logo
Where God lies in the face of tragedy

Where God lies in the face of tragedy

Fox Newsa day ago
From their deteriorated, now unrecognizable, homes, survivors of the devastating flooding earlier this month in Kerrville, Texas, are seeking faith in the face of tragedy as the community rebuilds their livelihoods together.
"We can't measure the support that we're trying to offer somebody just by letting them cry on our shoulders," said Capt. Juan Gomez, III, corps officer for the Salvation Army in Texarkana. "This is not something I can measure for some people."
This past Friday, Gomez received a call asking if he could step away from his duties in Texarkana, more than 460 miles away, to support those in Kerrville. Without thinking, he agreed and served temporarily as the Emotional Care Officer, providing support to survivors.
"We're talking about loss of life, we're talking about loss of homes. So these are people who need to find a new norm, their everyday life has been completely disrupted," he said.
It is hard to label this as another natural disaster when it is much more than that, as it does not begin to encapsulate the heartbroken families all through Kerrville. One of those families is the Boltons.
Bud Bolton, a Kerrville resident, lost his home. However, it wasn't until he recalled his fellow neighbors being washed away that he started to choke on his own words, resisting his tears, trying not to let them overtake him, in a Fox Weather report.
Licensed marriage and family therapist Keneth Howard explained how trauma responses could vary. Families who lost a child will have different grieving processes than those who lost their home or a car. However, having faith allows one to push their day a little better.
"Some people have resiliency that will allow them to be anchored into a faith, into a community," he said. "They're going to weather that differently than when people have none of those resiliencies, and they're going to suffer."
Howard said access to trained professionals, especially in trauma-focused methods like EMDR, can also reduce the risk of PTSD. Moreover, as a Christian, he emphasized that organizations with a religious outlook, such as the Salvation Army, will build strong "interpersonal connections" and lead communities to heal through their trauma.
Bud Bolton's son, Ashton, has been reflecting on the tangible relationship that therapeutic and religious outlets have been providing to those in Kerrville and how they intertwine.
"I think it's good that we're having therapists reaching out towards us, but I believe that it all dwells within us and our spirituality and being able to handle our problems over to the good Lord," Ashton said.
Ashton said he feels that if we try to fight our problems alone, we're not getting anywhere. Just having a shoulder to cry on to release the weight of the grief goes a long way. For him, all it took was a chat with a distant relative and a hug.
"He didn't allow me to bear the burden that I found. He didn't allow me to do that alone," Ashton said.
Gomez can relate to Ashton, because he's experienced this.
In August 1999, Hurricane Brett took over Texas, cultivating winds that reached over 194 miles per hour and causing $15 million in damage. Gomez, 16, witnessed firsthand the devastation it had on his community. When his grandmother encouraged him to reach out for support, it was his first interaction with an organization like the Salvation Army.
As he was introduced to the world of public service, Gomez was surprised. He expected to be bombarded with the typical "How are you doing?" a half-hearted question that feels impossible to answer after a devastating disaster. But that question was never mentioned. Instead, he was met with a genuineness that inspired him to stay strong.
"They gave me the support I needed to know that I still could have value in my day and to push through and to find a way to make it to the next part of my life," he said. At the age of sixteen, I knew what it meant to serve."
Today, he implements that lesson and uses the philosophy that there's no blanket solution for grief. While some people may need a two-minute conversation, others could need 20. He seeks to meet people at the root of their pain, not with answers, but with presence.
"What we're trying to do is make sure that in the moment, we're trying to provide some relief and some efforts because at the end of the day, we understand they still have to go home to whatever they're now calling home and whatever their new norm is," Gomez said.
Ashton understands this and sees the potential it can have on Kerville's current state of brokenness.
"I mean, we just need hospitality between one another and generosity, and that's almost it," he said. "Just being a family is all we need."
Howard explained this sentiment in one word: Shalom. Leaning into the more traditional Hebrew route, it brings about a specific kind of peace that comes from being deeply connected not only to God and ourselves, but to those around us.
"In a time of trauma when Shalom is broken, when relationships are broken, when people are no longer connected in a way that they were, we suffer," he said. That communal piece, that community piece, that faith piece allows us to live as God created us to live, deeply connected."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Deer Creek Fire over 14,000 acres, has damaged 13 structures; expected to move northeast through Colorado
Deer Creek Fire over 14,000 acres, has damaged 13 structures; expected to move northeast through Colorado

CBS News

timean hour ago

  • CBS News

Deer Creek Fire over 14,000 acres, has damaged 13 structures; expected to move northeast through Colorado

A large wildfire that sparked in southeastern Utah last week and crossed into southwestern Colorado this week has damaged over a dozen structures, and now fire officials believe winds will push that fire deeper into Colorado on Wednesday. The Deer Creek Fire was mapped at 14,760 acres and is still 7% contained, Utah Fire Info, a task force comprising state and federal agencies, said Wednesday morning. That means it's grown by over 1,000 acres overnight, while containment had not grown since Tuesday morning. "Last night, strong winds caused an increase in fire activity that pushed the fire further into Colorado. No additional evacuations have occurred, and firefighters will have a presence in Paradox assessing the fire's location and taking suppression actions," Utah Fire Info wrote on Facebook Wednesday morning. "Today, afternoon thunderstorms are again expected out of the west/southwest, with wind gusts up to 60mph possible. Fire crews continue to assess the western edge of the fire and work to cool any hot spots as the fire moves northeast." The buildings damaged by the fire include 11 private structures, a USDA Forest Service structure, and a communications site, according to Utah Fire Info. The Deer Creek Fire is the largest of several wildfires in southwestern Colorado that have thrown huge clouds of smoke into the air and prompted a disaster declaration from Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, air quality alerts, and evacuations in and around Montrose County. Over 400 people are now involved in the effort to extinguish the fire, and crews are using helicopters, fixed-wing airtankers, dozers, and other ground equipment. Further north, the Wright Draw Fire, at 448 acres, and the nearby Turner Gulch Fire, at almost 14,000 acres, north of Gateway, Colorado, are also largely uncontained. To the east, the Sowbelly Fire is at 2,274 acres, but crews have seen gains in containment efforts, which are at 13% as of Wednesday morning. And the South Rim Fire, near the southern end of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, is at 4,160 acres. No containment figures for that fire were immediately available.

Chicago at risk for severe storms, possible tornadoes Wednesday; wind damage is biggest threat
Chicago at risk for severe storms, possible tornadoes Wednesday; wind damage is biggest threat

CBS News

timean hour ago

  • CBS News

Chicago at risk for severe storms, possible tornadoes Wednesday; wind damage is biggest threat

A line of afternoon severe storms could cause wind damage and possibly produce tornadoes in the Chicago area Wednesday. Storms are expected to develop west of Chicago around 3 p.m. and move swiftly east. The main window for severe storms is between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., with the greatest chance of storms in the city between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. While the storms are expected to bring heavy downpours, they're also expected to move through the Chicago area much quicker than last week's storms that caused flash flooding on the West Side. As such, there is less of a flooding risk Wednesday evening but a greater chance of wind damage from strong, gusty winds. There is also a risk for tornadoes developing, which while low is also not zero. The majority of the Chicago area is under a level two "slight" risk of severe weather. Temperatures Wednesday will reach the 90s with noticeable humidity, driving real feel up towards 100 degrees. The storms will drop those temperatures drastically by about 20 degrees, with forecasted highs for Thursday only in the low 70s and cooler than we've seen in months.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store