Brethren Disaster Ministries staff and volunteers celebrated house blessings for homes that the disaster rebuilding program completed last year in Kentucky. House blessings were held last summer and fall for homes completed for tornado survivors in Dawson Springs, Ky.
The most recent house blessing in December also honored the two-year anniversary of the tornadoes that struck the area in late 2021.
It is a longstanding tradition for Brethren Disaster Ministries staff and/or volunteers to present homeowners with hand-made quilts, typically made by faithful Brethren in their district, as a gesture of support and encouragement, symbolic of the prayer with which the new homes are blessed. Quilts were presented to homeowners last June, when Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear was in Dawson Springs to help hand out keys for five homes (see www.wkms.org/housing/2023-06-27/beshear-hands-out-keys-for-five-new-dawson-springs-homes-to-tornado-survivors).
Governor Beshear also was present for the groundbreaking for Habitat for Humanity homes in October (see www.wpkyonline.com/2023/10/27/27-p-beshear-ds-habitat-groundbreaking-wphotos/news-edge). Reported Brethren Disaster Ministries director Jenn Dorsch-Messler, “His extended family is from Dawson Springs so he has been there several times for events in the last year.”
Although it is not reported by WPKY about the December event (see www.wpkyonline.com/2023/12/09/gov-beshear-dedicates-five-habitat-homes-to-dawson-springs-tornado-survivors/news-edge) Brethren Disaster Ministries leaders attended the most recent house blessing ceremony where Gov. Beshear was present, on Dec. 9. “BDM leaders attended and BDM Rebuild Disaster Project Leader Cliff Kindy even spoke at the event,” reported Dorsch-Messler.
Find out more about Brethren Disaster Ministries at www.brethren.org/bdm.
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