Samaritan’s Purse volunteers final day

Faith based relief organization Samaritan’s Purse has wrapped up its final search and sift mission in Mountain Shadows, post Waldo Canyon wildfire. Homeowner Susan Post was the among the final benefactors of the volunteer group’s 24 day labor of love. Post is among the more than 150 homeowners who’ve asked for the help from the group.

Becky Sander is among the 1700 volunteers who’ve been sifting, digging and hoping to find other families hidden treasures in their destroyed homes. Sander tells me, “It’s extremely rewarding. We cry with them, we laugh with them. It’s a motivator to work in the heat and the dirt.”

Susan Post showed me some of the memories discovered in the dirt in what was her home. It included a sister mug from one of her best friends, a nativity scene and her late Mom’s coffee cup. Post said, “Truly theses finds are an answer to a prayer. It helped me to see that God knows my name.” Post also put the treasures and her future in perspective for me. She said, “I have two teen daughters and what I hope they get from this is that a home is not a house. A home is a family and the people who love them, surrounding them.”

Samaritan’s Purse Program Director Wayne Shoemaker explained to me the key reason the North Carolina faith based organization had to come to Colorado Springs and volunteer. He said, “We are here to serve. That’s why we are here to love on these people and to help them in their recovery and healing.” Shoemaker says that the calls for help have stopped coming and that’s why he’s packing up and leaving.

First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs is now picking up the slack to answer the calls for help and organize volunteers. You can call the church at 719-884-6114 or go to the front page of KRDO.com, links we mentioned to learn more about the help on the church’s website.