BY DAWN REED

Life had been hard for Miss Slone before the flood. Before July 28, she had been going through chemo for cancer. Due to missing work for her treatments, she was let go. She has already lost her mother, father and four siblings to brain or colon cancer. Meanwhile, she has pressed on, being a mother, grandmother and anchor for others in her family. She’s also raised many children that were not hers.

At 3 a.m. on that fateful Thursday morning, she noticed the floor was brown. Floodwater was filling her living room. Alarmed, she grabbed her grandson – asleep on the couch beside her – and hurried out into the darkness to alert her sleeping neighbors. The murky water rose until it hit the yellow line on the road. Miss Slone’s was the only house on her street that was flooded.

When our team from Samaritan’s Purse arrived last week, we saw many boxes piled up outside. Plastic tubs lined her porch beside her refrigerator. Our task was to tear out the inner walls where the water had been. The team leader measured a good distance over the waterline to ensure that all damaged material would be eliminated. After removing the sheetrock, paneling and insulation, a team member sprayed Shock Wave to keep the scourge of black mold from growing.

I’m not a brute, but I can pull nails, tear out walls and insulation, and remove trim. (I think of Psalm 18:34: “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow…”) I bet you can, too. I can carry garbage and wood to a pile. It doesn’t sound like fancy work, but Samaritan’s Purse can use each of us – any age, any size. Together as a team, we made an impact.

At first glance in Miss Slone’s house, the paneling looked great. It appeared to be dry as a bone, still in good shape. But on the other side, it was covered in black mold. Still makes my hair stand up. We couldn’t tell from the outside what was going on.

Black mold creeps in after a flood, filling the crevices of a home and clinging to every visible and hidden surface. Everything looks good on the outside; you can’t tell what lies beneath.

We all have a black mold of sorts that we have to deal with on a daily basis. It’s called sin. It can creep in if we are not careful. Simon Peter warned, “Be alert, be on your guard. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I Peter 5:8

The black mold made me think of Judas. On the outside, he looked like the other disciples. He had walked with Jesus and served with Him. Judas had been there dishing out the bread and fish to the multitudes. (It happened twice.) He had seen the lame walk, the blind see, the dead raised. Yes, on the outside, he looked good. He seemed to be a true servant like the others, but on the inside, his heart was black as night. My heart hurts over him, still. How could he have been with Jesus all that time and not truly been changed?

God, in His infinite care, can remove the dark hidden, ugly parts, cleanse us, and instead of Shock Wave, will cover us with a good dose of the Holy Spirit.

Samaritan’s Purse still has over 100 work orders left to be completed in Breathitt County. They need your help! They need my help. I hope to work with them again Thursday and Friday (Oct. 13 and 14). Won’t you join me? People like Miss Slone are waiting – hoping.