Gospel Hope Amid Devastation

Lily Herrera pushed up from her chair under the sprawling shade tree in her backyard—just a few hundred yards from the banks of the Guadalupe River deep in the Texas Hill Country. As volunteers clad in blue or orange shirts made their way over to Lily and her husband, Joe, she embraced every single one of them. And as she did, tears streamed down her cheeks.

The day before, as Samaritan’s Purse volunteers began a cleanout of the Herreras’ flood-ravaged home, Cathy and Dale Nordgaarden—two crisis-trained chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (BG-RRT)—had begun a spiritual conversation with the Herreras after hearing of their terrifying experience in the floods in the early morning hours of July 4. Lily listened intently as Cathy shared the Gospel.

Now, with the two-day cleanout completed, the volunteers were capping off the job by gathering in the backyard to present the couple with a Bible. Their kindness appeared to overwhelm Lily as well as Joe, whose speech is limited from his Parkinson’s disease. Moments later, after everyone had left except Cathy and Dale, Lily began to open up even more than the previous day as Joe sat next to her, listening. When Cathy reminded the Herreras that they could have the peace that they sought through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, Lily told Cathy, “I want that.”

And right there under that backyard shade tree, Lily and Joe bowed their heads and received Christ as Savior.

In the chaos of the July 4 floods, Lily and Joe hadn’t known if they would live to see daylight. The overrun Guadelupe had rapidly begun filling their house in the middle of the night. Neighbors in the Bumble Bee subdivision came to their rescue, getting them out of their home and up to higher ground.

Ingram, where the Herreras live, is a tight-knit Hill Country town in Kerr County, an hour northwest of San Antonio. It was hit especially hard by the deluge. The usually tranquil Guadelupe crested 26 feet above normal levels in just 45 minutes, wreaking destruction and claiming at least 135 lives, mostly in Kerr County. The dead included 27 young girls and staff members from Camp Mystic, a nationally known Christian camp whose longtime director, Dick Eastland, also perished.

Within hours of the flooding, BG-RRT chaplains and Samaritan’s Purse personnel hit the ground in Kerr County, praying, listening and assessing needs.

Chaplains engaged residents and first responders in heartfelt spiritual discussions. In nearby Kerrville, where a Billy Graham Mobile Ministry Center (MMC) trailer operated next to a busy intersection, drivers who recognized the Billy Graham logo on the trailer frequently waved, honked, or stopped to say thanks, relay a Billy Graham story, or ask for prayer.

Chaplain Robert Graham was sitting under a portable tent at the trailer to escape the scorching afternoon sun when he heard someone yell, “I love you!” He turned toward the intersection to see a young woman and a teenage boy in a car, the woman making a heart sign with her hands. Recognizing the hand sign as something his granddaughter taught him, Robert returned the gesture and motioned for the young people to pull in. They did, and a 45-minute discussion between Graham and 21-year-old Destiny and her cousin, 14-year-old Dalton, ensued under the tent. That afternoon, both Destiny and Dalton prayed to receive Jesus as their Savior. Dalton, who said he had never owned a Bible, was thrilled to receive one from the BG-RRT ministry.

Meanwhile, David Moody, manager of BGEA’s national law enforcement ministry, traveled to Kerr County to offer a listening ear and spiritual care to the many first responders who had come there seeking to help amid hot, humid and emotionally draining conditions.

“There are many heartbreaking stories,” Moody said. “Some of them, you can tell they have faith in Christ. Others, you can tell they don’t know where to turn. It’s a good opportunity to pray with them and share with them.”

Tammy Burroughs, wife of pastor Mike Burroughs of Kerrville’s Living Waters Church, felt grief on several levels. For 20 years, she and Mike had run Hill Country Camp, one of multiple youth camps along the river. They knew the staff at Camp Mystic well, including Dick Eastland. And they also lost five people who were like family.

“They weren’t blood, but they were our family,” she said, recounting a recent gathering with the Burroughs clan and several generations of the family whose members died in the flood.

“I have relied on the Holy Spirit,” Tammy said. “I can’t imagine what people do who don’t have a relationship with the Lord.”

Two hours west of the Hill Country in San Angelo, more BG-RRT chaplains deployed to offer a ministry of presence and eternal hope after flooding from the same storm system. There, multiple people responded to the Gospel, including Stephanie, a former drug addict and inmate, along with her 16-year-old grandson Evan and her two nieces.

Will Graham was able to tour the devastation and visit with flood victims on July 12, encouraging ongoing prayer for devastated families.

“It’s thrown their world upside down,” Will said. “That’s why it’s important to go in there with the Gospel and just help point people to Jesus Christ. That’s the greatest hope that we can ever give anybody.” ©2025 BGEA