Tornado Media Time

Probably the most uncomfortable albeit necessary parts of the disaster relief process was being on television. It is a weird sensation having a camera pointed at you with a reporter asking you question. Most of the time my response left me thinking, "where did that answer come from," but it is one of those times where dwelling on the past will simply drive one crazy. Anyway, our relief efforts drew the attention of several local television and radio stations. I am sure I sound stressed, tired, and confused... which is not news and was accurate! My hope in each interview was to draw some attention to the needs in our city while displaying solid faith in Jesus to get us through the storm!

Political Relief Aid

Of all the people I ever expected to visit FBC Rowlett, a presidential candidate was not on the list... until Senator Ted Cruz showed up. From the way the news reports on him and other politicians talk about him, I had no idea what to expect. However, Senator Cruz was an extremely nice and personable individual. He came across as kind and genuinely concerned. He was not rushed or impatient, regardless of how many times his staff kept pressing him to hurry up. He shut down the media when they tried to get him to politicize his time in Rowlett, but he did bring attention to the devastation our city has experienced. It was an honor to meet him and I am grateful he stopped in our city to offer his support and help.

Our State Representative has been incredible throughout the recovery process. Cindy Burkett has played the political role she has been elected to fulfill, while quietly getting her hands dirty removing debris like other volunteers. Cindy has been so great to work with.

Our State Attorney General, Ken Paxton has been truly helpful as well. Initially, he offered his help from Austin, but he made an under the radar trip to personally deliver supplies he and other state workers had collected. It was a really cool move by him. Many thanks to all of our state representatives. 

Rowlett Relief Ride

So, after we got done helping a few families this morning we returned to the church for lunch and saw over 1,000 bikers who had organized a benefit ride for our Rebuild Rowlett effort. It was quite impressive to see such a huge gathering of people who came out to help. I really enjoyed walking through the various groups of people and thanking them for their support. They were all really nice and generous!