If you attended worship services this past Sunday, were the veterans present asked to stand to be acknowledged? Though these men and women are fewer in number each year, this simple act of grateful recognition always brings me to tears.
This week we honor the nearly 16 million veterans in the United States who have served during times of war and peace. We salute our veterans for their military service and consider them heroes, all.
But I’m also thinking of you today, my friends - veteran moms and dads who did your time in the parenting trenches, yet sometimes doubt your children appreciate the sacrifices you made for them. Veteran teachers who wonder if all those carefully crafted lesson plans made a difference in your students’ lives. Veteran nurses and doctors whose patients may no longer recall your names.
And I’m also thinking of the veterans of a different kind of warfare – mankind against the forces of nature.
As I write, wildfires are raging on both coasts, and several regions of the US are experiencing severe drought. Here in the Southeast, many are still living in tents or without potable water after Hurricane Helene devastated our area six weeks ago. Biltmore Village and the historic River Arts district in Asheville lie in ruins, and entire communities including Chimney Rock and Bat Cave were wiped out.
Veterans come in many guises, don’t they? They wade into the fray even when their own lives are at risk. They seek no recognition, receive no medals, deflect any praise. But their stories need to be told.
Veterans like Gary.
Gary is a full-time farmer and part-time firefighter whom we came to know when our oldest son’s family lived next door to his small family farm in Hendersonville. As flood waters began to rise pre-dawn on Friday, September 27, Gary’s crew was called to nearby Chimney Rock to perform swift water rescues. As trees and power lines fell around their fire engine, the crew became trapped.
As these first responders fought to reach people calling for help from trees and rooftops, Gary’s wife Abby faced a crisis of her own at home. Though their farm is located a half mile from the nearest river, flood waters rose over 25 feet and quickly submerged their acreage. With the help of neighbors, Abby and their children cut fences to free their cattle and pigs, sheep and chickens. Falling trees destroyed the greenhouses Gary had constructed to nurture seedlings for next year’s crops. A year’s harvest of hay washed into a nearby ravine.
While Gary saved lives, his family’s own livelihood was lost. Without hay to feed their livestock or equipment to farm their land, they will struggle to meet mortgage payments.
1) Aerial view of the farm under water 2) Greenhouses destroyed 3) Search and rescue site
Yet when Mike and I met with them last week, Gary and Abby spoke only of the needs of their neighbors. Committed believers, Gary has been at work organizing teams of volunteers to gut flooded homes and remove toppled trees. He’s turned his farm into a distribution point for those in need as well as a working sawmill, cutting wood and planing boards to donate to those who must rebuild their homes.
“The ground is ripe to share the gospel with our community,” Gary says simply. “This is the way we can love our neighbors.
“While we mourn what we’ve lost, we’ve gained far more. We’re seeing our neighborhood work together in a way we’ve never experienced before. What a privilege to be part of it!”
As we talked, Gary’s neighbor James, whose home also flooded, quietly recalled the ancient words of the prophet Habakkuk:
"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop fails,
and the fields lie empty and barren;
even though the flocks die in the fields,
and the cattle barns are empty,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!"
(Habakkuk 3:17-19)
In a world often gone mad with hatred and vengeance, violence and greed, there are veteran servants like Gary, one of the heroes of Helene. This man knows Jesus, and oh, does it show.
Veterans all, we salute you.
~Maggie
** Personal note: If you’d like to assist us in helping this wonderful Christian family, please email me at Maggie@MaggieRowe.com.
If your church or organization is seeking a speaker for next year, I’m currently scheduling for 2025.
Whether you have already chosen a theme or would like me to work with you on one, I’d be honored to serve your group. Just shoot an email to Maggie@MaggieRowe.com. I’d love to join you in ministry in 2025!