They say everything’s bigger in Texas… and when it comes to generosity, they might be right!

Emily & Boxanne took a road trip to east Texas this past weekend to pick up kits & supplies for Ferncliff’s Disaster Assistance Center. Boxanne is our trusty 16′ box truck and a vital part of our disaster assistance operations; having a box truck means we are often able to pick up and distribute kits in our regional area faster and cheaper than shipping.

The first stop on the journey was Gilmont Camp & Conference Center in Gilmer, Texas. Located about 3.5 hours from Ferncliff, Gilmont is a Presbyterian site that hosts retreats, camps, & events on their lovely wooded property. Emily enjoyed wandering around Gilmont and taking in the calm quiet beauty of creation.

Gilmont is also a kit depot for CWS/PDA disaster assistance kits. They receive & store kits from some churches and groups, but most of their inventory is assembled by campers and guests on site at Gilmont as a mission service project. This disaster assistance partnership between Gilmont and Ferncliff is made possible in part through support from a mission grant from the Synod of the Sun.

This weekend Emily picked up a whopping 170+ emergency clean-up buckets and over 500 hygiene kits from Gilmont!

Thank you to Executive Directors Jennifer and Kenny Rigoulot for your partnership in disaster assistance ministry. And thanks to Crosby, Sam, Andy, & the rest of the Gilmont staff for the warm welcome, hospitality, and help loading Boxanne!

On Sunday Emily & Boxanne continued on to First Presbyterian Church Fort Worth for a very special event. The First Pres Kids Arts & Music children’s choir held a performance of Mark Burrows’ musical “Storms.” The musical is about the storms we face (both literal storms and figurative internal storms), where God is during tough times, and how we can respond and help. As the program says, “No matter the storm, you are always loved and you are never alone.”

In coordination with the musical, families collected items to fill emergency cleanup buckets in the weeks ahead of the performance. First Presbyterian Fort Worth provided the buckets and supply lists, and families contributed in a huge way! With the dozens of buckets and tons of additional supplies collected by the congregation, Boxanne was packed right up to the door! It took some creative arrangement to fit it all inside. We invited the “Storms” cast to sign a ceiling tile that will be displayed in the DAC to represent their hard work with the musical and collection of supplies.

Thank you to Becca Sawyer, Music Associate at First Presbyterian Church Fort Worth, for the invitation to attend this great event! And thank you to the church staff, the “Storms” cast, and the church members who contributed items and funding for this effort!

We are so grateful for the support we have in this important ministry. Our disaster assistance operations are made possible through partners, volunteers, and donors like our friends at Gilmont & First Presbyterian Church Fort Worth.

For more information about our mission & outreach operations, contact Emily at emily@ferncliff.org!