Grace Bible Church comes to aid of hurricane victims Posted On: Saturday, Nov. 29 2008 06:39 AM By Victor O'Brien
Killeen Daily Herald

Second Lt. Chris Morgan encountered scenes in Iraq he never expected to experience in the United States. When he visited Galveston after Hurricane Ike, he experienced a "flashback."

"It reminded me of the smell of Iraq all over again. The death ... It smelled like rotting carcasses," Morgan said.

With 17 members from Grace Bible Church of Killeen, Morgan went to Galveston on Oct. 10, about one

month after Ike submerged and devastated the area around the city.

Mountainous piles of trash removed from homes and businesses lined the sidewalks of major roads and forced many streets from two-way traffic to one-lane, one-way roads. Members from Grace Bible Church were tasked with cleaning up several homes and Galveston Bible Church.

What Morgan saw inside the homes he gutted was stomach-turning, he said. He walked into homes through layers of caked mud to find several feet-high watermarks and mildew along the walls. People's pictures, furniture and clothing were ruined and still waterlogged. Maggots had made a bed in stale dog food.

"When you move the refrigerator out (the home), all the liquid and the meat that turns to liquid starts pouring out the side, so that's what you're smelling when you're there," Morgan said.

Morgan organized an impromptu trip after his brother-in-law pleaded for help. Galveston Bible Church expected about 200 volunteers from Pennsylvania, but fewer than a dozen showed up, Morgan said. Grace Bible Church raised $450 and brought clothing and food to Galveston families.

"The motivation was to help the people and show the love of Christ to the city of Galveston," Morgan said.

One weekend trip wasn't enough, though. When they returned to Killeen, Morgan knew another trip was needed. It happened Nov. 14 through 16 with 11 volunteers.

The trash-filled sidewalks were cleaned on the main streets, but the personal effects that used to make up people's homes still cluttered residential streets, Joe Crosby said.

Crosby, a team leader on the first trip, coordinated the second trip. Crosby visited New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He said the rebuilding task and widespread damage were similar, but Galveston was fortunate much of the water drained from the elevated homes.

Crosby said what he saw in TV and newspaper reports did not prepare him for the Galveston he witnessed during the first trip. Regardless of expectations, the sight of destruction galvanized the volunteers. Crosby described the group's spirit as a "let's get out there and do what we can do."

"You work yourself as hard you can and you come home and you're worn out to no end. It's just a real fulfilling time," he said.

During the second trip, the group focused on preparing Galveston Bible Church to host services for its congregation so that two months later at least one thing in their life could return to normal.

Samuel Addington, 14, of San Antonio, attended the same church with Morgan in San Antonio and Morgan knew he would want to help. Addington tagged along with Killeen volunteers for both mission trips. He tore down stained wallpaper inside the church's sanctuary, swept the aisles between the pews and cleaned yards at nearby homes.

"It's an awesome experience being able to see how the city is coming back. It's a lot better than the first time we went. Just driving down Broadway (Street), all the stores are now open," Addington said.

"It was amazing how we as humans rehabilitate and come back from our losses and how God continued to work."

Though Grace Bible Church's pastor, the Rev. Dave McMurry, had little to do with organizing the mission trip, it was his "sphere of influence ministry" put into action. His ministry emphasizes each worshipper using their abilities to shape the world around them for the better.

"It's a reflection of their authentic faith," he said. "It's a real testimony to people getting it. That mercy has been shown to them and it overflows, so maybe they want to extend mercy to others."

Crosby and Morgan said these two trips were only the beginning. They intend to organize more Galveston trips in early 2009.

"There's still plenty of work. If you want to go down there and volunteer, someone will put you to work," Crosby said. "You think you're going to help somebody, but you get the blessing from it because it's a joy to see what happens when people come into these houses and are just overwhelmed by being there."

To join Grace Bible Church in future mission trips, contact Christopher Morgan at christopher.e.morgan@us.army.mil.

Contact Victor O'Brien at vobrien@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7468