Following Hurricane Matthew, Chris and I sorrowfully witnessed the flooding of The Anchor House. On Sunday October 9, 2016, waters seeped into The Anchor House flooding cottage one and the first floor of the main building. There was nothing we could have done to stop the flood waters as they crested at 19 inches in cottage one and 9 inches in the main building.
While The Anchor House was insured, unfortunately it was not insured for flooding. We caught the omission of flood insurance too late and the flood policy did not go into effect until October 30th. This was a mistake on our part, which we regret deeply and has added to the devastation we are already feeling. We also recognize that while we made a mistake His grace is and will continue to be sufficient to overcome these obstacles in the advancement of His mission and will to rescue and restore boys lives!
What was lost due to flood damage were our cabinets, inside doors, flooring, baseboards, insulation and sheetrock. After waters descended, we were able to quickly go into the buildings to assess the damage and begin restoring The Anchor House.
The Saturday following the flood, we had 65 volunteers from as far as Winston Salem participate in a work day at The Anchor House! How wonderful! The work day included tearing out flooded sheetrock, insulation, cabinets, flooring, baseboards, doors and anything else that needed cleaning up.
Although the flooding of The Anchor House was devastating, Chris and I are uplifted by the love you’ ve shown us! We cannot thank you enough for the encouraging calls, texts, emails, Facebook posts, and Instagram messages. It’ s evident that we do not stand alone but with a courageous band of people who support this ministry! Thank you for pressing forward with us! As we move to restore The Anchor House I am reminded of a few verses in Isaiah 58 that speak to our season.
I will always show you where to go. I’ ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places- firm muscles, strong bones. You’ ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You’ ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past. You’ ll be known as those who can fix anything, restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate, make the community livable again. Isaiah 58:11-12( The Message)
A few weeks ago Linda Royster, The Anchor House Director, spoke a word that resonates as a now message. She explained that the restoring of The Anchor House translates to our need for God to restore us. Each of us has stories of restoration. Maybe you can pause for a moment to think of the places in your lives that were once tainted until God did His work of renovation. The Anchor