Glen Baptist is one family’s Guardian Angel
Published: October 15, 2005
When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi thousands of families lost their homes and all their possessions. The five members of the Watts family from Neciase Mississippi were among those whose homes were destroyed.
Experts predict it will take years for things to get back to normal in the devastated region. Through local relief efforts, area churches and schools have been contributing what they could to assist the displaced evacuees.
First Baptist of Glen St. Mary had been doing their part, but Senior Pastor Tim Patterson wanted to do more. “We have been taking up money, but we wanted to do something more tangible,” he said. The church had a vacant four bedroom parsonage and Patterson had discussed the idea of using it to house a displaced family during a recent Sunday service.
Russell Watts was a yardmaster with CSX working in New Orleans, while his wife Kendra was a registered nurse working as a clinical manager at Bay St. Louis Hospital in Hancock County, Mississippi. After his company CSX transferred him to Baldwin the family was told about what a good rural area Baker County was for families by coworkers. The family has three children Haley(13), Heather(10) and Hayden(3).
When local realtor Bruce Kirkland, with Patricia Gray GMAC Realty met the Watts family, he facilitated the connection that led to the family being offered use of the home rent free for a year.
“Russsell and Kendra came in looking for an immediate rental. They told me their situation and you could tell they didn’t have anything but the clothes on their backs. It just all came together really well. They are a nice family and it was a blessing to help them,” said Kirkland.
Patterson echoed those sentiments, “It was what Jesus Christ would have us do. To take care of others needs is just the Christian thing to do. Our Church family has responded with overwhelming support for the Watts family. The church deacons decided to give them free rent and pay their utility bills for a year. Members flooded them with household goods from sheets to silverware. They gave gift cards to help buy the other essentials and even stocked the food pantry before the family moved. The response was so generous we had to decline some offers,” said Patterson. He credited Terri Hair with organizing the donations.
“It has just been unreal, what total strangers have done for us. We are really blessed,” said Kendra. “I really believe that God brought us here and gave us these wonderful people from Glen as guardian angels.”
The Watts family rode out the hurricane in a neighbor’s storm shelter and heard the storm roaring as power lines exploded and trees snapped. Their neighbors home above the shelter suffered severe damage and was totaled, as was the Watts home. “Everything was just wiped out, and it was so unbelievable. No houses were left untouched. Our immediate family lost their homes in the area also, so we really had no place to go,” she said.
Now that Russell is back at work for CSX, Kendra has started looking for a job. Her old hospital will take a year or more to get back in operation.
The kids are enrolled in school and adapting to their new situation. It has been hardest on teenager Haley, but her new teachers have tried to help in any way they can. The students and staff at the middle school had been collecting funds for hurricane victims and when they found out about the Watt’s situation, $1,000 was donated to the family.
“We don’t have any long term plans yet. It just all fell into place like we were meant to be here.
Even though we lost everything, I know we are so fortunate to have landed in a community with such a big heart. I can never thank everyone enough for all the things they have done for us,” she said.
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