Jonathan Falwell the pastor of Thomas Roads Baptist Church in Lynchburg Va. arrived safely back home from Saint Martin on Saturday. Falwell had taken his wife to the Island for their 25th wedding anniversary and was stranded there due to Hurricane Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey decimated the Island of St. Martin
The pastor from Lynchburg had believed he was taking his wife to an Island getaway vacation, but his dream quickly turned into a nightmare. In a tweet, shortly after Hurricane Harvey hit, Jonathan Falwell said the Island of Saint. Martin had been decimated.
He and his spouse were taken to a shelter at 5:00 in the morning, and they now were without water or electricity. He added that certainly there was a loss of life. The Falwells were rescued and made it back home in part because of Franklin Graham.
The organization that Graham heads, Samaritan's Purse sent supplies to several areas that were hit hard by Harvey. One of them was Saint Martin where the Falwell's were stranded. Graham also sent a plane which evacuated the pastor of Thomas Roads Baptist Church and others who wanted to get off of the Island. Those who remain however will have a lot of rebuilding to do and need all the help they can get.
Saint Martin will be a long time in recovering
Jonathan Falwell and his wife are blessed to return to Lynchburg Va. safely, Those who had no choice but to remain in Saint Martin did not fare so well. News reports indicate that eight people died on the island and there are at least one million who are without power. The recovery process will be long and expensive, and there is no time frame for when the electrical power will be restored.
Although the pastor and his wife were on the Island when Harvey hit, some reports state that they were affected by Hurricane Irma.
The members of Thomas Roads Baptist Church are no doubt thankful that their spiritual leader and his spouse returned safely to Lynchburg. This is a church that does much outreach ministry in other nations, so they will more than likely send their own resources to help those still in Saint Martin.
News reports indicate that the airport, as well as the four largest buildings on the Island, had sustained severe structural damage.
This means that even though the wind and water have ceased, the real issues are only now beginning to surface. Jonathan Falwell will no doubt have much material from his ordeal to use in coming weeks in his sermons. And although it was not the vacation they dreamed of, he and his wife will probably never forget how eventful their 25th wedding anniversary was.