HUMBLE, Texas - A church in Humble has been working hard to help people rebuild after Hurricane Harvey, but much of that work is now on hold thanks to thieves.
First Baptist Church Humble has stood as a beacon to its community for more than 100 years and since Harvey, its light has shone brighter than ever.
“It looked like chaos,” described Operations Pastor Steve Horn. “For those that didn't know where to turn… what to do, we were able to just say, ‘we are here... how can we help?’”
The church provided food, comfort, demolition and rebuilding services.
Kyle Sadler was one of some 270 homes the church and volunteers cleaned up for free.
“We ended up with 3 feet of water in our house,” said Sadler. “To have random people show up and do random acts of kindness, it's very humbling.”
Humbling because that’s what he usually does. Sadler is also the volunteer coordinator for the church’s ministry called Humble 2 Restore.
The ministry estimates it has provided $1.6 million dollars worth of free services since Harvey. Unfortunately, that work was abruptly put on hold.
Pastor Horn says that overnight on Monday a thief cut through three locks then took off with the ministry’s restoration trailer along with everything inside.
The contents included power tools, wheelbarrows, hand tools, cleaning supplies and paint. The value is estimated at $10,000 but the loss to the community is invaluable.
“We could be out there tomorrow working in the community and helping rebuild,” said Sadler.
“If it was to show up back on our property in the morning just like we left it… we would thank God for that gift,” added Horn.