JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
When you talk to people here in Kerr County, again and again, there are two things that come up. First, the breathtaking speed with which the flooding hit on July 4.
JUSTIN CARPENTER: I woke up at 8:30 Friday morning to a bunch of missed calls and only to find out that we were hit with a horrible flood.
SUMMERS: Second, is how eager they are to help their neighbors, some who have lost everything.
CARPENTER: By 2:30 Friday afternoon, we had been approved to be a distribution location. And so we got the doors open and started taking physical donations as well as monetary. Early Saturday morning, we had people driving from San Antonio, from Austin bringing stuff. We've had - I don't know how many people we unfortunately had to turn away today that drove an hour or two hours, so we would, you know, redirect them to another location that needed supplies.
SUMMERS: That's Justin Carpenter, the senior pastor of Cross Kingdom Church. My team and I spoke to him when we stopped by Cross Kingdom late yesterday afternoon.
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SUMMERS: And really, it looks like they pulled all the furniture away inside of this church and have set up tables just full of supplies for people who were displaced, who maybe have lost their homes and need a little bit of help. Just right next to me - I'm looking - there's a table full of baby food and spoons. On the other side of me, there's all this nonperishable food. I can see boxes of instant rice and mac and cheese. People can come in, pick up shopping bags and hangers and pick up things. There are big tables just stacked full of towels and pillows, cleaning supplies and clothing for all sizes of people. There are a dozen or so - maybe a few more - people here who are working and organizing all of these supplies for folks who are able to come in and pick them up.
CARPENTER: This community has come together, rallied together and has done an amazing job of meeting the immediate needs. We have people from our church that are literally going down the river with picks and shovels and helping with rescue and recovery. And it's been a very trying time, but it's been beautiful in the aspect of how the community has come together and put all their differences aside and stayed focused on the mission of rescue and recovery, so...
SUMMERS: I mean, I know in moments like this, so many of us look inward to our faith...
CARPENTER: Right.
SUMMERS: ...For strength. How do you minister to your community? I mean, the losses are just devastating. The numbers they just keep going up.
CARPENTER: So this past Sunday, we reset and did two services, and I actually spoke on the anchor still holds. And in moments like this, No. 1, you have to realize words are not going to fix anything. No matter what I tell someone, a loved one, you know, that they've just lost their child or they have - we have friends that still have missing family members - I can't say anything that's going to bring them back. And so one of the biggest things is being present, literally just the ministry of presence, of you being there, of you showing support and love and actually being very careful to not use as many words because a lot of times in moments like that, you can say well-intended things that really hurt people.
But the issue of peace and hope, like, as someone who's a follower of Jesus, we have this capacity inside of us to have his peace guard our minds and hearts when we give up the why because we live in a tension of mystery at times in these moments, and - but he - there's still hope when you know him. And John 10 is one of my key verses in times of crisis because it says that the enemy came to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came to give life and more abundantly. So when I see steal, kill, destroy, I know where to place those things so then I can keep my eyes focused on the truth and then love on people, pray for them and be present.
SUMMERS: What are you hearing from people that they need most in this moment, now that we're several days removed?
CARPENTER: Well, we've helped roughly 50 people so far, but most of them are misplaced. I mean, they're simply just looking for a few things just to get by the day. And, for instance, yesterday, we helped three people that they had been rescued out of trees, and they lost everything. Their home's gone. So we gave them immediate supplies, but they don't have any place to put anything beyond that. And then we prayed for them. The daughter was pregnant. And so, I mean, it's - honestly, it's just crazy the devastation that has hit this area.
SUMMERS: It must be challenging to think long-term right now, but what do you think it'll take long-term for folks here to be able to rebuild? The losses are so great, and there are some things and loss of life, obviously, is so irreplaceable.
CARPENTER: Well, I can tell you this because I have personal friends - one couple that have lost two children in their life, which is devastating. The first year of grief is intense. So the grieving process is going to take a long time. The physical rebuilding - we can always replace stuff. But, you know, in the aftermath, when all the media leaves and all the immediate helpers are gone, it's the local community that's got to stay together and support and love and pray for each other and encourage each other and stay focused on rebuilding the city.
SUMMERS: That was Justin Carpenter, senior pastor of Cross Kingdom Church. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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