September 28 – “A chaplain-esque afternoon”

 After the tropical storm hiccup last week, it was sure good to be back at church in person yesterday.  And we had a good group of folks gathering with us outside under the building, so they must have thought so as well.  I even met several folks who just moved to Jamaica Beach full time.  They have bene coming to the Easter sunrise service for some time, so they were excited to be at a “regular” service.  Welcome to the Island.

 

After church, as we were gathering things together and carrying things back inside (No, I didn’t carry any chairs or pulpits or tables or anything), a fire call came through, and the response was to the convenience store next door.  As usual we all stopped and said a prayer for the firefighters and police and paramedic crews responding as well as for the victim.  Our volunteer firefighter Lauren hurried away. 

 

Much later Lauren called to see if I was still at the church.  the call was for a probable drowning.  The victim’s adult son was on scene and pretty distraught.  The Jamaica Beach fire chief was wondering if I could come talk to the guy.  Chris stayed at the church with a few others and I set out to find them.  There was a fire truck on scene, so it wasn’t that hard to locate them.  With the traffic barricade and people on the beach, though, it took me a while to actually get there.  Lauren met me and filled me in a little more on what was happening. 

 

The son was pacing a long length of the beach, back and forth.  I approached him, introduced myself as the fire department chaplain, and asked if I could walk with him for a bit.  He was still overwhelmed and having a hard time processing just what was happening.  I assured him that everyone on scene was doing everything they could to locate his Dad.  He also let me pray with him.  Beyond that I left the talking up to him, and we walked in silence for a long time.  A police officer eventually stopped us and asked if he could ask some more questions.  The guy agreed, but seemed to be leery of the officer.  After that interview concluded, we walked away again.  That’s when I assured him that even later when he had had time to absorb everything, he could talk to a fire fighter.  I promised him that they would listen and get him directed to where he needed to be.  He had been trying to make a phone call to some relatives, so I encouraged him to take another walk alone and when he was ready he could make the calls.  Later on a few ladies who had been on the beach in a spot next to him and his Dad came over.  They presented him with an envelope of cash that had collected from the folks around them.  He tried to refuse, but they were pretty insistent.  We all prayed together again. 

 

I spent some time talking to the Galveston police officer who was doing the interview. I also talked to the Jamaica Beach officer who had been on scene earlier.  I checked in with the Jamaica Beach volunteer fire fighters who were on scene.  And I spent some time with the Galveston Fire Department crew who had responded as well.  The Galveston Beach Patrol was there.  They and the Jamaica Beach marine rescue team had been out in the water doing a search for almost two hours.  A Coast Guard helicopter arrived and was doing their grid search from the air.  Every one of the first responders was professional and focused on getting the job done, while remaining aware and of and showing compassion for the son.  I was proud of all of them.  It was definitely a chaplain-esque afternoon. 

 

I finally left the scene when a victim response person from the Jesse Tree, our local social service agency, arrived.  As we left the church, Chris and I noticed the Coast Guard helicopter suddenly stopped and hovered over near the State Park.  Sure enough, Lauren texted not long after to say that the copter had indeed located the body.  Praying now for that son who had the responsibility of notifying family members and walking with them through a really tough time ahead. 

 

Philippians 4:4-7 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.  Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Father, please walk with Jason and the rest of his family through these next few days as they face decisions and experiences that are unlike any they have ever encountered.  Draw them to yourself so they can also experience your peace that passes understanding.  Amen.