GARLAND—When sharing the gospel, SBTC Disaster Relief veteran chaplains Wayne and Ann Barber don’t even pause for breakfast. The Barbers recently ended a weeklong deployment in Rowlett and Garland where they offered spiritual comfort to survivors of the Dec. 26 tornadoes.

One frigid morning the couple found several tornado victims eating breakfast at the Garland hotel where they were also staying. They shared the gospel and saw three people make professions of faith at the hotel.

Opportunities for spiritual contacts come at unexpected moments in disaster relief. In a ravaged Rowlett neighborhood, Wayne Barber recalled meeting two contractors, both Christians, who were meeting with an electrician who was not a believer. Barber explained the gospel to the electrician who accepted Christ as savior. “His friends [the contractors] were thrilled.”

“Our DR recovery teams worked very hard in Garland and Rowlett, but we felt that residents could use some encouragement. Our chaplains went through the neighborhoods knocking on doors, praying with those in need and sharing Jesus with many,” said Gordon Knight, SBTC director of chaplains. Calling DR chaplains, “the hands and feet of the gospel during times of crisis,” Knight also commended the work of chaplains Carol Yarber and Terry Bunch, who deployed to Rowlett the week before the Barbers.

SBTC DR volunteers have had ample opportunities to serve of late.

“We have been busy,” SBTC director of disaster relief Scottie Stice affirmed, adding that SBTC DR volunteers had assisted tornado victims in Ovilla, Farmersville, Rowlett and Garland. “In the same time frame, we’ve sent teams to Pine Bluff, Ark., and Eureka, Mo., to help flood victims.”

Whether manning an SBTC laundry unit and washing dozens of loads of clothes in Missouri, doing clean out and recovery in Arkansas, securing tarps to tornado-damaged roofs in Texas or removing downed trees and debris from victims’ yards, DR volunteers have answered the call.

Two mud-out teams are leaving for Missouri next week, Stice said, adding that additional workers are also expected to serve in Rowlett and Garland.

Spiritual Impact in Disaster

From Dec. 26 – Jan. 22, SBTC DR teams in Texas, Missouri and Arkansas have not only served the physical needs of tornado and flood victims, but they have also ministered to the spiritual needs of those who hurt.

121 Gospel Presentations

27 Professions of Faith

254 Spiritual Contacts

200 Bibles and Tracts Distributed

2015 SBTC Disaster Relief Report

Texas and U.S. Deployments:

53 Disaster Responses

3,863 Volunteer Days Served (1 volunteer working 1 day equals a volunteer day)                        

45,380 Meals Prepared for Disaster Victims                                                        

636 Homes Cleaned after Floods or Storms

94 Children Served                              

3,559 Showers Provided                                         

686 Loads of Laundry

309 Bibles Distributed                           

405 Tracts Distributed                          

386 Gospel Presentations                  

1,171 Spiritual Contacts                           

86 Professions of Faith                      

International Deployment (Nepal):

5 Teams; 30 Volunteers.

596 Homes and Families Assessed

900 People Benefited from Food Distribution

50 Families Bed Frames and Bedding Distribution

500 Blankets Distributed

29 Kitchen and Laundry Sets Distributed

47 Hygiene Kits Distributed

84 Shelters Built

20 Sites Cleared for Shelters

1,322 Pieces of 12-foot Tin Distributed

1,204 People Treated in Health Clinics

3 School Buildings Constructed with Cement Work, Wall and Floor Construction

5 School Buildings Demolished and Sites Cleared

1 Metal School Building Construction

45 Students Received School Supplies

5,327 Spiritual Contacts

1 Temporary Church Built

583 Gospel Presentations

48 Bibles Distributed

3 Church fellowships Started

1 Ordination to the Gospel Ministry

52 Salvations

9 Baptisms