By: Aaron Adams & Tim Pride
For a lot of us, it might feel like a distant memory, but for the residents of Princeton and Dawson Springs, Kentucky, it feels like yesterday. In December 2021, a large tornado swept through much of the Western Kentucky region and devastated many homes and businesses. Some of those homes were significantly damaged, and others were destroyed. Years later, many residents are still not in their homes. They’re working hard to build back their homes and communities, but there is a lot of work to be done, and just not enough workers.
For about the last decade Mount Carmel has sent teams to areas of our nation that have been significantly impacted by some sort of natural disaster. For each of these trips, we’ve designed and worn specific shirts while out on the job site. Most of us just look at those shirts as work shirts. These are the shirts we’ll sweat in. These are the shirts we’ll get dirty. These are the shirts we don’t mind if we get paint on or get ripped and torn. They’re just work shirts. But for the communities that we’re working in, for the homeowners that we are blessed to work with, those shirts represent something more significant. Last year the shirts we wore were blue and when a large group of people show up in a community wearing the same color shirt, people begin to take notice. They see something happening, they see the work that is being done, and they see the impact of many hands working together to accomplish a common goal.
Tim Pride, David Rimarski, and I met with our partner churches and mission organizations earlier this year down in Western Kentucky. We were planning for our upcoming trip, our second year in a row, to this specific community. The mission organization that we partnered with mentioned to us how they’ll still have people ask, “are the blue shirt people coming back?” Those shirts mean something to the community in which we’re privileged to work. Those shirts mean something to the homeowners we get to work alongside. Those shirts represent hard work. Those shirts represent progress. Those shirts bring a glimmer of hope when it feels like progress has stalled. Those shirts represent a smiling face. Those shirts represent someone who is trustworthy and can be counted on. Those shirts represent the local church fulfilling the mission that we’re called to. Those simple blue shirts have meaning.
If you’re one of the nearly 100 people going on the weeklong trip, you’re one of the blue-shirt people. If you’re a husband or wife, brother or sister, mom or dad who is sending your loved one on the trip, well, you’re one of those blue shirt people too. If you’ve been praying for our team, and will continue to pray for our team, you’re one of those blue-shirt people. If you’ve generously gone to the store and purchased supplies and gift cards for the trip, yep, you’re one of those blue shirt people. This trip would not happen if it weren’t for hundreds of blue-shirt people. This church is full of blue-shirt people, and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it. Princeton and Dawson Springs, yes, the blue-shirt people are coming back. We’ll see you next week.
God Bless,
Aaron Adams & Tim Pride
