As the only pastor in the western Manitoba town of Minitonas-Bowsman, Kevin felt the emotional and spiritual trauma of residents struggling to recover from a devastating flash flood.
In mid-June, nearly 150 millimeters of rain fell within hours, resulting in flooding that devastated the community of 1,200. Kevin’s house was among the approximately 180 flooded as well as First Baptist Church where he pastors.
‘We thought it was a regular thunderstorm’
The night of the storm, Kevin, alongside his wife and three children, went to bed without worry. “We thought it was a regular thunderstorm,” Kevin recalled. It was anything but.
As the storm worsened, the power went out and that meant the family’s sump pump stopped working. The next morning, Kevin’s family found that three feet of muddy, frigid water had flooded their spare bedroom, washer and dryer, freezer, computer and children’s clothes.
“Our kids are good, but my wife is struggling,” Kevin admitted. “She’s stressed and in survival mode.”
At First Baptist Church, the flood water wiped out a kitchen, two bathrooms, six Sunday school rooms and a library.
In the wake of the devastation, God opened doors for our crisis-trained Billy Graham Rapid Response team (BG-RRT) chaplains to come alongside the community and address spiritual and emotional needs.
Sharing the Hope of the Gospel
“The chaplains have helped to normalize life here,” said Kevin gratefully. “The Billy Graham association knows these events cause trauma and this is an opportunity to share the hope of the Gospel.”
Our chaplains later taught a one-day seminar, called Sharing Hope in Crisis, which teaches how to share the love and compassion of Jesus Christ in crisis situations. It was attended by 25 residents, at least half of them who weren’t church members.
Kevin was one of the attendees.
“I needed to understand what I was going through, what my family was going through and what Minitonas is going through,” he said. “I appreciate the chaplains telling us the things to say and the things to avoid saying. It was very helpful.”
Please keep praying for families in Minitonas-Bowsman as they begin to recover. Ask the Lord for open doors in the coming days to provide “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7, NKJV).
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