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