A tornado struck the small sawmill town of Century, Florida, in April 2016. Deborah Williams and her son were unable to make it to a shelter so they stood in the living room and felt the tornado move their home.
After the tornado, Ms. Williams realized that the tornado actually lifted the roof of her house. When it set the roof back down, large gaps were left between the walls and ceiling.
Floors, carpeting, furniture, walls, beds, and personal items were all damaged by the tornado’s high winds, rain and, of course, the roof being lifted off her home.
I, along with other World Renew Disaster Response Services’ (DRS) volunteers, worked on Deborah’s home in November 2016. And as we worked, we had the opportunity to get to know her.
Ms. Williams told me that she had purchased the home as an investment. She planned to fix it up and sell it. However, due to health issues and other circumstances, she lost her main residence. This forced her to move into the fixer-upper she bought in Century.
After the tornado, her fixer-upper home needed far more renovation than it did before.
My team and I painted the rooms, laid flooring, and tiled ceiling in Ms. Williams’ home. From February through May 2017, the World Renew DRS teams who were there after us sided, painted, installed windows, and more.
Ms. Williams believes that the Lord sent us to her, and she called us “angels” sent to help her and lift her spirits during a very difficult time in her life. She feels more confident that her life has taken a turn for the better.
Ms. Williams uses her beautiful singing voice to minister to others in local churches, expressing her love for her Lord and Savior. She says that “you have to be thankful for the little things in order for God to bless you with anything big.”
Ms. Williams is thankful to have had World Renew DRS volunteers help her, and she said she will always call us her personal angels.
Top photo: The World Renew DRS team in front of Ms. Williams renovated home.
