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| Delivering supplies to the Gulf Strike Team in Mobile |
Serving those who serve our country has been an honor for
CSM. In the past few years we have served the Coast Guard and their families on
several occasions: in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey and during the recent
government shutdown in January. The best
part of it all was the fact that my oldest son was the one whom asked if we
could help. My son, Tal, has served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 12 years and
has loved every minute of his service.
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| Golden Triangle XO and Tracy Hipps |
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In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey was making its way towards
Houston and also in its path was Port Arthur and Beaumont. Tal and his family
were living in Port Arthur serving in the Golden Triangle division of the Coast
Guard. The Coast Guard evacuated the families of those serving so they could focus
on search and during and after the disaster. It was a tough couple of days as
the storm moved slowly, affecting thousands of people, and then a couple of
weeks of recovery. The Lord moved here at CSM to get involved and we were
honored to be able to send dozens of trucks to both Texas and later Florida
during this season. One truck went to the Coast Guard for recovery after the
storm and my son was so excited to unload and share this with those in need. It
was like old times as he has aided us for years in service in the ministry.
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| Gulf Strike Team members unload much needed diapers donated by Bundles of Hope Diaper Bank. |
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| Tracy with the Gulf Strike Team XO |
In January, we experienced the longest government shutdown
in history and it affected the Coast Guard because they are a part of Homeland
Security and did not receive pay during that time. Once again Tal, who is now
serving in Mobile with the Gulf Strike Team, called and shared the need of the
families whose budgets had been stretched too thin. They had about 250 families
who needed help. Once approved by the Coast Guard commander,
I was
able to drive the truck down to serve the families now 35 days into the
shutdown. They were so thankful for the help and relief that many needed to
make it through. That same day we were unloading, the shutdown was lifted and I
was able to see these families celebrate with relief.
It has been an honor to serve the women and men and families
who serve our country. In Texas, CSM was given a coin as a symbol of thanks
from the Texas command. And, we also received a coin from the Gulf Strike Team.
The next day was the college football Senior Bowl in Mobile and my wife, Mary
Jo, and I had the pleasure of attending the game with our family and with the
many Coast Guard families. It was during the game that I met the XO and she and
I were able to talk about the Lord’s provision for the families serving under
her. It was a great day.
-As told by Executive Director, Tracy Hipps
