By Baptist Message staff
LAKE CHARLES, La. (LBM) –Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief feeding and laundry teams have been activated for ministry to the homeless in Lake Charles.
The team of 12 members from Carey Baptist Association and Rolling Hills Ministries will cook meals (using equipment provided by Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville), Jan. 15-17, for an expected 125 homeless individuals who will be housed at Watersedge Church (non-denominational), Lake Charles.
Reggy Saxon, DR coordinator for Zone 5 that encompasses southwest Louisiana, asked for prayers for those individuals the teams will minister to over the next few days.
“God reminds us that He cares even for the least of these,” Saxon said. “These are folks without a home. Shame on us if we ignore them, especially in a time of need. This is an excellent time to share the Lord in tough conditions.”
A Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief feeding team prepared food that was served to homeless individuals in Lake Charles. Reggy Saxon photo
Lake Charles is among communities throughout the state and nation impacted by frigid temperatures and wintry precipitation from Winter Storm Heather.
Across the state, roadways, businesses including all state offices and schools were closed as Heather blanketed parts of the state with snow, freezing rain and sleet.
According to AccuWeather, the storm has impacted more than 200 million across the central and eastern US, has left 0.5 to 1 inch of snow in Dallas, 3-6 inches of snow from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Nashville, Tenn., and even more in other parts of the country that have experienced lake-effect snow that can produce 2-3 inches or more of snow per hour. The Associated Press reported that Lake Erie-fed snow bands produced, in New York, 41 inches of snow in Hamburg and Angola and three feet in West Seneca, Blasdell and South Buffalo.
One person died in a motor vehicle accident on an icy road in east Texas on Monday. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Barbra Jackson of Shelbyville, Texas, was driving a 2020 Jeep SUV on FM 2694 in Shelby County at an unsafe speed when the vehicle slid across the eastbound lane off the road and crashed into two trees.
The storm has resulted in more than 150,000 power outages, more than 2,100 flight cancellations nationwide and countless vehicle pileups.
Donations that provide financial assistance for the effort can be made on the LBDR website.
