Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine November 2017 | Page 12

Lighthouse Christian Ministries By: Erika Steele Executive Director Lighthouse Christian Ministries [email protected] As you all know, this hurricane season Harvey paid an unexpected visit to the Gulf Coast of Texas and overstayed its welcome, dumping a record rainfall of +50 inches in the Southeast Houston area. In the Bacliff community where LCM is located, approximately 150 homes received damage from flooding. Many of LCM’s neighbors lost a week or more of income due to wide-scale flooding and shut-downs because of the hurricane. Even with the damage, our community has also become a home to many displaced families from Hurricane Harvey. Since opening our doors on August 30 th , LCM has served almost 435 households with over $36,000 in immediate assistance. As the Bacliff community begins to mend, LCM is transitioning our focus to long term recovery. LCM’s mission of “building relationships through service” has been exemplified through the response to Hurricane Harvey.  Several of LCM’s clients, including two graduates from our educational scholarship program, are among those who have experienced devastation from the storm, having lost their homes and most of their possessions—but no one is walking the road of recovery alone. While sitting among the storm debris from her home, one of our students remarked “I know it seems crazy to say this, but I have never felt so blessed in all my life.” God has been present in the storm and He is present in the aftermath. We are grateful for the opportunity to be His hands and feet in the restoration of homes and lives after Harvey.  In the weeks following Hurricane Harvey, LCM was given a large donation of toys through a partnership with Learning Resources and the Busby Family of the TLC show “Outdaughtered”. Together, LCM, Clear Creek Community Church, and the Busby family hosted a party for families that lost toys during Hurricane Harvey and to give them a time of family fun in the midst of their challenges. At LCM we often talk to our neighbors in crisis about God knowing our every need and that He is our great provider—this was evident in the way that the Lord has made great provision for LCM through this time of Hurricane Recovery. He went before us and prepared us when He made it possible for LCM to purchase the property behind LCM just a few months prior to Harvey, giving us a place to collect, sort, and store hurricane  donations. His provision has also come in the form of generous donations of goods and financial support from LCM supporters and community members. The outpouring of support from far and wide is unprecedented.  Special thanks to Indorama for their $20,000 grant to start out Harvey recovery fund. If you would like to be part of LCM’s Harvey long-term recovery team as a volunteer, please contact [email protected]. 11 MOMENTUM / November 2017