By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
WELSH – Judy Bertrand felt the sting of tragedy twice in August.
After 49 years of marriage, her husband Joe passed away, having lost a lengthy battle with cancer.
Next, floodwaters deluged her house near Welsh, destroying most of her possessions and forcing Bertrand out for what she thought would be a long while.
Home for Christmas seemed unlikely for 2016.
But those prospects greatly improved when an army of Louisiana Baptists and other volunteers converged in late August to rebuild what nature had destroyed.
Now, unwrapping presents under the tree is just a matter of her avoiding Santa’s naughty list.
Bertrand calls what transpired “a Christmas miracle.”
“It was surreal,” she said. “I felt like God was taking care of me. How else do you get that kind of help? From day one they were a blessing to me.”
After meeting Bertrand during a meeting at the First Baptist Church in Welsh, one disaster relief volunteer felt led by the Holy Spirit to spearhead the rebuild effort.
Seeing God’s provision throughout the process of rebuilding the inside of her home was surreal, Judy Bertrand explains. Looking on is Pat Deshotel, pastor of First Baptist Church in Welsh. He said everyone involved represented Jesus Christ by showing love and compassion to someone in need.
“The Lord just tells you to do things some time, so I put my arm around her at the church and told Mrs. Bertrand we would rebuild her house,” said Reggy Saxon, the project manager who is a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Lake Charles. “She asked, ‘How will you do that?’ and I said, ‘The Lord will provide.’”
And provide He did.
Lacking money, the rebuild team enjoyed great favor in God’s provision of needed supplies and volunteers.
COMMUNITY SPIRIT
In short order, a team from the Carey Baptist Association of churches agreed to take on the project.
Then other churches of various denominations, as well as non-profit organizations and individuals from the community – even other states — rallied around the effort.
In the end, the project was completed in fewer than six weeks — just in time for Thanksgiving and dedication with a prayer of thanks.
The outpouring of support for Bertrand came as no surprise to Pat Deshotel, pastor of First Baptist Church in Welsh. He said it was a manifestation of Christ-like love in a time of desperation.
“They didn’t know Judy but knew her situation,” Deshotel said. “They jumped in and helped.
“It wasn’t about the name of your religion,” he continued. “It was about representing Christ. If Jesus had been here and seen these kinds of predicaments, what would He have done? He would have helped; He would have had compassion. And that’s what all these people did. They had compassion. They represented Christ.”
A SPECIAL GIFT
Rob Tibbitts, pastor of Crossroads Church in Vinton, said he received a blessing knowing he helped someone in deep need.
“Scripture says we prove our Christianity when we help widows and orphans,” he said. “It started with a cup of cold water and ended with a house redone. We are hopeful the seeds we planted will come to fruition for Kingdom stuff. This is neat to be able to go in and do a rebuild and watch everything fall together and the body of Christ work together.
“For her, it’s a double blessing,” he said. “She is going back into the house where she and her husband made memories, and it’s a fresh start after the flood.
It also was a blessing for all those who were involved, he said.
“It was a great gift for us to be able to do.”
A CHRISTMAS STORY
With Christmas just two weeks away, Deshotel said the act of kindness shown by the volunteers mirrors, somewhat, what God did for mankind by sending his Son to earth.
“There was a time when the water was in the house,” Deshotel said. “It was almost like there was ‘no room at the inn.’ Where do I go?
“This is just the perfect example of what God expects from us because of what His Son did for you and me.”
