East Texas volunteers pass along legacy of service

Age caught up with an East Texas disaster relief unit, but their desire to serve kept the future in mind. They donated their three trailers, a truck, a large generator and money to Texans on Mission.

Now a group of Texans on Mission volunteers are retooling the trailers at the Dixon Building in Dallas.

Mike Brittain, former pastor of Morton Baptist Church in Diana, contacted Texans on Mission Disaster Relief Director David Wells and offered the equipment and financial resources. The group is centered in Harrison County, northeast of Longview.

“They ran their team for a number of years, but they aged out of being able to deploy and didn’t have any younger volunteers to take their places,” Wells said.

Brittain led the Morton congregation 30 years, and they started the East Texas Disaster Relief feeding unit 28 years ago.

“We’ve been in it (disaster relief) a long, long time,” Brittain said. “We got older. Our chief cook passed away, and I’m reaching 80.”

‘Still going to be part of disaster relief’

When the nonprofit group lost its place to keep the equipment, they realized they needed to let it go. The group had lots of offers for the equipment, but decided it should all go to Texans on Mission.

“It’s a lot of resources, and every penny donated is going to stay in disaster relief,” he said of the decision. “The Lord just led us to go that direction. … We’re still going to be part of disaster relief.”

Rather than letting their equipment deteriorate from lack of use, the East Texas group donated it. They also donated convection ovens and “tons of Cambros”—insulated containers for delivering prepared food.

“They also gave Texans on Mission $50,000,” Wells said. “It’s a blessing. It really is. And the 2004 Ford truck only has 22,000 miles on it.”

Texans on Mission volunteers are working in Dallas now to update the two kitchen units “to fit and interchange with our current units. We are getting them ready for service as soon as possible,” Wells said.

“Instead of two state feeding units, we will now have four available for deployment on mass feeding.”

History of service

During the East Texas team’s active years, the volunteers traveled overseas to Sri Lanka, Haiti and Gaza. In the United States, they served in New York, Florida, Missouri and “all over the state of Texas,” Brittain said.

“During the (space) shuttle explosion, we set up a prayer station at the entrance of the Johnson Space Center and were the collection center for memorials,” he remembered.

In 2011, they went to Haiti as a water purification team and “brought in 15,000 personal water filter systems and a suitcase system for the makeshift hospital.”

Thirty church members from northwest Harrison County and the surrounding area “were committed to disaster relief.” And the Diana church encouraged their pastor, Brittain, to be a part of the work.

When the volunteers served close enough, Brittain returned to the church Saturday evening, preached Sunday morning, then headed back to the disaster relief site.

“As pastor, they gave me the privilege to go,” he recalled.

And “the people donated pretty faithfully to our group.” Those donations and support from the organization then known as Texas Baptist Men provided the equipment and finances that are now being donated to Texans on Mission.

Brittain said they served hundreds of hot dogs but didn’t “run hot dog stands in disaster relief.” They ran “meet Jesus stations, and I pray we never forget that.”