Recapping our trip to Golden Meadow

Our team of 19 landed in Golden Meadow, Louisiana, on Monday, March 7th to help families continue to recover from the effects of Hurricane Ida. Ida made landfall on August 29 with winds measured as high as 198 mph killing a total of 115 people. The effects were

devastating to this community. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief workers were on the field quickly, many at First Baptist Church, Golden Meadow. The church building lost part of the roof and the back wall was blown in 3 feet. By God’s grace the gym stood strong and

became a hub during the recovery.

In January, Joel Hitchcock, pastor at Solid Rock Baptist, and I visited pastor Matt Chouest at FBC. We toured the area and made a plan
for bringing a group back. Our team did fantastic work during the week we were on the ground. We repaired 4 homes, all free of charge. We built a ramp, laid flooring, extended a deck, repaired a roof, and moved a small building. We also did a lot of work on FBC to help them get back in to their church by Easter Sunday.

Pastor Matt has been working extensively with a group of Amish who have been bringing groups to Golden Meadow since the winter. On Tuesday evening we shared dinner with these young people at their

camp located on some property owned by Matt’s family.

Matt has had the opportunity to minister to many of these young people who have come from Pennsylvania to work on homes. His tireless commitment to the gospel is inspiring. Pray for him and his family as they continue to impact this area with the gospel. If your church is interested in taking a group to Louisiana this summer let me know and we will help make it happen.