Fifty Christian school staff and students help Abbotsford, B.C. flood victims through Samaritan’s Purse.
Among the challenging work carried out by Timothy Christian School students was removing waterlogged appliances from a flooded home.
In the aftermath of devastating floods in Abbotsford, B.C., Bill Beeke wanted his students to offer a helping hand but wasn’t sure how. Then he learned that Samaritan’s Purse, supported by generous people like you, was on the ground.
“We’re not witnessing well if we don’t help hurting people,” said the vice-principal of Timothy Christian School in nearby Chilliwack. But, “you just can’t show up in a bus and say ‘what can we do?’ You need an organization to work through, and Samaritan’s Purse fit the bill.”
Bill, his wife, and almost 50 Grade 11 and 12 students divided into groups and, under the guidance of an experienced Samaritan’s Purse team leader, cleaned up several severely flooded homes, preparing them for repair at no cost to the exhausted, grateful homeowners.
“You give us a framework to be hands and feet of Christ”
Bill didn’t know Samaritan’s Purse has done extensive Canadian disaster relief work, including the 2013 southern Alberta floods and wildfires in the B.C. interior. But he’s very grateful for the opportunity to help through the organization.
“You give us a framework to be hands and feet of Christ,” he said while taking a break in the warmth of the Timothy Christian School bus. Outside, students wearing masks and protective white Tyvek suits streamed in and out of a flood-damaged home, carrying waterlogged furniture to a giant dumpster.
Before heading out to do their volunteer flood clean-up work, Timothy Christian School students received basic safety training from a Samaritan’s Purse staff member.
“You’ve made it really easy for us to help people in need.”
The flood relief work in Abbotsford—and also in Merritt, another hard-hit B.C. community—is expected to continue well into 2022. Will you continue to reach out, in Jesus’ Name, to hurting families through your gifts and prayers?
