“Who are you waiting for?”
The answer to that question weighs heavily on the minds of hundreds around Kerrville, Texas. The name of a child, a wife, a brother, or a mom is echoing in their heads as people gather at reunification sites searching for loved ones—and praying for a miracle.
It’s been only a few days since torrential rain inundated central Texas. Residents had little time to evacuate as catastrophic floods swept away homes, roads, and vehicles in the early morning hours on Friday. The Guadalupe riverbanks—normally a calm, popular spot for summer camps and vacationers—quickly turned dangerous as the river rose 26 feet in 45 minutes.
The death toll has surpassed 120, with many still missing. Helicopters buzz overhead as rescue crews sweep this densely wooded area.
Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains are coming alongside locals in their unimaginable grief, offering compassion and prayer at sites across the area.
As chaplains enter this tragedy and help bear the burdens of so many across the state, they’re also offering the all-surpassing hope of Jesus Christ.
Chaplains Ken and Stacey Williamson arrived in Ingram, Texas, as the rain was still falling on Friday, July Fourth. Their first stop was Ingram Elementary School, one of a few reunification sites set up around the city. Over 100 people sat in the cafeteria, waiting expectantly for their child’s name to be read over the loudspeakers.
“We got the opportunity to just sit and talk with people, and we let them tell their story,” Ken said. “They would brighten up a little bit and tell us the story of who they’re waiting for.”
This particular site was for parents whose children had been found, and they were eagerly anticipating hugging their sons and daughters tight. But as the Williamsons surveyed the crowd, the Lord pointed them to a woman who was in distress.
Susan* told the chaplains that she and her friend were enjoying a vacation in Corpus Christi, Texas, when they received a strange phone call. A man told her he had just rescued her granddaughter.
“They knew nothing about the flood,” Stacey said.
“At first, they didn't want to pay attention,” Ken added. “They thought it was a hoax call.”
Her granddaughter had been rescued from a tree—20 miles downriver from her campsite. Susan rushed to Kerrville to pick her up, but as she spoke to chaplains on Monday, she shared that she has no idea where her other family members are.
“Her only two kids, their husbands, and her other granddaughter who had been camping—that’s her family,” Stacey emphasized. “She didn’t know where else to go.”
The disastrous floods caught Kerrville by surprise, but the shock of losing loved ones so suddenly has been excruciating. Many people the Williamsons have ministered to were shaken up and needed to talk through what happened.
“We're thankful for the opportunity to be here and serve, and to allow people to hear us say God is with them, and God cares for them,” Ken said.
The Williamsons also shared the love of Christ with a woman named Karen. Just as they were about to leave Ingram Elementary on Monday, they noticed her sitting by the door.
“She had on a baggy fire department shirt, shorts, and sandals that didn’t look like they fit her,” Ken recalls. “Stacey went over and started up a conversation and we realized she was rescued. These aren’t even her clothes. She was ... rescued, and she wanted to tell a story.”
Her story was a miracle of God’s timing. As the floods rose, the water ripped open the back of her mobile home. Thankfully, first responders arrived in a boat before she could be swept away.
After hearing her story, the Williamsons walked her through next steps to get the help she needed and took her to a nearby shelter.
“Do you have a vehicle to go there?” Stacey asked her. “Last time I heard, my vehicle was up in a tree,” Karen replied.
Now, for those devastated by this tragedy, a dark time of waiting begins. Houses remain to be fixed, lives must be rebuilt, and many face a painful future without their loved ones. In this difficult time, chaplains are reminding them of the truth of Isaiah 40:31: “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint” (ESV).
Please pray for central Texas and all those feeling the weight of sorrow and despair. Ask God to comfort them and bring peace to their broken hearts.
*Name changed