Counselors at STARRY—part of Children at Heart Ministries—saw the April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West as a national story that unfolded in their backyard. It continues to be part of their lives, with no end in sight and memories abundant.
The STARRY Temple team: Cristy Simmons, Amber Hoelscher, Angela Bulls, Mandy Brookshear, Amber Medrano, Jeff Thomas, Faith Webster, Karen Frederick and Kimberley Lowe.When news of the devastating explosion broke, STARRY counselors from Temple and Waco immediately made themselves available at the West shelters, working alongside other mental health responders on the scene.
“We were there to do what was needed, no matter what,” said Angela Bulls, Temple-based STARRY director of counseling services. Other STARRY offices provided stuffed animals, blankets and games for children.
STARRY staff conducted intake sessions, provided information to families about the ways people respond to tragedy and disaster, distributed games and journals to children and adolescents, and assisted in communications when emotions were most raw.
Faces stand out
The faces of the individual victims stick most firmly in the memories of STARRY staff.
They recall survivors from an apartment complex that collapsed who attributed their survival to the fact they were at church the night of the explosion. Others shared stories of families reaching out to help those in need.
“We saw teenage boys gathering clothing for kids who had lost theirs. We saw garage doors open, welcoming neighbors in, and we saw community members checking on one another,” Bulls said. “The caring courage of this town is the real story.”
The STARRY Waco Team: Michelle King, Leah Gorham, Chelsea Solomon, Christen Argueta and Ashton Jimenez.Faith Webster, a STARRY counselor from Temple, particularly remembers one particular man. The day after the explosion, he appeared to be in a daze while looking for clothes for himself, his wife and their children, even as he told how they had been blessed with a place to stay because they were not allowed into their home.
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The next week, Webster saw him again at the Joint Assistance Center, the primary location for resources in West. He still appeared dazed and distraught. While his family had been away from their home, they had been victimized by looters. The explosion only blew out the windows, but the robbery almost blew out his heart.
“I’m just trying to make it,” he said in a quiet voice. “I have survived almost losing my life many times, and then this happened, and we are still here. I just don’t know why.”
Guiding toward God
He was convinced God was trying to get his attention, and he didn’t know what to do about it. As Webster listened and encouraged him, she guided the conversation away from pain, loss, hurt and the unknown to his trust in God and his belief that good can come out of even the worst catastrophe.
“You don’t know what you have done today,” he told her. “You have blessed me. You were a ray of light in this storm. I know I can get through this and that my family will be taken care of. I think I know what I need to do.”
STARRY counselors participated in parent information meetings at Connally Independent School District in Waco, where the students from West attended classes for the remainder of the semester, to share information about available services, answer questions and help prepare for the summer.
“STARRY has also offered to place a counselor in West for the summer and is meeting with other providers in McLennan County to discuss how we can work together to ensure the needs of this community are met,” Bulls said.
Statewide support
It is difficult to fully express how Texas showed up to take care of its own during this disaster, she added. Donations and volunteers from all over the state were on the scene to do what was needed and show love and support to the citizens of West.
“Texas Baptist Men were there helping to rebuild and cooking some really great food from what I heard, although I did not get to leave my post to find them,” she said. “Those guys are busy. It made me happy to know they were there, too.
“It is an honor to be of service, and it is a privilege to be called. I am so grateful to Children at Heart and STARRY leadership for allowing us to meet the needs of others outside of our office walls. I have always loved meeting people where they are and serving others in their time of need and am blessed to work for an agency that supports and encourages this.”
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