As far as the 93-year-old Georgian homeowner was concerned, he hadn’t murdered anybody. He’d lived a good life, helping people when he could and just doing the best he knew how. He should be a lock for heaven, right?
That’s what he told the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains who visited with him in the aftermath of a deadly storm in Albany, Georgia. The storm, which happened in early January, achieved winds up to 85 mph, damaging homes and knocking out power in the area. One woman died as a result of a house fire in the storm.
This elderly man was among those living without power in the storm’s wake. Sitting in his home, he talked openly and honestly with the chaplains, sharing his beliefs but also curious what they had to say. What was their take on this heaven business anyway?
The Rapid Response Team chaplain responded gently. The criteria for going to heaven isn’t being a good person, he explained. That’s why Jesus came down here in the first place.
The elderly man was captivated. The chaplain later recalled the man’s stare seemed to intensify. He wanted to know more.
“So they walked through the Steps to Peace, and the 93-year-old man said, ‘I may pass soon. I need to know for sure I’m going to heaven,’” chaplain coordinator Ray Bombardieri said. “He did accept Jesus Christ as his Savior.”
At that point, the gentleman asked the chaplains to visit his sister. She lived just down the road and also was having issues with her power. Upon meeting her, the chaplains found that not only was she a strong believer, but her brother’s salvation had been at the top of her prayer list. The chaplains visited briefly and encouraged her to call her brother, which she did as they were walking out the door.
“Your prayers have been answered,” one of the chaplains said, reflecting on the goodness of God.
The storm in Albany barely made headlines, but God has moved in a mighty way in the area. Neighbors are helping neighbors, and the local churches have banded together to support their community. Sometimes that has meant rounding up volunteers, and other times it has meant simply opening the church doors so people without power can find warmth in the recent harsh winter weather. Churches unable to open their doors assisted the effort in the ways they could—picking up people in vans for instance.
The strength of the local church thrills Bombardieri because as the chaplains pray with people who accept Christ or rededicate their lives to Him, the area churches will be the ones responsible for follow-up. The involvement of these churches will mean everything for these new believers.
“I want someone to come alongside this 93-year-old man,” Bombardieri said as an example. “Whatever time he’s got left, he wants to do it with God and he wants to grow.”
And Bombardieri was quick to point out how cohesive the churches are becoming.
“It’s a God thing in process,” Bombardieri said. “The churches are coming together here in this area, and that can only mean good things.”
Please pray for safety and well-being, particularly as people work to restore power in the area and repair homes that were damaged. Please also lift up the chaplains as they offer emotional and spiritual care in the community.
