On July 18, Jan Simko, Mid-South District Disaster Relief Coordinator, was shocked by what she saw on a weather channel. Mayfield, Kentucky, was flooded—a community she and her Lutheran Early Response Team (LERT) had served in the aftermath of a devastating tornado in December of 2021, forming lasting friendships with those they met.
Jan remembered Bryce Cramer, LERT chainsaw trainer, telling her about an LWML member in Illinois who had 80 flood buckets—thoughtfully packed with essentials like bleach, rubber gloves, sanitizer, Lysol cleaner, a scrub brush and other cleaning supplies. Jan jumped into action, contacting Bryce, who asked Pastor Stephen at his House Ministry in Mayfield if the buckets would be welcome. They would—but were needed within 24 hours.
Lutherans quickly connected with Lutherans, forming a chain from Mary Hamilton, the bucket lady in Red Bud, Ill., through Bryce, and from Jan through Pastor David Appold, St. Paul LCMS in Paducah, Ky, who assembled his LERT crew to unload the buckets Bryce delivered next morning—and distribute them where most needed: 51 buckets to grateful Mayfield residents, and 25 buckets to families in Fancy Farm, Ky., where His House Ministry has a school.
And along the way, the LERT team also cleaned up some tree damage for their Mayfield friends and neighbors.
Later, Jan connected the dots and marveled: “I live in Crossville Tenn., Bryce lives in southern Illinois, Mary works at the International Center in St Louis, Mo., and of course St. Paul members from Paducah and Mayfield, Ky.—and all of us came together to help! To God be the Glory!”
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