Dolly Mink: Years of experience in Christian leadership and service have given Dolly Mink a unique perspective, and she is eager to share her observations, insights, and words of encouragement to the women of Virginia. Dolly seeks to accomplish this through teaching, training, and writing. In addition to her role with the SBCV, she leads women’s Bible study at River Oak Church in Chesapeake, where she and her husband are members, and she writes short stories and blogs at 
On Saturday, October 12, 2024, the Spirit of the Lord was moving among the women gathered at Rosedale Baptist Church in Abingdon, Virginia. I know, because I was there sensing Him, and listening to women share from their hearts about His goodness. His provision. His protection. And sharing how His people, working on His behalf, were making a difference in their lives.
Just two weeks before, what geologists are calling “a thousand-year geological event,” occurred in the area just outside this peaceful, lovely town. Hurricane Helene stalled over these mountains, bringing with it, by some estimates, 40 trillion gallons of rain. That’s enough water to fill 60 million Olympic-sized swimming pools, or fill the Dallas Cowboys stadium 51,000 times. Cities like Asheville, Boone, and further south into Augusta were devastated. Further to the northwest, Mountain City, TN, and Damascus, VA, were hit hard. Power was out, yes, but life-giving water was compromised and shelter—homes, barns, churches, and businesses were gone. Washed down streams and creeks and rivers that had, quite literally, moved.
States of emergency were issued, and rescue efforts began, but getting there was nearly impossible because so many roads were either compromised or washed away.
If ever there was a time to say, “Lord, have mercy,” it was now.
One of the first teams on the scene of this massive undertaking of cleanup and recovery was SBCV Disaster Relief. Just a week prior, I had observed SBCV leadership as they transitioned to deal with this emergency. They began organizing and mobilizing large teams of workers and drivers. Churches were contacted so that workers could stage equipment in their parking lots and house those called out to assist in recovery efforts. Highly trained volunteers, both men and women, were being deployed, and this was a well-organized and unwavering team. I was never more proud, in a satisfied way, to be a Southern Baptist.
So, as we gathered to pray and share, there on that sunny Saturday where the leaves were beginning to change on the trees that were left standing, one thing we didn’t hear were words of complaint. Words of negativity. Words of doom. Instead, we heard words of hope, of love, and a testimony of His goodness and of His people coming together to help their neighbor, not because of an institution or a federal mandate, but because of faith in a God Who knows our sorrow and Who meets us there.
As the dear women continued to share, we heard stories of how they had to trudge through mud, cross makeshift bridges, and fight the disorientation that occurs when roads and houses and water they had seen all their lives were no longer there. How, when peering through the windows of her destroyed church, one dear sister cried for the lost opportunities to share the gospel, as Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes were soaked in water and mud, destroyed.
We also heard how another sister’s church had just finished filling a truck with boxes that were to replace those lost—and how, together, the gospel would still be shared!
And we heard trucks roll by, filled with workers wearing yellow shirts, heading to cut log after log, dig out literal tons of mud, and begin tearing out walls and floors in any building repairable.
The Lord used all of this to solidify in my heart a deep desire to join this effort. For years I have felt led to serve in Disaster Relief, but I was convinced my age and other factors disqualified me. I was wrong. I am now going through the credentialing process, and I hope to be certified in the next few weeks.
Maybe you have a desire to share the gospel with your neighbor, while helping to meet their needs. No, you don’t have to be on the chainsaw crew! I’m learning that there are plenty of ways to serve and be a part of this amazing team. If you would like more information, visit sbcv.org/disasterrelief.
As the day concluded there in Abingdon, there were tears and hugs and prayers. And there was a sense that God was moving in a way that had potential to lead more women to a deeper relationship with Him, whether through service to Him in their home, local church, or through programs like Disaster Relief. By staying close to the Lord, and walking with Him daily, when the storm hits, we will be ready.
