Kristen Welch - Raising World Changers in a Changing World: How One Family Discovered the Beauty of Sacrifice and the Joy of Giving

A month after I turned in this manuscript to my publisher, I found myself hunkering down with my family for days in Houston, Texas, as Hurricane Harvey destroyed more than 470,000 homes in my city. Rising water threatened most of us as the storm paused over our city and rain fell for days. In our suburb, forty-five minutes north of Houston, we received thirty-four inches of rain in less than forty-eight hours. As the rain continued we would get up in the middle of the night to see how close it was to our doors and how the roof was holding up at Mercy House. Thankfully, the water drained a little faster than it fell, and we escaped flooding. Many like our family who didnt flood were still trapped in their houses for days due to impassable roads, but it was the thousands who lost everything that captured our hearts. I dont know if it was the ongoing news coverage, the cabin fever, or the gratitude that came from escaping Harveys worst, but we were desperate to do something to help those who were suffering in Houston. And we werent alone.

Once we were able to leave our homes, we did so with one thought: Who can we help today? Who needs a meal? Who needs dry clothes? Who needs to be rescued by boat? We turned Mercy House into a collection center where we distributed nonperishable food and diapers to evacuees. Stay-at-home moms made and delivered meals to families stuck in hotels while dads mudded out homes, cutting away damaged sheetrock from floodwaters. We collected and distributed thousands of dollars in gift cards. Texas became an army of world changers. It quickly became nearly impossible to find a place to volunteer or donate to because people had made helping others a top priority.

Madison and Jon-Avery spent days with their youth group moving furniture to higher ground and carrying wheelbarrow loads of wet and ruined sheetrock. They wore masks to protect their bodies from the toxic fumes and gloves to prevent staph infections. Emerson got up every morning and asked, Who are we helping today? And it felt normal. My kids werent special or unique in their serving; they simply asked the question our state was asking: What can I do to serve someone today? Its what you do in a storm.

I believe we are supposed to ask this question every single day. This is the heart of generosity. What can I do today to help someone in need? This is compassion. This is Christianity. I have seen the worlds normal and looked into the faces of hopelessness, and I can tell you that there is always someone in need. There is always a storm brewing in someones life. There is always an opportunity to ask this question because the body of Christ is the worlds disaster-relief plan. In the middle of Harvey relief efforts, I wondered if our desperation to do something would dry up with the floodwaters. I was reminded that this question, this compelling motivation to give, shouldnt depend on disaster; it should be our way of life. We were created to share what weve been given.