As floodwaters rose, an elderly man near Hendersonville, North Carolina, carried his wheelchair-bound wife through waist-deep waters and placed her in a canoe with neighbors. He returned to his flooded house and clung to life until the water began to recede. For the next three days he struggled without drinking water, electricity or any communication with the outside world. All the while, he prayed, not knowing whether his wife had survived. It would be days before the couple were reunited.

His story—and others equally compelling—was repeated over and over as members of First Presbyterian’s mission team provided help and comfort by listening, encouraging, praying and laboring to help the small North Carolina community during a recent mission trip.

The team, led by Paul and Christine Seddon, included Tim Cassel, Anne DePoy, Donna Miller, Frank Sprinkel and Kevin Luczak. A local couple, Scott and Carla Benton, from a Weyers Cave church, joined them, as did three men from Centreville Presbyterian. The 25 volunteers worked on various sites for several days.

Their primary ministry, says Paul, was “just listening … so they could share their stories and begin the healing process.” The group was also able to present several Kerus quilts to those suffering.

In addition to this “ministry of presence,” the group spent several days working. They cleaned out crawl spaces filled with mud, installing new plastic barriers. They removed nails from floor joists and walls where flooring and sheetrock had been removed. They hauled debris from yards and trees that had fallen on homes, cars and outbuildings.

The street of modest, ranch-style houses was situated about 50 yards beyond and 20 feet above the stream, yet the homes suffered 4 to 10 feet of water damage as the floodwaters rose 30 to 40 feet in a matter of hours. They lost everything—furniture, appliances, possessions.

The ongoing mission work in Hendersonville is being overseen by Reach Global, an arm of the Evangelical Free Church of America, an all-volunteer group. Working with the support of Hendersonville Presbyterian Church, Reach Global has made a two-year commitment to the area. Rob McClellan, a former youth pastor at First Presbyterian, is senior pastor of the church.

Through the team from First Presbyterian, Jesus showed up in Hendersonville, affirming the scripture that faith is made visible through works.