Beth’s Blessings Barn is one of our favorite God-stories at TRBC. Beth McClain moved to a home on Wise Street in 2010, only a few years after her family experienced 2 tragic losses. Through God orchestrating many details that only He could, Beth had a new home in a new state.  She knew God had called her here but could not have known all He had in store for her.

As Beth began to get to know her new neighbors in her rough neighborhood, she trusted God to help her build relationships and show His love to her neighbors. Word began to spread that “Miss Beth was OK.” At Women’s Life Bible Study, Beth’s table collected items to help a neighbor lady move and get settled.  Then, the next semester, her group did another outreach for another neighbor. And then people just started bringing donations to Beth’s home for her to distribute to her neighbors.  When she ran out of space, her Sunday morning group surprised her with her first Blessings Barn to store all the donations for her neighborhood.  Beth started doing Bible study at her home each month and meeting the physical and spiritual needs of her neighbors.  A fourth barn arrived this spring from TRBC.  All four barns are full of clothing, cleaning products, paper towels, toilet paper, toiletries and other necessities that folks can’t purchase with their food stamp money.

This year, TRBC also built a covered deck on the back of Beth’s home so her Bible studies and gatherings could continue, despite covid concerns.  Pastor Jonathan and many others from TRBC were there celebrate what God has done, to dedicate the space, and pray for God’s continued blessing on the people Beth is able to minister to.

This has been a very busy and fruitful year for our TR Disaster Response Ministry. From serving our church family and community neighbors right here at home, to travels across the country to meet the needs of those devastated by floods, hurricanes, and tornados. While there is not enough space to cover every ministry in detail, here is a brief summary of our ministries preformed his year.

TR Seniors & Widows Ministry – Community Neighbors - Big Island Pastor’s Home Renovation - Flood Recovery in Charlotte County VA. & Hurley VA. - Beth’s Blessing Barn – Tree Removal – Deck Build - TRO Workdays – God’s Pit Crew Workdays – New Home Build Cleveland, TN. – Church Rebuild Lake Charles LA.

It has been a privilege to serve alongside our TR Ready Response Team. I’m proud to be part of a ministry that goes above and beyond the call of duty. While the work at times is hard, the rewards far outweigh the labor.

The sound of laughter rang through the air, as I watched the faces of smiling paint-splattered little kids run by. You wouldn’t have expected such an atmosphere, considering the circumstances these kids just escaped. Thousands of Afghan refugees left behind everything they knew and were familiar with, to survive the nightmare that is the Taliban.

I noticed her at first because, unlike the other women, her hijab had slipped off her hair and was draped perfectly over her shoulders. She wasn’t worried about the men seeing her hair since the tent in which we found shelter from the sun, was separated into two sections by tall black curtains. Her skin was fair compared to the others which made me think she most likely was wealthy in her previous life. As I walked closer, I noticed her eyes were fixated on a piece of art one of the children had done. She caught my gaze and asked in perfect English if she could keep the painting. I told her I didn’t see why not and looked down to see what she had seemed to want so desperately. The colors black, red, and green stroked across the page and collided into the image of the Afghan flag. With tears in her eyes, she asked with a weak voice, “How can you be of a people if you have no flag and no country…” At a loss for words, all I could say was that I was so glad she was safe and in America, that she is welcome here. A tear fell down her cheek as a genuine, “thank you” escaped her lips.

Then she shared, “I remember coming home from work the day before… I worked with the Embassy. Everything was normal, safe, well for the most part. Then that morning my husband and I woke up to find the Taliban had overthrown the city and they were everywhere, roaming the streets. We were terrified. For seven days we hid in our bedroom with our young 2-year-old daughter. We were too scared to even go into the living room for fear of the Taliban seeing us through the windows. After that week, which felt so much longer, my husband got a message from an American contact telling us they could get us out. When we made it to the airport, it was worse than we could have imagined. Panic had erupted everywhere. Body to body people shoving as hard as they could to get in through the gate. Eventually, we accepted that there was no way for us to get in. My daughter could hardly breathe from the crowd, so we had to leave. Later on, the American contacted us again and we miraculously escaped. I’ve been here for over a month now, and only my husband, daughter, and I made it out. The rest of my family is still stuck in Afghanistan.”

“This is a nightmare I can’t wake up from.”

I told her about how I cannot begin to imagine what she is experiencing, and how again, she is welcome here. I told her that I am a follower of Jesus the Messiah and would love to pray for her if she would allow me to. She asked me to pray that her family would escape.