Members of the Houston Northwest Seventh-day Adventist Church youth group delivered 25 boxes of food to people still affected by Harvey at a local homeless shelter, the week before Thanksgiving.
In this season of giving thanks, it can be difficult to be thankful when you have had a tough year. This is the case for many residents of Houston who have lost a lot in the recent hurricane season. However the Houston Northwest Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spring, Texas, through its community outreach programs is creating more reasons for their community to be thankful.
Harvey, a category 4 hurricane, dumped trillions of gallons of water onto the city in just a few days. A week after Harvey hit Houston, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said it may cost as much as $180 – $125 billion to rebuild the state. This makes it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
After three months, many inhabitants are still homeless and debris is still being cleared. The Texas Chronicle reports that county and city workers have cleared three million cubic yards of debris so far and still have a ways to go.
The debris is filled with valuable items; things once cherished and held sentimental value. Workers have recounted stories of people still searching for a variety of items from gold watches to cherished photos and even a bag of money. For many, the loss and devastation of Harvey continues to taunt them.
During the worst of Harvey, members of the Houston West Seventh-day Adventist Church in Houston, Texas, jumped into action to rescue church members but also stayed after the flood to help community members rebuild their lives. Church members helped other churchgoers and community members in cleaning debris and rebuilding houses. They also opened up the church as a hub to hand out food and cleaning supplies. Now, even after months, the church has kept the momentum of service going and is still working in the community to help the needy.
“When the devastation of the storm hit, we all had a clear realization that we need each other,” says Nerv Thomas, an elder at the church, “As humans we often separate ourselves by race and socio-economic status, but in this storm we learned that we are all one. We knew we had an obvious purpose to help others who are affected.”
The church’s youth team recognized that as many of them would be enjoying meals with loved ones on Thanksgiving, so many would be short on resources this year. Therefore, the team went into affluent neighborhoods and collected donations of food and money to give to the underprivileged. They then delivered 150 brown paper bags of food items to affected communities and 25 boxes of food to a homeless shelter.
“Close to thanksgiving, those of us who weren’t affected by the storm are thankful for what we have but we decided to help those who were affected,” says Dexter Dike, a full-time college student and member of the youth team. “I remember this one family that came to us and kept thanking us for coming out to help. It meant a lot to them”
The church plans on continuing outreach efforts and is making it a big part of their teachings. “I remember a sermon where the pastor said that every body is always coming out of a storm, if not a Hurricane, a personal storm,” says Dike, “So, I realized that giving is something we need to do, not just now or during the holidays
but continue it. That is what our church is planning on doing.”
