By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
LAFAYETTE – As he passed by a local fast food restaurant, Wayne Barber felt a nudging by the Holy Spirit to stop and see what God had in store for he and his fellow Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team members.
When Barber did, the Southern Baptists of Texas Disaster Relief chaplain found a worker in the establishment discouraged and in need of hope after flooding in mid-August left her apartment uninhabitable. Moments later, Barber offered her something that would never wash away or be destroyed – a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ.
She would be the first person over the next three days in the same restaurant and in the same booth – and one of nearly 40 altogether during Barber’s eight days there – to make a decision for Christ.
“There were three people in a row at the same booth, three days in a row, all accepting Christ,” said Barber, still all smiles after his week in Louisiana. “It was amazing how we were going down the road and the Holy Spirit nudged us to go in there, even though we really hadn’t planned to at first.
“Every night when we go to bed we pray the Lord would prepare divine appointments the next day,” said Barber, a member of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jasper, Texas. “We pray He would prepare our hearts for those divine appointments. When we meet up, we have the strength to be the Christians we can be. And God never fails you.”
These divine appointments for Barber and others from the feeding, mud-out and chaplaincy unit from Texas stationed at the Bayou Church in Lafayette are the hallmark of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.
Wally Leyerle, white hat with the unit at the Bayou Church, said one question they always ask homeowners is if they have a personal relationship with Christ.
“That’s why we are here,” Leyerle said. “Although we do feed people, our purpose is not to bring food. Although we do clean up their houses and all of that, our purpose isn’t to do that. Our purpose is to touch people with the love and grace of Jesus Christ.”
Like other disasters Leyerle has responded to, the people in our state are appreciative of the work of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers. As teams from all over the country continue to come and respond to needs in the affected areas, Leyerle asks for prayers of endurance, that they would continue fighting the good fight and finish the race.
“Also, pray for our families who are holding things down back home,” he said. “And pray for the people we touch, that they will have hearts open to the Gospel and ready to respond to the life-saving news of Jesus Christ.”
