LLANO—Jenny Patrick’s daughters—ages 10, 11 and 13—love to set up a lemonade stand on their front porch during the summer. This summer, they recruited other girls, enlisted moms to do some baking and set up a stand at Llano High School.

They did it to help the people of nearby Kerr County, which suffered from the deadly July 4 flooding of the Guadalupe River. The girls raised $4,095 for the Texans on Mission’s disaster relief effort.

“We learned about Texas on Mission through Nathan Buchanan, who came to speak at our church,” said Patrick, a member of First Baptist Church in Llano. “It just kind of got the wheels spinning about how we can help Texans on Mission” respond to the flood.

‘So many hurting and suffering families’

Eleven-year-old Ramsey Patrick said she “wanted to help with the lemonade stand because I knew there were so many hurting and suffering families out there.”

Doing the project meant “I was doing something good for the community and showing some compassion for the families in pain,” she added. “I am very grateful for having the opportunity to help them.”

Ben March, senior donor relations officer with Texans on Mission, said: “I had the chance to speak with Jenny Patrick after Texans on Mission received this special gift. What these girls did, with support from their church and families, is inspiring. They are learning early in life the great responsibility and joy that Christians have in coming to the aid of hurting people.”

Buchanan, who spoke at First Baptist after the flood, is Texans on Mission volunteer coordinator. He had been scheduled earlier to speak at the church, but after the flood he was able to tell what the missions organization was doing about an hour’s drive away in Kerr County, as Christians in Llano and the nation prayed and awaited news about the victims.

The message “really opened up an opportunity for us to brainstorm about how we could help with flood victims,” Patrick said.

“So, we decided to take something that our girls love to do just on a normal day, which is the lemonade stand, and really escalate it to a bigger scale to help out the flood victims.”

Involved the whole community

It became the “LEMON-‘AID’ Stand & Bake Sale” on July 14 at Llano High School, where Patrick is a counselor.

What began as a family effort, then a church one, eventually involved the whole community. “We’re a part of a small community,” and the school often becomes the focal point for local efforts.

The Patrick girls’ regular lemonade stands are normally a means to “get them away from the TV” and start interacting with neighbors, their mother said. The special event enabled them to involve other girls and church members.

Twelve girls spearheaded the effort, with their seven moms supporting.

The girls “definitely wanted a hand in all of it,” Patrick said. “They wanted to help count … and help deposit the money.”

And they had never handled so much money. “It was $4,095, … and so it was big for our town. It was a big amount for them (the girls). It’s an amount that they don’t ever have in their hands or their pockets in their own lemonade stands,” she said.

“It was a great lesson for them. On a normal lemonade stand day, people might drop off 50 cents or a dollar”

Neighbors eager to ‘show up and help’

The girls learned their community and church “will show up and help,” Patrick added.

The girls did not charge for the lemonade or baked goods. Instead, they just asked people to donate for the cause.

“I would say anywhere from $20 to $50 was a typical amount that someone would come and give,” Patrick said. “And so we didn’t have a lot of ones.”

It also was great for the “older members” of the church to see the “younger youth in their church really stepping up to the plate.”

Llano is about 60 miles from Kerrville and about 80 miles from Camp Mystic. They are not “right next door,” but the people of Llano regularly travel to Kerrville for sporting events and to shop, Patrick said.

“The flood, in general, has just been hard on us … not only because we’re close, but we also have daughters,” she said, referencing the deaths of more than 20 girls at Camp Mystic.

“It’s just really touched our hearts, and I want to teach my children service and how to serve their church and how to serve their community.”

A spiritual exercise

The Lemon-Aid effort became a spiritual exercise, as well.

“The lemonade was prayed over; the baked items were prayed over,” Patrick said.

What happened along the river is “such a tragedy.”

“At the same time I think God’s using us together to help each other,” she said.

“I think that’s what Texas is known for, but also that’s what Christians are known for,” she added.

So, this has been a great time to not just “teach our kids about service” but to help them “see how the church can come together to help others,” she said.

This is not Patrick’s first connection with Texans on Mission. Her grandfather, the late Eugene Bennett, served with Texas Baptist Men, the former name of Texans on Mission.

“He built churches all around Texas with Texas Baptist Men,” So, when Buchanan spoke at First Baptist, “I recognized the group and the name, and it was just something special to my heart.”

HUNT—Things can change quickly in disaster relief. Because of this, Texans on Mission trains its volunteers to be flexible—to expect the unexpected.

So when 13 new volunteers showed up to serve in Hunt, the Texans on Mission flood recovery team from Marble Falls welcomed them aboard, and the new recruits went to work.

“We started out with eight of us total, and we ended up with 21,” said Evan Everett, leader of the Texans on Mission Marble Falls unit. “It was pretty neat, though, because a lot of the volunteers … that came later, probably about half of them were not believers.”

The reinforcements are called “day volunteers.” They are not trained in disaster relief, but when paired with trained Texans on Mission volunteers, they provide extra hands for the work.

On Saturday, July 19, those extra workers also had the opportunity to hear about having a relationship with Christ.

“We had the opportunity to be able to just share with them about Christ,” Everett said. “Some of them were Hindu. Some of them were searching (spiritually).”

But the Marble Falls team worked side-by-side with new arrivals and shared their motivation for working—to serve people in Christ’s name.

God provides people with the right skills

Paul Henry, Texans on Mission incident commander, saw God at work in bringing the unexpected day volunteers.

“God brought people with skills and talents that they (the Marble Falls team) needed in that particular job that they were doing,” Henry said.

And God also brought “the opportunity to share the gospel” within the workers and not just with the homeowners.

The extra workers allowed the team to complete the mud-out work faster and opened the door for more service in the large home on the north fork of the Guadalupe River, upstream and west from Kerrville.

The homeowners already had secured materials to begin the rebuilding process and asked the Texans on Mission volunteers if they could help, Everett said.

“And so, we made quick work of the basement, and made quick work of the rebuild. And a lot of the rest of our day was just getting stuff back inside that was outside,” he said. “It just ended up that it was great that we had them.”

The homeowners needed help sorting through items that had been removed from the house—some being kept and some being discarded. The volunteers went through everything, and the homeowners directed the items to the proper place.

“If we hadn’t had the volunteers, we wouldn’t have been able to do that in a timely fashion,” Everett said. “It would have taken a long time.”

Day volunteers’ presence offers ministry opportunity

Trained Texans on Mission volunteers “provided the leadership and the expertise to allow the whole team to go in and do serious mud-outs,” Henry said. “They can cut the sheetrock, get the insulation out, get the floor up, they can power wash, they can spray, they can do the whole job, and they can work with large numbers.”

The day volunteers provided “an incredible amount of manpower,” Henry said, but there are limitations. For instance, some of the people who joined the Marble Falls group had physical limitations. “That’s why we had some of them in the kitchen washing dishes, because that was something they could do.”

Others in the group brought needed skills.

“These volunteers bring skills like contractors, they’re landscapers,” Henry said.

They also brought resources to the Hunt site, including a dump trailer the entire team loaded with limbs.

The fact that some of the day volunteers in Hunt were not Christians provided a special opportunity. Henry called it a “built-in ministry where they’re working side-by-side with people they can share the gospel and live the testimony out before them.”

Baylor University’s announced receipt of a grant for the study of “disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals and women” in the churches and its subsequent decision to return the grant continue to prompt strong reactions.

Less than a week after more than 60 church leaders endorsed an open letter of support for Baylor’s decision to rescind the grant, a group of 25 pastors produced their own open letter similarly expressing support for “the wise return of the Baugh grant.”

That second letter—sent to the Baptist Standard by John Durham, pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Waco—was published online July 18.

Four ministers who endorsed the previous letter—Durham, Jeff Warren from Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, Jim Heiligman from First Baptist Church in Bryan and Chris Johnson from First Baptist Church in San Antonio—signed it, along with 21 others.

“We fully agree that any grant that advocates for perspectives on human sexuality that are counter to biblical sexual ethics should be declined or returned. Right decisions are usually easy; righteous decisions are usually costly,” the brief letter states.

“We applaud this decision that Baylor has made and stand beside President [Linda] Livingstone’s leadership and wisdom in this matter.”

Public pastoral letter posted online

The same day that letter was posted online, Mary Alice Birdwhistell, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Georgetown, Ky., contacted the Baptist Standard to announce a “public pastoral letter” to Baylor.

That online letter opposed the university’s decision to “return the renewal of an existing grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation that would have funded research on trauma-informed practices for people marginalized by the church, including LGBTQIA+ individuals and women.”

Birdwhistell stated the initial group who signed the letter represented more than 100 “pastors and faith leaders from across the country with ties to Baylor University.” Of the pastors in that group, 90 percent are Baylor alumni, she wrote.

By Tuesday morning, July 22, the number of individuals who signed the online letter topped 350.

‘Research like this is urgently needed’

“While another group of pastors praised Baylor for its commitment to ‘hold together theological conviction and compassionate presence,’ we firmly believe denying funding for this research exhibits indifference and disregard for the well-being of LGBTQ+ individuals and women in our congregations,” the public pastoral letter states.

“In addition, one of the most significant questions facing the Church today is how we engage LGBTQ+ people, a question that is tearing apart congregations and denominations worldwide. Research like this is urgently needed now more than ever before.”

The letter indicates those endorsing it represent “a wide array of theological, denominational, and political backgrounds,” but they “share a commitment to the spiritual care of our communities, which include LGBTQ+ individuals.”

“Over the years, we have witnessed the deep hurt, shame, condemnation, and exclusion this community has faced at the hands of the Church,” the letter states.

‘Heartbreak and hope’

The letter cites the need for “robust research” on the harm caused by religious rejection. It notes a 2020 study in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality indicating “LGBTQ+ individuals who experienced religious-based rejection were six times more likely to report high levels of depression and suicidal ideation.”

The problem particularly is acute among youth, the letter states. It points to a 2023 survey by The Trevor Project that revealed 4 out of 10 LGBTQ+ youth “seriously considered suicide in the past year, with many citing religious rejection as a key factor.”

“Our pastoral experience compels us to speak from the depths of both heartbreak and hope. We have received late-night calls from our LGBTQ+ congregants at risk of suicide, and we have officiated their funerals. We have wept with them as they shared stories of exclusion and debilitating shame,” the letter states.

“Yet, we have also witnessed their courage, fortitude, and deep faithfulness, even as we have seen the toll on their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. We have also celebrated with LGBTQ+ congregants as they have found healing and discovered their God-given gifts, witnessed their profound contributions to our faith communities, and marveled at the unique ways they reflect the image of God.”

Real lives at stake

The letter concludes with an appeal to “consider not just the institutional policies of this decision, but the real lives at stake in the Church and the world.”

“When the Church becomes complicit in the very systems that cause trauma, we cease to be the Body of Christ and become instead an instrument of harm,” the letter states. “Maya Angelou once said, ‘Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.’

“We have known better for quite some time. It is past time for the Church to do better. And it is past time for Baylor to do better, too. We urge you to lead with courage and compassion.”

Respond with curiosity, rather than fear

Birdwhistell noted she collaborated on the letter with Aurelia Dávila Pratt from Peace of Christ Church in Round Rock and Carol McEntyre from First Baptist Church in Greenville, S.C.

Pratt told the Baptist Standard they “felt compelled” to write the letter after the group of more than 60 church leaders publicly voiced support for Baylor’s decision to return the grant.

“A lot of us—maybe a lot more of us—see the decision differently,” she said.

As an alum of both Baylor’s Truett Theological Seminary and the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Pratt voiced hope the university will set an example by “instead of reacting with fear, responding with curiosity.”

‘Critically urgent’ need

She called Baylor’s decision a “troubling precedent to set” and expressed her desire for both Baylor and churches to show “concern for real people” and their pain.

McEntyre, also a graduate of both Truett Seminary and the Garland School of Social Work, expressed a similar desire in a Facebook post.

“As a pastor, I’ve listened to countless painful stories of LGBTQIA+ individuals excluded and shamed by the Church. I have seen the profound harm this causes,” she wrote.

“That’s why I was so deeply disappointed by Baylor University’s decision to return the renewal of a grant from the Baugh Foundation. This funding would have supported vital research into trauma-informed practices for people marginalized by the Church—including LGBTQIA+ individuals and women.

“This research was about healing, about responding with Christ-like compassion to those who have been hurt in the name of faith. It’s not just needed, it’s critically urgent.”

Baylor stands by its Statement on Human Sexuality

When given the opportunity to comment, Baylor University provided the following statement: “It is Baylor’s longstanding practice not to respond to online petitions or open letters. We always appreciate the different viewpoints represented across the 150,000-plus members of the Baylor Family—students, faculty, staff and alumni—as well as from others on issues of importance.”

The university offered clarification regarding whether the recent rescinded grant was a renewal or a new award.

“The Diana R. Garland School of Social Work had received research funding from the Baugh Foundation in the past, but the recently rescinded grant was not a renewal of an existing award,” the university spokesperson said.

“The previous Baugh-funded research focused on churches and institutions, and the recently rescinded grant was meant to build on earlier research findings.”

The university also reiterated a statement made in the July 9 public statement from President Linda Livingstone: “Baylor also continues to strongly uphold the principle of academic freedom. As we reviewed the details and process surrounding this grant, our concerns did not center on the research itself, but rather on the activities that followed as part of the grant.

“Specifically, the work extended into advocacy for perspectives on human sexuality that are inconsistent with Baylor’s institutional policies, including our Statement on Human Sexuality.”

CORRECTION: Date corrected for 2023 Trevor Project survey.

One searcher after the flood in Kerr County came across personal items with the names of four children on them. Those items are being returned to those families with a special touch from Texans on Mission volunteers.

Lacy Daves, a volunteer from Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, deployed to Kerrville as part of the Texans on Mission response to the devastating July 4 flood which has claimed at least 135 lives.

“My neighbor (in Houston) had a connection here in Kerrville who was out doing search and rescue,” Daves said. “He found some of the belongings of campers who did not make it. He picked up some of their personal items and sent a picture of the names.”

Daves made more connections as she deployed with a flood recovery team the week of July 15. She was determined to “bring these things home if the families would like to have any of the belongings back,” she said.

“Some of the ladies here knew what I was going to be doing and wanted to make it even more special,” Daves said.

Jeannie Stover, a volunteer from Taylor’s Valley Baptist Church in Temple, had made blankets for survivors of the flood, and the group had been praying God would use the blankets to help comfort someone. Then they heard about the effort of returning the children’s items.

Blankets, Bibles and recovered keepsakes

The recovered items, a blanket and a Bible signed by Texans on Mission volunteers were packaged into baskets for delivery to the children’s parents.

Daves and Stover were joined in the effort by Fred Stover (Jeannie’s husband) and Gayle Romans of First Baptist Church in Farmersville. The Stovers were part of a shower/laundry unit, and Romans deployed as on-site coordinator of the Texans on Mission incident management team in Kerrville.

With the help of other volunteers, the four put together the baskets and prayed over the contents, which will be sent to the children’s parents.

“Our prayer would be that God would give them comfort and assurance and they would feel the love and the covering of Jesus as we do this for them,” Jeannie Stover said. “It comes from the bottom of our hearts.”

Fred Stover felt a deep connection to the grieving parents.

“I lost a son a little over a year ago. So, my heart feels the grief that these parents are feeling,” he said. “And when this was brought up, the girls said to me, ‘We need to get some Bibles and get them signed.’ So, I went and got the Bibles.”

He then involved the staff of Kerrville’s Trinity Baptist Church in the effort.

“I’ve gone through the entire church, the pastoral staff has prayed over these Bibles and these blankets, and we have gotten signatures from everyone,” Stover said.

Romans summed up the team’s desire for the message of the baskets by pointing to Scripture. “In Romans 15:13, it says, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all the joy and peace that you trust in him so that you may overflow with the hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.’”

In the tiny village of Ninilchik, Alaska—where the road ends and Cook Inlet begins—Wayland Baptist University students, Donnie Brown and Marcos Hinojos Jr., brought more than sports skills and service projects this summer. They brought joy, encouragement and the hope of the gospel. Led by Brown, director of spiritual life, and Hinojos, offensive line coach for Pioneers football, the team partnered with Alaska Missions to host a weeklong sports camp for local children in one of the state’s most remote communities. The camp combined afternoon sessions of football and basketball drills with spiritual moments. Eight children responded by placing their faith in Christ. Alaska Missions is following up with those students, connecting them with local churches to foster discipleship and growth. Wayland students experienced their own spiritual transformation through the week. Wayland has a long-standing partnership with Alaska Missions, led by Brenda Crim.

Hardin-Simmons University has earned multiple honors from Colleges of Distinction, a national resource for guidance counselors, parents, students, and hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States. For the 11th consecutive year, HSU has been named a College of Distinction—an honor that highlights universities demonstrating excellence in undergraduate education through engaged students, excellent teaching, vibrant campus life and strong student outcomes. HSU is one of only five universities in Texas recognized this year as an Affordable College of Distinction, reflecting the university’s deep commitment to making Christ-centered education both accessible and attainable.

Stark College and Seminary hosted historian and author Beth Allison Barr of Baylor University on The Stark Difference Podcast to speak on calling, ministry and her newest book, Becoming the Pastor’s Wife.

Texans on Mission continues to respond to disaster response needs in the Hill Country after devastating flooding on July 4. The organization has established a webpage specific to this relief. Visit the page to make donations, volunteer to help with relief efforts or request assistance.

When volunteer Matt Enriquez called his 89-year-old grandfather, Ramiro Peña, to tell him he was deploying to Kerrville with the Texans on Mission flood response there, he ended the call with a surprise proposition: “Why don’t you deploy with me?”

Even more surprising? Peña, a retired surgeon from Temple, said yes.

“Matt said, ‘Come on. We’ll find something for you to do,’ and so here I am,” Peña said.

After losing his wife of 67 years a year and a half ago, Pena said, “Matt, his mother and another daughter have been trying to rescue me.

“They’ve dragged me back into enjoying living again. Originally, I was pretty depressed. My wife and I were very, very close.”

Enriquez, a member of the chainsaw team of Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, is active with several other Texans on Mission teams around the state.

“With a young family, sometimes scheduling doesn’t work, so a lot of bluecaps have been very gracious to let me jump in and even more gracious to let me and my grandfather join today,” Enriquez said.

Despite some back pain, Peña, like his grandson, jumped in to help remove debris from a flooded home near Hunt.

He said he was “surprised with the dedication and the selflessness of the men and women that come into this type of work, and I’m moved emotionally.”

As for Enriquez, he said he is there “just to help and to try and show others Christ through me. There’s very little I can do on my own, but God works through me.

“My grandfather joining me was icing on the cake for me. It’s probably one of the most memorable times we’ve had together.”

HUNT—John Vlasek stands in the middle of his home, stripped bare of furnishings, walls, ceilings and flooring. Even his rock fireplace is gone.

Giving testimony to the height and depth of the floodwaters that destroyed the house July 4, the waterline can still be seen right below the ceiling.

Surrounding him, Texans on Mission volunteers continue scraping floors and removing nails from studs. They’ve already torn out everything else and are preparing to spray a black mold preventative.

Their work is a critical step that will prepare the Vlasek family for the next phase of their disaster recovery, rebuilding.

As Vlasek stands in the room, a Texans on Mission volunteer comes over and offers a hug in a show of support and love.

“This, … all of these volunteers, it means everything to us,” Vlasek said. “I can’t believe they’re here and helping us. I don’t know what …”

Overcome with emotion, he doesn’t finish the sentence. His reaction is common among families here who survived the tragic flood that roared through the area July 4, leaving 120 people dead and more than 100 still missing.

One of Vlasek’s neighbors noted in passing, “We’re all experiencing some form of PTSD. Every time a helicopter passes by or a door slams, I jump.”

Vlasek, his wife and a son were awakened by the flood as water began entering their home. It was a shock for the area native, who says he’s “never seen the water rise this high.”

The family raced up a hill in their neighborhood to escape the waters.

Working one home over from Vlasek’s, Benny Williams serves as the “blue cap” leader for Texans on Mission’s Marble Falls Disaster Relief, swollen to 30 people from several cities.

His team is providing the mud out work for the Vlasek family and two of their neighbors.

“We have a large team, and so we split them up, and all of these houses are pretty much complete, total removal on the inside,” Williams said. “The house structure is fine, and it didn’t float off the slab or anything like that, so the houses can be rebuilt.”

In another Hunt neighborhood, Sid Riley and Nathan Buchanan canvassed a small subdivision prior to sending in day volunteers to provide mud out work in the 10 homes there. Riley is Texans in Missions day volunteers coordinator and Buchanan is overall volunteer coordinator for the organization.

HOA president David Bolduc said all of the homes in the neighborhood would need mud remediation except for one—his. It was completely swept off its foundation.

Riley said day volunteers provide “synergy” to large deployments.

“They bring a willingness to serve and learn. They are a force multiplier of our trained volunteers that in some cases quadruples our work we can perform in a given time.”

He noted, “Our day volunteers often see their work as an opportunity to demonstrate to others what we have been called to do and often generates a desire to join organizations like ours.”

The work is hot, humid and muddy. The homes in the neighborhood smell like river water, and the mud is still wet. Dark brown waterlines extend past head height in most.

The deployment differs from many others. The incredible loss of life has affected most of the survivors, and there’s an air of grief among many.

And with more than 100 people still listed as missing, it is one of the few times Texans on Mission teams have had to work in an active search and recovery zone.

One team member noted that an assessor team had to wait for law enforcement to clear a home they were assessing. The authorities located and removed a body in the mud before assessors were allowed in to do their work.

Chaplains speak hope to survivors, responders

In an environment like this, Texans on Mission chaplains have never more needed. Chaplain Paul James worked with one survivor who “was very distraught because they had lost everything in the house, and everything was flooded.

“As soon as I started talking to him, … he just started weeping,” James said.

The man was “a burly guy and his two sons and his daughter-in-law were there helping him. … He was getting the support from his family that he needed, but it was an overwhelming task.

“We prayed with him and at the end of the day he was much better,” James said. “But this isn’t about us chaplains. It’s also the way that everybody here loves. It really makes my job easy as a chaplain because (survivors) look at everybody and know they really care about them, and they’re wanting to lift the burden and give them some hope.

“And so by the end of the day today, that particular family was really experiencing hope,” James said. “They were joyful and (we) got to pray with them.”

Texans on Mission’s Stacie Meeks said chaplain teams also ministered to first responders, many of whom were already physically and emotionally exhausted.

“I asked one of them, ‘How’re you doing today?’ He said he was fine, but I asked again: ‘No, seriously. How’re you doing today?’

“We talked, and I delved a little further,” she recalled. “And then he had a story to tell. He talked about how he felt insignificant.”

After Meeks inquired why, he responded that “he was wasting his time,” and his efforts “didn’t matter.”

“He said, ‘Yesterday we had a chance to really make a difference on the river. And today, not so much.’

“And I told him, ‘Your time matters. You made a difference. You’re here for a purpose. What you do matters for these people in this community.’”

Meeks said the team “encountered many, many people experiencing the same emotions. They hurt, and these people are exhausted. Now it’s day six. They’re exhausted, hot, tired.

“That’s when they need us speaking about the hope of Christ the most,” she said.

Buckner International hosted a reunion July 12 honoring Vietnamese orphans who fled Vietnam 50 years ago, arriving in Dallas after a two-month journey on June 12, 1975.

Recently, seven of the orphans from Cam Ranh with their families returned to Vietnam marking the 50th anniversary of their journey.

Representatives from Buckner International joined them on the trip to Saigon and Cam Ranh, which for some was their first time back in Vietnam.

The trip to Vietnam included a return visit to the site where Cam Ranh Christian City Orphanage once stood. While there, they distributed shoes to children in need.

During the reunion ceremony, Albert Reyes, CEO of Buckner, noted the words of James, Jesus’ half-brother, inspired founder R.C. Buckner to begin the organization.

James 1:27 says “religion that God our father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widowsin their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Reyes told reunion attendees that was the driving passage that he saw and from the very beginning those two groups are the “focus of our work—care for children and senior adults.”

“Your experience and your story is woven into the larger Buckner picture that now stretches all around the world,” Reyes said.

The Buckner reunion event gave the orphans a chance to reflect on five decades of impact and changes—in their home country and in themselves.

To conclude the reunion, Buckner dedicated a bench as a memorial to honor Pastor Nguyen Xuan Ha and Pastor Jim Gayle for their efforts in caring for the orphans at Cam Ranh Christian Orphanage.

The orphans’ journey, 50 years ago

During the final days of the Vietnam War, 69 Vietnamese orphans traveled across South Vietnam. The children spent two days on a broken boat on open seas until they made it to the United States and eventually were transferred to Buckner Children’s Home in Dallas on June 12, 1975. Their arrival in Dallas garnered national attention as the largest single group of refugees from Vietnam.

North Vietnamese military forces were sweeping through south Vietnam in the spring of 1975. The city of Cam Ranh began to collapse, leaving the Cam Ranh Christian City Orphanage with the difficult choice of fleeing.

Thirteen caregivers and their children fled with orphans, accompanying them as they boarded busses bound for safety.

When Saigon fell, the group made their way to the South China Sea on a leaky boat that failed two days into the voyage.

They were rescued and towed into Singapore where they waited five days without food or water before Southern Baptist missionaries intervened.

The group flew to the United States and made it to Buckner Children’s Home where about half of the children eventually were adopted.

Those who were not adopted remained on the fourth floor in the children’s home dormitory, where they were given English lessons to prepare them to enroll in Dallas Independent School District.

The group has remained close through the years.

Sam’s salvation story

Sam Schrade (Sang Nguyen) a toddler at the time, was one of the orphans. Years have passed since the day he arrived at Buckner Children’s Home.

He now runs a media company covering sports for ESPN and Fox Sports in Houston where he resides with his wife and children.

“I was able to go back for the first time in 50 years two weeks ago. My dad was an American soldier. My mom was Vietnamese … I wasn’t very wanted. They did not need me. And I was amazingly scooped up by the Cam Ranh Christian Orphanage,” Schrade said.

Schrade reflected on the trip he made back to the place he once called home. He considered how far God brought him and the rest of the orphans.

“It is hard to know how far we’ve come in life when we don’t know where we started. And for this trip, for me, it meant seeing where we started. Now I know how far we’ve come,” Schrade added.

“We were transferred here. I was three years old. The fact that Buckner facilitated Christian homes changed my life. My mom led me to Christ in fourth grade. I became a Christian and all of us in the group have a lot of gratitude,” Schrade concluded.

Buckner International Communications contributed to this story.

KERRVILLE—The Wheat brothers are well-known as ministers in this part of the Texas Hill Country. Robert serves as director of missions for Hill Country Baptist Association, while his brother John is pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Kerrville.

When a deadly July 4 flash flood tore through the area, killing more than 100 people and displacing hundreds more, they found themselves at the center of ministering to others.

They ministered while experiencing their own grief and the loss of neighbors, friends and fellow church members.

Currently, about 160 people remain missing, and search and recovery efforts by authorities still are active.

After experiencing the devastation firsthand, Robert Wheat, a volunteer with Texans on Mission, contacted the group and called for a response from its disaster relief volunteers.

 “These are the best, most willing servants that get up and go and do whatever it takes,” he said. “Whether it’s handing out (moving) boxes, cleaning mud and debris, chainsawing or even helping do laundry for the teams that keep going out.”

He also pointed out the immediate response of Texans on Mission chaplains as a “point of connection that reaches out to these folks for the first time. Many of them are desperate.”

Robert Wheat has ministered alongside Texans on Mission chaplains before, and he said each encounter has been a blessing.

“The blessing is once you meet somebody, once you meet a homeowner or their family, the first thing they do is, we gather with them, we introduce ourselves, we circle up and we pray. And after we pray, we get busy,” he said.

“And typically the chaplain will be the responsible person with the homeowner, keeping contact with them, making contact with neighbors and just building that rapport.

“Whether we’re going to be there a few hours or whether we’re going to be there several days, that chaplain is important. We do this because there’s an eternal message for us behind what we do, and we want you to understand it.”

‘Great loss of life’

John Wheat, who also has been involved with Texans on Mission, said the community is reeling from the tragedy.

“We’ve had great loss of life, great loss of property,” he said.

Following the flood, the church served as an information and host center for families missing loved ones at a local school.

“There were a lot of people missing. So, the families went there to try to relocate their children,” he explained.

“We were there to pray with families, but pretty soon, it was apparent that there was another need, because some of the parents there would be united with their children, and there’s another group of parents that wouldn’t.”

Responding to a request from the Kerr County Sheriff’s Department, Trinity opened its doors to offer a place for parents waiting on word about their children in a safe place.

“They were with us on Friday most of the evening, and our church got a chance to love on them a little bit,” John Wheat said. “This is a place that felt more home for them. They began to sit together and … share each other’s story.

“These families had sent their children to camp maybe for years, but they didn’t necessarily know each other. But they bonded through this time.”

Many of the families stayed at the church through Sunday—many receiving the news their loved ones’ remains had been located.

Continuing to pray and offer hope

The church continues to pray with them and offer words of eternal hope. The pastor reflected on the disaster’s short and long-term impact on his community.

“We have lost loved ones in our community—pillars of great standing in our community, a lot of children in our community,” John Wheat said.

“I don’t know the exact numbers, but the majority of people who were affected with this flood probably were not from our community. They were the campers who were here for the July 4th weekend. They were children who had gone to camp, and parents were going to pick them up on Friday and take them home on their way down here.”

Since hosting the families, Trinity has “transitioned to Texans on Mission being here and looking at the next phase of relief effort,” the pastor said.

“Teams will be coming in for mud-outs and clean-outs and whatever they can, and providing chaplain services as well,” he explained.

“We’re so fortunate and glad to have them here and know that this is a place of ministry and hope.”

KERRVILLE—Seven Texans on Mission chaplains are ministering to people dealing with the aftermath of the deadly Hill Country flash flood on July 4, and assessors are gathering specific information from homeowners who need help.

Kai Kowalski, a Texans on Mission chaplain, said the team is ministering to survivors who experienced life-changing trauma and “miraculous” events during and after the disaster that killed more than 100 people and displaced hundreds more

“When we went out today, we met with survivors and heard the miraculous things that the Lord has done to save people,” Kowalski said July 8.

One man told the chaplain of being “washed out of the house, and he had his wife wrapped around him, like sitting on his lap, legs, body facing towards him.”

“He’s holding onto her with his right hand, and they’re in water above their head,” Kowalski said. “He’s about to be sucked downstream, and a lightning bolt went off. The only thing he saw was that tree branch right there, so he grabbed that tree branch. He pulled himself to the tree, and they climbed six feet up into the tree to save themselves until the water went down.”

On the other side of the Guadalupe River, the chaplains went with Texans on Mission assessors and talked to another couple.

“The gentleman tells me that (the floodwaters were) coming down … and then all of a sudden he heard ‘help me’ three times,” Kowalski recalled.

When the man turned around, he saw two little girls, 15 feet out in the water.

“He swam out there to grab those two little girls and save their lives and pull them back. That’s a God moment,” Kowalski said.

“I see and hear of miracle after miracle after miracle. But then I hit the deep end of where two people, two families, are just looking for closure for what they’ve already lost. To me,  … that is a chaplain moment.”

A “chaplain moment,” he explained, is “spreading the gospel to the people, being the voice of Christ and getting out there” among hurting people to share the love of Jesus, and letting them know there are people who care for them.

Chaplains “are not here for a hurrah,” he added. “It’s just seven of us … out there spreading the love of Christ, looking and seeing who and where, we can help, house to house, walk by walk.”

That dedication to sharing their faith “is what Texans on Mission is all about,” he added.

“It’s not about fixing things. Fixing things can be done by the 1,000 other people who are here,” he said. “It’s about the voice of Christ and the hands of Christ being given out to the people who need hope.”

More than 60 Texas Baptist pastors and church leaders endorsed an open letter of support for Baylor University’s decision to return a grant for the study of the “disenfranchisement and exclusion of LGBTQIA + individuals and women” in churches, while the grant-issuing foundation issued a statement expressing disappointment.

On June 30, Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work announced a nearly $644,000 grant from the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation awarded to the school’s Center for Church and Community Impact. The stated intent of the “Courage from the Margins” grant was to fund a study “to help foster inclusion and belonging in the church.”

However, on July 9, Baylor President Linda Livingstone issued a statement saying: “Dean Jon Singletary and principal investigator Dr. Gaynor Yancey have voluntarily offered to rescind their acceptance of this grant on behalf of the School of Social Work and return all associated funds to the Baugh Foundation.”

She noted the situation surrounding the grant had “caused concern and confusion for many within the Baylor Family and among our broader community of churches, partner organizations, and supporters.”

Demonstrating ‘moral courage’

In response to Livingstone’s announcement, a group of Texas Baptist ministers and church leaders issued an open letter commending “Baylor’s commitment to hold together theological conviction and compassionate presence.”

“We recognize the thoughtful, prayerful discernment reflected in your actions,” the letter stated.

The group applauded Livingstone for speaking “with clarity and conviction, rooted in love and guided by wisdom.”

“In a polarized culture, Baylor’s decision demonstrates moral courage, affirming biblical orthodoxy while cultivating a campus environment where every student is treated with dignity, care and grace,” the letter stated.

“We affirm the sexual ethic outlined in Ephesians 5, which presents marriage as a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, patterned after Christ’s love for the Church. We affirm the call to love all people with Christlike kindness.”

The church leaders stated they “stand with Baylor University and Truett Seminary in their continued mission to serve Christ faithfully through the academic and spiritual formation of future leaders—living out their calling Pro Ecclesia, Pro Texana, Pro Mundo with conviction and grace.”

The church leaders pledged “ongoing prayers” for Livingstone and “for the entire Baylor community.”

‘Pulling the rug out’ from under faculty

Meanwhile, the Baugh Foundation board of trustees posted a statement saying it was “deeply saddened” by Baylor’s decision to cancel the “Courage from the Margins” grant.

“This was an opportunity to answer the Christian call to care for the marginalized by creating resources and providing important research for faith communities. … Not all Baptist believers or churches are aligned on every interpretation of scripture concerning women or LGBTQIA+ individuals, but churches need evidence-based research,” the board stated.

“We believe that all humans are created in God’s image and deserve a loving spiritual home. The purpose of this research was not to dictate theology, but to better understand the disenfranchisement that LGBTQIA+ individuals and women often face in the church.”

“This decision disserves Baylor students, faculty, and the broader Christian community,” the board statement continued.

“Pulling the rug out from under its faculty after those researchers have already put the grueling work into securing funding, work they undertook with Baylor’s full knowledge and approval, is a chilling affront to the very concept of academic freedom.”

The board said the foundation will “continue to support partners who have the courage to listen to voices from the margins and who are dedicated to a more just and welcoming world.”

Widespread show of support

Texas Baptist church leaders who signed the letter of support for Baylor were: Jay Abernathy from First Baptist Church, Woodville; Stan Allcorn from First Baptist Church in Stamford, Adrián Amézquita from Red Pastoral, Houston; Howie Batson from First Baptist Church, Amarillo; Jeff Berger from First Baptist Church, Conroe; Chad Bertrand from South Park Baptist Church, Alvin; Steve Bezner, formerly of Houston Northwest Church and now at Truett Seminary;

Duane Brooks from Tallowood Baptist Church, Houston; Trevor Brown from First Baptist Church, Amarillo; Collin Bullard from First Baptist Church, Longview; Sam Bunnell from First Baptist Church, Henrietta; Chad Chaddick from First Baptist Church, San Marcos; Ross Chandler from First Baptist Church, Marble Falls; Stacy Conner from First Baptist Church, Muleshoe;

Bobby Contreras from Alamo Heights Baptist Church, San Antonio; Al Curley III from Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington; Craig Curry from First Baptist Church, Plano; Russell Cravens from Neartown Church, Houston; Daniel Crowther from South Main Baptist Church, Pasadena; Kenny Dean from The Bridge Fellowship, Sugar Land;

John Durham from Highland Baptist Church, Waco; Hugo Gallegos from First Baptist Church Duncanville en Español; Brent Gentzel from First Baptist Church, Kaufman; Jeff Gravens from First Baptist Church, Sulphur Springs; Mark Hartman from Sugar Creek Baptist Church, Sugar Land;

Brian Haynes from Bay Area Church, League City; Jim Heiligman from First Baptist Church, Bryan; Kyle Henderson, formerly pastor of First Baptist Church in Athens and now with the Baptist World Alliance; Brian Hill from First Baptist Church, Corpus Christi; Kay James from First Baptist Church, Kaufman;

Chris Johnson from First Baptist Church, San Antonio; Pablo Juarez from First Baptist Church Kaufman en Español; Paul Kim from Forest Community Church, Plano; Josh King from Valley Ridge Church, Lewisville; Juan Lambarria from First Baptist Church, The Woodlands en Español;

Ronny Marriott from First Baptist Church, Richardson, current president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas; Gregg Matte from First Baptist Church, Houston; Jordan McKinney from Hillcrest Baptist Church, Cedar Hill; Dwight McKissic from Cornerstone Baptist Church, Arlington;

Chris McLain from First Baptist Church, Bandera; Juan Moreno from First Baptist Church, Athens; Roger Patterson from West University Baptist Church, Houston; Matt Richard from First Baptist Church, Llano; Moses Rodriguez from First Baptist Church, Cotula; Mark Rotramel from First Baptist Church, El Paso;

Will Rushing from University Baptist Church, Houston; Lawrence Scott from Harvest Point Church, Pearland; Kris Segrest from Cross Church, Wylie; Joshua Sharp from First Baptist Church, Chappell Hill; Ross Shelton from First Baptist Church, Brenham; Nichole Sims from First Baptist Church, Marble Falls; Meredith Summers from Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, Abilene;

Jeff Warren from Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas; Bruce Webb from First Baptist Church, The Woodlands; Jeff Wells from Woods Edge Community Church, The Woodlands; Bruce Wesley from Clear Creek Community Church, League City; Hunter Wheatcraft from First Baptist Church, Athens; John Whitten from Pioneer Drive Baptist Church, Abilene; Dennis Wiles from First Baptist Church, Arlington; and Darin Wood from First Baptist Church, Midland.

Joining the Texas Baptists who signed the letter were Stephen Allen from Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton, Ga.; Will Dyer from First Baptist Church, Augusta, Ga.; and Jeff Raines from First Baptist Church in Shreveport, La.

About 60 students and sponsors from churches across Texas showed up in Nederland to volunteer with Bounce, a student disaster recovery ministry.

Middle and high school youth gathered at First Baptist Church in Nederland where they were housed, fellowshipped and participated in nightly worship services.

“They have been so gracious to open their facility for us. They have played a significant role in the recovery efforts. We appreciate their partnership,” David Scott, director of Bounce, said.

The teens spent multiple days divided into multiple job sites to make repairs on homes that suffered damage from previous storms. Students and leaders teamed up with 4B Disaster Response, South Main Baptist Church in Pasadena and Texans on Mission.

“People are still living in Harvey-affected homes,” Scott said. “It’s been almost seven years. We are delighted that there are so many highly motivated students who are giving a portion of their summer vacation to serve these people who have such great needs.”

High school student Uriel Moctezuma participated for the first time in Bounce with his team of seven youth and three leaders from The Crossing Baptist Church in Mesquite.

“I’ve been on a mission trip before, but I never worked in a big group of seven people. I’m really excited. I have experience with repairing houses damaged from natural disasters. I really want to help where I can,” Moctezuma said.

Siblings sent to serve

Lydia, high school student and member of The Woods Baptist Church in Tyler came to Bounce with three students and four leaders. Two out of her group are siblings, high schoolers Joseph and Mary.

The siblings worked together to shift furniture around a home to make room for replacing and installing new wood flooring.

“We felt led to go on a mission trip this summer because we were trying to figure out summer activities. We wanted to do something local, but outside of our city, something out of our comfort zone. We want to help people,” Lydia said.

Joseph came to Bounce with years of experience ranging from remodeling bathrooms to building storage nooks like bookshelves.

“It is always a great opportunity for everyone to learn about the Lord and to be able to do what God told us in the Great Commission,” Joseph said.

The background on Bounce

Bounce—a ministry of Texas Baptists—was created to engage middle, high school and college students in mission work from church planting to disaster recovery.

Chris Liebrum, former director of disaster recovery, consulted with Scott to launch the ministry in 2013. In 2014, they gathered their first crew of students to start ministering to people in West.

“We were in West in June of that year doing recovery from the fertilizer plant explosion. We spent two weeks there,” Scott said.

Scott added Bounce was the first ministry integrating student ministry and volunteer service together for community service ever to do disaster recovery.

Ron Zimmer, construction coordinator for Bounce, makes sure the projects are prepared for the volunteers to learn onsite and start projects.

“My responsibility is to get everything ready for the kids, so when they get here it is a meaningful experience for them. Most of my job is done months and weeks ahead of a project. I work with the agencies like Jefferson County Long Term Recovery. We’ve done a lot of projects with them. They embrace us,” Zimmer said.

With supervision and training, the students are prepared to spend each day installing bathroom vanities, replacing baseboards, repairing roofs and installing floors. The goal is to help each student understand the importance of sharing the gospel and serving communities.

“We’re here to minister. God needs us here to minister to people, and that’s our first and foremost goal. We do that through loving on the neighbors, the residents, and do some work too,” Zimmer continued.

Bounce plans for Hill Country flood disaster recovery

Scott and his team are reaching out to churches and ministries within the Hill Country in preparation for disaster recovery from the tragic floods that overwhelmed the community along the Guadalupe River.

While there are preliminary conversations between Kerr County officials and local ministries, the decision at this time is to wait until emergency response is completed.

“They are not ready for us at this point in time. They’re still in that first phase of disaster work. We’ve reached out to a couple of people in the area and a couple of the churches to see what their role is going to be and how we might partner with them to mobilize students,” Scott said.