Called by God to Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief
With Mark Rapant’s involvement in many activities and ministries at Good Shepherd, it’s no surprise that God led him to serve those affected by Hurricane Ian.
From Oct 22 through Nov 6, he volunteered with disaster relief in southwest Florida supported by Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world.
Hurricane Ian pounded the area with 150 mph winds and 20 inches of rain in just hours. Almost all experienced some damage, ranging from losing a few shingles, to total destruction of homes. Many trees and personal property were severely damaged. Most people, including many retired people who call this area of Florida home, were severely traumatized by the damage which occurred, and were concerned about how they were going to recover.
Base camp was a church in Englewood, FL, consisting of sleeping rooms with air mattresses and a dining room for breakfast and dinner. Each day, up to 140 volunteers were placed on teams to serve 3-4 homeowners requiring emotional and physical support. They also were equipped with trucks filled with ladders, wheelbarrows, chainsaws, hand & construction tools, etc.
Their primary role was to listen, comfort and share the love of God with homeowners. Residents were overjoyed to see volunteers from across the country. They all prayed together before starting work.
The teams’ secondary role was to complete a variety of tasks including yard clean-up, cutting downed trees, tarping roofs, and removing wet drywall and insulation. When finished, they again would pray together, then give the gift of a Bible and a box of cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items. There were many tears of joy as they left each site.
During the 11 days, Mark’s teams assisted 36 Homeowners. Base camp had an additional 1,800 requests to complete when he left.
Mark thanks God for all who have spiritually and financially supported his mission work, locally, in other areas of the United States and internationally: “Thank you again for teaming with me on these projects. God has surely blessed us with our time, talent, and treasures.”
