Disaster Relief: All in the Family

By Sharon Mager

JARRETTSVILLE, Md. — For the Evans family—Verla, her son Mark, his wife, Harmony, and their daughter Phoebe—Disaster Relief is a family affair. They tirelessly do chainsaw work, clear debris, clean and sanitize basements, and whatever else is needed. Sometimes, they’re all together, and other times, it’s a few, but seeing the family serve and watching them grow thrills BCM/D Community Engagement/Disaster Relief Missionary Ellen Udovich.

“To see three generations serving and how they work together is wonderful,” Udovich said. “They are hard workers and cheerful workers willing to do whatever is needed. They get along with everyone.

“The first time I remember working with Verla was in 2003, right after Hurricane Isabel. We were cooking 6,000 meals a day in a Baltimore church parking lot for two weeks. Our ‘warehouse’ was a semi-trailer full of pallets. We needed an inventory team to keep track of what was in there! Verla immediately stepped up; her husband was a manager at a Mars Supermarket, so, she knew all about keeping track of product. Back in those days, everything was done by hand, so all she had was a flashlight, a yellow legal pad on a clipboard, and her assistant, daughter Hannah, who became a strong DR volunteer. They brought order out of chaos — at any given moment, she could tell the head cook exactly how many servings of green beans were still on the truck.”

With Mark’s wife Harmony and their daughter Phoebe completing DR training last year, the newest family volunteers have already jumped into hands-on DR ministry. This summer, they served with flood recovery work in Harford County. Mark and Phoebe were also a part of the DR chainsaw team working in Montgomery after a tornado.

Now, over twenty years later, Phoebe reminds Udovich of her Aunt Hannah, who earned a reputation for outstanding flood recovery work when she was about Phoebe’s age. “Hannah’s team had worked all day to tear out a heavily damaged home, but they still had to get wet insulation out of a long, narrow crawlspace. Hannah was the only one small enough to fit, but her team leader was reluctant to send such a young, inexperienced volunteer into that kind of claustrophobic situation. But Hannah was willing; she put on full safety gear, nervously wiggled in on her stomach, and got the job done. Just like an Evans,” said Udovich. 

“Mark, now a high school math teacher, also started his DR ‘career’ as a young adult. His first time serving as a DR volunteer was in St. Mary’s County following a powerful tornado. “We had 50-75 DR volunteers living and working out of Leonardtown Baptist Church every day for several weeks,” Udovich recalls. “But Mark stood out— let’s just say he was an ‘out of the box’ thinker.”

It‘s definitely challenging, Verla said. “It’s hot and dirty, and sometimes you’re in a house full of mold and wearing protection so you don’t get sick. That just comes with the territory. We know that’s how it’s going to be, but it’s encouraging to meet homeowners and other Christians. We have wonderful fellowship, eat dinners together and have Bible study. I can’t say enough about how encouraging it is to all of us serving. It’s a wonderful, spiritual experience.”

Verla said one of the best God-moments she’s had in DR was while she was deployed in Vermont. “Before we went to someone’s home, I prayed, “Lord, I really want to be useful to the kingdom.’ God answered that prayer when they began their job that day. “This gentleman who owned the home, Rick, said, “You’re a Baptist — What do you believe?’ It was a wide-open door! That was the most dramatic experience. I started with creation and went right on through the gospel. He listened. He didn’t make a decision, but we leave that up to God.”

Verla, sharing about her family, said, “It is such a privilege…to be working side by side. And they love it. They’re just as interested as I am.”

Udovich said she’s been seeing more combinations of parents attending training with their older teenage or young adult children. “That’s cool to see that new dynamic,” she said. Teens are welcome to train at 17. “The minute you turn 18, we’ll run the background check and send the badge!” said Udovich.

A Maryland/Delaware team is preparing to deploy to Vermont in early September to help with flood recovery.

.For more information about Disaster Relief and how you can serve, visit https://bcmd.org/bcmd-ready/

Feature photo: Verla and Phoebe clean and sanitize a basement in Harford County. (Photo by Ellen Udovich)

Ellen Udovich contributed to this story.