Share
RSSJuly 11, Proper 10
by the Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton for ERD
7/4/2004
Genesis 18:1-10a (10b-14)
Psalm 25 or 25:3-9
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37
"Which of these three, do you think, proved neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers? He said, 'The one who showed mercy on him.' And Jesus said to him, 'Go and do likewise.'" -- Luke 10:35-37 (NRSV)
Roger and Lois were 79 and 68 years old, respectively, and lived in the tiny town of Mossy Grove, Tennessee. There is no Episcopal Church in the town. But when disaster struck suddenly, a nearby Episcopal congregation in Harriman reached out to local residents.
The couple found there is the special kind of faith that only happens when your life has been miraculously spared, and the special kind of human gratitude that can only come when a perfect stranger offers compassion for no other reason than your need.
They knew there was a tornado watch that day in November, 2002, but Mossy Grove is surrounded by mountains - no stretch of flatland over which a little twister could gather strength and become a big one. Besides, it wasn't really tornado season—we just read about a big one this year in Nebraska, and there was wild weather all over the Kentucky this past spring, but you don't think of tornadoes much in November. But this twister was different: with a roar unlike anything they'd ever heard, the tornado picked up four of their huge oak trees as if they were drinking straws and crashed them into the house, with Roger and Lois still inside. There wasn't time to do more than look at each other, let alone get out. When it left, the house and everything they owned was a pile of unidentifiable rubble. But they were lucky: seventeen people in Morgan County were dead.
Episcopal Relief and Development came through with emergency assistance, so they could buy food, bottled water, and other things they needed to get through the first few weeks after the tornado. When disaster strikes, it never matters who's a Samaritan and who isn't. "You really helped us," Lois said, "we desperately needed that money."She and Roger weren't used to accepting help like that, but sometimes you just have to. Kentucky, Nebraska, East Tennessee - ERD can get help where it's needed, that very day.
Episcopal Relief and Development saves lives and builds hope in communities around the world. We provide emergency assistance in times of disaster. When the immediate crisis is over, we rebuild devastated communities and offer long-term solutions in the areas of food security, health care, and HIV/AIDS.
