The city of Waverly, Tennessee, was devastated by flood waters during the summer of 2021. While there is still damage done to the homes of the town, a group of students took initiative to help out during this spring semester.
Several trips were taken during the months of January and February to complete relief work in Waverly. These trips were organized by the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, or BCM, a faith-based student organization. The trips were organized by the BCM through the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, TBMB, which is over all mission work for the state of Tennessee and was able to provide the student volunteers the proper tools and qualified workers.
The relief work that students volunteered for involved working on the demolition and installation side of the damaged homes. The TBMB had sent in plumbers, electricians and contractors to work on the houses prior to volunteers arriving, and the work was set for those students willing to serve.
Luke Love, one of the campus missionaries at the BCM, says that the students were not only there to lend a helping hand but to also take this as an opportunity to share their faith with the homeowners they assisted.
“The goal of the trips was to share the love of Jesus Christ with the homeowners. This is our goal at the BCM, and the goal of the TBMB. The construction work we did was what initiated the opportunity for us to share the gospel with these people,” Love said.
While much work was done, Love did regret not being able to see one job through, when he said, “On one of these trips we removed the floor of an entire house, which I thought was a major accomplishment. I wish we could have seen a house get completed to where a homeowner could move back in, but we unfortunately did not get to see that.”
Because of the success that was achieved in Waverly, Love says that there are more trips being planned for the future. “The goal is to plan at least one more trip during May after the school year ends.”
Over thirty students volunteered to serve on these trips, which was an encouragement to the BCM and TBMB organizations. Luke Love’s final remarks show his hope for these trips, which was to not only see students serve the community but also serve in unity with each other. “It was truly beautiful seeing so many students working actively towards the same goal.”
