By James Harthoorn, pastor of Burning Heart Fellowship (C&MA) in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana
At one point in our Louisiana neighborhood, I believe we had one foot of water rising per hour. When the flood waters began threatening our home, my wife and I decided to move our family to drier ground. I loaded up my kayak with our five-year-old son (who was in charge of swatting fire ants off the kayak) and put my one-year-old on his lap. Luggage was placed securely in front of them. My wife was carrying our two-month-old baby and holding the hand of our seven-year-old daughter. With me leading the kayak, we began trekking through the water.
Soon a bucket truck drove by and picked up my wife and children and brought them to a nearby shelter. Thankfully, a family in our fellowship eventually met them there and took them to Baton Rouge, the family’s home, to stay until it was safe to go back to our house.
The Search for Higher Ground
Knowing my family was safe, I returned to our home. At this point, the water was at the level of our foundation. I tried to raise everything off the floor and kept checking the sides of the house, but the water never came in. In fact, the water stayed at the same level, right at our doorstep, for hours. At 1 a.m., the water began to recede.
Around 4:30 a.m., I received a call that my wife and four kids needed to flee the rising flood waters in Baton Rouge. Our friend’s sister drove there to pick them up, refusing to give up even when roads were barely passable. They drove together to a third house at higher elevation. Yet, the next night, even that area came under the threat of flood waters. Thankfully, the waters stopped rising, and my family was able to stay put.
For one family in our church, the roads were already impassable when their home started flooding, so another church member came and rescued them by boat. Once they arrived at his house outside the flood zone, the two wives stayed up talking into the night. Before heading to bed at 2:30 a.m., they decided to check on flood updates. To their surprise, they learned flood waters were headed their way.
Sticking Together and Helping Others
The group fled their home through the flooded streets. On the way, they rescued a neighbor through a window. They then stopped at a nearby church, but it was already crowded and looked likely to flood. After making some phone calls, the group headed to another church family’s home that ended up hosting about 10 people and 6 dogs.
Please continue to pray for our church and the greater community. The need here is overwhelming. More than half the people we know in this area have experienced some degree of flooding in their homes. Most of them are now in the process of “mudding out” their homes. They are just now facing the reality of their losses.
How You Can Help
By giving to the CAMA Disaster Relief Fund, you can help support Pastor Harthoorn and his small congregation as they try to restore their homes, rebuild their lives, and “be the Church” to their broken community.
Learn More
Read the previous update on the Louisiana flooding.