Thanks for Going Above & Beyond!
This month, Radiant Plumbing & Air Conditioning has decided to choose a nominee who has gone above and beyond to help our friends, family, and neighbors in the Onion Creek area after the Oct 30th flash flood.
Onion creek rose a record 41 feet overnight into the morning of Halloween. Austin Disaster Relief Network jumped into action as soon as news broke that the area had been hit by a flood that left over 1700 homes flooded. Per their website: “The Austin Disaster Relief Network is comprised of churches, ministries and businesses within the Christian community of Greater Austin to form a disaster relief alliance to help those in need in times of disaster.” Radiant Helping Hands is very happy to be able to help with this effort.
The work they do is on a volunteer basis through a network of more than 110 churches in the Greater Austin area. You can help by approaching them to volunteer your time or resources. ADRN has deployed over 2500 volunteers already but over 500 families have asked for sponsorship from ADRN because of the Onion Creek flood alone.
To help, go to their website to sign up to be a volunteer or to see the items that are needed most in the “Central TX Flood” section. They are on the cusp of diving into the first stage of 86 new home rebuilds with the help of an amazing partnership with the Mennonite Disaster Service organization. They have pledged their hands and time to build all 86 homes, but funding is needed for the materials for these homes. We are so glad we can help support their efforts with our donation.
One volunteer recounts a day that had substantial impact on him with the recent flood cleanup efforts:
“ One encounter particularly impacted me today. A young single mother with a nine month old baby began sharing her story with me and it was very hard to keep my emotions in check. She was very confused and scared as the water began entering her rented home, not knowing what she should do to protect her baby. A neighbor came to her and assisted her in climbing up to the roof of his home to escape the rapidly rising and fast moving water. In the confusion and fear of the moment this young mother did not think to grab anything but her baby boy, thus no clothes or diapers, no food, no documents, nothing.
“Long hours sitting on the roof, with no ability to change diapers or feed the baby was very stressful, plus when they could climb down she faced the realization that there was nothing left to retrieve. This young woman had a job at an assisted living center, but her child care was provided by a neighbor, one that had also lost their house and is now evacuated thus creating a work dilemma. She lost her WIC (food support) card for the child, she lost her ID, her social security card, both their birth certificates, all personal documents. She has spent the last two nights in the evacuation center as she has no family living in Texas. She has no car, no phone and frankly was feeling there was no hope as she came to us today.
“To say that there is tremendous need in this situation is an understatement, one that is both short and long term. I felt very privileged but inadequate as I met and prayed with this young lady, but of course the power and resources will come from the Lord. There are many other stories, each with unique aspects, but the in the end all people need to respond and come alongside and give them an assist during this difficult time. What better time for the body of Christ to manifest care and love to those He loves. I heard many expressions of gratefulness for the ‘Church’ coming out and being there for this community. I pray that we can continue to serve and care for these hurting families.”
These are the types of things that remind us that we are all human and when a neighbor needs a helping hand we should not only offer one but both of our hands to try and pull them up. That is what Radiant Helping Hands is all about: Pulling our community up with positive efforts to improve the future.
