Your mantel can be such a special place in your home. It's the place you put the family picture, or hang your Christmas stockings, or display family heirlooms. We often take simple things like this for granted, but for Amy*, it’s a loss she's felt deeply for the last few years. Amy has been living in a trailer in her backyard for almost four years since Hurricane Ian destroyed her home with more than six feet of storm surge flooding. Our staff connected with her about a year ago and we began sending teams to help her restore her home. Over the last several weeks, a Crisis Response staff member has been carefully refinishing her mantel, one of the finishing touches in her restored home.

After living in the backyard for years, and a year of our volunteer teams working in her home, Amy is finally moving back in. A recent team was sitting in the living room with her after moving some furniture in. Looking around, someone asked, “Amy, what are you going to put on your new mantel?” Overwhelmed with emotions and the surreal feeling of finally moving back in, she said that she wasn’t sure yet.

A few moments later, she jumped up and said, “I know exactly what goes there.” She rushed off to her bedroom and pulled out a little clay sculpture of a boy fishing, brought it back to the living room and placed it on the mantel. Amy shared later that night at dinner that her mother had made that sculpture for her many years ago and it sat on her mantel before the storm. Miraculously, it had survived Hurricane Ian. “That little sculpture is finally back where it belongs.” Sometimes it’s the seemingly simple things that we take for granted that can bring back a sense of normalcy and closure. Amy is finally facing the end of this long rebuilding season, and she is looking forward to celebrating in her restored home with a Crisis Response block party.

There are many other people in Fort Myers with stories similar to Amy’s. As we reach the peak of another hurricane season, lots of people face uncertainty and many struggle with feeling forgotten. There are still many families without the normalcy of having their keepsakes on the mantel. We rejoice that people like Amy are finding hope and drawing closer to God. We’re so grateful for the long-term investment and ministry happening in Fort Myers and all God has been doing there to transform lives. Thank you to the volunteers that continue to come and serve long after Hurricane Ian. If you or your church are interested in serving in Fort Myers, or learning more about how God is moving there, contact respond@efca.org.

*Name changed for privacy.