A few days before the devastating floods hit South Carolina in early October, Anna Fox enjoyed lunch with friends from her college years at Francis Marion University. The 2004 graduate was active in leadership with Baptist Collegiate Ministry and reminisced with those friends about some of the ministry experiences they shared years ago. Days later, as the flood waters surged beyond the banks of the Black River near Georgetown, Fox’s entire house would be flooded with over a foot of water.

“We had just met for lunch days before all this happened, so I thought how crazy that the Lord would have timed this right after that,” said Fox. “I joked with them later about how so many of our memories were from serving together doing disaster relief or the like. I never expected to be on the receiving end of it.”

Francis Marion BCM director Kendal Danford and his wife, Jennifer, learned about Fox’s situation on social media during the flooding. Both are trained in mud-out through South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief and have led student teams in mud-out assistance following other disasters like Hurricane Katrina. Danford knew that Florence Baptist Association was holding mud-out training and quickly organized a team of student volunteers to train and then deploy to help the Fox family in Georgetown on Oct. 18.

“There are many people living down river in our state who have been affected by the flood waters,” said Danford. “When you deal with a natural disaster like this, you see a need and then meet a need. We knew how to do mud-out work, which can be overwhelming for the homeowners.”

A team of nine left Florence around 7 a.m., maneuvering around washed-out roads and detours to get to the house where Fox and her husband and their young baby live. They spent the day gutting the inside by removing flooring, insulation, and walls to a point just above the water line. The students removed mattresses, appliances, and other items that were damaged from water and spent time outside moving debris from the yard. Danford said their goal was to get the structure to the point where it was ready to be sprayed for mold prevention.

FMU junior Alexis Richardson has participated in mission trips and minor home repair projects in the past but had never been a part of helping to clear the inside of a home. She described the poignant moment of seeing the baby’s flooded room.

“It was devastating to see the nursery and to realize that the crib and other items in there were destroyed,” Richardson said. “I am glad I was able to help them, just so they wouldn’t have to do it all by themselves. I felt closer to Anna and her family after sharing the day with them.”

Fox, a member of First Baptist Church of Georgetown and an elementary media specialist, said the timing of the team’s assistance was perfect. Her family was on a two-week waiting list for a cleaning company to assist them, and visible mold had already begun to grow in the damp house.

“We were at the point where we honestly didn’t know what to do next. I didn’t know how long it would take the BCM team to get organized, or even what they would be able to do, then was surprised to hear that the crew was ready and coming that very weekend. That took a huge weight off our shoulders — not only to have help coming, but for it to be people we knew and loved,” Fox said.

Danford said college students “are great at tearing things out, and they worked so hard. I’ve done a lot of mud-out, including my own basement after this flood, but it’s even more rewarding to do it for someone you know.”

Fox and her family have a long road to recovery ahead of them, as do many others in the surrounding communities. Danford reports there is student interest in helping with rebuilding efforts, and another team may help again in the area.

“We have students who love to do ministry, and this was in our own backyard with someone we know,” Danford said. “Some of the people from our church also showed up and offered to help, which is what it’s supposed to be — BCM working side by side with churches to minister to people in Jesus’ name.”

Fox said she is grateful for the sacrifice the students made to help her family while they showed God’s love to her community.

“I know they could have made other plans for that Saturday, but they worked alongside us and even encouraged us as they worked,” she said. “It blessed my heart to see ministry from the other side, and we are so thankful. It also created a special memory out of a crazy, overwhelming time to be able to serve with the Danfords. It was almost like old times.”