When Dale and Kim took over running a country market in Abbotsford, B.C., they never thought their biggest challenge would be trying to protect their business from raging flood water.
When that nightmare overwhelmed their lives in November, the couple was desperate for help.
“We watched the water approaching,” Kim recalled, adding the couple had the luxury of seven hours to move as much stock and equipment as possible out of harm’s way. “We shouldn’t have stayed as long as we did. The place was an island (when we finally got out).”
In the end, several of their fridges were flooded, the walls and floor were waterlogged, and the couple’s meat and poultry supplies were ruined.
Prayers and support from people like you sent staff and specially equipped Disaster Relief Unit tractor trailers to help Kim and Dale, along with hundreds of others in Abbotsford and Merritt, another flooded B.C. town.
While the volunteers, outfitted in Tyvek safety suits, prepared Dale and Kim’s business for repair by removing waterlogged contents and applying a special spray to prevent mold, the couple expressed their profound appreciation.
“The crew has been so amazing,” Dale said gratefully. “They’re leaders without being controlling. It’s such a beautiful thing to watch.”
Added Kim: “I was worried I might be intimidated by Samaritan’s Purse, but the volunteers are so amazing, so focused. And when they prayed for us, I just lost it.”
Both were thankful for our financial partners, with Kim saying, “Thank you so much for giving. I don’t know how we would have gotten through this without Samaritan’s Purse.”
So far in Abbotsford and Merritt, we have cleaned out about 200 homes and businesses and protected them with a special anti-mold spray.
As the work progresses, God is opening doors to share the Good News and hope of Jesus, who “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). When volunteers complete each job, they have an opportunity to present a special, signed Bible to the homeowners—a gentle, meaningful reminder of the One who inspires and directs all our work.
Please join us in thanking God for how He uses this ministry to work in the lives of hurting Canadians, and in the lives of our partners in the Gospel.
Help Samaritan's Purse respond quickly to victims of disasters within Canada, providing not only physical assistance as people clean up and rebuild after floods, fires, and other disasters, but also emotional and spiritual support in the aftermath of tragedy.