This email has been circulating among the JW’s. I don’t want to minimize the help that the disaster relief teams gave, but I did a google search and learned that the Baptists and Lutherans (and I’m sure there were other religions) were doing the same thing and maybe better. What really irritates me is every time there is a report of JW’s helping during disaster, they make a dig against other religions—almost always a quote from somebody they helped who said they didn’t see anybody from their church
Kentucky Ice Storm 2009
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope that this letter finds you all in good health physically and spiritually. As you all know this world is going through difficult times hard to deal with, in virtually every aspect imaginable.
We have been experiencing the after affects of the worst ice storm in the history of Kentucky . Mayfield , KY (where we live) was one of the two worst hit areas in all of Kentucky . It started to hit hard on January 26, 2009 and then it hit harder the next day. What happens in an ice storm is very different than anything that I have ever seen. It gets so cold that when it rains as soon as it hits trees, homes, roads or electric poles and lines it turns immediately to ice. The ice gradually got thicker and thicker until a branch one inch thick was covered by 2 inches of ice all the way around. Trees fell down flat and many lost all its branches, many homes were hit by this fallen debris , roads were covered with trees making them impassable, many electric poles just snapped clear in half and nearly all of the electrical lines were snapped or were laying on the ground. This left 100% of Mayfield without electric and 90% of Murray without electric, this includes no heat for weeks and some days saw 6 degrees Fahrenheit and many who rely on respiratory machines to live could not plug them in. Also large main water pipes froze and broke, so the water company had to shut down mainlines leaving many without water, those with wells could not get water because the well pumps run on electric. That means no toilets, showers, water for drinking, cooking, or cleaning. And we don’t have rivers and lakes to fill up buckets with water, unless you drive an hour away. All grocery stores were shut down for days (even Wal-Mart?) and when they were able to open on generators most food items had spoiled and many of the trucks that came to bring food in had gotten stuck from the fallen debris on the roads. Gas stations were closed for days. All banks were closed. Hospitals could not run machines they needed to help people. Lowes in Murray was the only store in the area that had prepared with a generator that would only last the store 5 days if it could not get more gas to run the generator. We went there to look for a heat source, but they sold out of generators, propane heaters and kerosene heaters. No candles. No camp stoves. No water. No food.
President Obama declared that Kentucky was in a state of disaster. Peoples fears started to mount and this became evident in their greed. FEMA was sent in and also armed troops to control looting and help with clean up. Electrical crews were sent in from all over the country. First they said it would take 2 weeks for some to get elect ric and water and now they are saying that because of the extent of the damage some in the country areas will not receive electric or water for 8 weeks!
When one grocery store finally opened with a generator the ATM cards and food stamp cards did not work. But the lines in this dimly lit store went from the front of the store clear to the back at the meat section. We went in to see if we could get something, but nothing was left, almost all the shelves were empty, unless you wanted to eat salad dressing without the salad?. When gas stations opened there were police men that had to watch over the long lines of cars because many fights broke out. The cell phones did not work. And regular phones did not work. The brothers could not call their family on the outside and the elders could not call the branch or the circuit overseer. Many people though, after the shock wore off, realized that those who still had gas in their cars could drive about 45 minutes south to use cell phones to call the branch office or family and get supplies. W e decided to do this too. But the important supplies like bottled water, canned foods and heating sources were all gone when we got there. We went to Lowes to get on a waiting list for a kerosene heater that would come all the way from Texas . We paid for it and came back the next day on time. But many people who were not on the list went to the back of the store while the truck was unloading and took the heaters right off of the truck and left the store! The Lowes personnel were able to retrieve 12 of them. But there were 54 people waiting their turn to get the heater that they had already paid for. As a result we watched many people cry, yell, and swear at the Lowes manager until she walked away crying. It was horrible to see the emotions of people on both sides feeling helpless.
Some people died from the fumes of a misused generator or propane heater. Many people with kerosene heaters woke up with severe headaches. Some babies froze to death.
Our brothers however, looked out for one another. It is heartwarming to say that not one person in our congregation spent a cold night alone! We moved in with one another and shared what we had. It was a very faith strengthening experience! One single mother in our hall, Kelly, had 4 or 5 families check in on her and when her phone worked she saw that she had a lot of messages asking if she was o.k. We also checked on our Bible studies and return visits. It has been a great learning experience too. We know now what we really need to put in our disaster relief kits. Lots of water, canned foods, camp stove with propane, chain saw, toilet paper and some form of heat with the gas, kerosene or dry wood to heat it.
We fled to Memphis , TN for 2 days with Kelly and another family and we were able to stay with brothers there. We were also able to listen in on the first talk from a congregation in the disaster area via phone. The elder said, “Now we can better understand the scripture in Matt24:20: ‘Pray that your flight not occur in the wintertime.’”? Then he said, “What is the only thing you have to remember in a disaster?... It is to rely on Jehovah, he will help you.” He said that being a part of Jehovah’s organization is a real protection because we made sure that all our brothers were contacted and helped. One elderly woman in the area said that she had not seen anyone from her church for a week but since she was a Bible study a sister used her precious gas to check on her, the woman was amazed and thankful. Then the brother said, “Be sure to contact any who are associated with the congregation. This includes inactive ones and Bible studies.” He also said that if any have not gotten a disaster relief kit ready or given him your current phone numbers and address and relatives phone number. NOW is the time to do that! Now is too late but we can at least prepare for the next disaster. He said that if you decide to leave your house then leave a note on your door or at the Kingdom Hall saying where you are and what you need. He said, “This is the best thing that has ever happened to us because we thought we were prepared for a disaster but we were not. Now we know what else we need to do.” Another elder from the other congregation also gave a talk and he said in a solemn tone, “I have had very little sleep… Brothers we are facing a disaster. Cell phone towers are designed t o keep working… THEY DID NOT. Water pipes broke. Generators shipped from Atlanta did not get through for days. There is no water, no electricity, and gas leaks. Roads are impassable. And this is just from two days of an ice storm. Imagine Jehovah’s power in Armageddon. Pro.22:3- ‘Shrewd is the one that has seen calamity and proceeds to conceal himself from it.’ The faithful and discreet slave warned us and prepared us for this, DID YOU LISTEN?”
Since Monday, February 2 nd we have been working with disaster relief crews sent by the branch. These crews are made up of brothers from Missouri , Indiana, Illinois and other nearby states. The work has been extensive and very exhausting. The brothers from all over br ought with them generators, food, and water. One brother in charge of sending out crews told us that brothers and sisters went out and bought brand new generators to send to us, which cost from $350-$650 each. They sent these generators to us without expecting anything in return. We have a large family in our congregation who are currently studying, are very regular in their meeting attendance and all 6 have recently become unbaptized publishers. They have received on e of these generators. The father, Pablo, said, “Thank you very much. I cannot pay you the full amount for the rental of the generator right now because I don’t have work. But I can make payments when the electricity comes back on at work.” The brothers explained to him that it was not a rental but a contribution from a brother who now has his electricity turned on and that he did not have to worry about paying anything. He and his family were very appreciative. The brothers are not only bringing us generators, but they are also teaching us how to hook them up and then hooking them up for us. There is a brother in our hall who is an electrical genius and has been fixing generators for the brothers to use. Another brother is fixing leeks in the friend’s roofs. There are also brothers who have never worked a chainsaw in their lives that are beginning to look like loggers. Sisters of little strength are helping each other to carry trees or branches the size. We are all working together in unity; this is how it will be after Armageddon . I asked Branden if the destruction that we see here with so many trees bare of limbs or trees that are down is what it looked like in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina hit. He said it looks very similar except we still have our homes. We thank Jehovah for that! We understand a little better now how people in the disaster areas feel. And how much love they feel for those who come and help.of small trees.
For many days we did not want to go back home because of how depressing it was to see the mess. But the brothers and sisters from our congregation came and helped us to put the debris from our front yard into five huge piles. Then the brothers and sisters in the disaster relief crews came and put the debris from the side and backyard into three more huge piles. They also cut up the bigger trees and branches into smaller pieces that can fit into a woodstove. (We don’t have a woodstove but we now plan on installing one). We are so so so (3X for emphasis?) thankful for their help. We were overwhelmed by the work that needed to be done, we could have never done it on our own, but now things seem manageable. All of our local brothers received the same love and help. Feeding and housing the disaster relief crews who came to help was very difficult, but we figured out ways to be hospitable without normal amenities, and we all pooled together our resources. For example one sister had money to buy food, another had a gas stove to cook it on, and another had a house that just received electric that the crews could sleep in and not be too cold. It is a little funny to report that in 3 cases that I know of, as soon as the Disaster Relief crews showed up at a house that needed help that house would receive electricity within 5-10 minutes after the crews showed up. And these houses had been out of electricity for a week to two weeks. We joked and said, “The Disaster Relief crews bring with them the power from the holy spirit to charge our electrical lines!”
We had many great experiences with the Disaster Relief crews. We cleared the yard of one of our elderly sisters who is in her 80’s. Her neighbor came up to one of the brothers from another state and said, “Ya’ll are doing a great job and you’re very fast! How much would you charge to clean up my yard?” The brother explained that we don’t charge anything, and that we are Jehovah’s Witnesses helping out our fellow Christians. The neighbor said, “Well I haven’t seen Mrs. Elderly (I don’t know her real name), how is she doing?” Our brother said, “I have never met her before and I live in ano ther state, but I am sure she is doing fine.” In amazement the neighbor replied, “You’re doing all this work for free for a woman that you do not know?” Our brother said yes he was and then the neighbor said, “I need to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses!” and then the neighbor started to help us clean up our sister’s yard! ?
Another experience that we faced was a lack of contributions at the Kingdom Hall. We did not have 3 of our meetings because of the storm and the donations were low because of that. Branden who is in charge of paying the Kingdom Halls bills, said that we were short by $120. We have a poor, humble congregation and none of us had any money because nobody had jobs because of the storm and what money we did have saved we had to spend on surviving the storm and helping each other. But we trusted in Jehovah. We went and helped a neighbor of one of our brothers because the brother’s trees had fallen in his neighbor’s yard. The neighbor thanked us for our help and gave us a $100 contribution for our Kingdom Hall. The next day after giving the Disaster Relief crew a warm place to stay one brother wrote us a thank you note with a $20 contribution. That equals $120, exactly what we needed to pay the rest of the Kingdom Hall’s bills!
Our brothers came to our aid when we needed them most and our love for them and what they did will always be remembered. This disaster has also made our local brothers and sisters much closer in their genuine love for one another. Some sisters cried tears of joy. One sister who moved over to help the Spanish congregation shed tears of joy and said, “I don’t have the energy I used to have. But you young ones are stepping right up and taking our places. Thank you so much for your help! You are cutting us up some firewood and so many have come to us with food. We have so much!” Another sister shed tears of joy and said that she was seriously thinking about moving back to Mexico where it is warm until the brothers came to help her. Another sister had a huge tree on her house. She was so overwhelmed and didn’t want to go outside her home and see the mess and then she received help from her brothers. After that she not only went outside but also joined us in cleaning up another family’s yard. We now know that without a doubt we can rely on each other for anything!
We thank Jehovah for this learning experience! We also hope that our experience can help some of our brothers and sisters in other areas of the world who have not yet weathered a disaster, I say yet. Please prepare and prepare to share! It does not cost much to buy a gallon of water every time you go grocery shopping. Wal-Mart sells them for .67 cents each. And remember to rely on Jehovah and stick to Jehovah’s organization and always help your brothers. Things will get worse. The great tribulation is prophesied to be worse than anything we have ever experienced. JEHOVAH IS PREPARING US NOW! LISTEN to his admonition through the faithful and discreet slave. You will be happy that you took the time to prepare. Not only to prepare your disaster relief kits, but also your heart and mind. It is not easy to live with people for long periods of time, so we need to work on the fruitage of the spirit now so that the brothers will find us easier to live with in times of distress. And a negative attitude can cripple anyone so constantly fight against this tendency now. If we listen to Jehovah we will all be safe . We send you all our love!!
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