Jesse Waggoner, pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church, prays with volunteers from Samaritan’s Purse and homeowner Jeff Sanders at his Elkview house Thursday morning.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Devastation like what many West Virginians have faced in the past few weeks isn’t new to Brian Hughey.
In 2011, a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, where his family lives. It destroyed buildings and killed about 160 people. Hughey, 15, remembers his family sitting in a hallway in their home, praying while the storm raged.
“We came out with a couple scratches and stuff like that,” Hughey said. But his home was destroyed.
This week, the teenager is one of many who are volunteering with flood relief efforts through Samaritan’s Purse, the same organization that rebuilt his family’s home after the 2011 storm.
“I felt like I need to repay back and bless people and love on people who have been affected by the flood,” Hughey said. “I know how it feels to lose everything.”
Dozens of workers have come to help with the North Carolina-based international relief organization. Local volunteers drive in to work during the day. Others, from all over the country, are staying at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, in Charleston. Between 50 and 100 workers stay at the church each night…
