Mr. Joe & The Girls
Staff member Cessna Winslow, who co-led a CU disaster relief team to Biloxi, Miss., over Christmas Break (Jan. 2-8), shares a story about her team's ministry to "Mr. Joe."
Samaritan's Purse (the relief agency our team hooked up with) hosts, assigns, and equips several volunteer teams. Along with having volunteer teams minister to disaster victims' physical needs, Samaritan's Purse encourages us to minister to them spiritually and emotionally. Many of the people assisted by volunteers have lost everything and now have nothing but a story to tell. New ears and caring hearts are often as much appreciated as the labor.
The Cedarville Biloxi team was divided into roofers and non-roofers. I headed up the non-roofers. We were 10 girls who spent the week clearing yard debris and tearing up floors and ceilings. One of our assignments was to assist "Mr. Joe," an elderly man whose house was not destroyed but his yard was in need of serious attention. We were asked to clear debris and cut branches off a few very large trees that had fallen in the storm. A service was coming to haul away the trees but needed the branches cut back so that they could get the trees past the house.
When I called Joe to tell him we were on his way, he paused at the feminine sound of my voice and said, "You're a girl."
"Yes I am," I replied.
"YOU'RE going to do this job?" he asked hesitantly.
"Yep! Me and nine other girls!"
(Long pause.) "Ten girls?!?" he asked. "And what kind of equipment do you have?" His uneasiness ended when I told him we had a chain saw and some big girls. Eager to personally witness this event, he told me he wasn't home but would head over shortly.
When we arrived we discovered his house sat on about three acres and there were three very large trees that needed to be trimmed. Along with that task there were countless shingles scattered about that had to be cleared before Mr. Joe could finally mow his lawn. He was longing to mow the overgrown grass, but the task of picking up all the shingles was too large for one man.
Shortly after we started on the job, Mr. Joe arrived. He stepped out of his van and smiled as he surveyed 10 girls diligently working on his yard. I introduced our team, and he proudly told me that he is 82 years old and in all the years he'd been in that house he'd never seen so many girls in his yard. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Ten girls!" he repeated over and over again as he asked questions about us and shared some interesting stories about himself.
Later Mr. Joe announced that he was going to sit on his porch and relax (and no doubt enjoy the scenery). I asked one of the girls to sit and visit with him. A short time later, she came back and said Mr. Joe wanted to take a nap. That was one short rest as 20 minutes later I looked across the yard and saw Mr. Joe smiling and holding a camera. He asked if I would take a picture of him with the crew. (The smile on his face says it all!)
After the greetings and photo shoot, I sent two girls to sweep his porch and keep him company. As the other girls needed breaks, they would go in and visit Mr. Joe, who welcomed and delighted in their company. While we were there, Mr. Joe even called a few of his senior citizen friends and boasted, "Guess what I have at my house?!" He was one happy octogenarian! He was even happier when I told him that our chain saw broke and we would need to return the next morning. He asked what time he could expect us, and when I told him we'd be back by 8 a.m., he joyfully announced, "I'll be here!"
The next morning we arrived with a changed crew - this time we were short two girls and we borrowed a guy from the roofing crew. Mr. Joe noticed the change but still enjoyed the return visit.
As we finished his yard and prepared to leave, he got a little emotional. As he said goodbye, he gave each a girl a Biloxi Lighthouse figurine. He said his daughter found the figurines at a gift shop in Michigan after the hurricane, and he thought they were a fitting way for us to remember him. Remember him? None of us will ever forget Mr. Joe and the joy we had in serving him.
When we retuned to Ohio, we learned that immediately after we left, Mr. Joe called Cedarville University to say how helpful we were and how much joy our visit brought him.