by Glenn Maddox

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If you watched any of the Winter Olympics, you probably saw something about the Jamaican bobsled team. This year the team got extra attention, because the country itself has been recovering from the devastation of last October’s Hurricane Melissa—one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes ever to make landfall. Since the beginning of the year, Impact Disaster Response (DR) teams have been serving alongside Texans on Mission and North Carolina Baptists on Mission in Montego Bay, restoring homes and lives.

The first team to serve included experienced disaster response and Impact mission camp volunteers and a team of students from the William & Mary Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM). A team serving in March includes participants from multiple churches. The teams serve in the community around Montego Bay, primarily replacing roofs, many of which were torn off by the high winds Melissa brought. One volunteer shared about serving a lady whose possessions had been out in the elements since the storm. They restored her roof in early February, shoring up other damage the house had taken both before and during the storm, ensuring that she was safe and dry for the first time since October.  

In addition to teams serving during Impact-DR-specific weeks, we have seen churches and individuals serve with North Carolina Baptists on Mission and Texans on Mission. This response has been a true expression of partnership,  as the three organizations have cooperated to support the overall response—serving together as part of the On Mission Network. The partnership has also given us the opportunity to help train and serve alongside churches from denominations that do not have their own disaster response ministry, multiplying the number of people who can serve together in Christ’s name.

This initial rebuild response will continue through the end of March, and we are working together to see what the next phase will bring. We anticipate individuals and teams being called on to serve through at least this summer. We will communicate those opportunities as they become available, and we ask you to continue to pray, give to support this response, and consider whether you may be able to go.

For more information, to volunteer, or to donate to response efforts, please visit the Impact Disaster Response webpage.

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Rev. Glenn Maddox is BGAV’s national director for Impact Missions.