I'm thrilled to report that we are now moving ahead with what I believe is a God-inspired plan to help both Abaco and Grand Bahama islands on their long road to recovery...

We're going to help get the churches established first!

What has struck me during my time on both these islands has been the dogged determination of the pastors and church leaders we have met. Many of these dear folks have lost everything -- loved ones, houses, and all or most of their earthly belongings. Yet despite their loss, they feel such a strong calling to their communities that they are digging in, refusing to leave, and determined to rebuild their communities.

My team produced a video detailing how your support of Mercy Chefs has helped us to respond to the overwhelming devastation in the Bahamas. Here is the report:
(Note: if the video does not load on this page, go here.)

We are starting to see some breakthroughs here in the Bahamas. First, the meeting with Prime Minister Hubert Minnis was very productive. It was a great opportunity to connect with potential partners as we continue to help bring relief in the most hurricane-devastated islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco.

+ + Prime Minister: "I know Mercy Chefs"

Because friends like like you have made it possible for Mercy Chefs to serve more than 65,000 meals here, the quality and importance of our work is already well established in the minds of Bahamian government officials. In fact, Prime Minister Minnis openly expressed his gratefulness for the work of Mercy Chefs and the quality of our food. He told me...

I want to share with you the latest on what's happening in the Bahamas. This is one of the most devastating tragedies I've ever seen. The people we met yesterday have lived through a horrific nightmare. Now they face a seemingly impossible task of rebuilding their lives. Here are a few of those stories. --Gary

Yesterday, we flew to Grand Bahama where we met with several pastors and got an even more up close and personal look at the devastating physical and emotional impact of this storm.

First, the destruction is everywhere. We saw concrete structures built to sustain hurricane-force winds that were decimated by the winds and the rising waters.
It was shocking to see. What gripped our hearts the most was hearing story after story of tragic loss of life and heart-wrenching survival. Here are just a few of the stories...

Ann and I are back in the Bahamas as we work to launch the next important phase of our work here to reach the hardest-hit folks on Grand Bahama and Abaco islands who still need a reliable source of relief supplies and resources.

The stories continue to hit us right in the heart. One of the evacuees you have been helping to provide hot meals to is Kevel (pictured on the left). Wanda, one of our team members from Puerto Rico, was able to talk with Kevel to hear her story and pray for their family. 
Kevel, her husband and five children are from Abaco, but were forced to evacuate to Nassau and essentially leave everything behind. They had been staying with a family they had never met before, but the gas at the house was shut off. So they began visiting one of Mercy Chefs' feeding locations twice every day. They had nowhere else to turn. Thanks to you, we were able to provide Kevel and her family hot meals day after day. Like many here, their family's crisis is far from over. They are again looking for housing. So many still need help.

A report released earlier today noted that 6,000 homes have been documented to be flooded here in the Beaumont, Texas area where Mercy Chefs is currently serving meals to disaster victims and volunteers. Many of these homes have been hit for a second time in just two years.

Yesterday, we were delivering meals in one neighborhood that was very hard hit. Most had to be rescued from the flood waters unless they had a second floor. One man we met, Mr. Broussard, is an 82-year-old owner of a local barbecue restaurant who has been delivering 100 meals to the homeless every week for years.
He lived in his home for 50 years with no flooding until Harvey flooded his home two years ago and Imelda hit him last week. It was our great privilege to return the favor of his generosity and share a meal with him as he mucked out his home.

I just met a woman who shared with us a story that really drove home the importance of our work here in Texas...

Just two years ago, her family lost just about everything to Hurricane Harvey. She even lost her mother from a heart attack during the storm. Their home had been flooded and just recently they had been able to finish the final repairs.

Then the rains started last week. And they didn't stop until nearly four feet of rain had fallen, creating the second 1,000-year flood for her community in the past two years!

These are the times when we need our faithful Mercy Chefs partners to help us in a big way. Mercy Chefs is fully engaged in two major deployments. We'll serve 25,000 meals this week, and I need your help. Please see below.  --Gary

Yesterday, I joined our Mercy Chefs team here in Beaumont, Texas, where the flooding from last week's tropical storm is the worst they have seen in history.
The major Interstate is still closed and entire neighborhoods have been overwhelmed by floodwaters. I never get used to seeing home after home with mountains of debris stacked on the curb representing all or most of a family's earthly possessions. Floodwaters are filthy, and they destroy everything in their path.

While Mercy Chefs team members continue to meet the need and serve thousands of meals in the Bahamas, I'm writing to let you know that we are also deploying to Texas in response to the overwhelming flooding from tropical storm Imelda.

+ + Worse than Harvey!

I almost couldn't believe it when we started getting reports that in some areas of Texas the flooding is worse than Hurricane Harvey. With as much as FOUR FEET of rain hitting coastal Texas, there have already been more than 1,000 high water rescues and thousands more have fled their homes. The city of Beaumont, Texas has seen 250 such rescues and has received 270 emergency evacuation requests. Our contacts in Beaumont say it is the worst flooding they have seen, even worse than in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Here are a few more images from what I saw on Abaco Island -- the hardest hit island in the Bahamas.

Even as we were flying in, it was clear that the destruction extended as far as the eye could see...