By Message Staff
TROUT – As a powerful EF-2 tornado moved over their home at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 2, Mike Devillier and his family knew of just one course of action to take while huddled together in the church parsonage bathroom – pray.
“We joined hands and prayed,” said Devillier, pastor of Fellowship Baptist Church in Trout. “Although there was the tension of the storm, we had peace in the middle of it knowing God was in control and no matter what happened here He was taking care of is.”
Though Devillier’s home was left intact, many others in the church were not as fortunate. About half of the 200 who attend Sunday morning worship services at Fellowship Baptist Church received some damage to their homes, including a few which were totally destroyed as a result of the tornado, one of two in LaSalle Parish confirmed by the National Weather Service. However, no one was seriously injured or killed.
Devillier said while the storm caused significant damage, it also has brought out the best in his members and others in the community. Not long after it passed and the rain stopped, a plethora of people got to work, using chainsaws to cut through trees that fell in yards, moving debris from rooftops, passing out bottled water and serving gumbo to hungry community members.
“It’s been a community effort where people are going house to house, helping repair what they can,” Devillier said. “A lot of people have come together to be the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus. It’s been amazing to see, to be a part of this community where they are even leaving their homes where they have devastation helping their neighbors.
“We’re called to help each other out,” he continued. “As the body of Christ, when one member hurts, we all hurt.”
In the days ahead, Devillier said his congregation and other churches will have ample opportunities for ministry. They plan to distribute much of the 4,000 new articles of clothing to people who lost many of their belongings due to the storm. The clothes were delivered Friday, March 31, to the church and none were damaged in the tornado.
“Once you get all these trees removed, some people have to rebuild their lives,” he said. “That’s why we are here, to reach out to folks. And that’s what we want to do. We’re thankful for how God was there for us during the storm and how He will use us in the weeks and months ahead.”
