Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains pray with U.S. Navy officers assisting with efforts in Key West, Florida, after Hurricane Irma.
Crisis-trained chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team are ministering to residents in Florida and Texas after Hurricanes Irma and Harvey.
"Let’s pray for our neighbors who are suffering, that God would put His loving arms around them and bring the comfort that only He can give," Franklin Graham said in a recent Facebook post requesting prayer.
Chaplains are currently deployed to several Florida cities, including Naples, Fort Myers, Tallahassee and Cocoa Beach.
Crisis-trained chaplains gather for prayer with a resident as Samaritan's Purse volunteers work on a home in the background.
Rapid Response Team vehicles like this one often become a place of ministry as well, with room inside for residents and first responders to sit and talk with chaplains.
Sharing the hope and love of Christ is essential in times like this. "Our chaplains providing encouragement, listening as survivors share their stories and emotions that they’ve bottled up inside. They open the door for people to vent and release all of that pain, and then they’re there to hug them, to pray and share God's hope in Jesus’ name," explained Jack Munday, international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team.
Rapid Response Team chaplains round up with Samaritan's Purse volunteers for prayer. The two groups continue to work hand in hand to assist those affected by the recent disasters in Florida and Texas.
A Naples, Florida, resident shares his storm story with a RRT chaplain.
Damage to this home is visible as chaplains minister in the coastal city of Naples, Florida, a popular retirement area heavily affected by Hurricane Irma. The storm is tied as the second-strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, according to news reports.
In Naples, Florida, Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains join hands in prayer in a community devastated by Hurricane Irma.
There is still flooding danger for Florida residents as a result of the storm. According to news reports, officials are going door to door in Hernando County, Florida, north of Tampa, warning residents about the rising Withlacoochee River, which has reached major flood stage.
A resident holds ministry materials given to her by chaplains.
Chaplains listen as a woman in Naples gestures to damage in her community. The cost of the storm is expected to be astronomical, according to news reports.
The Rapid Response Team has chaplains throughout the U.S. who volunteer their time to share the hope of Christ with those affected by natural or man-made disasters.
An important part of the chaplain's job is the ministry of presence—just listening and being there for those in distress. You can take part by joining us in prayer for those suffering from the effects of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey.
